Blog Kiosk: 12/1/2015 - Dodger Links - Roberts, Greinke and Some Prospect Talk

Dave Roberts will make his first official appearance as the Dodgers manager later this morning as he'll be introduced during a press conference at 11:00 AM.  It'll be televised live on SportsNet LA, so those of you who have the channel can tune in.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Dodgers set to introduce new skipper Roberts."

"Don't mistake kindness for weakness," said Hoffman, who played with Roberts in San Diego, then watched from the front office as Roberts coached five years for the Padres.

"He's learned from a lot of people and I think he's ready for the opportunity. He's a great communicator and people gravitate to his energy. Being in the second biggest market will be a test, but nothing he hasn't seen. He won't be overmatched by anything."

Photo above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2004.  Below are more links to check out:

• Ben Badler at Baseball America answered a bunch of questions about the Dodgers Top-10 Prospects, here. 

Frank (Chicago, IL): Willie Calhoun a top 30 prospect for you? Is his destination to be the keystone, or can he play elsewhere?
Ben Badler: Definitely a Top 30 guy. I’m a huge fan of Willie Calhoun’s bat. When you watch his swing—wow. His hitting mechanics are outstanding. Short, compact swing, excellent rhythm and balance, with the barrel staying on plane with the ball for a long time. The crazy power numbers he posted as an amateur are going to come back down to earth, but for his size, he does have surprising power and could be a 15-20 HR guy. The way he raked in his brief taste of pro ball after signing this year is no fluke. Now the downside—he’s short, stocky, doesn’t have much physical projection left and his defense is poor. It doesn’t seem like he’s ever prioritized defense, so the hope is that with more emphasis on his fielding and the benefit of pro instruction, he can become at least a playable defender there, and I think he can do that. I love that pick by the Dodgers for where they got him.

Curtis (Nevada): Do you see the Dodgers trading Urias for a SP this offseason?
Ben Badler: I would be surprised if they traded Urias for anybody. He’s one of the truly elite pitching prospects in baseball.

• I really hate rumors on the hot stove.  More often than not they are baseless, unsubstantiated and totally made up.  That said, I figured this was something worth passing along.  Via Jerry Crasnick on twitter, the Zack Greinke market is red hot:

Zack Greinke's market is quietly heating up, says a source. #Dodgers, #SFGiants both looking for some clarity.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) November 30, 2015

• Dodgers adding more depth in outfield.  Via John Manuel on twitter, they are expected to sign Donavan Tate.  Mike Petriello at Dodger Insider writes about him here.

OF Donavan Tate, No. 3 pick in 2009 #mlbdraft, is expected to sign as a minor league free agent with the #Dodgers https://t.co/2hxGrAlzDC

— John Manuel (@johnmanuelba) November 30, 2015

• Jim Johnson, who the Dodgers acquired via a trade with the Braves, has signed a new deal with the Braves, via DJ Short at Hardball Talk.  As you'll recall, Johnson was absolutely horrible when he came to the Dodgers.
• Giovanni Balistreri at When Topps Had (Base) Balls creates a fantastic fantasy rookie card featuring Ron Cey.  Check it out here.
• Via Dylan Hernandez on twitter, the Dodgers avoid arbitration with Joe Wieland by agreeing to terms:

Source: Joe Wieland re-signs with #Dodgers for $590k. Wieland was a non-tender candidate.

— Dylan Hernandez (@dylanohernandez) December 1, 2015

• On Wieland, via Jeff Todd at MLB Trade Rumors:

Though the soon-to-be 26-year-old is hardly an established major leaguer, the Dodgers obviously didn’t want to risk losing him with a non-tender. Wieland has worked almost exclusively as a starter over his career but could conceivably factor in the major league pen this year. Last season at Triple-A, he tossed 113 2/3 innings of 4.59 ERA ball with 7.3 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.

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Just Falling Short

What a tough game last night. First, our burgeoning ace, Clayton Kershaw, faltered a bit as he struggled with the strike zone. He gave up 6 walks over 4 painstaking innings that saw him throw 92 pitches total. The 21 year old kid continues to climb that learning curve. He labored for most of his time in the game and, fortunately, gave up only 3 runs. Jeff Weaver, our long guy out of the pen, did his best to temper the game and put it back into control, but Ryan Braun had something else in mind. He cranked a 3-run homer in the 6th inning to, seemingly, put the game out of reach. The Brewers starter was just masterful.

The Brewers lead was now 6 to 2 as the game entered into the bottom of the ninth inning. The Brewers starter, Manny Parra, tried to complete the game, but the Dodger bats finally started to figure him out. The first two batters got on base (on 2nd & 3rd) and closer Trevor Hoffman was called in to shut things down.

For a awhile it seemed like this game was now ours. Loney came up and roped a double down the right field line that landed in the seats. Hudson followed him with a single to drive in Loney. The Dodgers were just one run away from tying it up. Four batters later Manny Ramirez was up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs.

Could Manny do it again? Would we all be celebrating a walk-off hit of some kind?

Nope. He hit a lazy fly to right.

Oh well, you can't win every game. At least the Dodgers finished strong.

Of special note is that twitterer, Annabel Ly, was at the game and was lucky enough to grab Loney's double to right field. See the ball below.

(pic link: twitpic:ornithes)

Hat Tip: Twitter:DodgersNation:

From Good to Bad to Worse

What a miserable past week we've experienced. It starts with a battle against our division rival, the Padres, that ends in a embarrassing shellacking. Chris Young, who must have looked like Cy Young to Dodger hitters, out-duels returning pitcher Jason Schmidt on Tuesday. Trevor Hoffman, the man who has recorded a majority of his saves against us, records his 500th Wednesday night. Then, the usually dependable bullpen falters in the last game of the series on Thursday. We get swept and move from 1st place to 3rd place in a blink of an eye.

Next comes the Toronto Blue Jays who are playing less that .500 ball. They have been the subject of rumors indicating that they may be dismantled after a disappointing start to the season. They should have been a team ripe for the picking. Instead, the Dodgers look like a minor league squad. Our offense has disappeared. Our saving grace was a walk-off homerun from Olmedo the Killer Tomato on Friday. A great individual performance from Derek Lowe was wasted in Saturday's game. Sunday's game was difficult to watch as we give up a collective 11 runs.

Jon writes,

"It is interesting that the lowest point of the Dodger season - five losses in six games - comes in transition to some new blood. I'm sure the Dodgers are feeling down, but I'm eager to see what comes. And it's not even that I expect problems to be solved overnight - the kids need all of our patience. It's just that the guys with potential are here, and I'm not one who believes that potential is a dirty word."

Jon is right, I welcome the opportunity to see all of our young farmhands on the field. These kids deserve a chance to play. Colletti's plan to field a team of aging veterans is on the verge of ruin and the only remedy is the farm system that has already paid some dividends. Let them play!

Image Link: Crescent Blues: