Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full-Squad Workout #6

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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(Ellis with the catcher signs, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016)

MARCH MADNESS: The Dodgers held their sixth full-squad workout of Spring Training today with some team defense work (pickoffs and rundowns) and live batting practice. Los Angeles, in its eighth season training in Arizona, kicks off Cactus League play Thursday, March 3 against the White Sox.

GETTING IN THE RHYTHM: Chris Hatcher, Brett Anderson, Ross Stripling, Luis Avilan, Zach Lee and Chase DeJong all threw live BP today, while Scott Kazmir, Pedro Baez, Louis Coleman, Mike Bolsinger, Jharel Cotton, Jacob Rhame and Yaisel Sierra all threw regular bullpens.

• Anderson, 28, enters his eighth big league season after serving as a reliable starter for the Dodgers in his first season with the club in 2015. He posted a 10-9 record with a 3.69 ERA in a career-high 31 starts for Los Angeles and also finished with career highs in innings pitched (180.1) and quality starts (18). He led Major League qualifiers with a 66.7 groundball percentage last season and forced 23 groundball double plays, which ranked eighth most among starting pitchers in the senior circuit.

(Yaisel Sierra's first bullpen session, pic via Jon SooHoo on Dodgers twitter)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Newly acquired right-handed pitcher Yaisel Sierra participated in his first Spring Training workout with the club today, including throwing his first official bullpen of the spring. Sierra, 24, was signed by the Dodgers to a six-year contract last Sunday and pitched five seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional with Holguin (2010-14) and Sancti Spiritus (2012), going 16-21 with 25 saves and a 4.23 ERA in 131 games (25 starts). Sierra, who was ranked No. 13 on Baseball America’s Top 20 Cuban prospects list, pitched for the country’s gold-medal winning national team at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games. Sierra will wear No. 70.

MIC CHECK: Dodgers broadcasters Fernando Valenzuela and Pepe Yñiguez arrived in Camelback Ranch yesterday, while Charley Steiner arrived to Spring Training earlier today, as they prepare to call the first Cactus League game on Thursday, March 3 against the White Sox. Steiner, a four-time Emmy Award winner, is entering his 12th season as play-by-play announcer for the Dodgers and will primarily call the action from AM 570 LA Sports. The 17-year Major League veteran and legendary Dodger, Valenzuela enters his second season calling games on SportsNet LA in Spanish alongside Yñiguez, who enters his 18th season with the Dodgers.

(Josh Ravin, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

GET WELL SOON: Right-handed reliever Josh Ravin was involved in an automobile accident yesterday and broke his left radius. His surgery was scheduled for today. We wish Josh a speedy recovery!  (You can take a look at his broken arm here)

Thank you all for the well wishes!
It's definitely a tough break... ; )

— Josh Ravin™ (@FreshSqueezed22) March 1, 2016

THE BEGINNING: On this date in 2009, the Dodgers played their first-ever game at Camelback Ranch against the Chicago White Sox, with right-handed pitcher Hiroki Kuroda taking the mound and throwing the first-ever pitch at CBR. The club lost, 3-2, to their neighbors, who share one of the largest stadiums in the Cactus League.

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Blog KIosk: 3/1/2016 - Dodgers Links - Sierra, Maeda and Josh Ravin

Good morning, Dodger Fans!

Pic above via @Dodgers on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:

• Still unable to participate in any spring activities due to unresolved immigration paperwork, Yaisel Sierra is now in Arizona, via a tweet from Alanna Rizzo:

RHP Yaisel Sierra made a very brief appearance at camp today. Still not officially here. #Dodgers

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) February 29, 2016

• Several other Cubans have also made it to spring camp, via a tweet by Bill Plunkett of the OC Register:

3 of the #Dodgers young Cuban investments -- RHP Yadier Alvarez, OF Yusniel Diaz, IF Omar Estevez - were in minor-league camp today

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 29, 2016

• Amanda McCarthy, wife of Brandon, shared a pic of her husband as a young Dodger fan on Instagram (link here), so I decided to make a fantasy Baseball card using the photo.  Check it out on the right.
• Yasmani Grandal made an interesting comment about pitcher Kenta Maeda after a throwing session yesterday.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Maeda unleashes 4-pitch mix in BP session."

"The reason I compare him to Greinke is that he's got a four-pitch mix," Yasmani Grandal said after catching Maeda's two innings. "Obviously, they are two different pitchers. But you can build a game plan around four pitches and be creative, that's the comparison."

• Eric Stephen at True Blue LA puts together some background information on Dodgers catching prospect Kyle Farmer (Link Here).
• Listen to former Dodgers pitcher Dan Haren on the Jonah Keri podcast (dated 2/26/2016 Link Here) where he talks a bit about his time with the Dodgers.  (Hat Tip: r/clarkbarniner on Reddit)
• Dodgers pitcher Josh Ravin was in a car accident this morning, via Alanna Rizzo on twitter:

.@FreshSqueezed22 was in an auto accident yesterday, breaking his left radius (forearm area).  Surgery scheduled for today.  #Dodgers

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) March 1, 2016

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Moving Towards 10,000 Followers for Cody Bellinger - #FollowCody #CodyLove

(Bellinger, pic via Puig on twitter)

Spring Training isn't just about practice and preparation.  It's also about playing... And I don't mean the gameplay kind of thing.  What I mean is that sometimes a little bit of fun is needed in the clubhouse and there's no better time to play around than during spring training (Kirk Gibson notwithstanding).

So far, we've been treated to only an handful of photos and stories about the fun; such as the upcoming ping pong tournament.  But one event recently hit social media, and I thought it was worth pointing out this afternoon. 

This past Friday we found out that fast-rising prospect Cody Bellinger has been tasked with boosting his twitter follower-ship, and with the help of his teammates and the fans he will hopefully fulfill his goal.   

From what I can tell, Cody is trying to reach 10,0000 followers. He currently sits at 4,770.  So, if you haven't already done so please go here to join in on the fun: @Cody_Bellinger. 

To motivate you further, a hashtag meme was started by, I think, Justin Turner, via the following tweets:

I'll make you a deal @Cody_Bellinger I'll give you a follow on here if you change your Twitter handle to #CodyLove

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) February 26, 2016

Everyone make sure you go give @Cody_Bellinger #CodyLove a follow on Twitter! Great dude, big pop, bright future!!! #LA @Dodgers

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) February 26, 2016

#CodyLove is now a thing!


Best yet, AJ Ellis, during all the hubbub, was kind enough pass along a childhood photo of the kid on twitter, and I couldn't help but make a fantasy Baseball card using it.  Check it out below.  The main pic was taken by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016. 

So get going Dodgers Fans!  Go to your twitter now and follow the kid.  And if you don't use twitter then what's wrong with you!  Join it now and help move his chart (as seen below) higher!

(Bellinger and Roberts, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016)

Pic at the very top via Jon SooHoo @Dodgers on twitter.

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full-Squad Workout #5

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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(Kershaw, pic via Zachary P. Lucy on twitter)

AN EXTRA DAY: The Dodgers held their fifth full-squad workout of Spring Training today, celebrating Leap Day with team defense work (pop-up priorities) and live batting practice. In team history, the Dodgers have had only one player born on Leap Day, right-hander Ed Appleton, born Feb. 29, 1892. Appleton went 5-12 with a 3.25 ERA in 48 games (13 starts) in two big league seasons with Brooklyn in 1915-16.

FIRE-BALLERS: Kenta Maeda joined young guns Julio Urias, Chris Anderson and Jose De Leon in throwing live BP today, while Clayton Kershaw, Joe Blanton, J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen, Alex Wood, Carlos Frias, Yimi Garcia, Matt West, Adam Liberatore, Josh Ravin and Ian Thomas all threw regular bullpens.

• Garcia, 25, enters his third big league campaign after an impressive 2015 campaign with the Dodgers, during which he went 3-5 with one save and a 3.34 ERA in 59 games (one start). He was dominant early in the year in the late innings, helping to fill the void while Kenley Jansen was on the DL, and finished the season ranked among the NL’s best relievers in WHIP (0.95, 5th), opponents’ batting average (.199, 16th), opponents’ on-base percentage (.242, 4th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.60, 3rd) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.87, 15th).

(Yimi and Dave, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016)

(Lasorda, pic via Camelback Ranch on twitter)

MAKING THE LEAP: Right-handed pitcher Yaisel Sierra took in the Dodgers’ workout today at Camelback Ranch and is expected to be in uniform shortly following the completion of the immigration process. Sierra, 24, was signed by the Dodgers to a six-year contract last Sunday and pitched five seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional with Holguin (2010-14) and Sancti Spiritus (2012), going 16-21 with 25 saves and a 4.23 ERA in 131 games (25 starts). Sierra, who was ranked No. 13 on Baseball America’s Top 20 Cuban prospects list, pitched for the country’s gold-medal winning national team at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games.

THE OPENING ACT: The Dodgers’ Cactus League opener is just three days away (!) and yesterday, Dodger manager Dave Roberts named three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw the starting pitcher for Thursday’s game against the White Sox, as well as Opening Day 2016 in San Diego. The Opening Day nod will be Kershaw’s sixth consecutive Opening Day start, leaving him one shy of the Dodger franchise record (7), shared by Don Drysdale (1958-61, ’63, ’65, ‘69) and Don Sutton (1972-78). Fernando Valenzuela (1981, 1983-86, ’88) and William “Brickyard” Kennedy (1894-96, 1898-1900) are the only other members of the franchise to tally at least six Opening Day starts. 

• Kershaw has three Opening Day victories, trailing just Drysdale (5) and Sutton (4).

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Blog Kiosk: 2/29/2016 - Dodgers Links - Urias, AGon and Sandy Koufax

Kenta Maeda greets Tommy Lasorda in the photo taken above by Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016.

Below are more links to check out:

• There was a little bit of an kerfuffle over the weekend about the news that Koufax would no longer be a Special Assistant to the team.  Speculation ensued, and gossip spread that something happened.  Well, that's not the case at all.  He released a statement about the situation, via a tweet by Alanna Rizzo:

Statement from Sandy Koufax: pic.twitter.com/7FeOmwy8Sa

— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) February 28, 2016

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Kershaw: Koufax 'cares for us as a team.'"

"Whether or not he's officially here, he's still around," Kershaw said of Koufax, who has ended his three-year stint in the front office but visited the club on Friday. "I don't think it will change much for me. Sandy cares about us as a team, and I think he will be around when he can, and he'll watch our games."

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "MLB Draft 2016: Dodgers will have nearly $10 million in bonus pool money to spend."
• Via Doug Padilla at ESPN, "Mound visit: Getting to know Dodgers pitching prospect Julio Urias."

Earliest memory: "I always remember the first baseball glove I ever received, and the first pair of spikes. My grandfather visited the United States and he came back and gave me the glove with the pair of spikes. I still have the glove at home."

• This is just the case of the same problem, different day.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Gonzalez sits out workout with neck discomfort."

"It's the same thing I've been dealing with and we had it looked at over the offseason and we know exactly what it is," said Gonzalez, the most consistent bat in the Dodgers lineup since he arrived in 2012.

"There's not much we can do about it. It's a bulging disk and it's too risky to operate. Just pain management. I wasn't smart with the base-running drill. I have to stay away from things that irritate it."

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full-Squad Workout #4

Throughout Spring Training the Dodgers PR department sends out helpful daily notes from Camelback Ranch, and I am happy to pass them along.  See what they've written below.

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(Kershaw and AGon head ping pong tourney draw, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2016)

THE FORCE AWAKENS: The Dodgers held their fourth full-squad workout of Spring Training today, getting in some team defense work (cutoffs and relays), to go along with live batting practice. Los Angeles, in its eighth season training in Arizona, kicks off Cactus League play this Thursday, March 3 against the White Sox.

• Pitchers who faced live hitters today were Scott Kazmir, Mike Bolsinger, Jharel Cotton, Jacob Rhame, Pedro Baez and Louis Coleman. 
• Alex Wood, Brandon Beachy, and Jamey Wright all threw regular bullpens.

SPOTLIGHT: During his morning media session, Dodger manager Dave Roberts named three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw the starting pitcher for the Cactus League opener as well as Opening Day 2016 in San Diego. The Opening Day nod will be Kershaw’s sixth consecutive Opening Day start, leaving him one shy of the Dodger franchise record (7), shared by Don Drysdale (1958-61, ’63, ’65, ‘69) and Don Sutton (1972-78). Fernando Valenzuela (1981, 1983-86, ’88) and William “Brickyard” Kennedy (1894-96, 1898-1900) are the only other members of the franchise to tally at least six Opening Day starts. 

• Kershaw has three Opening Day victories, trailing just Drysdale (5) and Sutton (4).

(McCarthy and Kershaw, pic via Jon SooHoo at @Dodgers on twitter)

THE BIG SHORT: Standing just 5’9, the shortest player in Dodger camp is speedy outfielder Rico Noel, who was signed by the club to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training on Dec. 23, 2015. Noel made his Major League debut for the Yankees last September, going 1-for-2 with five runs scored and five stolen bases in just 15 games. In six minor league seasons with the Padres (2010-15) and Yankees (2015), the Oklahoma native has hit .254 while stealing 283 bases in 344 attempts (82.3%). Noel has swiped 50 or more bases in a season three times: 2011 (62), 2012 (90) and 2013 (59). The 27-year-old was originally selected by the Padres in the fifth round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of Coastal Carolina University.

• The tallest player in Dodger camp is Brandon McCarthy, who stands 6’7. 

STRAIGHT OUTTA FULLERTON:  The Dodgers would like to welcome Special Advisor to the Chairman Tommy Lasorda, who arrived for his first day of camp at Camelback Ranch this morning. Lasorda, 88, is entering his 67th season in the Dodger organization. The longtime skipper compiled a record of 1,599-1,439 (.526) in 20 seasons, including two world championships, four National League pennants and eight division titles. 

(Roberts and Lasorda, pic via Jon SooHoo at @Dodgers on twitter)

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