2016 Bowman Chrome Baseball - The Dodgers Base Cards

The newest product to hit the hobby shelves is Topps 2016 Bowman Chrome Baseball card set.  As always, it tends to focus on many of the prospects we have been reading about.  Go here for a complete checklist.

This years set includes the very first Bowman base cards for Oneal Cruz and Yadir Drake.  Hilariously, Yadir Drake is no longer with the Dodgers.  As an 26-year old Cuban signee Drake had to outperform at the lower levels in the minor right away in order to have a real shot at any Major League dreams.  Unfortunately, that did not happen.  Yadir slashed .109/.155/.127/.282 while with the Tulsa Drillers earlier this season, and was subsequently released by the team on May 27th.  Why Topps decided to give him a card?... I dunno.

Oneal Cruz, on the other hand, was sixteen years old when he signed with the Dodgers last year, and performed quite well during his first year of professional play in the Dominican Summer League.  He slashed .294/.367/.444/.811 as a seventeen year old.  BTW, this isn't exactly Oneal's first pro card.  He actually has another Bowman card found in the 2016 Bowman set, but it's an "International Signings" insert card (see that here).

Chrome Base

#25 Kenta Maeda                                      #40 Corey Seager

Blog Kiosk: 5/14/2015 - Dodger Links - Mattingly Thrown Out, Replay Issues and a Tat on the Scalp

Don Mattingly made quite a stink with the umpires last night, and got thrown out for his troubles.  It all began when Giancarlo Stanton made a sliding catch that appeared to hit the grass first before being caught.  Predictably, the play was reviewed, but the outcome was not what Mattingly expected.  Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com:

"I saw the ball bounce off the grass and bounce up into his glove," Mattingly said. "When they showed it on the big screen, we saw it bounce and you just know it's going to get overturned and when it doesn't, it's just frustrating."

I see his point, but I also see the point laid out by the officials.  Speaking as a fan that has been disappointed more than once while watching an NHL game, it is impossible to get absolute perfection.  Furthermore, there is logic to the idea that an overturned call should be based on irrefutable evidence that the play on the field should be overturned.  In other words, sometimes a situation is so close and the data/video available so indeterminable that it's only reasonable to say that whatever call was made on the field should stand.

Mattingly's idea of having a so called "blind" jury looking at replays is an interesting one, but I think it's likely unreasonable.  In order to speed up the entire process I suspect that there is someone (or more) watching every game in real time.  This would allow them to quickly transition from observer to replay official in a moments notice.  Not having this in place could mean extending the amount of time it takes to make a decision, and we all know how much everyone hates long wait times.  Also, as I said above sometimes video replay just doesn't provide enough information.

Overall, I understand why the play was deemed an out.  Clearly the ball bounced, but did it bounce on the grass or bounce on the leather brim of the glove?  That is something none of the videos provided could show. 

The photo above of Don Mattingly was taken by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more pics by Jon from last night's game.  Below are some links to check out:

• Via Jeff Sullivan at FanGraphs, "There’s Nothing At All Like the Dodgers’ Offense."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Mattingly: Yasiel Puig out at least two weeks."

“He’s going to be a little bit, at least a couple weeks,” Mattingly said. “So, we’ll kind of let it rest for a couple days until he gets it going.”

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Jansen still LA closer, will be eased back in."

"He's going to be the closer -- no question about that," Mattingly said. "We just want to get him comfortable first."

• Via Ben Reiter at Sports Illustrated, "For ex-Dodgers star Matt Kemp, Padres offer chance at fresh start."

After he finally rebounded during the waning months of last season, Kemp knew that his Dodgers future might be brief. “In previous years before that, there had been talk that I might be traded, but it was pretty hard to trade me because I was coming off surgery and all that. But I had a really, really good second half, and this past off-season, I didn’t know what was going to happen. I kept hearing my name. When I used to hear my name in previous years, I’d get phone calls telling me, that’s not going to happen. But not the last two years. So I knew something might happen.”

• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA shares the latest Hyun-Jin Ryu noodle commercial, here.
• Two Dodger farmhands make Carson Cistulli of FanGraphs, "The Fringe Five: Baseball’s Most Compelling Fringe Prospects."  They are Jose DeLeon and Yadir Drake.
• As you know, Pedro Baez was removed from the game due to an injury.  Ken Gurnick on twitter provides some information:

Baez felt something in pectoral area. MRI tomorrow.

— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) May 14, 2015

• You got a Dodger tattoo?  Is it on your head?  Watch this video of a Dodger fan who had a Dodger themed tattoo put on his scalp.  Wow!  (Hat Tip: u/auth0r_unkn0wn on Reddit)

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 5/4/2015 - Dodger Links - Pederson, Drake and Bobby's Catch of a Home Run Ball

And the bubbles are back at Dodger Stadium... At Viva Los Dodgers they are. 

The photo above is via Jill Weisleder/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more photos from her and Jon SooHoo from yesterday.  Below are some links to check out:

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Joc Pederson's energy rubbing off on teammates."

“It’s fun seeing someone who’s always smiling no matter what,” Andre Ethier said.

• ICYMI: The Dodgers made another trade for a minor leaguer.  Instead of a pitcher they pick up an infielder from the Blue Jays.  Per a Dodger press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today acquired infielder Andy Wilkins from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations and designated right-handed pitcher Scott Baker for assignment.

Wilkins, 26, was hitting .264 with four doubles and nine RBI in 21 games for the Blue Jays' Triple-A Buffalo affiliate and has a .276 batting average with 93 home runs and 371 RBI in 576 career games in six minor league seasons in the White Sox and Toronto organizations. Last year, the Tulsa, Oklahoma native appeared in 14 games with the White Sox in his only big league action and was also selected as a Triple-A International League post-season All-Star after leading the league with 30 home runs and 85 RBI (T-1^st), while batting .293 with Charlotte. During the course of his minor league career, Wilkins has primarily appeared at first base (388 games), while also seeing action at third base (50 games).

• Via Earl Bloom at MLB.com, "Puig runs, remains on target; Jansen pitches."

"With Yasiel, it seems like he's doing more and more," manager Don Mattingly said. "All reports have been good. He should be ready to play some [rehab] games later in the week."

• Via Dan Arritt at ESPN, "Howie Kendrick settling in with Dodgers."
• Via Harold Uhlman at Think Blue LA, "Meet Tulsa Drillers Deck McGuire."
• Via Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest, "Yadir Drake Is Someone You Should Probably Pay Attention To."

Drake started off the season with the Low-A Great Lakes Loons, and played seven games for them before being promoted to the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on April 20. He played seven games for them before being promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, where he made his debut yesterday a memorable one by getting three hits, including a two-run homer. He’s now hitting .383/.471/.567.

• Left Field Pavilion made a fantastic fantasy Baseball card of Joc Pederson on a 1960 Topps "Star-Rookie" card.  Check it out here.
• Hey, Bobby!  Now you're really famous.  Vin Scully gave him some props for catching a home run ball on Saturday with camera in hand.  If you don't know, Bobby runs the ever popular Dodger Films on YouTube. Watch Vin's comments below.

Video Link:

And now watch Bobby's video of the catch below.  He makes the catch at about the 4:27 mark:

Video Link:

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