Blog Kiosk: 11/8/2014 - Dodger Links - Farhan Zaidi, Yasiel Puig and Chad Billingsley

The Dodgers introduced their new General Manager, Farhan Zaidi, yesterday to a handful of local press people, and by most accounts it was a successful event.  He had an opportunity to address his analytical background and philosophy in such a way that even LA Times reporter Steve Dilbeck could understand it.  Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.

Still, I so wanted to hear the gallery chant the demeaning phrase 'NERD, NERD' like that lovable oaf named Ogre from that mid-80's movie classic that spawned three unwatchable sequels.

Yesterday could have been the prologue before the opening credits scrolled on the television screen.  Then, mad hazing would ensue as a wild and wacky crew of old-school Baseball defenders, lead by Ryan Theriot, enact their cruel yet hilarious forms of justice.  Soon, an unlikely romance is born before the plot climaxes with a rousing speech about how Baseball has always been about statistical analysis - heck, read about Allan Roth to understand how the Dodgers were one of the early vanguards.

At the end of the movie, the camera would pan across a cheering fanbase spread throughout Dodger Stadium.  Seated right in front, in the area usually occupied by Tommy Lasorda, is a motley collection of former rivals.  Hand in hand, stats folks and non-stats folks would rejoice in a happy bliss.

It coulda happened.

Below are some links to check out:

• Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider shares numerous quotes from yesterdays press conference regarding the recent hiring of Farhan Zaidi and Josh Byrnes, with Andrew Friendman.  Check it out.

“Both guys are going to touch everything. It’s a massive operation, and our vision is to be as good as we possibly can be in every facet. The development side, international, scouting, the way we use information, the way we prepare at the Major League level — all of those are incredibly important. To have all of touching those not only puts us in the best position we can be but allows us to do so as quickly as we can.

• Jon then shares numerous quotes from new GM Farhan Zaidi, "Quotebook: New Dodger GM Farhan Zaidi discusses his approach."  Check that out here.

“The hard question isn’t just evaluating how good players are, it’s how good players are going to be. And that’s another thing that you’re never going to be able to build, is some model that’s going to project and tell exactly what someone’s going to do next year. … That’s why you need this holistic approach to baseball operations, otherwise you’re going to miss out on a whole swath of opportunities.

• Via Aaron Gleeman at Hardball Talk, "Dodgers’ new GM Farhan Zaidi has a good sense of humor."
• Via Cary Osborne at Dodger Insider, "Puig, Butera heading to Japan for All-Star Series."
• In case you were wondering, via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA on twitter, the Kevin Correia trade has been completed:

Dodgers sent cash (no player) to the Twins to complete the Kevin Correia trade
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) November 7, 2014

• Via Jayson Stark at ESPN, "Kershaw or Bumgarner?"
• Via Nathan Fenno at the LA Times, "Judge rejects Yasiel Puig's second attempt to dismiss lawsuit."

For the second time this year, a federal judge has rejected an attempt by Yasiel Puig to dismiss a lawsuit blaming the Dodgers outfielder for the imprisonment and alleged torture of a Cuban man.

• Via Ken Rosenthal on twitter, Chad Billingsley has changed agents.  There is no guarantee that he'll remain a Dodger.  There is bound to be a team out there willing to take a flyer on him.  Call it a high risk/high reward scenario.

Free-agent RHP Chad Billingsley has changed agents, joining Steve Hilliard of Octagon. Billingsley previously was repped by Dave Stewart.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 5, 2014

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Blog Kiosk: 8/30/2014 - Dodger Links - Extreme Shifting, Puig's Missing Bat and Praise for Kershaw

In one of the more extreme shifts you'll ever see, the Dodger stacked four infielders on the right side of the infield against Seth Smith of the Padres in the 12th inning of last nights game.  Check out their defensive alignment in the photo above, tweeted out by JP Hoornstra.  Smith, a proven groundball pull hitter, came up with the bases loaded, and did just as they expected (watch it here).  He grounded the ball to Dee Gordon. Unfortunately, the relay throw to home was a little too off the mark to allow for a doubleplay, so the Padres would get another at-bat.  That very next batter slapped a single to the right side to record a walkoff win.

The Dodger fell to the Padres, 3 to 2, and lost a game in the standings to the suddenly surging Giants.  Disappointing, eh?  They coulda, shoulda, won this one.  Haren, although not entirely on the mark last night, pitched six effective innings (watch highlights here).  He sprayed five hits, struck out three, walked one and gave up just two runs (one unearned).  The followup relief crew also held their own until long-man Kevin Correia walked the bases loaded to set up the shift explained above.

The Dodgers offense was helped along by an resurgent Haley Ramirez, who homered for the first time since coming back from the disabled list (watch it here).  Justin Turner continued his hot hitting ways, but that was not enough.  They could only muster two runs on eleven hits.

The Dodgers are now sitting on a 3.5 game lead over the Giants.  Now, below are some links to check out:

• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Puig's bat missing some of its sizzle."

“Where has it gone?” McGwire repeated with a laugh when asked about Puig’s power. “You know what — he got off to a fast start with home runs. Once you do that, people think you're a home run hitter. But really it’s all about pitch selection and patience. He’s shown some great stretches with patience and he’s shown some stretches where he’s not patient at all.

“You have to hit strikes. When you simplify the game and stay within your zone, you can get pitches to drive like that. Sometimes he just gets out of that mode and tries too hard. We can’t forget that he's a very young hitter. And young hitters that aren’t really home run hitters that come out hitting home runs — then people try to put things in their mind that they are home run hitters and they try to do too much.”

• Via J.P. Hoornstra at Inside the Dodgers, "Greg Maddux offers some high praise for Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw."

“His consistency is off the charts good,” Maddux said. “Everybody who wears a major-league uniform is good in their own way. There’s guys who can do it every time they put on the uniform. … Every time you see a player whose bad games are good, it’s special.”

• Via Jeffrey Long at Beyond the Boxscore, "How to get a hit against Clayton Kershaw."  Check out this advanced scouting report.
• Chris Olds at Beckett shares some preview pics from Topps 2015 Sticker Baseball set, here.  Check out the Clayton Kershaw sticker on the right.  It is slated to come out on March 4, 2015.

• The new September edition of Dodger Insider Magazine features Clayton Kershaw on the cover and includes a stories on his Ping Pong 4 Purpose charity event, his MVP candidacy and his unprecedented domination of the strike zone in 2014.  There is also a 15-page special section offering the history behind every Dodger uniform number from 00 to 99.  Go here for ordering information or get a copy at souvenir stands at Dodger Stadium when the next homestand opens on Monday against the Nationals.  Check out the cover on the left.
• Via David Brown at Big League Stew, "Family of Jackie Robinson Little Leaguer is homeless."

His mother, Devona Benton, says she and Benton's father, a radiator tech who works part-time, could no longer afford their apartment after her hours were cut as a home-care provider for Catholic Charities. She's worked there for six years and sometimes it's been a struggle, but she says this is the first time her family had to split up to survive. She also is responsible for looking after her 16-year-old son, and for helping with the three grandchildren of her grown daughter. She's hoping and praying for more clients, but until that happens, the family will be fractured.

• OK, fine.  I'm gonna link to a Plaschke article, but only because it's a good one about LA Kings coach Darryl Sutter.  Via Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, "Kings Coach Darryl Sutter is never down on the farm."

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Blog Kiosk: 8/25/2014 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends from the Weekend

Kevin Correia served up some beachballs yesterday afternoon before finally getting pulled from the game after just three innings of work.  Overall, he served up three home runs and seven runs total.  What disaster!

Adding insult to injury, the Mets recorded a triple play against the Dodgers in the sixth inning - all thanks to a far too aggressive Yasiel Puig.  Watch it below

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This is the second triple play against the Dodgers this season.  The Cleveland Indians did it against us in July.  You would think this would be a bad omen, but as Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider explains it isn't.  The last time this happened to the Dodgers was in 1955; when they won their first World Series in franchise history.

BTW, Correia is expected to go to the bullpen once Ryu comes back, so we won't have to (hopefully) witness that again.  Also, I should note that Adrian Gonzalez continues his hot ways.  After leading the Dodgers with two hits, a home run and five RBI's in Saturday's victory, he recorded another three hits on Sunday; including a double.  The photo at the very top of Adrian was taken by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.  Go here to check out more photos from yesterday.

Fortunately, this recent loss did not hurt us in the standings.  The Dodgers are 4.5 games ahead of the Giants.  Now, below are some links to check out:

• ICYMI:  Hanley Ramirez was reinstated to the Dodgers roster.  Erisbel Arruebarrena was optioned to Rancho Cucamonga.  Arruebarrena should only be down for a short while.  He will definately be back up when the rosters expand.
• Via Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest, "Chris Anderson’s late-season improvement reason for optimism."

The Dodgers made some mechanical changes with Anderson’s delivery a couple months ago, which could account for the improvement. One thing that hasn’t changed is his velocity. When I saw him in person, he was sitting at 93-96 MPH and topped out at 99 MPH. Friday night, Anderson hit 97 MPH a few times. As a pitcher who will live off his fastball, this is encouraging. He also has improved his off-speed pitches as the season has progressed. His slider will always be his go-to secondary offering, but his changeup has improved to the point where it could be a usable third pitch.

• Roberto Baly at Vin Scully is My Homeboy shares his experience getting Erisbel Arruebarrena's autograph on Saturday at Frank & Sons.
• With the Dodgers seemingly set to leave their AAA home, Night Owl Cards shares his list of Top-10 successful Dodgers to have gone through Albuquerque from 2009 to 2014, and it's not exactly a list filled with notable names.  No wonder the Dodgers want to move.
• Nick Diunte at Baseball Happenings writes a great obituary on former Dodger Dick Teed who passed away recently.
• Via Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA, "Is Matt Campbell the next Paco Rodriguez?"

Campbell joined the Loons on June 20th and soon made his mark with the Dodgers affiliate. In his first five games, he had six scoreless innings giving up three hits while walking one and striking out five. On the season he has now pitched 29 innings over 22 appearances with an ERA of 1.55 and a WHIP of 1.00. He has struck out 36 and walked 8. He has yet to serve up a home run.

• Via KUNR public radio, "Bob Motley, Last Surviving Negro League Ump, Recalls Baseball History."  Listen and learn.
• Watch a talk about the Negro Leagues and Kansas City Monarchs via Phil Dixon on CSPAN.  He speaks about the history of the Monarchs, the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball’s Negro Leagues. Mr. Dixon talks about the significance of the Kansas City Monarchs to the baseball world, fielding a number of future Hall of Fame players and inspiring several new innovations to the game, including the use of lights for night games. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum hosted this event.  Video here.
• BTW, before the start of Sunday's game, Clayton Kershaw was presented with the trophy for the Warren Spahn Award for the 2013 season.  This award is given to the best left-handed pitcher in MLB by the Oklahoma Sports Museum.  Below is a photo of him holding it.  This is the second time he has won the Warren Spahn Award.  He also won it during his first Cy Young season in 2011.

(pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014)

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Blog Kiosk: 8/20/2014 - Dodger Links - Dodgers Win, Grienke Questionable and Orel's Ice Bucket Challenge

The Dodgers eeked out a victory last night against the Padres.  After a miserable start that saw him give up three early runs, starter Kevin Correia settled down to give the Dodgers a chance.  All they had to do was score some runs.  As you know, of course, that's been easier said than done.  Fortunately, several Dodgers in the lineup where up to the task.

The middle of the Dodgers batting order woke up and got the job done.  Matt Kemp hit two doubles, Justin Turner whacked two doubles of his own and Carl Crawford blasted a home run to go along with two singles.  They punished Padres starter Ian Kennedy for six runs and eventually held on for an 8 to 6 victory. The above photo is of Crawford, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2014.

Of note, the very last play of the game had to be reviewed by the umpires.  Jedd Gyorko singled to Puig, who subsequently threw home to get the advancing runner, Abraham Almonte.  Seeing this, Almonte rounded thirdbase and headed back, but was picked off.  Adrian Gonzalez had cutoff Puig's throw and nailed him.  After a umpire review he was called out to end the game.  Watch it here.

The Dodgers now have a four 4.5 4.0 (reduced since the Giants won their appeal) game lead over the Giants.  Here are some more links to check out below.

• ICYMI: The Dodgers called up amateur pugilist Erisbel Arruebarrena from AAA and sent Carlos Triunfel back to Albuquerque.  Per a Dodgers press release:

Arruebarrena most recently played in three rehab games for the Rookie-level AZL Dodgers (right shoulder soreness), going 4-for-11 with two doubles, two homers and four RBI, and has batted .333 with three doubles, two triples, a homer and 11 RBI in 26 games with the Isotopes this season. The 24-year-old has gone 5-for-16 (.313) with two RBI in eight games in two previous call-ups with the Dodgers.

• Not good.  Zack Greinke could miss a start.  Check out this tweet by Eric Stephen of True Blue LA below:

Don Matingly wouldn't say Zack Greinke would start Thursday. Didn't want to go into detail. Said more info to follow tomorrow
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) August 20, 2014

 

• Via Michael Lananna at MLB.com, "Perez fires perfect inning in first rehab outing."

"If he holds up in that setting and everything's good with his foot, then we kind of move into getting him into a bullpen situation, where he's getting back into our routine," Mattingly said.

• Via Ryan Walton at Valley Bay News, "Julio Urias Continues to Exceed Expectations."

“It’s not your typical stuff coming from a kid who just turned 18,” said (Matt) Herges. “You see the numbers on the fastball. He touches upper 90′s. You see the spin on his breaking ball and you’re thinking this is an upper level guy or an older guy. You see the changeup that makes everybody look foolish.”

• Greatest coach ever!  Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, "Little League World Series coach delivers heartwarming speech after loss."
• Watch Orel Hershiser accepts the Ice Bucket Challenge to help raise awareness for ALS, below.

Video Link:

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AJ Ellis' Importance is what he does Behind the Plate

I thought JP Hoornstra shared an interesting observation in a brief post at Inside the Dodgers about Correia's performance on Monday, here:

One more postgame note that didn’t quite fit anywhere in the story: One Dodgers player suggested to me that the Twins’ catchers (Kurt Suzuki, Josmil Pinto and Eric Fryer) might have lacked the experience needed to get the most out of Correia during his time in Minnesota. Suzuki is a 30-year-old veteran; Pinto and Fryer are 25 and 28, respectively. Their catchers’ ERA figures correlate inversely to their ages: 4.26, 4.72 and 4.50, respectively. Maybe there’s something to that. Correia certainly was impressed with Ellis’ pitch-calling.  

JP previously wrote the following in his Daily News story:

Correia said that he shook off catcher A.J. Ellis twice out of 82 pitches, “and he was pretty much right on the ones that I shook.”

I've noted before that there's more to being a catcher than his batting average.  In fact, I believe that what a catcher does at the plate is far (FAR) less important than what he does behind it. 

Given that AJ Ellis has consistently been a league leader in Catcher ERA since becoming an everyday starter tells me more than his paltry below the "Mendoza Line" batting average.

Take a look at these numbers:

2014 Catchers ERA     3.24 (5th in MLB assuming he caught enough games)
2013 Catchers ERA     3.06 (1st in MLB)
2012 Catchers ERA     3.33 (2nd in MLB)  

It's about his pitch calling, his preparation, his general understanding of the other batters and his feel for his own pitching staff.  It's the kind of things that remains difficult to quantify, so as a consequence many sabermetrically inclined fans often discount these skillsets.  Obviously, I believe doing so is a mistake.

AJ Ellis is a fine catcher, and I think that the statistical and anecdotal evidence that exist suggest that he just might be one of the finest in the league.

Pic at the very top via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodger 2014.

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Blog Kiosk: 8/12/2014 - Dodger Links - Correia Impresses in Dodger Debut

Kevin Correia was outstanding in his starting pitching debut for the Dodgers.  He did everything the internals said he would do, and more.  He threw strikes, walked only one batter and got a lot of ground ball outs.  That is par for the course for Correia.  What was surprising is that he recorded 5 strike outs in six innings pitched; which is higher than normal for him.  Correia is usally a pitch-to-contact hurler, so to get that many swing-and-misses is rare and a blessing.   Overall, you have to appreciate the effort and be thankful that the Dodger brass saw something in Correia that the chattering class did not see.

Kevin Correia on #Dodgers debut: "I was excited. I hadn’t had that feeling since being called up. That's what it felt like"
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 12, 2014

As it now stands, Correia is expected to go to the bullpen as our long-guy out of the 'pen, and will likely be our first option for a spot start in the future.  Graphic above via @Dodgers on twitter.

The Dodgers are now 5.0 games ahead of the Giants.  Now, here are some more links to check out.

• Miguel Rojas is now on twitter.  Follow him here: @MRojasOfficial.
• ICYMI:  The Dodgers optioned Pedro Baez back to Albuquerque in order to officially place Kevin Correia on the 24-man roster.
• Watch Clayton Kershaw on the Dan Patrick Show at AM570.com.  He speaks about his new-found success hitting, how he changes on game day, the possibility of winning the MVP this year, which hitters own him and why he wanted to stop answering questions about Mike Trout after one game.
• Who says our bench sucks?  August Fagerstrom at FanGraphs notes that the 2014 Dodgers bench has the highest WAR of all Major League clubs.

Anyway, this list kind of surprised me, but I guess it makes sense considering Justin Turner has provided more value himself than the entire bench units of 28 other teams. Turner has always been a league average hitter who can play all four infield positions, making him a pretty valuable piece off the bench. Then there’s Scott Van Slyke, whose three true outcome approach coupled with his ability to play surprisingly well in the outfield makes him a pretty valuable piece off the bench, too.

• Last year, I wrote a Collector Spotlight story on a Dodger collector named Fred Kranz.  He was kind enough to share photos from his massive collection; including his garage of dreams.  Check out my story here.  Well, Fred just let me know that his collection has just been spotlighted in the newest issue of ESPN Magazine.  Check out a pic of the feature on the right.
• It's about time.  Via Wendy Thurm at FanGraphs, "Consumers Suing MLB Over Exclusive Broadcast Territories."

A federal judge in New York ruled on Friday that Major League Baseball will face trial for violations of federal antitrust laws by stemming the exclusive broadcast territories for each of its 30 teams. Several regional sports networks and cable and satellite companies that benefit from the exclusive territories will also face trial on antitrust charges.

• I used to hate former Kings defenseman Rob Blake for leaving the team, but after many years and a couple Stanley Cup Championships I no longer dislike the guy.  Time can sure mend fan wounds... Oh, and Championships.  That being said, it has just been announced that the Kings will retire Rob Blake's #4 jersey this coming season, via Jon Rosen at the LA Kings Insider.  No matter your thoughts about him, you have to agree that he was one of the more impactful defensemen the Kings have ever had, and he deserves to have his number retired.
• Just another vintage Baseball find.  Via Lynn Elber at WTOP.com, "PBS' antiques show finds $1 million baseball trove."

She said it's the largest sports memorabilia find in the history of the 19-year-old public TV show, which travels America looking for varied heirlooms and treasures.

The collection was brought to an "Antiques Roadshow" taping Saturday in New York City. The owner inherited it from her great-great-grandmother, who ran a Boston boarding house where the team lived in 1871-72, PBS said.

Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest has a photo of the find, and lets us know that the episode will air in 2015.

• Just another reason to hate cable companies.  Another customer service recording has just come to light and it's worse than the last one.  Chris Morran at the Consumerist has the story.  So, tell me again why we should be happy to see TWC join forces with Comcast?  It's a potential marriage in hell. 

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Blog Kiosk: 8/11/2014 - Dodger Links - Kershaw Does it All

Clayton Kershaw was very good during the rubber match against the Brewers on Sunday - not great or phenomenal, but very good.  In eight innings of work he scattered six hits, but seemingly had to work hard to get out of innings.  The first batter in five of his eight innings got on base, so he was constantly working from behind.  Nevertheless, he battled and persevered to allow only one run the entire game. Photo above via @MLB on twitter.

The play of the game came in the bottom of the 5th inning.  With a Brewers threatening to tie the game, Rickie Weeks tried to score on a squeeze bunt play with just one out in the inning.  Batter Jean Segura popped it up between the plate and mound, so Kershaw had to make a diving play to catch the ball.  He ended up doubling-up Weeks for the last out of the inning.  This guy just does everything.  Watch the tremendous play below.

Video Link:

BTW, Kershaw won his 14th game and the Dodgers are now 4.5 games up on the Giants.  Now, here are some more Dodger links to check out.

• ICYMI, Hanley Ramirez was placed on the Disabled List on Sunday with a right oblique strain and Darwin Barney has been recalled from Albuquerque.  Since I was bored I decided to make another Barney fantasy Baseball card.  See it on the right.  This time I used a 1970 Topps Baseball card design.
• BTW, to make room for Kevin Correia on the 40-man roster the Dodgers DFA'd Colt Hynes for assignment.  Hynes is a left-handed relief pitcher who has spent a majority of his career in the Padres minor league system and pitched for them last season.  He then came to the Dodgers in a trade earlier this year.  It is not yet known whose place Correia will take on the 24-man roster, but it is expected that he will start tonight's game.
• Watch Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker speak to Alanna Rizzo about Yasiel Puig's strength, Zack Greinke's fishing skills and Vin Scully's impact on the game on a SportsNetLA video.
• Via Chad Moriyama at Dodgers Digest, "Visualizing Matt Kemp’s revamped stance."
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers want Ethier to be an option at first base."

"I've always liked him over there. His actions are good," Mattingly said. "I want to get him more comfortable. I'd like to have that option. If something happens to Adrian, we've only got Scott Van Slyke. I want to get him to do a few more things. It's not just take a few grounders. He has to get the ball out of a bigger glove, the footwork around the bag and getting used to the speed of ground balls."

• Via Doug Padilla at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Crawford Little League support pays off."

For the past year, Crawford has lent financial support to the Jackie Robinson West Little League team from the South Side of Chicago, even though Crawford has no ties to the area. When the team advanced to next week's Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., with a Saturday afternoon victory over Indiana in the Great Lakes Regional final, Crawford was beaming like a proud father. 

• Via Ricky Doyle at NESN, "Manny Ramirez Drawing Rave Reviews For Work With Chicago Cubs Prospects."  Maturing, he must be.

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Kevin Correia on being Traded to the Dodgers

Here are this Sunday's Dodger videos.

Listen to newest Dodger Kevin Correia talk about being traded to the Dodgers.

Video Link:

Watch some old-tyme Dodger players on the Joey Bishop Show.  Don Drysdale is the lead singer and several of his teammates act as his chorus.  Can you name them all?

Video Link:

Here is a compilation of Dodger Vine videos on YouTube.

Video Link:

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Welcome to the Blue, Kevin Correia!

The Dodgers just added another veteran right-handed arm.  They have just announced that Minnesota Twins starting pitcher and Southern California native Kevin Correia is now a Dodger.  In return we gave the Twins a "Player to be Named Later" or cash.  Per a Dodger press release:

“Kevin gives us an additional option as a starter or long reliever,” said Colleti. “He also supplies us with more veteran pitching depth for the stretch drive.”

Correia, who will turn 34 on August 24, has won at least nine games while making 26 or more starts in each of the last five seasons since 2009, during which time he’s struck out more than twice as many as he’s walked with 585 strikeouts and only 290 walks. He was selected to the 2011 National League All-Star team as a member of the Pirates and has appeared in 344 games (213 starts) in 12 Major League seasons.

In 2014, Correia has gone 5-13 with a 4.94 ERA in 23 starts for Minnesota, including 13 quality starts and 16 starts of 6.0 or more innings. He has pitched well away from Target Field this season, posting a 3.17 ERA (23 ER/65.1 IP) in 11 road starts, and has gone 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA (7 ER/18.0 IP) in three starts against the National League West, with victories at Colorado and vs. San Diego.   

In other words, Correia takes over the role once held by Paul Maholm; as our long reliever and spot starter.  BTW, he currently leads the league in loses with 13.  Oy Vie!

Kevin Correia is a groundball pitcher who mainly throws a cutter, sinker and four-seam fastball.  When he is ahead of the count he will use his cutter to get batters out, but will from time to time use a curveball to fool batters. 

Since the beginning of July he has had 7 starts and a feeble 1-6 record in those games, but that may be deceiving.  In five of those starts he given up less than three runs, and has only walked a total of 12 batters in 39 innings.  Since it is unlikely any prospects of consequence was exchanged for Correia this is a low-risk move to provide some depth and veteran leadership.  Whether he can provide some outs will be another issue. From my understanding, the Dodgers will be on the hook for about $1.5Million in his salary.  I would say that this is a underwhelming trade for the Dodgers. 

In celebration of Kevin Correia officially becoming a Dodger, I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used an AP photo taken by Elise Amendola grabbed from an StarTribune.com story and the 1959 Topps Baseball card design.

Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:

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