Blog Kiosk: 2/16/2016 - Dodgers Links - Garvey, Turner and Kenta Maeda

Steve Garvey was the Grand Marshal at the 70th Annual Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival Presidents’ Day Parade.  Photo above via Garvey on twitter.

Below are more links to check out:

• Yesterday I posted up a brief story on recent 16-year old signee from Mexico Oscar Arzaga (here).  In addition to his signing, the Dodgers also signed 18-year old Pitcher Ronald Valenzuela and 19-year old RHP Maikel Pineda.  Both of them are from the Dominican Republic.  Unfortunately, information on both of them is a bit scarce right now.
• Via Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, "Small procedures lead to bigger hopes this season for Dodgers' Justin Turner."

“It was scary when I first heard it,” Turner said recently. “I knew nothing about microfracture surgery other than Matt Kemp had a hard time coming back from it. But his was in a bad spot to have it.

“Talking with Dr. ElAttrache more, mine was in a non-weight-bearing area. … Even though it looks scary and sounds scary, it was actually the best-case scenario.”

• Kenta Maeda is so jazzed about being a Dodger.  Heck, he has already reported to Spring Training.  Via a tweet by Joseph Kim:

Yeah, Kenta Maeda has arrived early at Camelback Ranch – Glendale #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/cEFrCvOdCR

— Joseph Kim (@blackwings2011) February 16, 2016

• BTW, it was reported last week in the Japan Times that we had left for Arizona on Thursday (Hat Tip: Dodgers Low-Down on twitter):

“I’m thrilled. I’m just looking forward to playing baseball over there,” Maeda said at a news conference at Narita airport. “The preparation has been coming along nicely. I’ve been throwing strong pitches.”

• Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest shares his "2016 Dodgers Top 100 Prospects: No. 30-21."
• Via Tom Bartsch at Sports Collectors Digest, "Military Museum Shows How Sports Helped Mold Its Troops."

“For the Development of First-Class Fighting Men: Sports and the New York National Guard, 1890-1950” is showing at the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Visitors are treated to a display of antique memorabilia, such as an old-time baseball catcher’s chest protector and mask, a well-worn first baseman’s mitt and baseballs autographed by championship team members. However, a variety of sports are represented, including basketball, boxing and polo.

• Joe Vasile at Beyond the Boxscore writes, "Black players in organized white baseball in the pre-integration era."

The stories of the brave pioneers who came before Robinson and Rickey are virtually unknown outside the inner circles of baseball history, being recounted only in a piecemeal fashion. Maybe casual fans have heard of Moses Fleetwood Walker in passing or are aware of Bill Veeck's attempt to buy the Philadelphia Phillies because they read Veeck as in Wreck. But the stories and the struggles of these early pioneers are important to remember in the historical context of pre-integration baseball history. What these men accomplished on and off the field and what they had to endure because of the overt racism of the era should not be lost to history.

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Welcome to the Blue, Oscar Arzaga!

Here's a new Dodger signing that I first noticed due to a Reddit post by r/mevans93308 (first mentioned by @MiLBMoves on twitter).  The Dodgers apparently signed 16-year old right-handed Mexican pitching prospect Oscar Alejandro Arzaga a couple weeks ago.

From what I understand, he did some training at the Gonzalez Sports Academy in Chula Vista that is operated by the father of Adrian Gonzalez and his brother.  He stands 6'5" tall and is 210 lbs, so he's certainly a big kid.  Also, Arzaga was reported to have been throwing in the mid-90's last year.  Perfect Game gave him a prospect grade of 10 out of 10.  Per a scouting report posted by Jason Shetler at Bucco Nation on 2/2/2015 when he was 15-years old:

Arzaga is a tall right-hander who stands 6’5. Along with the fastball, he throws a curveball, changeup and slider. His slider is already being considered a good pitch. Given his huge upside, Arzaga will likely be the most sought after Latin amateur player once the International signing period begins July 2nd.

Of course, at only 16-years of age you shouldn't expect the world from him.  He's got a long way to go before he really shows up on anybody's radar screens.  Still, this signing has got to make Dodgers fans feel good.  We continue to solidify an already great minor league system with players who could potentially be on everybody's lips in four to five years.  

BTW, there is no word yet on what his signing bonus was, but it was reported by Más Béisbol Dorados de Chihuahua on Facebook that he received an higher offer from the Cardinals.  His dream, though, was to be a Dodger.  FanGraphs projected his bonus would be at about $350,000.00.

Per Más Béisbol Dorados de Chihuahua on Facebook:

Via a poor online translation:  "I'm very happy for this step so big, ' cause I worked to get this triumph, but best of all, I know that I love what I do and I'm proud to be an example to all, because if you propose a goal nothing more is Issue of desire and love what you do, give thanks to God for this opportunity so big and I would like to say to all my fellow countrymen of Chihuahua, every dream can be achieved just got to have discipline, enjoy and trust in what you do and never give Up, as hard as this is the way. That makes you stronger. Give thanks to my angels guardiánes, Adrian Gonzalez, Edgar Gonzalez and Mr. David Gonzalez."

On another note, the teenager already has a Baseball card available on the market.  It's a part of the 2014 Leaf Perfect Game set.  Arzaga has a base and autograph card available.  Check them both out below:

 #238 Oscar Arzaga                                #AOA2 Oscar Arzaga

In celebration of his signing with the Dodgers I made the above  (at the very top) fantasy Baseball card of him using a photo grabbed at Más Béisbol Dorados de Chihuahua on Facebook and the 1982 Topps Baseball card design.

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2015 Panini National Treasures College - The Dodgers Base Cards - Jackie Robinson at UCLA

Panini does this every year, and it's annoying.  A couple weeks ago they released their collegiate version of National Treasures, and decided to continue calling it a 2015 set.  Why? We're already well into the new year.

Anyway, this product is notable for including college athletes, both past and present, on an high-end brand, and it includes several notable Dodgers.  Go here for a complete checklist.

One name of note is former UCLA four-sport legend Jackie Robinson.  As you know, he lettered in baseball, basketball, football, and track, so seeing him in this set is fantastic.  When Panini originally announced their college sports licenses several months back I wondered if we would see anything featuring Robinson.  Fortunately, that answer is yes.  He has two base cards in the set, but neither show him in a Baseball uniform.  Check them out below.

#25 Chase Utley

Blog Kiosk: 2/16/2016 - Dodgers Links - Buehler, Montas and Dave Roberts

You know Spring Training is around the corner when the Dodgers trucks are packed up and shipped to Arizona.   Via a pic by the @Dodgers on twitter, they filled them with cargo and arrived safely in Glendale on Saturday.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

Each truck holds 20 tons of gear, which includes computers and front-office supplies and even a 1,500-pound bobblehead of Hall of Fame manager Tom Lasorda, which normally resides at the Lasorda Italian Restaurant behind the right field pavilion at Dodger Stadium.

In other developments, the Dodgers ground crew have been hard at work transforming the field at Dodger Stadium into game-ready shape.  Check out the process in all of its time-lapsed glory in the tweet below:

Watch the #Dodgers Grounds Crew do work. #HurryUpBaseball pic.twitter.com/SHCTzDdPkL

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 13, 2016

Below are more links to check out:

• This Mike Trout rumors are proof of how bored sports writers are, and how gullible reporters think fans are.
• Fantastic.  Jeff Sanders at the San Diego Tribune writes, "How San Diego's Dave Roberts won the Los Angeles Dodgers over."  

Outside, the No. 42 that once emblazoned Robinson’s Dodgers jersey hangs below the outfield’s pavilion roofing, the sacred number peeled right from a Brooklyn-era jersey that Dave Roberts wears today as a storied franchise’s first minority manager.

“I asked him about that just before he was hired,” Waymon Roberts acknowledged while standing off to the corner following his son’s official introduction. “It initially didn’t register that it was such a big deal.”

• Via Andy McCullough at the LA Times, "How the new Dodgers manager is preparing his team for success." 

"The No. 1 goal ... is for us ... to create an unbreakable bond within the group," Roberts said over breakfast at a cafe in Carlsbad. "Where no distractions ... get us away from staying together ... or getting our focus off track."

• David Hood at True Blue LA takes a look at Dodgers prospect Walker Buehler, here.

"Good things come to those who wait," as the old adage goes, so I elected not to ding Buehler for the surgery because the value when healthy is just too significant to downgrade. Buehler is the last prospect ranked before the elite tiers, and has the highest floor and ceiling of pitching prospects rated thus far. Though this review will likely look the same at this time next season, be patient, because Buehler could be battling for the position of top pitching prospect in the system at some point in 2017.

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Montas may miss 4 months after rib surgery."

Rookie right-hander Frankie Montas, the centerpiece for the Dodgers in a December three-team trade, will miss two to four months after undergoing rib resection surgery on Friday, it was announced.

According to the club, Montas had a stress reaction in his rib, and the procedure was performed by Dr. Greg Pearl in Dallas. Pearl performed a similar operation for thoracic outlet syndrome on Josh Beckett two years ago when the veteran right-hander experienced numbness in his pitching hand. Beckett returned to action, threw a no-hitter, then retired at the end of the 2014 season.

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Great Lakes Loons unveil new logos, uniforms for 2016."
• Via Bill Plaschke at the LA Times, "His job is a hunt-and-peck type of thing at Dodger Stadium." 

This is a Valentine's Day tale about the hopeless romantic who spends his summers scouring the Los Angeles sports landscape looking for love. His cuddly nickname is "Panda," he's been married 21 years to a woman with whom he's had four wedding ceremonies, and he has a job where every day is sprinkled with tiny candy hearts.

Valdivia directs the Dodger Stadium Kiss Cam.

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Early Peek at some 2016 Promotional Game Giveaways - Turner Chia Pet and some Bobbleheads

With "Pitchers & Catchers" reporting to Spring Training within a week and Opening Day just around the corner I thought it would be a good time to share some preview picks of an handful of Dodger Stadium giveaways for the upcoming season.  Go here to check out a complete promotional schedule.

Probably the most anticipated freebie this season is the Justin Turner "Chia Pet" being given out on Saturday, April 30th against the Padres.  Check out a preview pic of it above.  Wow, right?  It is the perfect combination of awesome and hilarious.  Something tells me we'll be seeing many more of these in the future.

As you know, the Dodgers will continue giving out bobbleheads this season.  They are slated to hand out ten new bobbles, and they have recently updated their checklist since they made their original announcement in late-November.  They have since added bobbleheads for Adrian Gonzalez, Kenta Maeda and Howie Kendrick.  Below is an updated schedule:

• Clayton Kershaw on April 25 (vs. MIA)
• Dodger manager Dave Roberts May 11 (vs. NYM)
• **Adrian Gonzalez on May 25 (vs. CIN)
• Don Newcombe on June 8 (vs. COL)
• Dusty Baker on June 22 (vs. WAS)
• 1981 World Series tri-MVPs Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero and Steve Yeager on July 2 (vs. COL)
• **Kenta Maeda on July 26 (vs. TB)
• **Howie Kendrick on August 9 (vs. PHI)
• TBD August 25 (vs. SF)
• TBD September 20 (vs. SF)

And below are preview picks of the Clayton Kershaw nodder being given out on April 25th and the Dave Roberts bobble on May 11th.

As for the other giveaways, here is an early look at the Jackie Robinson jersey being given out on Jackie Robinson Day, Friday, April 15th against the Giants, the Dodgers sweetshirt/hoodie on April 13th against the Diamondbacks and the knit cap on April 16th.

Jackie Robinson Jersey

Sweatshirt/Hoodie                                    Knit Cap

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Blog Kiosk: 2/12/2016 - Dodgers Links - Nomo, Koufax and a Brief Time Warner Update

Sandy is lounging on the grass at Wrigley Field!

Above is a fantastic pic of Sandy Koufax from an original 1960's color transparency/slide from the Metropolis Collection that was being auctioned by Hyee_Auctions on eBay.  It recent sold for $113.50.  The photo was taken by Chicago based photographer Lee Balterman.  He had started out as a photographer for the Army during WWII then did freelance work for magazines such as Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated.

Below are more links to check out:

• Here's some good news on the Time Warner front -- however slight it might be.  The California PUC is speeding up their review of the proposal merger between the company and Charter.  Via Robert W. Welkos at CFTN, "California ALJ Advances Time Warner Cable-Charter Decision Date."

Administrative Law Judge Karl J. Bemesderfer issued a scheduling order pushing up a final decision to May 12 from the previously announced June 10 date, and said that a proposed decision in the case would be issued April 12.

So, it's conceivable that SportsNet LA can be in everybody's homes before the All-Star break.  Assuming, of course, they can hammer out agreements with the other cable companies right away.

• I'm not one for reporting trade rumors, but this is one I can get behind.  Via Steve Adams at MLB Trade Rumors, "Dodgers Shopping Alex Guerrero."
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Double-A Tulsa releases 2016 spring training schedule."
• Via Baseball America, the Dodgers have the #1 ranked minor league system in the game this year.
• Old friend Hideo Nomo just became a Padres.  Via a San Diego press release, "Padres name Hideo Nomo Advisor, Baseball Operations."

"I am very happy to join the San Diego Padres and return to Major League Baseball," said Nomo. "My hope is that my advice will be handed down to the young players of Padres. It is also an opportunity for me to learn, and I hope to help bring a World Championship to the Padres. I look forward to working with A.J Preller and all of the Padres baseball operations staff."

• MLB Network ranks Yasiel Puig as the eighth best right fielder in the game.  Watch the video here.

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