Dodgers Continue to Prospect for Gold

One of the promises made by the Dodger ownership group was to place a stronger emphasis on player development.  After all, why should the team depend on the oft-chance that they can sign the next great free agent when they are fully capable of developing their own talent.

Well, the Dodger just announced 5 new international prospect signings.  Per a Dodgers press release:

The Dodgers signed a pair of 16-year-olds from Willemstad, Curacao, in outfielder Shakir Albert (signing scouts: Rolando Chirino, Camilo Pascual, Engle) and catcher Hendrik Clementina (Chirino, Patrick Guerrero, Engle). Los Angeles also signed 16-year-old outfielder Julio Lugo of Bani, Dominican Republic (Guerrero, Franklin Taveras, Engle), 17-year-old catcher Gersel Pitre from Vargas, Venezuela (Pedro Avila, Guerrero) and 18-year-old right-handed pitcher Misja Harcksen from Rotterdam, Netherlands (Engle, Eugene Grimaldi).

During the 2013 calendar year, the Dodgers signed 47 international amateur prospects, including 23 from the Dominican Republic, 10 from Venezuela, four from Mexico, two from Colombia, two from Curacao, and one each from Brazil, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands and Panama.

Shakir Albert, a 16-year old from Curacao can be seen below signing his Dodger contract in early December, as shared on his twitter.

-Jullie wachten op mijn einde dit is mijn begin.! pic.twitter.com/qRG4Uvo9PY
— I'm the greatest!☆★ (@Shkr96) December 11, 2013

Jon Weisman at Dodgers Insider shared a video of Netherlands pitcher Misja Harckse throwing in the bullpen.  Watch it below.

Video Link:

It'll be years before we find out how good any of these kids are, so there's really no reason to put any spotlight on them yet.  Still, I thought it would be fun to to point out how unique each kid's name is.  I couldn't, in my wildest imagination, make up any of these monikers.

Julio Lugo?  Really?  Is he at all related to the Julio Lugo who used to play for us a few years back?  Clearly, the young European from Rotterdam (which is a fine city, BTW) is my favorite of the bunch.  How, exactly, do you pronounce Misja Harcksen? 

Speaking of Rotterdam... I remember, one evening, many moons ago, crawling into a hotel lobby with a friend from West Africa, who I was traveling with, and spending the next few hours drinking beers with the hotel clerk from Germany.  It was the strangest and most unique alcohol fueled discussion I had ever had.

Our German hotel clerk regaled us with stories of his numerous wives (including his current Filipino mail-order bride) as my West African travel companion detailed his coming to Europe and his subsequent love affair with a blonde Swede bombshell.  All I could tell them was that I was a American who was getting tired of explaining to people that I'm of Filipino decent from California, and that I lost my friend, who came with me to Europe, because he was having a psychological breakdown of monumental proportions.  

Yhea... my trip that summer was eventful.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2013 Select Baseball - the Dodgers Insert Cards

Following up on yesterdays post, here are the various Dodgers' insert cards available in Panini's Select Baseball set.  Go here to see the the Dodger base cards.

En Fuego

#17 Clayton Kershaw                                    #27 Matt Kemp

#30 Yasiel Puig

Select Team

#2 Clayton Kershaw                                         #9 Matt Kemp

A Clayton Kershaw autographed card (#18) is indicated on Panini's checklist, but I have yet to see one.  I assume at this point it is available only through a redemption.

Signatures

#96 Scott Van Slyke

Skills

#28 Clayton Kershaw

Statisticians

#12 Clayton Kershaw

Thunder Alley

#15 Matt Kemp                                           #22 Yasiel Puig

Youngbloods

#7 Yasiel Puig

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 1/7/2014 - Dodgers Links - A Mattingly Extension Coming Soon and Kemp Doing Fine

The Dodgers Winter Development camp is currently ongoing.  Check out a pic above of some instructors at Dodger Stadium who are there to lend their voice and experience to some of our best prospects - Eric Karros, Ramon Martinez and Tommy Lasorda.  Pic via Juan Ocampo/LA Dodgers 2014.  See more photos here.

• An extension for Mattingly may be coming down the pike very soon, via a tweet from Ken Rosenthal.

Sources: #Dodgers making progress on Mattingly extension. Deal expected to be done soon.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 6, 2014

• Brian Wilson started a Instagram account, @vinweez, and you should check it out.  He is currently vacationing in Australia, and is sharing a bunch of pics.
• Panini America shares a bunch of preview pics of their upcoming 2013 Elite Extra Edition Baseball card set that comes out later this week.  This is a prospect heavy card set.  See a Piazza card on the right.
• Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Stories and more from Maury Wills".  BTW, you should make Dodger Insider a part of your daily reading list.
• Via Vince Lombardi Jr. at Outside Pitch MLB, "A Review of Sandy Koufax’s Dominant, but Shortened Career".
• Emma at Dodger Blue World takes a look at currently living Brooklyn Dodgers.
• Peter Gammons tells us that "Matt Kemp still recovering from ankle surgery".  This is all good news.
• Classified under, "it's about time!"  Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, Topps to produce baseball cards of players from the film ‘Major League’

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

2013 Panini Select Baseball - the Dodgers Base Cards

Before the end of the year, Panini America released their 2013 Select Baseball set.  For many of you older collectors, you likely remember this card brand.  The card set originally came out in 1992 and was produced by Score - later to be acquired by Donruss-Pinnacle.  If I'm not mistaken, they produced their last Select Baseball card set in 1998.  Now, Panini has decided to revive the brand in hopes of building some nostalgia. 

Select has a rather unusual base checklist.  The first 175 cards feature current, retired and rookie cards.  The 7 Dodger cards in that group are shown below.  The next 75 cards (#176 to #250) are all rookie autographed cards.  Since they are sequentially numbered with the non-autographed cards I decided to include them as a part of the base set.  There are 4 Dodger rookie autographed cards.  Unfortunately, the Hyun-Jin Ryu card (#250) is only available through a redemption.

#34 Matt Kemp                           #49 Adrian Gonzalez

#50 Brian Wilson                               #85 Clayton Kershaw

#124 Mike Piazza                                   #126 Yasiel Puig

#146 Matt Magill                                #212 Jose Dominguez

#240 Paco Rodriguez                      #243 Shawn Tolleson

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Mailbag - My First Agon & Webster Autographed Cards

I've got this cold that will not go away.  So, in a less-than-healthy stupor, I found myself perusing the eBay aisles for something to add to my collection.  There's nothing like doing some online shopping while stuck in bed.

Fortunately, I found a couple of great deals that fit perfectly into my collection.  On top of that, they are my first autographed cards of these players.  Check them out below.

It's been a fruitful past couple of weeks.  I received my very first Adrian Gonzalez autographed card, that you can see above.  He is sporting a Team Mexico uniform from the recent WBC tournament.  It is a 2013 Topps Tribute WBC autographed card.

Even thought he may no longer be in Dodger Blue (he was a part of the trade that sent AGon to us) I wanted to snag an Allen Webster autographed card before he ends up being as good as some say.  It is a 2012 Bowman gold parallel card (numbered 137 out of 250) of Allen Webster.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

Blog Kiosk: 1/6/2014 - Dodgers Links - A Dodgers Pillow Pet Giveaway, Stadium Upgrades and the Winter Development Program

I thought I'd announce this great little promotion.  This coming Saturday, January 11th, the Bakersfield Condors ECHL hockey club is holding a Dodgers vs. Giants Micro Pillow Pet Giveaway. The first 2,000 children, 12 and under, will receive their choice of a Dodgers or Giants Pillow Pet.  The team that runs out first will be declared the city favorite!! Go here for information. A big Hat Tip to Jose for letting me know about it.

• Via Bill Shaikin at the LA Times, "Dodgers adding bullpen lookouts to stadium".

The lookouts are the focal point of a modest Dodger Stadium expansion beyond the foul poles in left and right fields. The Dodgers would like those spaces to develop into gathering areas for fans, with concession stands to be added there and the merchandise tents to be replaced by permanent team stores.

Since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962, fans seated in the pavilions have been restricted to that area. The new gathering areas will be accessible to fans seated in the pavilions as well as to those entering from the field level.

• The Dodgers 7th Annual Winter Development Program began this past Sunday.  15 of the Dodgers' top prospects will be in LA for seminars and workouts to focus on fundamentals, strength training and conditioning. They will also spend some time familiarizing themselves with the city.  Among those in attendance will be Zach Lee, Scott Schebler, Joc Pederson, Seth Rosin, Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia, Jarrett Martin, etc.  This event is not open to the public.
• Ross Gasmer at Dodger Nation notes that Brian Wilson recently tweeted a photo of himself checking out the Sydney Cricket Grounds this past weekend.  The Dodgers and Diamondbacks will be playing a couple of games there to start the season.
• Via Bryan Hoch at MLB.com, "Mattingly doesn't expect Hall to call on 14th try".
• Ken Levine eulogizes Jerry Coleman.  The former Yankee and Padres broadcaster recently passed away.  RIP, Jerry Coleman.
• Vin Scully had this to say about Jerry Coleman, via the Dodgers tumblr.

“We were much richer for having known him.  He had a wonderful and full life as a major league player, a war hero and a Hall of Fame broadcaster.  He was a sweet good natured and happy soul and he will be sorely missed.  Our sympathies are extended to his family and all the many wonderful friends that he had.”

• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "2014 salary arbitration preview: A.J. Ellis".
• The Sons of Steve Garvey shares even more photos from the work currently being done at Dodger Stadium.

* Please follow on twitter @ernestreyes *

* Like Dodgers Blue Heaven on facebook *

* Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *