In case you missed it – Page 10

Category: In case you missed it (Page 10 of 12)

In case you missed it: Diving Dee

On March 4, 2014

In Health/injuries, History, In case you missed it

[mlbvideo id=”31433797″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

I don’t have any special insight into where Dee Gordon stands in the competition for playing time at second base (as well as backing up center field), though I don’t feel he’s done much to hurt himself. At a minimum, I can say I’ve really enjoyed watching him this spring.

Gordon went 0 for 1 today but had a couple of nice diving stops, including the inning-ending play shown above.

Meanwhile, Justin Turner has quietly been going about his business of attempting to cement a spot on the roster. Turner started at short today and had this grab.

[mlbvideo id=”31432045″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]

The Dodgers suffered their first home loss of Spring Training 2014, falling 4-1 to Seattle, with Los Angeles’ only run coming on a home run by minor-leaguer Trayvon Robinson. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com has the recap.

In other news …

Tommy John surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers. Everything happens for a reason!

— Ross Stripling (@RossStripling) March 4, 2014

Fears about pitching prospect Ross Stripling were confirmed: He will be having Tommy John surgery Wednesday, reports Gurnick. Stripling injured himself throwing batting practice February 21, but still pitched in a game February 26.
A couple of notes on Australia via Ernest Reyes of Blue Heaven: A history of baseball in Australia from John Thorn and a report on the conversion of the Sydney Cricket Grounds to baseball from MLB field and facilities coordinator Murray Cook.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports likes the Dodgers chances in the National League West — a lot.
Former Dodger Bill Buckner is retiring from baseball. He has been a Single-A hitting coach in the Cubs’ organization.
Some upcoming SportsNet LA programming:
- Wednesday, 10 p.m.: “Talkin’ Blue: State of the Dodgers”
- Saturday, 10 p.m.: “Connected With…Adrian Gonzalez”
- March 14, 8 p.m.: “Connected With…Ned Colletti”
- March 21, 8:30 p.m.: “Talkin’ Blue: Dodger Pitchers”
- March 26, 8 p.m.: “Connected With…Stan Kasten”
- March 31, 8:30 p.m.:“Talkin’ Blue: 2014 Season Preview”
- April 1, 8 p.m.: “Connected With…Brian Wilson”
Today in Jon SooHoo includes son and father combo Scott and Andy Van Slyke.

In case you missed it: Josh Beckett on the rise

By Jon Weisman

On March 2, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

Though the Dodgers ended up in a 3-3 tie at Camelback Ranch with the Padres, there was a clear winner today: Josh Beckett.

In case you missed it: The next frontier

By Jon Weisman

On March 1, 2014

In Defense, History, In case you missed it, Technology

[mlbvideo id=”31405521″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

Watch the video above, with our new friend Justin Turner at the plate (last year while he was still a Met), because something very cool is happening.

You’ve heard of players taking good or bad routes to balls, or having a quick or slow first step? Ever wondered who can come from behind to catch up to a ball the fastest? Now, Major League Baseball Advanced Media is preparing to quantify that.

The system is being rolled out in select ballparks this year but should be fully operational in 2015.

… MLB.com analyst Jim Duquette, who spent 20 years in front offices, including four years as an MLB general manager, said this will remove much of the subjectivity from a club’s own player analysis.

“When you look at how scouting has been done in the past, there’s a lot of subjectivity to the evaluation,” he said. “Some guys I have found have varied, from scout to scout, in terms of their opinion of each player. There is a lot of quality defensive statistics out there, but they’re not completely accurate. A lot of them are dependent on somebody charting, whether it’s UZR or DIPS or Defensive Runs Saved, and they can only go so far. Some players . . . range to their left better, some range better to their right, some come in on ground balls better than others, some have better first-step quickness.

“The exciting thing about this new technology is, you can start to take the subjectivity that is given to you by the scout and blend it with raw data now, and come up with a truer picture of evaluating a player. So when you take that data and compare it to others in the game, you can really find out if that position player is the best at his position. You can measure potential free agents, you can measure current free agents.” …

The technology won’t be limited to defensive applications – it will inform every aspect of baseball. Might be more than some of us can digest, but the possibilities are pretty exciting.

Elsewhere …

Matt Meyers of ESPN.com wrote about other presentations at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. This part (though the whole article is worth a read), intrigued me …

… “Will we get to a point where a team moves its best defender to different positions from hitter to hitter based upon analytics?”

That was a question asked by the audience that really seemed to resonate with the panelists.

As Neyer noted, the Pittsburgh Pirates showed last year just how much defensive positioning can help a club when the field staff buys into, and Silver posited that it would only make sense, if you had a superlative defender with a variety of skills, to put him in the space where the ball is most likely to be hit.

So if you’re the Braves and you’ve decided to “shift” Ryan Howard, instead of just shifting everyone to the right, you would put Andrelton Simmons exactly where Howard is most likely to hit it, whether or not that is right next to the first baseman or up the middle. Squadron made the point that it’s surprising that teams don’t flip-flop their left and right fielders more often depending on the hitter, and quite frankly this makes a lot of sense. There are a number of teams on which the guys in left and right have extremely disparate defensive skills, and this is an easy, yet logical, switch. …
Know who Dick “Turk” Farrell was? If not, it’s time to go to Ernest Reyes’ latest at Blue Heaven, the Dick “Turk” Farrell 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet.
Dodger farmhand Matt Shelton deserves more attention, according to Harold Uhlman at Think Blue L.A.
Today in Jon SooHoo.

In case you missed it: Dodgers on the ball

By Jon Weisman

On February 28, 2014

In Defense, In case you missed it

Click here for today’s gallery from Jon SooHoo.

Lorenzo Bundy congratulates homer-hitting Clint Robinson in the eighth inning today.

By Jon Weisman

For those of you caught in today’s rain in Los Angeles, it won’t surprise you to find that weather could be a factor for Saturday’s Spring Training game for the Dodgers against the Brewers.

In the meantime …

Juan Castro, now a Dodger special assistant for player personnel, talked to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com about the challenge faced by Dee Gordon and Alex Guerrero in trying to master second base.

“The double play is harder, because the shortstop has everything in front of him. He can see the runner. The second baseman has his back to the runner and doesn’t know where he’s at, where he’s sliding, if he’s going to get hit.”

Castro said players are instructed on their positioning to take a throw, turn the pivot and get out of the way of the runner. But it’s too dangerous to practice getting taken out by an opponent trying to break you in half from behind. That only happens in the games, and there’s no way to know how a player reacts until it does.
With 22 days to go until a potential March 22 start for No. 22, it’s Clayton Kershaw in the spotlight at Opening Day Countdown, whose Mark Newman wonders if Kershaw could someday become the greatest Opening Day pitcher of all time.
Adrian Gonzalez on the Dodger Stadium crowds last year, as told to Richard Justice of MLB.com:

“The crowds were there when we were losing,” he said, “and that made it more special to go out there and win some games for them and get in the playoffs. You know, you always hear about the crowds when they’re winning, but when they’re out there when we’re losing, that shows a lot about what kind of fan base we have.”
Monica Barlow, public relations director for the Baltimore Orioles, passed away from cancer at age 36. There are several tributes to her online, such as this from Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.

In case you missed it: Zack Greinke update

By Jon Weisman

On February 27, 2014

In Health/injuries, History, In case you missed it

Click here for today’s Jon SooHoo gallery.

By Jon Weisman

The first big conference at the mound of 2014, pictured above.

Ken Gurnick of MLB.com follows up on the condition of Zack Greinke, following his early exit today:

… “I just felt something in my calf,” said Greinke. “Just try to take care of it this early in spring. Hopefully it’s not a big deal. I think it’s minor. We’ll see in a couple of days. Right now, I don’t feel too bad.”Greinke said it felt like a cramp and that when he’s had them in the past, he would walk it off and the muscle would loosen. This time he took a few steps, but the discomfort remained. He said he might have been able to pitch through it if this had been the regular season, but nobody would let him continue at this point unless he was 100 percent.

Greinke was scheduled to pitch two innings, with an additional 15 pitches in the bullpen afterward. The Dodgers mapped out a schedule for starters Clayton Kershaw, Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dan Haren to make four Cactus League starts each and would pick two of them to start against Arizona in the Opening Series in Australia.

Greinke, who recently started a stir when he said there was “absolutely zero excitement” about going to Australia, is now likely eliminated as an option, although he disagreed.

“I definitely don’t think this takes me out of the mix,” he said. “Hopefully it doesn’t.” …
You can stream the first episode of SportsNet LA’s “Backstage: Dodgers” at ineedmydodgers.com.
The Dodgers have the best lineup in the National League, second only to Boston in MLB, according to Marc Normandin of Sports on Earth.

The Dodgers could easily have baseball’s best lineup in 2014. The problem is that they just as easily could miss out on this list altogether due to potential injuries or ineffectiveness from a huge portion of their lineup. That risk has them in the two spot, but it’s no insult: this lineup is absolutely stacked, and if things come together for them, they are going to crush many, many baseballs.
If you buy only one Volcanic Jalapeno Beef Jerky this year, make sure it’s the Game On Volcanic Jalapeno Beef Jerky endorsed by A.J. Ellis. Roberto Baly gives us a taste at Vin Scully Is My Homeboy.
Mark Saxon tells the story behind the story of October’s Scott Van Slyke-Joe Kelly staredown at ESPN Los Angeles.
The Ron Fairly 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet, at Blue Heaven. I mean, someone really went to a lot of trouble with these.

In case you missed it: Kershaw, Rosin talk about their day

By Jon Weisman

On February 26, 2014

In History, In case you missed it

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks

(Click here for today’s Jon SooHoo gallery.)

By Jon Weisman

I look at the image of Seth Rosin above and it makes me ask … at the end of the day, what’s it like — what’s it really like — to take the mound knowing that with virtually every outing, your future is on the line?

Let’s talk about your day …

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGcv9KSZgvA&w=420&h=315]

Clayton Kershaw on his performance this afternoon (via Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.):

“I wasn’t throwing the ball where I wanted to. There were some off-speed pitches I needed to throw better; the one to (Miguel) Montero that I struck him out on, even that was up,” Kershaw said. “There’s just a lot to work on.”
Seth Rosin — same source:

“I’m trying to establish (my changeup) as my out pitch. [Bullpen coach] Chuck Crim has given me tons of confidence with that,” Rosin said. “We’re working on that a lot, working on my mechanics daily. Everything is feeling like it’s getting better each day. Hopefully I can continue that trend, and keep improving.”
You can read the text from yet another great Vin Scully story, told on the launch of SportsNet LA, of how he once wore a Dodger uniform during a game, thanks to Ernest Reyes of Blue Heaven.
Matt Kemp could get the go-ahead to increase his running after an MRI on Friday. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com explains.
The Dodgers’ annual open tryout will be held Thursday at 9 a.m. local time on the minor league side of Camelback Ranch. Those wishing to participate must not be enrolled in high school, on a collegiate roster or be under contract with any Major League club. Additional information is available on the Dodgers Scouting Hotline at (323) 224-1512.
Steve Yeager had 14 steals in his MLB career, but one of them was a steal of home. Stephen shares the story at True Blue L.A.
Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston is serious about also pursuing baseball as a two-sport athlete, writes Andy Staples of SI.com.

In case you missed it: Happy birthday, Nancy Bea

By Jon Weisman

On February 24, 2014

In History, In case you missed it, MLB, Spring Training

Happy birthday to our very own @NancyBea! pic.twitter.com/DpOnjhvgNo

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 25, 2014

By Jon Weisman

The offseason is getting closer and closer to an onseason …

The new rule limiting collisions at home plate is official. Details from Paul Hagen at MLB.com.
A.J. Ellis had an interesting reaction to the rule, as told to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

… Ellis said if the rule change is motivated by the serious ankle injury Giants catcher Buster Posey suffered in a collision three years ago, self-regulation might be a better route to take.

“Now it’s like rules protecting quarterbacks in the NFL — you want to keep your best players on the field,” he said. “But the Giants took steps by not having Buster involved in plays where his body is in harm’s way. In our organization, maybe I’m a little more expendable. That’s where my value to the team lies.” …
Papers of Woodrow Wilson, Library of Congress

President Woodrow Wilson was a baseball fanatic as a child, according to official MLB historian John Thorn (via Baseball Think Factory):

… Like the protagonist in Robert Coover’s 1968 novel The Universal Baseball Association, J. Henry Waugh, Prop., the 14-year-old Thomas Woodrow Wilson—known as Tommy—created a whole universe of players, statistics, and a pennant race, with or without the aid of dice. But unlike Waugh—who invented a table game using three dice, a “Stress Chart,” and an “Extraordinary Occurrences Chart”—the young Wilson did not create players or teams. He used only the cast of characters in the real-life National Association of 1871, which he surely read about in the sporting weeklies.

And now, from deep in the archives of the Library of Congress, we have come upon Tommy Wilson’s complete handwritten record of that fantasy season. George Wright, Al Spalding, and Cap Anson cavort on an imaginary field, along with all the other worthies of that first year of professional league play. …
Here’s the annual reminder that Spring Training stats can be deceiving. This time, we’ll let Daniel Brim of Dodgers Digest do the honors.
Brim’s colleague Dustin Nosler offers his all-name team from the Dodger organization, starting with Pratt Maynard at catcher.
Non-roster catcher J.C. Boscan talked to J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News about his concerns about his native Venezuela.

… He said that his parents run a restaurant in Maracaibo, a city in northwest Venezuela near the Colombian border. Since last year they have been deeply affected by the nationwide food shortage, which has been one of the main causes for protest.

“They understand the protests,” Boscan said. “It gets tough for them when they try to get something for the restaurant and they can’t find it. …
The best kept secret at Camelback Ranch is the area with the back fields, writes Evan Bladh of Opinion of Kingman’s Performance.

Four remain in the #Dodgers Ping Pong Tournament: Withrow/ Moskos Stripling/ Butera Rosin/ Rojas (one loss) Kershaw/ Billingsley (one loss)

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 24, 2014

In case you missed it: 30 Dodger players traveling to Australia

By Jon Weisman

On February 21, 2014

In Health/injuries, History, In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

Take heed: With this year’s trip to Australia, the Dodgers’ process for determining the regular season active roster is even more unusual than you might imagine, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

First, there’s this rather stunning comparison.

“The Dodgers will have only 19 days of Spring Training games to make nearly all of their decisions,” Gurnick writes. “Last spring, they played 36 games before Opening Day.”

But further confusing matters is that the Dodgers’ don’t actually have to settle where everyone beyond the 25-man roster has to go before Sydney.

… Even though the 25-man roster officially doesn’t need to be submitted until March 21 at 1 p.m. PT, the Dodgers and D-backs will break camp on March 16 and take a maximum of 30 players to Australia from which to draw their 25-man Opening Day rosters.

Players on the disabled list can be back-dated to March 19, but those decisions might be made before the flight west, if not announced.

From the 30 players who can make the flight across the Pacific Ocean, three will be designated as “exempt” before Opening Day and would otherwise be active, be they starting pitchers left behind, players out of options (like Javy Guerra or Drew Butera) or Rule 5 selections (like Seth Rosin). Corresponding moves would need to be made to make room for their activation.

The other two players on the trip will be “extras” that can be players on the 40-man roster with options, or Minor Leaguers.

From these five additional players, clubs must be covered by position for an injury, whether it occurs as a result of the exhibition game against Team Australia, or the regular-season opener, because it will be impossible to call up a player and transport him to Australia in time for the next game. So, the five spots are likely to include at least one catcher, one middle infielder, one outfielder and one reliever. …

Read more about it here. Elsewhere around the Dodgers …

Andre Ethier echoed Matt Kemp’s sentiments about no potential starting outfielder seeking out a spot on the bench. Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles adds context.

… Ethier moved from right to center when Kemp got hurt last year, but before that he was entrenched in right field the previous four seasons. He said he’s willing to give the utility role a go if it helps the team.

“I’ve done a lot personally and done a lot with this team and I think we’re still just missing one thing, [a World Series], so if it’s something that leads to that, let’s figure out a way to get it done,” Ethier said. …
Saxon quotes Don Mattingly on Yasiel Puig weighing in at about 25 pounds more than last year: “We don’t feel it’s going to be a problem, but we’re paying attention to it, put it that way,” Mattingly said.
There’s no urgency for Paul Maholm to be ready to pitch regular-season games before April, and given that he’s behind the other starters, as Gurnick notes, he could use the extra time.
Miguel Rojas’ wife flew out of strife-heavy Venezuela this morning, reports J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News.
Today’s guest star in Ernest Reyes’ series on the 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklet series at Blue Heaven: Willie Davis.

In case you missed it: Happy photo day

By Jon Weisman

On February 20, 2014

In Health/injuries, History, In case you missed it, Minor leagues

By Jon Weisman

Who are those guys again?

Paul Maholm has been slowed for precautionary reasons by some elbow tenderness. He threw on flat ground today.

… “I’m just being smart and understand what’s needed to prepare for the season,” Maholm told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “I only really missed one bullpen session today and I expect to throw a bullpen Saturday, and it won’t set me back.” …
Yasiel Puig was held out of action today after fouling a ball off his right leg yesterday. According to the Dodger press notes, Puig will not undergo any further testing at this time and is expected to be a full participant in tomorrow’s workout.

… “There was a little swelling and we don’t see the need to have him limp around out there,” Don Mattingly told Gurnick. “We feel he’ll be back tomorrow.” …
Gurnick added that Zach Lee returned to the mound for a short bullpen session for the first time in 10 days after suffering a mild lat strain.
“Tim Federowicz was limited in workouts Tuesday after feeling tightness in his side during blocking drills,” writes Bill Plunkett of the Register in a notebook item. “He was back to full participation Wednesday.”
The Dodgers will play intrasquad games Sunday (with pitchers Matt Magill, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Chris Perez, Brian Wilson, Kenley Jansen and J.P. Howell) and Monday (Stephen Fife, Dan Haren, Chris Reed, Paco Rodriguez and Jamey Wright) on the back fields of Camelback Ranch.
Miguel Rojas spoke to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles about his anxiety over political violence in his home of Venezuela. “Rojas’ wife lives 35 minutes from Caracas, the nation’s capital and the center of unrest,” Saxon writes. “Rojas said she scarcely leaves the house these days.” J.P. Hoornstra has more at the Daily News.
Brandon League talked about his 2013 season with Dylan Hernandez of the Times.

… “It was not just one thing,” he said. “It was not just mechanical. It wasn’t just preparation. It was one thing one time, something else another time.” …
“Meanwhile, reliever Jose Dominguez tried out a new slider grip suggested by legendary lefty Sandy Koufax and reported improved downward break on the pitch,” reports Gurnick for MLB.com.
Non-roster catcher Miguel Olivo, looking for a career rebirth, is the subject of this Saxon piece for ESPN Los Angeles. The 35-year-old has 145 career home runs. Random note: Only two catchers have hit that many for the Dodgers, Roy Campanella and Mike Piazza. In fact, since making his MLB debut in 2002, Olivo has nearly outhomered everyone who has played catcher for the Dodgers in that time:
- Russell Martin 53
- A.J. Ellis 25
- Paul Lo Duca 25
- Rod Barajas 21
- Dioner Navarro 10
- Jason Phillips 7
- Tim Federowicz 4
- Ramon Hernandez 2
- Chad Kreuter 2
- Matt Treanor 2
- Danny Ardoin 1
- Brad Ausmus 1
- Gary Bennett 1
- Mike Rose 1
- Total 155
Baseball America has released its top 100 prospects list. The Dodgers’ usual suspects are there: Joc Pederson (34), Corey Seager (37), Julio Urias (51 and the youngest player in the 100) and Zach Lee (95). Dustin Nosler sums up the spectrum of propsect lists at Dodgers Digest.
The Dodgers rank second behind St. Louis in Jonah Keri’s “Offseason Stock Report” for Grantland.
David Schoenfield of ESPN.com explains why he thinks the Dodgers are the biggest lock of any team to win their division.
Eastern Park, where the Brooklyn baseball team played from 1891-97, is the subject of this piece by Ernest Reyes at Blue Heaven.

… Eastern Park is said to be the birthplace of the famous Dodger name. It is believed that this is the stadium where the nickname “Trolley Dodgers” came about. The trolley and rail lines, that were located directly to the east of the stadium, were a constant hazard to fans attending games. Frankly, this last item was a surprise to me as I began my research on this stadium. I had always thought that Ebbets Field was were it originated, but that appears to not be the case. …
Former Dodger pitcher Chris Capuano has reportedly agreed to terms on a deal with the Boston Red Sox. With more is Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.

In case you missed it: Upside down, boy you turn me

By Jon Weisman

On February 19, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it, Infield, International, Managers

Click here for today in Jon SooHoo.

By Jon Weisman

One week until it’s time for Dodger (Spring Training) baseball …

Injury updates on several Dodgers are provided by Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. It could be a couple of weeks before we know more about Matt Kemp.

… Kemp has had monthly MRI exams since having surgery to remove torn cartilage in his left ankle in October. Mattingly said the last exam was roughly two weeks ago, so we could have another two weeks or so before hearing anything new. …
More encouraging news — and a great quote — are coming from Josh Beckett and Dan Haren, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN LosAngeles.

… “I said, ‘Did you ever dream you’d be watching a guy with a beard like Brian Wilson pitch with Sandy Koufax standing 10 feet from you?’” Beckett said. “Dan Haren’s like, ‘Yeah, it seems like there should be a unicorn somewhere.’” …
Since before the beginning of Spring Training, it’s been apparent that there might not be a full-time starter at second base come March 22. As Saxon and Stephen report, nothing has changed on that count.
Proclamation time:

“If (@HanleyRamirez) plays 130-140 games this year, you’re looking at the leading candidate for MVP.” –@AJEllis17

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 19, 2014
“There’s no reason not to be confident” in Paco Rodriguez, despite the fact that he ran out of steam last fall, Don Mattingly told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com … along with Stephen.
In this Gurnick news feature about Don Mattingly, managers and long-term contracts comes this tidbit: “Jamey Wright has played for 29 managers in his 21 professional seasons.”
Yasiel Puig’s signing could have an impact for the Dodgers’ future international efforts, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.

… “The way it works down there, [amateur] players come to tryouts at your camp, and we had a hard time getting players to come to the academy [in the Dominican Republic] until we signed Puig,” (Ned) Colletti said. “I was down there about three weeks ago or so, and it was probably the best group of players that I’ve seen. A lot of it has to do with our ability to spend, and we’ve increased our scouting internationally three-fold from where it was. We have the finances to be competitive with players from Cuba and amateurs in other countries. Puig was a very key sign for us in more ways than just his talent.”
Tommy Davis is the latest to be featured in Ernest Reyes’ 1961 Union Oil Family Booklet series at Blue Heaven.
Joe Morgan talked with Bill James? It’s more than 80 minutes (via Baseball Think Factory), but this I gotta hear. “A lot of you may not know him as well as I do,” Morgan said, “but he is the father of sabermetrics, so to speak, and a guy that I really have a lot of admiration for. I don’t agree with a lot of sabermetrics people, but I’ve rarely disagreed with Bill.”

Kenley Jansen blew a couple past Yasiel Puig — Puig responds: https://t.co/t6BsEqCpXZ

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 19, 2014

In case you missed it: 32 to the infinite power

By Jon Weisman

On February 18, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

[mlbvideo id=”31367651″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

Koufax in Camelback? Like Thanksgiving in February.

Here’s a roundup of recent Sandy Koufax stories by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Dylan Hernandez of the Times, Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A., Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. and Bill Plunkett of the Register.
Koufax can also be seen in Monday’s photo gallery from Jon SooHoo. Here’s his gallery from today.
And here’s a post about Koufax at the Countdown Down Under MLBlog, as we approach the 50th anniversary of Koufax’s only (yes, only) Opening Day start.
By the way, Koufax isn’t the only Cy Young winner who can give advice …

Sandy Koufax and @OrelHershiser give @RossStripling a pitching lesson: pic.twitter.com/BtQfXcHsiT

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 18, 2014
Brandon League has had his throwing reduced in recent days because of a lat strain. Zach Lee, suffering from a similar problem, had plans to throw off a mound today.
What will the Dodgers’ lineup be in 2017? Dustin Nosler of Dodgers Digest speculates.
Seth Rosin prides himself on his “3-wood”-like versatility, writes Tyler Emerick for MLB.com.
Former Dodger pitcher Dana Eveland signed a minor-league deal with the Mets, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. Eveland went to Baltimore in the 2011 deal that brought to Los Angeles pitcher Jarrett Martin, who is profiled here by MLB.com and by J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News.
Roger Angell, the baseball specialist for the New Yorker, was one of the formative writers of my youth and young adulthood. That declined somewhat in the past 10 years as he wrote less frequently and telescoped more on the New York scene when he did (understandably). But his piece this week for the New Yorker on aging and dying will stick with me as much as anything he has ever done.

In case you missed it: Saturday night jive

By Jon Weisman

On February 15, 2014

In History, In case you missed it, Infield

[mlbvideo id=”31365675″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /]
By Jon Weisman

Notes from a Saturday in the park …

Dylan Hernandez of the Times and Ken Gurnick of MLB.com have pieces on Carl Crawford’s physical status. From Hernandez:

… Living in Arizona over the winter, Crawford addressed his health problems by spending a significant part of his off-season at the Dodgers’ spring-training complex. Under the supervision of Dodgers trainers, he worked to strengthen his core and back.

Crawford, who was a four-time American League stolen-base champion with the Tampa Bay Rays, intends to become a threat on the basepaths again.

“I really want to run,” he said. “I got gun shy last season because any time I stole a base, I had pain. I know I can steal 25 bases. It’s frustrating when I’m stealing 10 or 11. I do everything else fast. I still run down balls in the outfield, I still get triples, I still go first to third, so it’s frustrating I don’t steal more bases.” …
Because the Dodger pitchers got their one off day from Spring Training today, Dodger catchers had a precious day to focus on hitting, notes Gurnick. “Being a catcher, sometimes you’re unavailable to get in the quality swings other position players get,” A.J. Ellis said.
Miguel Rojas discussed the challenges of transitioning from shortstop to second base — keeping Alex Guerrero in mind — with J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News.
Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles writes about the comfort zone for Cuban Dodgers Yasiel Puig, Alex Guerrero and Onelki Garcia, who locker side-by-side-by-side.
Aaron Harang, one of the Spring Training starting pitchers with the Dodgers a year ago, has just signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland and will compete for a spot in the Indians’ rotation, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Another 1961 Dodger artifact comes from Ernest Reyes of Blue Heaven, featuring Walter Alston. Definitely worth the click.
Mark Mulder, whose Paco Rodriguez-inspired comeback after more than five years away from the majors looked like it might be the story of the year in baseball, saw that hope end when he ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon in an agility drill before his first bullpen session for the Angels, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Times.

I can handle this. But seeing my son in tears when he saw me in a boot and crutches and I told him I wasn’t going to pitch. That was tough.

— Mark Mulder (@markmulder20) February 15, 2014

In case you missed it: Dodgers hire Jack McDowell to manage in minors

By Jon Weisman

On February 13, 2014

In In case you missed it, Transactions

Today’s Jon SooHoo gallery can be found here.

By Jon Weisman

Dee Gordon sees you …

My college schoolmate Jack McDowell has officially been hired by the Dodgers to manage Rookie-level Ogden in 2014.
The Dodgers signed 18-year-old international outfield prospect Carlos Mosquera out of Panama City, Panama (signing scout: Luis Molina).
A cool Dodger artifact from 1961 featuring Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett is featured by Ernest Reyes at Blue Heaven.
Ahead of the expansion of instant replay, MLB has expanded its full-time umpire crew. Craig Calcaterra has more at Hardball Talk.
Congrats to Emma Amaya on the fifth anniversary of Crazy Blue World.

In case you missed it: Former Dodger reliever Hawksworth reportedly retires

By Jon Weisman

On February 12, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

A brief set of links today, but look for more news soon as position players officially get their Spring Training underway.

Former Dodger reliever Blake Hawksworth, who struggled with injuries the past couple of years, has retired to go to work for his agent, Scott Boras, according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish. Hawksworth had a 4.08 ERA for the Dodgers in 2011, which appears to have turned out to be the 30-year-old’s final MLB season.
Stephen Fife is slowing down his Spring Training preparation in the interests of long-term health, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Don Mattingly shared his thoughts on the retirement of Derek Jeter with Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. There has been a Mattingly or a Jeter on the Yankees for 33 consecutive seasons.
Jon SooHoo’s gallery from today is a click away.

In case you missed it: Zach Lee’s strain, Dee Gordon’s gain

By Jon Weisman

On February 11, 2014

In Health/injuries, In case you missed it

By Jon Weisman

Zach Lee’s spring has been slowed by a mild right lat strain, reports Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “Lee said he suffered the injury during the ‘Young Guns’ pitching mini-camp two weeks ago while doing pull-ups,” Gurnick writes.
Yahoo Sports ranks the Dodgers second among the 30 Major League teams entering Spring Training. Tim Brown has the write-up. The next-highest National League West team in the Yahoo rankings was Arizona at No. 15.
Sam Miller of Baseball Prospectus chronicles Yasiel Puig’s issues with fastballs. “The surprise is that fastballs are actually, arguably, possibly, Puig’s relative weakness,” Miller writes. “Since 2009, there have been 26 players who got 350 plate appearances or more in an age-22 season. Puig’s whiff/swing rate on fastballs was the worst of them.” Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles has his own take on Miller’s article.

Infielders Dee Gordon, Miguel Rojas and Brendan Harris were among the position players reporting to camp early for voluntary workouts.
Gurnick writes about Gordon’s significant weight gain — 29 pounds in three years — and strengthening program.

“I eat six meals a day,” he said. “I’ve done this on my own. I just want to be stronger. I was nervous that it would slow me down, but I played in Puerto Rico and I saw that nothing happened to my speed. That was a relief. And I’m hitting the ball with more authority.”
Clayton Kershaw, Dan Haren, Chris Perez, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brian Wilson, J.P. Howell, Javy Guerra, Seth Rosin, Jose Dominguez, Matt Magill, Ross Stripling, Chris Reed, Daniel Moskos and Sam Demel each had their second bullpen sessions of the spring.
Saturday is a scheduled day off for every pitcher in camp, a plan (according to the Dodger press notes) conceived in the offseason because there is no other regularly scheduled off day in the Spring Training season before the team leaves for Australia.
Hungry for baseball? Here you go:

College baseball takes center stage at Camelback Ranch-Glendale this weekend when Seth Rosin’s Minnesota Golden Gophers face Dodger general manager Ned Colletti’s alma mater, the Northern Illinois Huskies, in a three-game series to open their 2014 seasons. The Gophers and Huskies will meet in the Camelback Ranch main stadium at 1 p.m. Friday-Sunday, February 14-16. Fans are invited to arrive after 9 a.m. to watch the Dodgers and White Sox morning workouts and stay for bonus college baseball in the afternoon. Admission is free and food and beverages will be available for purchase during workouts and the college games.
Twice a former Dodger Randy Wolf is close to finalizing a deal to attempt a comeback this spring with Seattle. The 37-year-old lefty had Tommy John surgery in September 2012.
The rest of Jon SooHoo’s photo gallery from Tuesday is here.

Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Category: In case you missed it (Page 10 of 12)

In case you missed it: Diving Dee

In case you missed it: Josh Beckett on the rise

In case you missed it: The next frontier

In case you missed it: Dodgers on the ball

In case you missed it: Zack Greinke update

In case you missed it: Kershaw, Rosin talk about their day

In case you missed it: Happy birthday, Nancy Bea

In case you missed it: 30 Dodger players traveling to Australia

In case you missed it: Happy photo day

In case you missed it: Upside down, boy you turn me

In case you missed it: 32 to the infinite power

In case you missed it: Saturday night jive

In case you missed it: Dodgers hire Jack McDowell to manage in minors

In case you missed it: Former Dodger reliever Hawksworth reportedly retires

In case you missed it: Zach Lee’s strain, Dee Gordon’s gain

Buy ‘The Catch: A novel’

Buy ‘Brothers in Arms’

‘Brothers in Arms’ coverage

Instagram

Twitter

Recent posts

Other writing by Jon

Archives

Commenting guidelines

Attendance