2015 Topps Heritage - The Dodger Autograph, Relic, Box-Loader and Other Insert Cards

I'm not done posting about Topps' 2015 Heritage Baseball card set yet.  Featured below are the remaining autograph, relic, box-loader and other insert Dodger cards found within it.  In fact, all that remains are the Walmart exclusive Sandy Koufax subset called "A Legend Retires."  I hope to have photos of all of those cards soon.  Go here to check out all of my past post on this set.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that any of the Dodger autographed cards were seeded into packs (save the "1 of 1" cut signature cards).  Below is the known checklist.

1966 Cut Signatures

• #66PCS-DD Don Drysdale
• #66PCS-WA Walter Alston

Real One Autographs

• #ROA-SK Sandy Koufax (redemption)

Real One Triple Autographs

• #ROTA-KRW Kershaw, Ryan, Koufax (redemption)

The below '66 Mint coin cards are very scarce.  Four different variations are know:  Nickel #/15, Dime #/10, Quarter #/5, JFK Silver Dollar 1/1.

’66 Mint Set

#66M-CK Clayton Kershaw 

(not seen yet)

#66M-YP Yasiel Puig

Life-Sized Puig Bobblehead Invaded Camelback Ranch

Holy Heck!  What is that? 

When the new ownership came in they introduced life-sized bobblehead-styled mascots at Dodger Stadium that scared the bejesus out of everyone.  They were freaky and the thing of nightmares.  Now, a fan has apparently joined the act.

Seen yesterday was a fan-made life-sized Yasiel Puig bobblehead at Camelback Ranch and I gotta say I'm a little scared.  I don't know how I'll sleep tonight.  Check out the GIF above, via a story written by Cut4 writer Mike Bertha. 

The "Plaster Puig" was all over the park and even had an opportunity to meet his inspiration at the fan autograph area at the Dodger facility. 

Best yet, Dodger video maven StadiumBound was there to document it all.  Watch it below.  Per the video description.

The crowd goes crazy when Yasiel Puig puts on a giant bobblehead a fan gave him to sign. Puig spent a long time signing autographs and then finally got near this guy holding up the giant head and motioned to the guy to give it to him. The guy said he had it custom made.

I desperately need a better photo of Yasiel Puig wearing that Yasiel Puig bobblehead head.  BTW, StadiumBound has a bunch of Spring Training video worth check out, so go there now.

Video Link:

GIF above via Mike Bertha at Cut4

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 7 / Road Game 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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 Los Angeles Dodgers (4-1-1) vs. San Francisco Giants (2-5)
Monday, March 9, 2015 – 1:05 p.m. MT | Scottsdale Stadium

LHP Brett Anderson (0-0) vs. RHP Matt Cain (0-0)
TV: SNLA Radio: None

In case you missed today's Dodgers-Giants lineups, here they are in dry erase board form pic.twitter.com/4Cwa3dC6EQ
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) March 9, 2015

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(Old friends Honeycutt and Roenicke, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

A SAN FRANCISCO TREAT: The Dodgers, unbeaten in their last five games, take on the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium today in the first of two Spring Training meetings between the clubs. Last year, Los Angeles won seven of its last nine games against the Giants and took the season series, 10-9, en route to a second consecutive division title. The Dodgers posted their second-best divisional winning percentage last year, going 50-26 (.658), and will play NL West clubs in three of their next four Cactus League contests.

• Opening Day is just FOUR WEEKS AWAY, Monday, April 6 vs. San Diego.

WALK-OFF THIS WAY: Corey Seager’s double to deep center field in the ninth inning scored the game-winner yesterday, as Los Angeles improved to 4-1-1 on the spring with a 4-3, walk-off win over the Brewers at Camelback Ranch. Brandon McCarthy made his Dodger debut, allowing one run on two hits in 2.0 innings and racking up two of Los Angeles’ 11 strikeouts, and Kyle Jensen powered his second homer of the spring in the victory.

• The Dodgers have now played 41 consecutive errorless innings and have committed just one error through their first six Cactus League contests.
• Los Angeles pitchers have combined to post a 3.33 ERA and limit opposing hitters to a .209 batting average this spring, striking out 47 and walking only 11 in 54.0 innings.
• The Dodgers are averaging six runs per game and have posted a .281 team batting average.

(Kyle Jensen, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

(Mattingly, via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

ON THE MOUND: Left-hander Brett Anderson will make his Dodger debut and his first start of the spring today. He was limited to only eight starts with Colorado last year by a broken left index finger and lower back surgery but, when healthy, Anderson has posted a 1.29 WHIP and has limited opponents to a .316 on-base percentage during the course of his six-year MLB career. He has only given up only 41 home runs in 494.0 innings in his big league career, averaging only 0.75 home runs per 9.0 innings.

• Veteran LHP Erik Bedard is expected to make his second appearance of the spring today after allowing one run on two hits in 2.0 innings and taking the loss on Wednesday against the White Sox. He has averaged 8.60 strikeouts per 9.0 innings and has posted a 2.34 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 241 career big league games (230 games) over 11 seasons with Baltimore (2005-07), Seattle (2008-09, ’11), Boston (2011), Pittsburgh (2012), Houston (2013) and Tampa Bay (2014).
• 25-year-old RHP Carlos Frias will make his second appearance of the spring today after allowing two runs on three hits in 2.0 innings on Wednesday vs. the White Sox. In his first big league season last year, Frias was 1-1 with a 6.12 ERA in 15 games (two starts) during two stints with the Dodgers.
• RHP Brandon League is also expected to see action today after striking out one in a scoreless frame on Thursday against the White Sox. In 2014, League did not allow a home run in 63.0 innings of work, the most innings by any NL pitcher without allowing a home run.
• RHP Chris Hatcher is expected to appear in today’s game, after pitching a scoreless inning of relief in his first action of the spring on Thursday against the White Sox. Hatcher made his big league debut in 2010 as a catcher and returned the next year as a pitcher, becoming just the first player since 1935 to do so (last: Art Doll, Boston Braves, 1935).
• 24-year-old RHP Yimi Garcia will make his second appearance of the spring today after tossing a scoreless frame on Friday against the Brewers. Garcia saw his first big league action last year and posted a 1.80 ERA (2 ER/10.0 IP) in eight games with Los Angeles.
• Also suiting up for the Dodgers today will be minor leaguers RHP Steve Smith (#95), RHP Jeremy Kehrt (#88) and LHP Mike Thomas (#89).

30 IN 30: MLB Network’s 30 Clubs in 30 Days will be on-site tomorrow for an inside look at Dodger camp. The hour-long special, complete with field reports, interviews and predictions, will air tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. PT on the network.

(Fans, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA DOdgers 2015)

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Blog Kiosk: 3/9/2015 - Dodger Links - Seager, Grandal and Brandon McCarthy

Spring is for dreams of lilac fields of blue and glimpses of future heroes on the diamond.  It's an opportunity get reacquainted, and yesterday afternoon we even got a little peek at a prospect many consider to be the best in our system.  Corey Seager, featured above in a photograph taken by Jon SooHoo yesterday, impressed with his bat when he knocked in the winning run on a walk-off drive to deep centerfield.  He spoke about the at-bat with Alanna Rizzo, via Ron Cervenka at Think Blue LA:

Facing former Dodger left-hander Brent Leach, Seager fell behind 2-2 in the count after chasing a curveball that he immediately realized he shouldn’t have swung at.

“I was mad at myself for swinging at that breaking ball,” Seager told SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo after the game. “After that I relaxed and was just looking for something I could hit and he threw me one.”

I know you gotta temper your excitement when it comes to spring, but the more I see of our young future stars the more I can't contain my joy.  There's a lot to be excited about as a Dodger fan.  BTW, you can check out more pics from Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015 from yesterday here. 

Below are some more links to check out:

• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "'Dream come true': Dodgers enlist military members for BP help."
• Greg Zakwin at Plysche, Thy Sweater is Argyle shares an interview in a recent issue of Auto Club Magazine with Vin Scully.  Check it out here.
• Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Yasmani Grandal happy with opposite field power."

"I've always felt like I could drive the ball the other way, and this offseason I worked on that a lot," Grandal said. "I'm still jumping at the ball a little bit, which is the same thing every year until you get your timing back. But the fact that I'm hitting the ball the other way with power, that's one of the things I was looking forward to."

• Eric also writes about Brandon McCarthy's first spring outing: "Brandon McCarthy 'utilitarian' in first spring effort."

"Some of the things that were bugging me from the game, I took those down there and tried to iron them out a little bit," McCarthy said. "A lot of it was just mechanics on the curveball and staying through it. Down in the pen I felt like I got better, and I'm becoming more body aware, which is something I want with each given day, where you just become more aware of what's right and what's wrong. By the time you leave here you feel like you're in midseason form in understanding what your body is doing."

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Sunday Dodger Videos: Some Spring Training Videos to Satisfy your Thirst

Here are this Sunday's Dodger videos.

StadiumBound is at Camelback Ranch and shares a video of the boys heading to practice yesterday.

Video Link:

@DaaDozer at West Coast Bias Dodgers provides some sights and sounds of spring.  Watch the Dodger work out on the field without the interruption of any commentary.

Video Link:

Steven Kaufman captures Yasiel Puig taking some batting practice during spring training as Jimmy Rollins does a little bit of trash talking.  Puig responded back with, "OK, Jimmy!"

Video Link:

BJ Kileen does the "Ball Walk" around Camelback Ranch.  Check out some of the new features added to the Dodger spring home.

Video Link:

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Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Spring Game 6 / Home Game 3

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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Lo Angeles Dodgers (3-1-1) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (0-3)
Sunday, March 8, 2015 – 12:05 p.m. MT | Camelback Ranch

RHP Brandon McCarthy (0-0) vs. RHP Mike Fiers (0-0)
TV: SNLA Radio: AM 570 (Eng.), KTNQ 1020 AM (Span.)

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(Bats, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

HOME COOKING: The Dodgers are back home this afternoon to take on the Milwaukee Brewers for the second and final time this spring. A split-squad of Dodgers crushed the Brewers, 10-1, on Friday in Maryvale. Last season, Los Angeles lost five of its six games with Milwaukee, including a late-season sweep Aug. 15-17 at Dodger Stadium. This year, the “Brew Crew” will play host to the Dodgers seven times, including four contests in Milwaukee May 4-7. The Dodgers host the Brewers for three games July 10-12, their final games before the All-Star break.

NOT THAT COOL: Los Angeles gave up four runs in the ninth inning yesterday and then salvaged a 5-5 tie with the Cleveland Indians in Goodyear. The big performance of the day was from newly-acquired catcher Yasmani Grandal, who went 3-for-3 with a solo homer and three RBI on the day.

• Until the ninth, the Dodger relievers were solid behind starter Mike Bolsinger, as Chad Gaudin (2.0 IP), Jeremy Horst (1.1) and Chin-hui Tsao (2.2) all tossed scoreless baseball.
• Through five games, the Dodgers have a .294 team batting average, a .354 on-base percentage and a .469 slugging percentage.
• A couple Dodgers in the starting lineup this afternoon have been on fire, namely center fielder Joc Pederson (5-for-7 with two doubles and four runs scored) and designated hitter Scott Schebler (5-for-10, three doubles, two RBI).

  

  (Yasmani Grandal, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

ON THE MOUND: Right-hander Brandon McCarthy, signed by the club to a four-year deal in the offseason, will make his Dodger debut this afternoon vs. Milwaukee. McCarthy is coming off a career year last season with the Yankees and Diamondbacks in which he established career highs in innings (200.0), wins (10) and strikeouts (175). After being acquired by the Yankees on July 6, the Glendale, CA, native went 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts with New York. In 207 games (153 starts) for the White Sox (2005-6), Rangers (2007-9), A’s (2011-12), Diamondbacks (2013-14) and Yankees (2014), McCarthy is 52-65 with a 4.09 ERA in nine big league seasons.

• Left-handed relievers Daniel Coulombe and Ryan Buchter are both expected back on the mound after each fired a scoreless inning on Thursday against the White Sox. Coulombe appeared in five games for the Dodgers last year, posting a 4.15 ERA. In his three years in the minors, Coulombe has gone 7-3 with eight saves and posted a 3.43 ERA in 126 games. Buchter made his Major League debut with Atlanta last season, which was his only big league appearance. In nine minor league seasons he has posted a 32-18 record with a 3.44 ERA in 327 games (two starts) in the Nationals (2006-08), Cubs (2009-11) and Braves (2011-14) organizations.
• RHP Juan Nicasio is looking to bounce back from a rough first-time out in 2015. The right-hander allowed three runs on four hits in his 1.0 inning of work in the Cactus League lid-lifter Wednesday.
• Three right-handers that impressed in their Dodger debuts and are expected to see action today are Sergio Santos, Adam Liberatore and Josh Ravin. The trio each tossed a scoreless inning on March 4 vs. the White Sox. Santos, a former first-round pick of the D-backs in 2002, spent the last three seasons with the Blue Jays and is a converted shortstop. The 27-year-old Liberatore was acquired in a trade with the Rays on Nov. 20, 2014, which also brought RHP Joel Peralta to Los Angeles, and had a career year for Triple-A Durham last year, going 6-1 with four saves and a 1.66 ERA in 54 games. Ravin, a graduate of Chatsworth High School, is in his second season in the Dodger organization after combining to go 2-1 with six saves and a 3.55 ERA in 23 relief appearances for Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Albuquerque last year.

WHO’S GOT NEXT?: The Dodgers will have seven minor leaguers joining the club today against the Brewers at Camelback: infielders Jarek Cunningham (No. 87) and Luis Mateo (No. 86); outfielder Joey Curletta (No. 95); catcher Ryan Scott (No. 88); RHP Steve Smith (No. 94), LHP Mike Thomas (No. 89) and RHP Jeremy Kehrt (No. 85).  

(Juan Uribe, pic via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015)

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