Blog Kiosk: 1/8/2016 - Dodger Links - Piazza and Maeda

Here's an fantastic photo of Kenta Maeda in his Dodgers Blues at Dodger Stadium, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.  Go here to check out more photos taken by Jon from yesterday press conference.  Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

“Obviously, we spent a lot of time evaluating and scouting Kenta over his very successful career in Japan,” Dodger president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We feel like the pitch mix will play here — obviously the fastball, slider is kind of his out pitch, his changeup has really come on, very good feel for a curveball. The ability to show so many different pitches and command them, coupled with the kind of athlete he is — he’s a tremendous athlete, fields his position well, holds runners well, can hit — obviously helps in the National League.”

Below are more links to check out:

• Via an AP report on ESPN, "Dodgers assured of Kenta Maeda's health; rotation 'pretty well set'" 

Maeda and the Dodgers acknowledged that his physical revealed unspecified "irregularities." Maeda has had elbow issues but said he's confident he will be able to pitch a full season in the major leagues.

"Despite the fact there were some irregularities found, the Dodgers made a decision to make a long-term commitment to me and that was meaningful to me," Maeda said through a translator.

• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA has all the details regarding Maeda's incentive laden contract, here.
• Listen to Tommy Lasorda speak about Mike Piazza with David Vassegh on Dodger Talk, here.
• Mike Piazza goes on the Dan Patrick show to talk about the Hall and his time in LA, here.

“Well, I think it’s important to say I have absolutely no animosity or negative feelings towards the Dodgers. That will always be a huge part of my past as far as coming up, they gave me the opportunity. Coming up and going to Spring Training and seeing Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Roy Campanella, Johhny Rosoboro and Maury Wills, that was not only inspiring but the instruction that I got was huge. We had a falling out and parted ways, and I think both of us were definitely at fault.”

• I'm sure this is something a lot of folks are wondering about.  Via an ESPN report, "Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza make Hall hat choices."

Ken Griffey Jr. will go into the Hall of Fame with a Seattle Mariners cap, and Mike Piazza will have a New York Mets hat.

• Via Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors, "White Sox Claim Daniel Fields From Dodgers."

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Blog Kiosk: 12/8/2015 - Dodger Links - Chapman, Scavuzzo and a Couple New Players

Above is another vintage Charles Conlon photograph from the 1920 World Series at RMY Auctions.  This time I feature a pic of Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers right fielder Tommy Griffith.  He played  seven season for us, slashing .285/.333/.394/.727 in Blue. 

His 1920 season was a strange one.   Griffith had actually retired and was thus a no-show that Spring.  Nelson 'Chip' Greene at the SABR Biography Project shares more details:

Earlier, Griffith had become a stock salesman. During the just-completed season, in fact, he had sold stocks while traveling with the team and had been doing well, reportedly making enough money to make the venture a “pleasant and profitable pastime.” (His decision to retire was also undoubtedly due to lingering resentment over his trade the previous year, as it was reported that “intimate friends say he is peeved because he was traded off the Cincinnati club.”) When Brooklyn opened spring training camp in Jacksonville, Florida, in March 1920, Griffith was a no-show. He wasn’t going to stay away for long, however. In 1920, after hovering around .500 for most of the first month, the team climbed into pennant contention and stayed there all season long. In May, manager Wilbert Robinson and team owner Charles Ebbets got Griffith’s new employer to guarantee that Griffith would not lose his chance for advancement or seniority if the ballplayer returned to the club. Griffith, who’d been playing with a local semipro team to stay in shape, agreed to come back. When he returned on May 27, Brooklyn’s record was 16-13. Over the remainder of the season the team played .616 ball (77-48) and finished with a record of 93-61, to win the National League flag.

It's funny to think that he chose working 9-5 over Baseball, but such was the time.  Ballplayers didn't make as much as other professions (let alone what they make today), and if other opportunities arose it was likely to make the professional game an afterthought.

Below are more links to check out:

• I hate to lead with this.  Via Tim Brown and Jeff Passan at Yahoo Sports: "Police report: Aroldis Chapman allegedly fired gunshots, 'choked' girlfriend in domestic incident."  This is terrible - not only for the individuals involved in the incident described in the story, but also for us fans.  I'll have my thoughts on the matter shortly.  In the meantime, below is an excerpt:

The incident started, Chapman’s girlfriend told police, after she went into a bathroom of Chapman’s 10,000-square-foot-plus house and “found something in his phone that she did not like,” according to the report. Chapman, his girlfriend told police, then took the phone from her, the report said. They went to the movie theater inside of Chapman’s home, where “he had pushed her against the wall,” according to the report, and “that Chapman had ‘choked’ her by placing his hands around her neck, but did not prevent her from breathing at any time.” Police did not observe “injuries or even redness anywhere on her neck or chest,” the report said.

• Ah, crap!  Via Jayson Stark on twitter:

Even if the Dodgers don't trade for Chapman, they have issues. Talked to someone who spoke with Kenley Jansen. Described him as "crushed"

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) December 8, 2015

• Dave Roberts spoke with the media at the Winter Meetings yesterday, and you can check out a complete unfiltered transcript of the interview here.  Furthermore, Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider wrote a bit about it: "Dave Roberts discusses Kershaw, Greinke." 
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Jacob Scavuzzo named to Arizona Fall League top prospect team."

Scavuzzo hit .377/.389/.623 with four home runs and five doubles in 16 games, and ranked third in slugging percentage and at-bats per home run (17.25), mostly playing left field but also seeing time at first base. Scavuzzo played in the AFL Fall Stars Game, and won the National League portion of the Bowman Hitting Challenge in the AFL on Oct. 17.

• Busy.  Busy!  The Dodgers added a couple more players for their minor league teams.  First they Danny Reynolds from the Angels.  Then claimed outfielder Daniel Fields from the Brewers.  Via a Dodgers press release:

Danny Reynolds, 24, went 2-3 with 10 saves and a 4.57 ERA in 43 relief appearances last year for the Angels’ Double-A Arkansas, limiting opposing hitters to a .213 batting average with 50 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. A 2014 Double-A Texas League All-Star, Reynolds has a 22-23 career record with 21 saves and a 4.39 ERA in 152 games (42 starts) in six minor league seasons after being selected by the Angels in the sixth round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.

Daniel Fields, 24, made his Major League debut last year for the Tigers, going 1-for-3 in his only big league game on June 4 against the Athletics, and has a .244 batting average with 86 stolen bases, 42 home runs and 260 RBI in 649 minor league games in six minor league seasons in the Detroit organization. In addition to seeing his first big league action last season, he appeared in 122 games for the Tigers’ Triple-A Toledo, batting .228 with 17 steals, seven home runs and 41 RBI prior to being claimed by the Brewers on Sept. 10. During the course of his minor league career, Fields has primarily appeared in center field (570 games), while also playing 53 games in left field. 

• BTW, AJ Ellis had a great reaction to the Aroldis Chapman trade on twitter.  Given what we know know, it's not so funny... Well, it's still a little funny.  Check it out below:

Wonder if @wilsonballglove can make me this model. pic.twitter.com/GGVEn869wb

— AJ Ellis (@AJEllis17) December 7, 2015

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