Blog Kiosk: 11/6/2014 - Dodger Links - Another Kershaw Magazine Cover and Uribe Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award

Clayton Kershaw will be on the cover of the December 2014 issue of Beckett Baseball magazine, pic above via Chris Olds at Beckett.com.  Also at the link to the left, Chris Olds puts together his list of the Top-5 Kershaw cards to own. 

Below are some more links to check out:

• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Gonzalez, Uribe win Wilson Defensive Player of the Year honors."  Congrats to Uribe.  He deserves the recognition.
• Mark Saxon at ESPN writes, "How one subtlety could seal A.J. Ellis' fate," and I do not agree with the assessment.  I think it's far too simplistic to believe one skill (pitch-framing) will be the ultimate bellwether for determining Ellis' role or any catchers role with the club.  Certainly, he hasn't been great at it, but I do not feel that it alone will put him in the doghouse.  It's a series of skills behind the dish that determines if a catcher is effective.  With Ellis, I believe he excels in other aspects of the game.  His leadership with the staff, pregame preparation, quarterbacking on the field and pitch-calling are just as important, if not more so, than framing. 
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers 2015 arbitration projections, Andrew Friedman & 'file and trial.'"
• Gasparino may also join the Dodgers.  Via a tweet from Padres MLB.com reporter Corey Brock, Gasparino was given permission yesterday to interview with the team:

Earlier today, the #Padres granted permission to the #Dodgers to interview scouting director Billy Gasparino. Interview could come fast.
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) November 6, 2014

• Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digests takes a closer look at Billy Gasparino.
• Twitter/social media is so stupid sometimes.  Former Dodger Ryan Theriot said a mean thing about 'Moneyball' and the Dodgers recently hiring Zaidi, so the stat-heads on twitter ran for their pitchforks.  I'm left to wonder, what the heck is wrong with everyone? 
• Via Craig Durham at MLB.com, "Rays, Dodgers prospects make splash Down Under."

Also among the standout performers for Adelaide in the opening weekend were Dodgers prospects Brandon Dixon and Aaron Miller. Dixon, a 22-year-old second baseman from Murrieta, Calif., finished his first weekend of ABL play with five hits, three RBIs and a pair of stolen bases. Miller, a 27-year-old pitcher-turned-outfielder, went 6-for-19 with a home run, four RBIs and two steals. The pair were teammates this past season, playing for the Class A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League, where they combined for 23 home runs and 106 RBIs.

• A very good read.  Via Ken Arneson, "10 Things I Believe About Baseball Without Evidence."
• This is the greatest idea ever!  Via Chris Olds at Beckett, "Topps adds baseball twist to Garbage Pail Kids."

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Topps Follies - They Confuse Future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza with Angels Prospect Mike Piazza

Imagine having spent $80 bucks on a box of 2014 Topps Supreme and pulling out a Mike Piazza authentic autograph card.  You'd be excited.  Heck, you might just scream from joy after having seen it come out of the pack.

Then, imagine your pain and anguish when you realize that the card you received is not really Piazza's signature at all.  Well.... That's not entirely accurate.  It actually is a signature of Mike Piazza, but it's not the Piazza you were looking for.  Instead, it's a signature of Angels pitching prospect Mike Piazza.

Oy Vie!

Check out a Piazza Supreme card above and the below prospect Piazza card below.  Do you notice any similarities?

Wow!  What a major screw up.

A collector from Minneapolis named Nate Woodward tweeted about the mistake a few days ago.  He's obviously dismayed at the mix-up.

In a subsequent tweet from another collector going by Joe E, we find out that Topps will replace it, but it will be at YOUR expense:

Topps says its "human mistake and send it back AT MY EXPENSE and they will rectify the situation"

Not cool, Topps.  Not cool, at all!

@toppscards is using Angels prospect Mike Piazza's auto on these cards @PSACard @beckettmedia pic.twitter.com/jodgXpZhJm
— Nate Woodard (@storm_chaser82) October 31, 2014

@storm_chaser82 @toppscards  @beckettmedia Topps says its "human mistake and send it back AT MY EXPENSE and they will rectify the situation"
— Joe E (@AmazinHOF) November 3, 2014

Just in case you wanted to see what a real Mike Piazza, the future Hall of Famer Piazza, autograph looks like then take a look below.

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Weekend Autograph Opportunities: Dodger Hall of Famer Don Sutton

Here are this weekends autograph opportunities and events throughout the Southland. As always, be sure to check the Blue Heaven Calendar for other events (a link can always be found on the tab at the top of this page, just left of center), and always confirm with the establishment. Everything is subject to change.  Please email me with any tips about upcoming events in Southern California.  As the rest of the week progresses I'll update this post with other events (if there are any) as I become aware of them.  Also, I don't always list every event below, so be sure to check my Calendar.  I always try to favor free signing events over paying events.  Click on any pic to embiggen.

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Hall of Famer Don Sutton will be at Harry's Dugout this coming Saturday for an autograph session.  Go here or here for information.

Harry's Dugout
10715 Beverly Boulevard
Whittier, CA

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Welcome to the Blue, Farhan Zaidi!

The wait is now apparently over, and by all accounts Andrew Friedman got his man.  Based on numerous reports all over the web, the Dodgers will hire A's Assistant General Manager Farhan Zaidi.  An official announcement should be forthcoming.

Zaidi is 37-year old MIT economics graduate with a PhD from Berkeley in a focused field of study on behavioral economics.  In between, he worked as a consultant for Boston Consulting Group and the Sporting News.

Clearly, the Dodgers are doing their best to capture the best minds Baseball has to offer.  Zaidi is considered smart, personable and not entirely transfixed by sabermetrics.  He appears to understand its limitations while knowing that you must be able to evaluate a player by accepting the views of several schools of thought.  However, he does comes to us with a pedigree in statistical analysis, so he knows its value.  What I especially appreciate about Zaidi is that he recognizes that these players are more than just numbers - that skill is not always easily discernible in statistics. 

Overall, I can't say I hate this, but I also can't say I love it either.  Although he has had plenty of learned folks sing his praises, it remains to be seen if an all-star cast of ivy-league trained brains can really work together to shift the franchise in the right direction without butting heads.  Nevertheless, I am happy to go along for the ride and look forward to experiencing the results.  Hopefully, this foray into the 'Moneyball' world is more fruitful than the last time we attempted it with Paul DePodesta.

So far, Kasten and the Guggenheim ownership have been true to their word.  They've said that this new phase of the Dodger kingdom would focus on the farm system and bringing along the prospects to the big club, and these recent new hires is proof that they meant it.  We are entering a brave new world.

Here are a list of stories related to his eventual hiring:

• Via Peter Gammons at the Daily Gammons, "Dodgers, Cubs Headline Front Office Dream Teams On The Rise."

If one is a Dodger fan, what Stan Kasten and Dodger ownership is allowing Friedman to build for a long-term organizational infrastructure is advanced 21st Century Branch Rickeyism, especially if you know how well Friedman treats those with whom he works, and how brilliant a core executive he happens to be. This is not about making the Dodgers a baseball Rodeo Drive and buying up the glitziest free agents their television audience can watch, this is about sustained creative and hardcore baseball excellence.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "A's executive Zaidi to be named GM."

Although he came through the Oakland "Moneyball" system, Zaidi has a reputation for blending old-school scouting methods with advanced analytics to distill the best of both worlds.

His primary responsibilities with the A's included providing statistical analysis for evaluating and targeting players in the amateur Draft, free-agent and trade markets. He also assisted on arbitration cases and Minor League contracts and worked closely with the coaching staff during the season in analyzing data from advance scouting reports.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers will reportedly name Farhan Zaidi GM, Josh Byrnes as senior executive."

"He's engaging, he's able to look at baseball from every angle, consider every element, and he has great leadership skills," A's director of player personnel Billy Owens told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle in August. "He should be an emerging GM candidate for sure."

• Via Mike Petriello at Dodgers Digest," Rejoice! Dodgers To Hire Farhan Zaidi as GM."

The Dodgers just hired a Canadian Muslim Berkeley Ph.D. who grew up in the Philippines, went to MIT, and strongly advocated that the A’s sign Cuban Yoenis Cespedes. What a world. I am giddy. BRING ME ALL OF THE GENIUSES. (I sure hope Bill Plaschke hates this.)

• Via David Brown at Big League Stew, "Report: Dodgers will name Farhan Zaidi new general manager this week."

Zaidi comes from an analytical background — he became interested in the A's, literally, by reading "Moneyball" while in college — but also has been described as a big believer in scouting. He doesn't just crunch numbers, but also people. It's not necessary for players and the front-office to get along like players and coaches must, but Zaidi's people skills have to be considered an asset and bonus.

• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Dodgers hire Farhan Zaidi as GM."

According to a profile in the San Francisco Chronicle, Zaidi grew up in the Phillipines, attended MIT as an undergraduate and, after getting his doctorate at UC Berkeley, decided to try to break into baseball after reading the Michael Lewis bestseller, "Moneyball."

He eventually landed with the A's under GM Billy Beane -- the protagonist of that book as well as the movie based on it -- and worked his way up to become the team's assistant general manager for baseball operations.

• And here is a video from the SSAC13 conference where Farhan is a part of a panel discussing Baseball analytics.  This is a must watch.  He speaks a bit about roster construction, understanding the underlying skills that lead to positive outcomes and how BritPop got him the A's job.  (Hat Tip: Eric Stephen at True Blue LA).

Video Link:

In celebration of Zaidi's arrival to the Dodgers I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used a photograph grabbed from a photo tweeted by @120Sports ( I've tracked the photo down to an SF Gate article from Feb 2014 - taken by Susana Bates, Special To The Chronicle) and the 1959 Topps Baseball card design.

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Blog Kiosk: 11/5/2014 - Dodger Links - Pederson, Kershaw and Crawford

Joc Pederson is having a fun winter league Baseball vacation, pic via Pederson on Instagram.

Below are some links to check out:

• RIP, Mary Froning O'Meara.  She was an outfielder for the Battle Creek Belles and South Bend Blue Sox of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.  She was 80 years old.  This was initially announced on reddit r/Baseball by her grandchild r/SOTGidon.  Her wikipedia page can be found here.
• Farhan Zaidi, it is!  Via a tweet from Ken Gurnick:

Dodgers will name Oakland's Farhan Zaidi the new general manager later this week, according to baseball source.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) November 5, 2014

• BTW, former Padres GM Josh Byrnes is expected to also join the Dodgers front office, via Mark Saxon at ESPN.
• As expected, the BBWAA announced that Clayton Kershaw is a finalist for the National League MVP and CY Young awards yesterday.  Per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

Kershaw is competing with fellow finalists Adam Wainwright and Johnny Cueto for the Cy Young Award, which would be Kershaw’s third in four years if he wins. That award wll be revealed at 3 p.m. November 12 on MLB Network.

In his bid for his first MVP trophy, to be announced at 3 p.m. November 13 on MLB Network, Kershaw is up against Andrew McCutchen and Giancarlo Stanton.

(pic via @LosDodgers on twitter)

• Via William Boor at MLB.com, "Crawford inducted into AFL Hall of Fame."

"It feels good," Crawford said. "You're inducted in the Hall of Fame in a league where a lot of other good players played. To be picked as one of the inductees is really, really special."

• Via Wayne Stewart at Call to the Pen, "Profiling Adrian Gonzalez."

Gonzalez recalled, “All our conversations were usually baseball when we were young.  It was all about baseball—that was our whole life.”  Once the sons and father all played on the same amateur team in a league in Mexico. Adrian was 15 and his father, a first baseman, was in his 40s.

• These historical/biographic pieces being put out by Dodger Insider are fantastic.  This time Cary Osborne writes, "Seasons: Mike Marshall’s 1974 — the ultimate workhorse."

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Adrian Gonzalez and Zack Greinke Win 1st Gold Gloves as a Dodger

Coming on the heals of winning his first ever Fielding Bible Award and Mexico's National Sports Award, Adrian Gonzalez has been won his fourth career Gold Glove as a 1st baseman; his first Gold Glove as a Dodger.  He is the first Dodger Gold Glover at 1st base since Steve Garvey in 1977.

This choice is no surprise.  Adrian has been absolutely fantastic at every facet of his defensive game at 1st base. As the Fielding Bible award description said:

"He fields his position well, does a great job with difficult throws, and handles bunts and double plays with the best of them. But he's not flashy. Just consistently excellent.”

In addition, Zack Greinke has been awarded his first ever Gold Glove.  This marks the first Gold Glove at the position for the Dodgers since Clayton Kershaw won it in 2011.  He edged out Kershaw and Adam Wainwright for the honor.  Per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

Greinke led all NL pitchers in putouts with 28 and was a narrow second behind Miami’s Henderson Alvarez in range factor. He was also tied for third in defensive runs saved with five (Kershaw led with seven).

Below are some videos featuring the magical glove work of Adrian and Zack.

(graphic via @Dodgers on twitter)

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

Adrian Gonzalez:

Here's a collage of highlights.

Video Link:

9/18/14: Adrian Gonzalez charges in on a shallow popup from Chris Valaika and makes a great sliding catch, ending the 8th inning

Video Link:

8/29/14: Adrian Gonzalez leaps to make the grab on a high throw then comes down and makes the tag on the runner to end the inning

Video Link:

Zack Greinke: (the last one is probably the best one)

7/19/14: With runners on the corners, Zack Greinke jumps to make the stop on a high bouncing ball and throws to first to end the inning

Video Link:

7/19/14: Joe Kelly pops up on a bunt attempt and Zack Greinke makes the grab, then fires to second base to double off George Kottaras

Video Link:

7/3/14: Zack Greinke somehow gets his glove on a screaming liner up the middle, knocking it down before getting the out at first

Video Link:

4/18/14: Zack Greinke reaches across his body to make a fine stop on the comebacker and throws to first to retire Cody Ross

Video Link:

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