Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Blog Kiosk: 5/17/2016 - Dodgers Links - Bolsinger, Seager and Trayce Thompson


Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson has been fantastic.  He's been so good, in fact, that many are beginning to demand that he start everyday.  Per Jack Baer and Alden Gonzalez at MLB.com:
"Trayce is doing a lot of good things," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He definitely deserves a little more playing time. I know what kind of player he is. He's got a bright future. This game is performance-based, so there's definitely more playing time for Trayce."
Last night Trayce hit two home runs to tie the team lead at six for the season with Corey Seager, and he drove in three of the Dodgers six runs in a losing effort against the Angels.  Over the past nine games he's played Thompson has hit five dingers, knocked in twelve runs, is batting .345 and has a OPS of 1.393.  No doubt he is starting to show that he belongs.

Photo at the top via SportsNet LA on twitter.  Below are more links to check out:
  • This Day in Dodgers History: In 1947 Hank Greenberg asked Jackie Robinson if he was hurt in a collision with him at first base. Then, he remarked; "Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up."  Jackie would later say that Greenberg was his "Diamond Hero" due to his own battle with bigots when he entered the league.  In 1978 Dodger utility man and professional pinch hitter Lee Lacy becomes the first player in league history to hit three consecutive pinch hit home runs.
  • Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "A-Gon exits with stiff lower back."
"After his at-bat where he punched out looking, he just said his back stiffened up, so at that point in time, I just wanted to take it out of his hands and get him out of the game," said manager Dave Roberts. "I've got to go in and talk about it. I don't know when it occurred, if it was on a swing. As I understand it now, it's day to day."
  • Mike Bolsinger is about to be back.. Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Bolsinger to give Dodgers a 6th starter, for now."
The Dodgers will activate Mike Bolsinger from the disabled list to start Wednesday night as they implement a six-man rotation at least one time through.
...
The Dodgers want a sixth starter to provide pitchers with an extra day of rest while in the midst of a 20-day stretch without break. Their next scheduled off-day is May 26, when they travel to New York for a series against the Mets.
If you count last year's numbers for Seager, we've got 269 total plate appearances in the big leagues to look at. Seager has started out his career with a 41.8% hard-hit rate, 15.3% soft-hit rate, and 16.7% strikeout rate. Over the past calendar year, there's only one batter who can duplicate those marks with a hard-hit rate of 40.0% or higher and soft-hit and strikeout rates below 17.0%. That's David Ortiz. Bryce Harper came close, but his 18.7% strikeout rate took him out of the running.
The story of Jackie Robinson's first spring training has been retold many times, both in print and on film. But the one thing that is often left out is Johnny Wright. The awkwardness upon meeting his all-white teammates? Johnny was there. When Robinson had to be whisked out of town in the middle of the night because of death threats? Johnny was whisked away too. Those times Robinson was prohibited from joining his team on the field due to Jim Crow ordinances? So too was Johnny Wright. All the indignities both subtle and overt, Johnny Wright bore them all, right along side Robinson.
  • This is not too surprising when considering the current state of their starting staff.  Via Jeff Fletcher at the OC Register, "Reports: Angels nearing deal with Tim Lincecum." 

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