Blog Kiosk: 9/28/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Check out this AP wirephoto featuring Jackie (auction link here). Dated to April 24, 1960, it features Robinson joining a protest in Cleveland. Per a newspaper clipping attached to the reverse:

Jackie Robinson, former major league baseball star, grabbed a sign and joined pickets at Cleveland, Ohio, who protested discrimination against Negroes at lunch counters in the south. Pickets staked out a Cleveland store whose stubborn branches have been reported as refusing service to Negroes.

I somehow wanted to relate this photo to today's charged social and political climate, but struggled to find a path. Then, I came across something written by Steven Levingston at the Washington Post regarding the oftentimes contentious relationship between Jackie and John F. Kennedy:

“Without meaning to be impertinent, Mr. President, we have a suggestion,” Robinson said. He advised the president to go off somewhere alone and think about racial prejudice until he got as angry as he was about steel prices. Then the president could channel his fury into “the battle against the bigots in this country who are working harder to destroy it from within than any foreign power is working to destroy it from without.” Robinson wanted the president to inject some passion into his fight for civil rights. “Why Mr. President,” the baseball hero urged, “why don’t you get angry again?”

Is this the solution? Should folks around the country "go off somewhere alone and think about the" violence we've all been, to a certain extent, conditioned to accept as normal?  Three years later we finally heard JFK get angry, as Robinson suggested:

“We face,” (JFK) said “a moral crisis as a country and as a people. It cannot be met by repressive police action. It cannot be left to increased demonstrations in the streets. It cannot be quieted by token moves or talk.” He addressed civil rights in moral terms as no president ever had.

I still don't know if I accomplished my goal of relating the above photo to today's issues, but I do know that there is a moral crisis today and I think we'd be remiss not to touch upon it -- even on a sports-centered blog. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1988 Orel Hershiser broke Don Drysdale's Major League record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched at 59.  He went ten scoreless innings against the Padres in San Diego, but unfortunately did not walk away with the victory. The Dodgers eventually won in the 16th inning, 2-1.  In 1997 Mike Piazza set the Los Angeles Dodgers record for home runs at 40. He hit two homers against Rockies starter John Thomson in Colorado.
• Happy Birthday, Jack Fournier, Whitey Witt, Glen Moulder, Todd Worrell, Héctor Giménez & Jerry Sands!

Blog Kiosk: 5/31/2017 - Dodgers Links - Six Game Winning Streak and First Place

It feels like a brand new day, eh?

After weeks of toiling the Dodgers finally find themselves on top of the heap. Per Scott Chasen and Alaina Getzenberg at MLB.com:

"Are we really [in first]?" Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, when asked about the division race. "We're winning baseball games right now, but I think the intent right now is to focus on the day and not worry about the standings. ... We've done a pretty good job of that."

Photo above via @Dodgers on twitter. Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1937 the Brooklyn Dodgers ended Carl Hubbell's consecutive-game winning streak at 24 (over two season) at the Polo Grounds by defeating the Giants, 10-3. In 1948 Tommy Lasorda, as a member of the Schenectady Blue Jays in the Phillies system, struck out 25 batters in a 15 inning game to defeat the Amsterdam Rugmakers.  Lasorda has said in the past that he likely threw more than 300 pitches that day. In 1965 the Dodgers, for the first time in history, field an all switch-hitting infield in the second game of a doubleheader against the Reds.  The players were Wes Parker, Jim Lefebvre, Maury Wills and Jim Gilliam.  In 1968 Don Drysdale pitched his fifth consecutive shutout -- while on his way to breaking the scoreless innings streak. This is the game where a Giants batter was called out on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch since he was ruled to have not made an attempt to get out of the way of the pitch.
• Happy Birthday, George Smith, Kenny Lofton & Dave Roberts!
  

2015 Bowman Chrome Baseball - All the Dodger Insert Cards

As promised, here are pics of all of the Dodger insert cards that are available in packs of 2015 Bowman Chrome Baseball.  Go here to see all of my previous post on this set.

As you can see, it is filled with a whole bunch of prospect cards and autographs.  Of note, both Darnell Sweeney and Hector Olivera have Dodger cards in this set.  As you know, they were both traded recently (Sweeney to Philadelphia and Olivera to Atlanta), so Topps was unable to include them on their new teams in time for this release.

Chrome Prospect Autographs

#BCAP-CBE Cody Bellinger               #BCAP-DS Darnell Sweeney

Welcome to the Blue - Wood, Johnson, Peraza, Avilan and Arroyo! The Trades are Done!

It's done!  It is finally done!

As it turns out, it isn't a 3-way deal after all.  The Dodgers first put together a trade with the Marlins featuring Mat Matos and Michael Morse.  Go here to see my post from yesterday on that one; including some fantasy Baseball cards celebrating the transaction.  The three Dodger prospects going to Miami are Victor Araujo, Jeff Brigham and Kevin Guzman.

The Braves trade (and the purpose of this post) includes eight players changing teams - five of them to Los Angeles.  Per the Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired left-handed pitcher Alex Wood, right-handed reliever Jim Johnson, left-handed reliever Luis Avilan, minor league infielder Jose Peraza, right-handed pitcher Bronson Arroyo and cash considerations from Atlanta in exchange for infielder Hector Olivera, left-handed reliever Paco Rodriguez and minor league right-handed pitcher Zach Bird.

So, the rumored 2016 draft slot bandied about yesterday plays no part in either the Marlins or Braves trade.  (Apparently, the above is incorrect, or so I've read.  The Dodger press releases made no mention of a 2015 draft pick, and in fact they sent out two separate press releases for the trades - one dealing with Miami and another dealing with Atlanta.  But everyone seems to still be reporting that Atlanta did get Miami's draft pick, so I guess I'll just accept that?)  For some detailed analysis on both trades check out the links below:

• Via Chris Mitchell at FanGraphs, "Projecting All the Prospects in the Latos/Wood Trade."
• Chad Moriyama at Dodgers Digest, "Dodgers manage to upgrade rotation, bullpen, farm for cash in reported 3-team trade."
• Via Dave Cameron at FanGraphs, "Dodgers Upgrade Rotation in Unexpected, Intelligent Way."
• Steven Martano at Beyond the Boxscore, "Dodgers add depth to rotation trading for Alex Wood among others."

Overall, I like what the Dodger front office has done.  They basically traded some lower level prospects including a better than decent Zach Bird, an oft-injured lefty reliever in Paco and a 30-year old Cuban prospect in Olivera (highly touted, mind you, but old) for two starting pitchers who will slot in nicely into our rotation, a nice infield prospect, two relievers and a couple of high dollar'd has-been's.  Basically, we took in a bunch of unwanted contracts to solidify the rotation and bullpen.  Heck, we even got a prospect and a potential right-handed off-the-bench power bat in Morse (he was valuable for the Giants last year).  Although, it does appear likely that Morse and/or Arroyo will be released.

A negative is seeing Paco Rodriguez leave the franchise.  I really liked that kid.  It's also disappointing that we won't have a chance to see that Hector Olivera can do for us.  Nevertheless, we got a whole bunch for very little.  That's assuming you consider the Dodgers spending wads of cash no big deal.

As for not getting a top-line starter like Price or Hamels... Well, I'm a bit disappointed, but not angry.  We probably could've gotten Hamels (considering what they got), but Price ended up being way too expensive.  Detroit made out like a bandit in their trade with Toronto. 

In celebration of the Dodgers adding these five new players (some of whom may never actually wear Dodger Blue) I made the below fantasy Baseball cards in honor.  Check them out below.  I've also included some information about each of them, as well.

Alex Wood is probably the crown jewel of the trade for the Dodgers.  He was basically the staff ace for a bad Braves team, and will fit in nicely in the middle of our rotation.

From the Dodger press release:

Wood, 24, has gone 21-20 with a 3.10 ERA in 86 games (55 starts) in three big league seasons with the Braves, including a 7-6 mark with a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts this year. Since making his big league debut in 2013, Wood ranks among the NL leaders (min. 350.0 IP) in ERA (9th) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.12, 15th), while posting a 47.7 groundball percentage and forcing an average of 1.03 groundball double plays per 9.0 innings (4th). The North Carolina native was selected in the second round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Georgia and quickly ascended to the Majors, while posting a 9-5 record with a 1.68 ERA in 26 minor league starts over three seasons.

Below are Woods's career stats, via Baseball-Reference:

Adding Jim Johnson to the bullpen can only be a good thing.  He's a right-handed reliever with plenty of experience and past success.

From the Dodger press release:

Johnson, 32, has gone 2-3 with nine saves and a 2.25 ERA in 49 games with Atlanta this year in his 10th big league season. The 2012 All-Star and Rolaids Relief Man Award winner has a 25-31 career record with 133 saves and a 3.45 ERA with the Orioles (2006-13), Athletics (2014), Tigers (2014) and Braves (2015). He was one of the American League’s top closers in 2012-13, topping the American League in saves in consecutive seasons and posting back-to-back 50-save seasons with the Orioles. He was originally selected by Baltimore in the fifth round of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft out of Union-Endicott (NY) High School.

Below are Johnson's career stats, via Baseball-Reference:

Luis Avilan is a lefty reliever.

From the Dodger press release:

Avilan, 26, has a 12-5 record with a 2.77 ERA in 218 career games in four big league seasons with Atlanta from 2012-15, limiting opponents to a .225 batting average and posting a 1.16 WHIP. He has appeared in a team-high 50 games this year, going 2-4 with a 3.58 ERA, while limiting opponents to a .245 average. Avilan was signed by the Braves as a free agent in 2005 out of Venezuela.

Below are Avilan's career stats, via Baseball-Reference:

Peraza is probably the best prospect that changed hands (not including the Cuban Hector Olivera).  He's fast and is basically a new version of a young Dee Gordon.  Per Chris Mitchell at FanGraphs:

Peraza excels in the speed and contact departments, but provides very little when it comes hitting for power and drawing walks.

From the Dodger press release:

Peraza, 21, has a .303 career batting average with 203 steals, eight home runs and 178 RBI in 439 games over seven seasons in the Braves’ minor league system, including a .294 mark with 26 stolen bases, three homers and 37 RBI in 96 games this year with Triple-A Gwinnett. Entering the 2015 season, he was rated by Baseball America as the No. 54 overall prospect in baseball after earning selections as a MiLB.com Atlanta organization All-Star in 2013-14 and to the MLB All-Star Futures Game in 2014, when he ranked third among all minor leaguers with 60 steals. He was originally signed by the Braves in 2010 as a free agent out of Venezuela.

Below are Peraza's career stats, via Baseball-Reference:

Not only has Arroyo not ever worn a Braves uniform (he came to them this past June in a salary-dump trade with the Diamondbacks), but he is unlikely to ever wear Dodger Blue either.  Bronson Arroyo is currently on the DL, and has a $4.5Mil buyout on his contract for next season. 

From the Dodger press release:

Arroyo, 38, last pitched on June 15, 2014 before undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 15, 2014. The 2006 All-Star has gone 145-131 with a 4.19 ERA in 405 games (369 starts) in 15 Major League seasons with the Pirates (2000-02), Red Sox (2003-05), Reds (2006-13) and D-backs (2014).

Below are Arroyo's career stats, via Baseball-Reference:

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Blog Kiosk: 7/28/2015 - Dodger Links - Puig, Olivera and Farhan Zaidi

I think with the silly season in full gear it is important to note that a vast majority of rumors you hear are just a bunch of bunk.  You've got competing interest at play; from agents looking to position their clients, to GM's trying to outplay their competitors, to reporters looking to create buzz and pageviews.  So, you should take everything you hear and read with a grain of salt.  Heck, the most likely trade to happen are the ones you don't hear about.  (Case in point, were there any rumors about Tulo getting traded before he was?)

That being said, I can totally envision the Dodgers trading Yasiel Puig should the right offer come along.  The thing is, I highly doubt that kind of offer comes.  He is an economic asset (look at his contract) and a player with the ability to put up huge numbers.  In order for a trade to make sense we would have to get premium value with cost certainty for a good amount of time, and no amount of rumors focused on any clubhouse antics should play a part in subsequent discussions.  Nevertheless, with all of the talk focused on him he had to respond, via Dylan Hernandez at the LA Times:

If Puig had a say, he would go nowhere.

"Players never want to be traded from their first team," he said. "But that's not our decision."
Puig raised the example of Dee Gordon, the All-Star second baseman who was traded to the Miami Marlins over the winter.

"Dee Gordon didn't want to be traded from here and they traded him," he said.

Puig said that if he is traded, he would like to respond the way Gordon did. Gordon, who was sidelined by a thumb injury earlier this month, is second in the National League with a .338 batting average.

"I'll play anywhere," Puig said. "I came to the United States [from Cuba] to play baseball. Baseball is the same anywhere. If they want to trade me, that's their decision. I can't do anything about that."

I hope the Dodgers keep him in the outfield.  He's still young and learning as he navigates the world he lives in now, and I'd hate for his numbers to explode in another uniform when maturity sets in.

The photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Below are some links to check out:

• Take a look at the upcoming August issue of Dodger Insider magazine on the right.  It features Yasmani Grandal on the cover and in-depth articles on Yasiel Puig and Rick Honeycutt.  It goes on sale at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.  Click on the pic to embiggen.
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Olivera 'doing great,' Frias healthy after rehab start."

"Hector is doing great," said Kapler. "He's recovering beautifully, running to increase speed and stride length. Working his tail off. Taking swings off the tee and looks strong and fluid."

• PETA declares that Dodger Stadium is the #1 most vegetarian friendly Baseball stadium in the league.  Check out their top-10 list here.
• GCRL shares even more Steve Garvey cards in his collection - all of his book "fold-out" cards.
• I hate hearing stuff like this - even when the victim is a Giants fan.  Via Rich Mueller at Sports Collectors Daily, "(Willie) Mays Rookie Stolen from Rob Schneider’s Home."
• With the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago is just days away Panini shares even more cards from their wrapper redemption program at the show; including the Joc Pederson jersey button cards below.  Go here to see even more photos of the cards available.
  
  

• Check out this recent interview (this past weekend) from the DOHA conference between Molly Knight and Farhan Zaidi below.  (Hat Tip: r/thedude596 on reddit)

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Blog Kiosk: 7/6/2015 - Dodger Links - Olivera, Bolsinger and Pederson

Yesterday was Photo Day at Dodger Stadium, and as you can see above there was plenty of room for fans to interact with the players.  Go here to check out a bunch of pics taken by Dodger photographers Jill Weisleder and Jon SooHoo of the afternoon.  Photo above via Jill Weisleder/LA Dodgers 2015.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Jacob Unruh at NewsOK, "OKC Dodgers: Cuban infielder Hector Olivera’s journey to majors takes him through OKC."  (Hat Tip: Dodgers Nation)

“It’s different when you come from some other country, and you come here and you sign a good contract that you know you’re set for life,” Vizcaino said. “The only thing you worry about is playing baseball. That’s a great thing for them, but either way he’s hungry to play, he wants to play, he wants to prove that he deserves that kind of money and that’s why I like working with him because he wants to get better every day.”

• Via Spencer Bingol at Beyond the Boxscore, "No one is swinging at Mike Bolsinger."

Per Baseball-Reference, Mike Bolsinger has a whopping 37.2 percent strikes looking rate, which is the highest rate in the majors by a 3.2 percent margin (ahead of the Marlins' David Phelps).

By Fangraphs' metrics, his 55.1 percent zone-swing rate is by far the lowest in baseball (minimum 60 IP). He also features the 12th-lowest outside-swing rate, and the lowest total swing rate (39.1 percent).

• For the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago at the end of this month Panini America is handing out a six-card set to VIP's that includes the Joc Pederson card below.  Go here to see the rest of them.

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Blog Kiosk: 7/1/2015 - Dodger Links - Olivera, Hanson and the Paciorek's

Diamondbacks mascot Baxter has been found to be the nefarious leaker responsible for the rumors and stories being told in Molly Knight's upcoming book: "The Best Team Money Can Buy."

How do we know this?

Well... Dodger trainer Stan Conte had to twist his arm to get that information from him.  One wonders if Molly had to do the same thing.  On a side note, the man under the mask is none other than McCourt sibling Drew - I kid you not (LOL).  He's been bouncing around the league taking any job that comes him way since his family got booted from LA.  No doubt he's well on his way towards enacted sweet vengeance against the Dodgers.

Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Below are some links to check out:

• Will we be seeing him soon?  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers' Olivera visits big league clubhouse in Arizona."

"I asked him why all the Cuban players hit the other way," said Mattingly, who is critical of young Major Leaguers that have not learned to hit using the entire field. "He said if you play on the national team there, at a young age they teach you to hit the other way.

"All the Cuban guys seem to do that. [Yasiel] Puig does it really good. [Yasmany] Tomas has that inside-out swing, [Jose] Abreu, too. They all learn that approach. Somebody down there is teaching that at a young age and I like it a lot."

• Via LA Taco, "Interview with Dodgers Superfan Bobby Crosby AKA Dodgerfilms."
• Awesome!  Dodger recent draft pick Mitchell Hansen sometimes gets mail, via his twitter:

Dodger love all the way from Japan! pic.twitter.com/6bixI6drl3

— Mitchell Hansen (@MHansen_16) July 1, 2015

• Raymond Rolak at Polish News writes about the Baseball exploits of Tom Paciorek's oldest brother, John Paciorek: "Polish-American Baseball Educator, Special Footnote in Baseball History."

During the special CBS interview feature, Hall of Fame baseball manager, Tom LaSorda had high praise for the Paciorek brothers. LaSorda said, “Everyone had scouted John and the Dodgers would have loved him but Houston was an expansion team and they gave large bonuses. They were collecting young prospects by the bushel baskets.” LaSorda added, “You know, this young man at that time (John), had everything going for him, you could see a great career with him. No telling what he could have accomplished.”

(Lee Cowan, John Paciorek, Tommy Lasorda and Tom Paciorek talk baseball history recently on CBS)

• Panini's Elite Baseball set goes officially live today.  Check out some preview picks they shared yesterday, here.  Below are an Adrian Gonzalez and Corey Seager card.
  

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Blog Kiosk: 6/24/2015 - Dodger Links - Puig, Guerrero and a Catching Baby Daddy

Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo always seems to find himself in the perfect spot.  He was burping distance from the somewhat controversial play that saw Keith Harley make a one-handed steal of a pop fly out of Adrian Gonzalez's glove.  Check out the fantastic photo he took above.  Via Jon Greenberg at ESPN:

"Baseball is not a new thing to me," he said. "I didn't want it to hit the ledge and hit him, so I wanted to make first contact, I think."

More importantly, what was going through wife Kari's head?

"I was a little bit nervous, a little bit scared he was going to drop the baby," she said. "Fortunately he held on tight to both the ball and Isaac, so we were OK."

Adrian, on the other hand, had an hilarious response to it all, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It would have been more impressive if the baby would have caught it," said Gonzalez.

Go here to check out more photos of yesterday's game from Jon.  Below are some links to check out:

• Dodgers beat reporter JP Hoornstra has just completed a book about the Dodgers.  It is called, "The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time."  You can check it out here.
• Via Nathan Fenno at the LA Times, "Judge dismisses suit against Dodgers' Yasiel Puig stemming from human trafficking charges."

Corbacho Daudinot sued under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, which allows civil lawsuits in the United States against people who commit torture while acting in an official capacity for another country. He said that Puig falsely accused him of human trafficking — attempting to help Puig leave Cuba — which led to a seven-year prison sentence in 2010.

• Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest, "Dodgers 2015 MLB Draft signing update: 28 players signed."
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Hector Olivera placed on DL with hamstring injury."
• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Dodgers' Guerrero knows a trade could be a good career move."

Alex Guerrero’s exaggerated enthusiasm couldn’t hide his genuine enthusiasm for the possibility.

“Donde? Philadelphia?” Guerrero said, laughing and raising his hands to the sky in prayer when it was pointed out that his name was likely to come up in speculation as a potential trade chip if the Dodgers are going to acquire pitching help before the trade deadline.

• Congrats!  Via Dick Dornan at the Malibu Times, "Former Dodger Billy Ashley Named Malibu Baseball Coach."
• Via Craig Minami at True Blue LA, "Brandon Trinkwon is top star in All-Star Game; Cal League wins."

Trinkwon was named the Top Star of the game. Trinkwon was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBI and a walk. Bellinger doubled and had two RBI. Bellinger was also a part of three fielding double plays.

• Watch A.J. Ellis with Keith Olbermann to discuss Joe Maddon's stall tactics, Clayton Kershaw, and the Dodgers season thus far.

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Blog Kiosk: 6/22/2015 - Dodger Links - Kershaw, Olivera and a Mashup

It was a very special Father's Day at Dodger Stadium as fans and players alike brought along their kids to enjoy the festivities.  Featured above are Scott Van Slyke and Yasiel Puig with their young boys.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more photos taken by Jon from yesterday's game.

Below are some links to check out:

• Check out this interview by ESPN with Yasiel Puig, here.
• Via Anna Katherine Clemmons at ESPN, "A Father's Day Q&A with new dad Clayton Kershaw."

ESPN.com: What were those first days and weeks like for you and Ellen?

Kershaw: We thought Cali wasn't a crier and we had it figured out. We thought, 'We have a really calm baby.' And she is calm. But then she found her lungs a bit later. It was pretty overwhelming to bring her home for the first time and realize you've got to make sure she stays alive. Ellen is incredible and already has the whole mom thing down pat, so I just follow her lead.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Walker Buehler continues run of strong Dodgers pitching in College World Series."
• A Hector Oliver Update:  Via Jacob Unruh at NewsOK, "OKC Dodgers notebook: Hector Olivera finishes double shy of cycle in 6-3 win over Memphis."

“He’s a talented guy,” Berryhill said. “Right now, the first few games he looked like he was just not in real good baseball shape.

“He’s coming quick and the swings are getting better. Defensively, he’s getting better and getting better jumps on the ball. I’m pleased with where he’s at.”

Olivera said he is pleased with his progress to the point he is just waiting for the promotion.

“I’m waiting for that call,” he said. “I’ve been working really hard to get here and I think I’m prepared. I’m just waiting for the call.”

• Via Steve Bourbon at MLB.com, "Dodgers get bench production from Guerrero."
• Via an AP story on ESPN, "Erisbel Arruebarrena suspension cut to 30 days."
• Ha Ha!  Via Chris Cwik at Big League Stew, "The Giants team bus left Bruce Bochy at Dodger Stadium on Friday."
• Funniest mashup ever!  Check out Justin Turner, Joc Pederson and Kike Hernandez goofing around on the plane last night, via Kike's Instagram.

🍌🍌🍌 #Minions #HappyFlight #WinningIsFun @yungjoc650 @redturn2

A video posted by Kike Hernandez (@kikehndez) on Jun 21, 2015 at 10:20pm PDT

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Blog Kiosk: 6/17/2015 - Dodger Links - Kershaw, Ethier and McCarthy

Country star Toby Keith visited with Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers prior to yesterday's game in Texas, and as you can see he has his Baseball allegiance set right.  The photo above is via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more pics taken bu Jon from yesterday's game.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Jamal Collier at MLB.com, "Kershaw's trip home brief but enjoyable."

"It's fun to be home, see your friends and family," Kershaw said. "Usually you don't get to do this until the offseason, so it's a little bit weird, but it's fun for 24 hours or so."

• Via Frank Cesare at the Gammons Daily, "Andre Ethier is Reviving His Career."

Ethier isn’t being fooled by off-speed stuff this year, and he’s shortened his stroke enough to capitalize on pitches inside that may have jammed him in the past. His ability to recognize strikes more efficiently has the lefty making more contact and allowing him to be more aggressive at the dish without swinging recklessly at pitches out of the zone.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Chris Anderson, Jeremy Horst named Texas League All-Stars."
• Brandon McCarthy is a funny dude, via his twitter:

in keeping with baseball tradition, a Houston exec should walk into the STL offices and hit their best front office guy with a fastball

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) June 16, 2015

• Panini America provides a first-look at some of the cards that'll be handed out at participating hobby stores on Father's day; including the Corey Seager card on the right.  Go here to check them out.
• Lol!  Via  J.P. Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers, "Hector Olivera dealing with an “elevation issue” in Colorado Springs."
• Drei at It's Always A Good Dre in L.A. tells us about Filipino Night at Dodger Stadium; including a review of the Filipino Dog that was served.
• This is amazingly cool.  Via Sal Barry at Punk Junk, "Patrick Kane’s “First” Hockey Card."  The Chicago Blackhawks star was shown in the stands on a hockey card 12 years before be began his professional career.  I wonder if there are ballplayers who found their way onto a Baseball card as a kid?

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Blog Kiosk: 6/16/2015 - Dodger Links - Olivera, Hansen and Dave Roberts

Three former Dodgers' were on-hand at the home run derby at Zócalo in Mexico City this past weekend.  They transformed the central square into a ballfield for the event.  In the photo above (tweeted by Miriam Helena Reyes) are Ismael Valdez, Fernando Valenzuela and Estaban Loaiza. 

Below are some links to check out:

• Is Olivera coming?  

@truebluela. Also FWIW - Olivera was carrying all his bats when he left.

— Dodgerado (@Dodgerado) June 16, 2015

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers agree to terms with 2nd-round pick."  It's Mitchell Hansen.

Hansen is a Texas high schooler who received $78,900 above slot. He was committed to attend Stanford.

• Via Brian Kenny at Sports on Earth, "The End of FIP As We Know It."
• Jonah Keri at Grantland takes a brief look at the Dodgers bullpen, here.

So far in 2015, Dodgers relievers have struck out more batters than any other bullpen in the National League — and more than any team in baseball, save for the Astros — flashing a 26.9 percent K rate. That’s up sharply from last year’s relief crew, who fanned 22.3 percent of the batters they faced, good for just 16th in MLB. A bit of that uptick is because of Jansen, who’s been absolutely spectacular since returning from an early-season injury, punching out 20 batters while allowing just four hits and no walks in 11 innings. But most of it is thanks to a group of no-names who’ve come up big in L.A., showcasing both the Dodgers’ scouting and player development chops, in addition to the franchise’s savvy in the trade market.

• Here's an old friend alert.  Congrats to former Dodger Dave Roberts.  He has just been named the temporary manager of the San Diego Padres, and may soon be named the interim manager.  Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, "Padres fire manager Bud Black after disappointing start to the season."
• Ha Ha!  Via Michael S. Schmidt at the NY Times, "St. Louis Cardinals Investigated by F.B.I. for Hacking Astros."

Investigators have uncovered evidence that Cardinals officials broke into a network of the Houston Astros that housed special databases the team had built, according to law enforcement officials. Internal discussions about trades, proprietary statistics and scouting reports were compromised, the officials said.

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Blog Kiosk: 6/13/2015 - Dodger Links - AJ Ellis, Hector Olivera and Andre Ethier

Check out who's on the cover of the summer issue of Sports Spectrum magazine - AJ Ellis, that's who.  More info here.

Below are some links to check out:

• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Hector Olivera promoted to Triple-A."  I suspect that we'll find him in Los Angeles very soon.

In six games with the Drillers, the 30-year-old Olivera went 7 for 22 with a grand slam and three walks, for an .855 OPS. He also had a slick defensive play at third base in Thursday’s game, charging a ball hit down the line.

• Jon also tells us that we have picked up another infielder in a trade: "Dodgers have sight for Torreyes, designate Barney for assignment."  Via a Dodgers press release:

Torreyes, 22, has a .299 career batting average with 18 home runs and 231 RBI in 537 minor league games in six professional seasons with the Reds (2010-11), Cubs (2012-13), Astros (2013-15) and Blue Jays (2015) organizations . He’s primarily appeared at second base (353 games) during the course of his career, but has also played shortstop (91 games), third base (55 games) and the outfield (22 games), with a .975 combined fielding percentage. This year, the native of Venezuela has combined to hit .175 with 14 RBI in 35 games with Houston’s Triple-A Fresno and Toronto’s Double-A New Hampshire. Torreyes was originally signed by the Reds as a non-drafted free agent on Feb. 23, 2010.

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Best trade the ones you don't make? Dodgers' Andre Ethier proves his value with resurgence."

“No, I don’t think it’s an ‘I told you so’ situation at all. That was never any part of it,” Ethier says now. “It was ‘If you want me to help and help the team win, this is what I’m still able to do. Not the role I was doing last year.’ I could definitely do that role, too, but that’s not where I am at in my game yet. I’m still able to do it on a pretty much everyday basis.”

• This past Thursday was the annual Congressional Baseball game.  Ben Cosman at Cut4 shares some pics.  Clinton Yates at the Washington Post writes about it here: "Terrible baseball and a presidential appearance? Yep, that’s the congressional baseball game."  BTW, the Democrats won for the seventh straight year.  Go donkeys!

And even though the president made an appearance, the most fun moment of the evening came courtesy Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) the only woman on the field. Wearing a Roman numeral IX (for Title IX) on the back of her Norwalk Eagles jersey, a high school in her district, she came up to pinch hit in the sixth. She was playing in her 12th Congressional Baseball Game, having only missed one year in her tenure because she had a baby, who is now 6 years old, and was sitting in the crowd.

“I’ve gotten used to it over the years. I grew up playing softball, and I grew up with four brothers who played baseball, so I’m pretty familiar with it,” Sanchez said. “Watching women’s sports and if you’ve ever seen college softball, anything men can do women can compete on that field. And it’s just a matter of time before those women run for Congress. We’re seeing younger women running for Congress and so, I still hold out that in the next few cycles we’ll get some young talent in that knows how to play and well come out and represent as well.”

• Ha Ha!  Via the Onion, "Report: 87% Of Americans Unaware They Have Been Chosen In Later Rounds Of MLB Draft."
• The Dodgers 30th Round Draft pick in the recent draft, Logan Crouse, has opted to not go pro.  Instead he will attend Florida State University, per the video below.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 6/11/2015 - Dodger Links - The Draft, Olivera and Mattingly

Last night's walkoff hero, Howie Kendrick, is seen above signing autographs for fans prior to yesterday's game - photo via Jon Soo Hoo/LA Dodgers 2015. 

With runners at first and second during a tied game in the ninth inning, Kendrick came up to single in Puig to score the winning run.  Via Steve Bourbon and Earl Bloom at MLB.com:

"The pitch ran up and in, but I was just looking for something out over the plate," said Kendrick,

Below are some more links to check out:

• I'm not sure if I'll put up biographies for the Dodger draft picks after the 2nd Round. (likely not)  Maybe I'll share some of the cards available for any of the players, but that's a bit iffy.  You can't imagine the amount of time that takes to do.  Instead, here's a few links worth checking out.  Gurnick's story about Pfeifer is especially interesting.

• Via Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest, "Philip Pfeifer, Brendon Davis lead Dodgers’ Day 2 draft."

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Pfeifer's triumph through adversity impressed Dodgers."

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers stick with Vandy to open Day 2."

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "MLB Draft 2015: Dodgers go catcher heavy on Day 3."

• Jim Callis at MLB.com ranks the Dodgers as having the third best draft of 2015.  Check out his story here.
• Via Jonah Keri at Grantland, "Dodger Dogged: How Don Mattingly Has Shaken Off the Critics and Embraced the Challenge of Managing in L.A."

His Dodgers are in first place in the NL West and poised to mount another playoff run. And he has the front office’s support: “Incredibly favorable from my standpoint, what kind of person he is, what kind of communicator,” says Andrew Friedman, who left the Rays in October to become the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “We had a really good back-and-forth and working relationship almost immediately.”

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Hector Olivera hits first home run in Double-A Tulsa doubleheader sweep."
• Carson Cistulli at FanGraphs shares his recent, "Fringe Five: Baseball’s Most Compelling Fringe Prospects" that includes Dodger catcher Austin Barnes and pitcher Jose De Leon.

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Blog Kiosk: 6/4/2015 - Dodger Links - Puig, Pederson and Kenley Jansen

Today is the 51st anniversary of Sandy Koufax's third career no-hitter against the Phillies.  He became only the second pitcher in the modern era to throw three no-no's - Bob Feller was the first.  Photo above via @sportsphotos on twitter.

Below are some links to check out:

• Check out a new Dodger blog called "From Duke to Joc, All Things Dodgers" here.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Yasiel Puig will start rehab assignment Thursday with Rancho Cucamonga."   BTW, Eric also tells us that Hector Olivera will make his debut in Tula today, as well (here)
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Paco Rodriguez MRI shows no new elbow damage."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Joc Pederson's power continues to blossom."

“I still think the best is yet to come for Joc,” Mattingly said. “That doesn’t mean he’s going to hit 60 homers or anything, but I think just the consistency of at-bats will get better and better.”

• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "A new voice for a critical 2015 Dodger draft."

“The power of the group together and more minds is better than one mind,” (Billy Gasparino) said. “It worked every draft I’ve been a part of. The best drafts, the best outcomes have been a group reflection of the board and the players we take, not just one person.

“We emphasized that in San Diego. We’ve had some success. We’re going to emphasize it here. Josh, Andrew and Farhan have all had their own success in places they’ve come from and we’re just trying to combine it all together.”

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPN, "Mystery surrounds Kenley Jansen's absence."

"I don't know who wants to talk about it. I'm not the one who wants to talk about it, though," said Mattingly, clearly perturbed. "He was unavailable."

Former Major League pitcher Rick Sutcliffe tweeted this out; which only adds to the mystery.  BTW, you may recall that a couple of years ago he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat - atrial fibrillation:

Sending my prayers to #Dodgers and closer @kenleyjansen74

— Rick Sutcliffe (@Sut_ESPN) June 4, 2015

• Panini will once again create special Father's Day cards that will be available at participating hobby stores, and they shared a bunch of pics online.  Go here to check out a whole bunch of preview photos.  Below are the Yasiel Puig, Clayton Kershaw and Joc Pederson cards.

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Blog Kiosk: 5/30/2015 - Dodger Links - Olivera, Greinke and Jaime Jarrin

Dave Brown of CBS wrote a funny, via his twitter is the photo above and the below caption:

The ever-elusive Zack Greinke ManBun hairdo in the wild of Busch Stadium. Ken Boyer & Dizzy Dean watch over him.

Below are some more links to check out:

• I was just made aware of this new blog that I think is worth your time.  It's called Dodger Blue Review and they aim to analyze the umpiring during Dodger games.  Check it out here.
• A note by Jon Heyman at CBS Sports:

Scouts who've seen him believe Hector Olivera, the Dodgers' new $62.5-million third baseman, is going to be a big star. "He's a terrific hitter," one scout said 

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Joel Peralta hoping to avoid surgery."
• Via David Schoenfield a SweetSpot blogger at ESPN writes, "Top five hitting duos in the majors" and pairing of AGon and Pederson is included.

I was a little hesitant to include this pair because I believe they are due for regression. But right now they're the only teammates both carrying a wOBA of .400 or higher, with Gonzalez ranking third in the majors at .447 and Pederson in 13th at .405.

• “Larry King At Bat” series on SportsNet LA returns tonight at 8:00 PM and it features an interview with Dodger broadcaster Jaime Jarrin.

On the support Vin Scully gave him when he first started his career with the Dodgers:

"Vin Scully has been my teacher, my friend, my... my “compadre” you know since the beginning.  He was so helpful, he was unbelievable with me because he saw I was very green, I was very young and I was just starting."

• OT:  I thought I would just pass this along.  USA Network is coming out with a new series called Mr. Robot and it's really good.  It comes out in late June, but they decided to release the pilot episode to folks to watch now.  Check it out below.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 5/20/2015 - Dodger Links - Hector Olivera, Pablo Fernandez and Rafael Furcal Retires

I so enjoyed watching Rafael Furcal play shortstop for the Dodgers.  He was a wizard on the field and a key cog during the 6 years he was in Los Angeles.  Per Ned Colletti in a story written by Tony Jackson at ESPN:

"When he was at the top of his game and healthy, that was when the offense moved."

I remember those days well.  With Furcal at the top of the order he became the main juggernaut to the teams offense.  He was a table-setter and eventually a leader for many of the young stars coming through the Dodger system. 

Unfortunately, injuries became his undoing.  He spent an awful amount of time on the DL, and I remember witnessing one of the events that lead him there.  While chatting with a former OC Register reporter at Vero Beach, Furcal and Jason Repko met in a mighty crash in the outfield.  Furcal was hurt badly and I vividly remember vocally screaming, "NO!"  I also remember how good he was, and I don't mean on the field.  He once chose to sign with the Dodgers because the team offered to give his hometown a firetruck; which is the subject of the photo I used for the fantasy Baseball card above.

As you surely know by know, it was announced last night that Rafael Fucal has announcement his retirement from the game.  Via an AP report:

''To play in the major leagues for 14 seasons was a dream come true,'' Furcal said in a statement. ''I love the game, but at this point, I don't feel like I can play up to my standards anymore and want to spend more time with my beautiful family.''

Fair thee well, Rafael!

Below are some more links to check out:

• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA has contract details for Hector Olivera, here.
• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shares a live-blog from the Andrew Friedman conference call from yesterday afternoon, here.  He also has a live-blog of the Hector Olivera conference call here.
• Zach Links at MLB Trade Rumors also has some nice quotes here.

“My whole career I played second base, but I don’t think I’m in the position to decide where I should play or to say what my preference is,” said the Cuban star when asked what position he is most comfortable playing. “Wherever they put me, I’m going to give my best…Wherever they put me, they’ll see results.”

• Since Jon helpfully provided a photo of Olivera in a Dodger uniform I decided to make a new fantasy card for him.  Check it out on the right.  This time, I used the 1971 Topps design.  Click on the pic to embiggen.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers plan to stretch Pablo Fernandez as a starter."

"We're going to get him to Arizona as well and start the process of stretching him out," Friedman said. "The upside scenario is that he's a starter for us at some point this year."

And not a moment too soon.

• We'll find out today whether Hyun-Jin Ryu will chose surgery on his shoulder, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.

Friedman said surgery is an option, but insisted doctors were still in discussions and a final decision had not been made.

"It hasn't progressed as quickly as we all hoped," Friedman said. "He's worked extra hard to get back, and it isn't happening as quickly as we'd like. It's not a totally clear, a black and white issue. It's more involved than you think."

• Rich Mueller at Sports Collectors Daily shares, "10 Great Sandy Koufax Cards."

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