Spring Training – Page 7 – Dodger Thoughts

On February 26, 2014

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By Jon Weisman

Seth Rosin, who needs to stay on the Major League roster all season for Los Angeles or risk being shipped back to the New York Mets, stole the show for the Dodgers during their 4-1 loss to Arizona today in their Spring Training opener, striking out five Diamondbacks in his two innings.

In the sixth inning, Rosin fanned Arizona regulars Aaron Hill, Paul Goldschmidt and Martin Prado all in a row, after striking out Matt Tuiasosopo and A.J. Pollock in the fifth.

Rosin, who was taken from Philadelphia by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft and then traded to the Dodgers that same morning, struck out 96 in 126 2/3 innings for Double-A Reading last year. He was one of a few highlights that today’s game produced for the Dodgers, despite being on the losing end:

Yasiel Puig hit the ball hard in all three trips to the plate, earning a single, an RBI double and a tough groundout to third.
Second baseman Alex Guerrero looked fairly smooth on two plays in the third inning, making a diving stop on an infield single, then serving as a middleman of a 6-4-3 double play with Chone Figgins and Scott Van Slyke. Guerrero went 0 for 2 at the plate.
Van Slyke had a single and a walk, then was replaced by non-roster invitee Clint Robinson, who also singled. Designated hitter Justin Turner also singled and walked.
Figgins went 0 for 3, but was nearly 3 for 3. Mark Trumbo, somewhat surprisingly, made two diving catches of balls Figgins hit to left, and in between, Figgins was foul by inches on what would have been an extra-base hit to deep right.
Jose Dominguez struck out two of the three batters he faced.
Though he had a bit of trouble in left field behind Clayton Kershaw, Carl Crawford went the opposite way for a single in the third inning, then scored from first on Puig’s double.
Dodger pitchers Kershaw, Javy Guerra, Rosin, Dominguez and Ross Stripling struck out 11 and walked one in their eight combined innings.

In his second inning of work, Ross Stripling allowed three singles for a run in the bottom of the eighth to produce the final margin. Stripling induced a double-play grounder to end the inning.

Cactus League Opening Day: Let the rostering begin

On February 26, 2014

Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks, 12:10 p.m.

By Jon Weisman

Bearing in mind that the Dodger roster could change practically every day once the regular season begins, much needs to happen between today’s Cactus League opener and the games in Sydney, San Diego and finally Los Angeles.

Because of the unique roster rules for the Australia trip, the number of off days in the opening weeks and the usual injury, contract and option considerations, things are more than a little unpredictable. So consider this a rough sketch. I’m not including every single player that’s in camp right now, but I’m allowing for some underdogs/potential injury replacements. You’ll get the idea …

Starting pitchers (from 8 to 5): Josh Beckett, Stephen Fife, Zack Greinke, Dan Haren, Clayton Kershaw, Matt Magill, Paul Maholm, Hyun-Jin Ryu
Bullpen (from 11 to 7): Jose Dominguez, Javy Guerra, J.P. Howell, Kenley Jansen, Brandon League, Chris Perez, Paco Rodriguez, Seth Rosin, Brian Wilson, Chris Withrow, Jamey Wright
Catchers (from 4 to 2): Drew Butera, A.J. Ellis, Tim Federowicz, Miguel Olivo
Infielders (from 9 to 6): Chone Figgins, Adrian Gonzalez, Dee Gordon, Alex Guerrero, Brendan Harris, Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Rojas, Justin Turner, Juan Uribe
Outfielders (from 7 to 5): Mike Baxter, Nick Buss, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig, Scott Van Slyke
Disabled list (likely): Chad Billingsley, Scott Elbert, Matt Kemp

Spring Training photo stars, courtesy of Jon SooHoo

February 7
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February 25

On February 25, 2014

In Spring Training, Uncategorized

By Jon Weisman

As the warmup period for Spring Training comes to a close and the Dodgers embark upon 21 games in the next 19 days before leaving for Australia, I thought this would be a good time to thank official Dodger photographer Jon SooHoo — whose blog you should be checking out daily — for serving as our eyes into Camelback Ranch.

I’d also like to pay tribute to just some of those Dodgers who have been among SooHoo’s best subjects in February, regularly cropping up in distinctive images. In alphabetical order:

Dee Gordon

Alex Guerrero

Sandy Koufax

Yasiel Puig

Here are the links to SooHoo’s photos since pitchers and catchers reported. Click over and let us know which are your favorite shots and subjects from Spring Training so far:

In case you missed it: Scrimmage sights and sounds

On February 25, 2014

In History, Spring Training

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By Jon Weisman

Some really great sights and sounds in the video above from the intrasquad game Sunday should whet your appetite for the imminent start of Cactus League play.

Are you ready for a starting lineup? Taking the field for the Dodgers on Wednesday will be the following (though there will be plenty of others coming off the bench):
- Chone Figgins, SS
- Carl Crawford, LF
- Yasiel Puig, RF
- Juan Uribe, 3B
- Joc Pederson, CF
- Scott Van Slyke, 1B
- Tim Federowicz, C
- Alex Guerrero, 2B
- Justin Turner, DH
- (Clayton Kershaw, P)
Wednesday’s Spring Training opener is previewed by Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.
Stephen also notes which former Dodgers accepted non-roster invitations around the Majors. Eugenio Velez is alive and well.
Yasiel Puig’s embrace of Australia has proved inspirational, as you can see below and here, here and here.
Don Drysdale is the latest stop in Ernest Reyes’ tour of the 1961 Union Oil Dodger Family Booklets at Blue Heaven.
MLB’s At Bat mobile app is entering its sixth year — Mark Newman of MLB.com writes about the state of the app.
As Ukraine takes center stage in world headlines, the country’s Crimea region will host a week-long baseball tournament and clinic for teams, players and umpires from Eastern European countries, March 23-28. More details at Play Global.

In case you missed it: Happy birthday, Nancy Bea

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

Intrasquad Monday: 0-0, it’s magic

On February 24, 2014

In Spring Training, Uncategorized

By Jon Weisman

Day 2 of the Dodgers’ pair o’ pre-preseason intrasquad showdowns ended in a 0-0 tie at Camelback Ranch.

There was a big near-blow in today’s three-inning affair, but appropriately, it was for naught.

Joc Pederson reached above the short fence in RF to rob Andre Ethier of a possible 2-run HR. #Dodgers

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) February 24, 2014

Chris Reed faced the minimum in his two innings of work, allowing one hit (to Pederson) while notching a double-play grounder from Carl Crawford and strikeouts of Yasiel Puig and Scott Van Slyke. Dan Haren also pitched two shutout innings, while Paco Rodriguez and Jamey Wright each contributed a frame. Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Buss and J.C. Boscan (with a double) also had hits.

A couple of excerpts from Hoornstra’s notebook:

Gonzalez was picked off second base on an excellent throw by catcher Drew Butera.

The unofficial pitch count for Gordon’s first at-bat against Haren: 12. It was long. Gordon struck out on his final swing.

For more photos from today at Camelback, visit Jon SooHoo’s Photog Blog.

Dodgers win (and lose) but most importantly, win

On February 23, 2014

By Jon Weisman

What’s not to like about a Dodger intrasquad game? No matter what happens, you’re a winner.

Hyun Jin-Ryu allowed two home runs in the first inning today, his team never got the lead back — and the Dodgers still won.

Dee Gordon hit a leadoff homer off Ryu, and then Hanley Ramirez followed a Juan Uribe double with a two-run shot, as the Dodgers’ Team Wills, drafted by Matt Kemp, defeated the Zack Grienke-drafted Team Koufax, 3-1.

Matt Magill was the winning pitcher in the four-inning affair, with Brian Wilson striking out two in his inning of work. For closing it out, Chris Perez earned a save by my reckoning.

Scott Van Slyke had two hits to lead all platesmen, driving in Yasiel Puig (who doubled) with one of them.

More details on the game are available from Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. and J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News. From Hoornstra:

… Gordon turned quickly on the second pitch he saw from Ryu and skied it over the right-field fence. “I got lucky,” Gordon said afterward. …

Hoornstra added that Alex Guerrero might have had the best defensive play of the game, “charging a ground ball to second base and throwing on the run, across his body, to retire Nick Buss.”

From Stephen:

… What stood out in the four-inning contest was how much fun the players were having, finally out on the field in a quasi-competitive setting, free from the shackles of pitching screens, batting cages, and even coaches. …

Spring Training from the fishbowl

On February 18, 2014

In Spring Training, Thinking out loud

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By Jon Weisman

Before dawn on February 12, I found myself on the westbound Interstate 10, heading toward LAX to leave Los Angeles. I flew in a plane to Phoenix, landed, rented a car and found myself … on the westbound Interstate 10 with signs pointing toward Los Angeles.

I mean, that’s a little weird, isn’t it? In order to reach the Spring Training home of the Los Angeles baseball club at Camelback Ranch, I had to head for the regular-season home of the Los Angeles baseball club. I guess the only way I could have topped that would have been to leave from Glendale, California to get to Glendale, Arizona.

This was my first Spring Training trip in 21 years, and on the surface the journey was less exotic than when I went from Washington D.C. to Vero Beach by way of Fort Lauderdale. That 1993 trip was focused on seeing as many games as possible up and down the Grapefruit League (I believe it was something like eight in seven days), while last week, I was going to be at Camelback Ranch before the games even started, barely budging from my destination.

But this trip, which ended Sunday, provided its own version of a stranger in a strange land. This would be the Dodgers at Spring Training from the inside out, with more of my time spent confined to the clubhouse and clubhouse-adjacent, working and pursuing interviews, than on the fields soaking up atmosphere. At times, I wondered if I was doing it right – not just the job, but the experience itself.

For all my interviews, I left with some questions unanswered, at least for now. How much do the players feel like they’re in a fishtank, with the fans close enough to rap the glass, and how much do they care? What do the players think of the reporters standing around the clubhouse, draggedly waiting for their interview opportunities, hovering like a bad clutch of helicopter parents?

Those to-be-continueds aside, I also left with a few newly cherishable memories. Riding on the back of a golf cart next to Don Mattingly. Clayton Kershaw throwing on a back field in front of maybe 20 people. Sandy Koufax in a hallway, conversing so quietly that I nearly walked right by him without noticing.

Perhaps most of all, there was Scott Van Slyke carrying his toddler son into the clubhouse in the relaxed post-workout serenity of a Sunday afternoon. Man, that little boy was as cute as can be, electrifying me at once with how lucky Scott was to have that experience (presumably both ways, bookended with his father Andy), and how lucky I would be to be reunited with my children that night.

It’s fair to take a step back and wonder why the lure of Spring Training is so strong, especially during this pre-preseason period that offers no meal of games, just an appetizer of batting practice, bullpens, stretches and drills. The obvious answer is that it’s about connection, with celebrity, with heroes, with greatness, with simplicity, with parenthood, with childhood, with warmth, with grass, with sky, with a slice of life that you never want to slip away.

Nothing’s perfect, and inside or outside, Spring Training can bring its own set of frustrations and disappointments. But done right, Spring Training will wipe the cynicism clean off your soul.

The point being, I guess, that even as you’re going home from Spring Training, you’re leaving, and even as you’re leaving, you’re going home.

In case you missed it: Chone Figgins means business

On February 17, 2014

In Front office, Spring Training, Trivia

By Jon Weisman

Happy Day of the Leaders of the Executive Branch …

Non-roster invitee Chone Figgins talked with Bill Plunkett of the Register about his … well, maybe it’s too strong to call it a comeback attempt in the traditional sense, but close enough, you know?

… By the end of his lost season, Figgins had decided he would work out for scouts during the winter in hopes of landing an invitation to someone’s spring camp.

He did that on Jan. 15 with about 10 teams sending scouts. The Dodgers sent Vance Lovelace, vice president for player personnel and a close advisor to General Manager Ned Colletti.

“Usually a guy with 10, 12 years in the big leagues or whatever – you go see a guy’s workout and he’ll do, like, 10, 15 minutes,” Lovelace said. “This guy worked out for a good 45 minutes. He ran the 60 (in 6.3 seconds, according to Figgins). He hit from both sides of the plate. He was a one-man infield but he took balls in center field, he took balls at third base, he took balls at shortstop, second base. It was the full gamut.”

Figgins joked that it was “a full high-school workout” but acknowledged it was a very humbling “reality check” for an 11-year major-league veteran. …

Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles has more.
Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has a good news feature on why salary arbitration is a necessary evil, with first-hand quotes from Ned Colletti, Don Mattingly and Tim Wallach, among others.
Dodger president and CEO Stan Kasten did a one-on-one interview with Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Gurnick also mentions the annual clubhouse ping-pong tournament, with Clayton Kershaw commissioner and Ellen Kershaw assistant commissioner and poster artist.
A nice pass-along from J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News: this front page of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from October 1916. I’ll leave it to you to find the gems.
This was a fun bit of President’s Day trivia from Bill Cluck at Gammons Daily: pitching win leaders by presidential term. Paul Derringer, anyone?

Koufax and Kershaw, 2014 edition

On February 16, 2014

In Pitching, Spring Training

Sandy Koufax is in the building: pic.twitter.com/z55q1r6fZv

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 16, 2014

By Jon Weisman

GLENDALE, Ariz. — It is quite humbling to walk in the same hallway with royalty. And in a sense, it happened more than once today, with Sandy Koufax and Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw was the featured player at Spring Training this morning, going over to minor-league camp to face hitters for the first time this year. He threw about 25 pitches, and until the last one, the best swing was probably a foul ball grounded wide of third base.

Then, on Kershaw’s final pitch, minor-league free-agent signee Aaron Bates, who only joined the organization 19 days ago, shot a grounder up the middle. Kershaw reacted in midseason form, dropping down to snare the ball on one hop.

Clayton Kershaw in midseason Miyagi form: https://t.co/6KGGSN2Qj0

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 16, 2014

“It was good that I caught it — it might have hit me right in the shins,” Kershaw said with a laugh.

Kershaw, along with manager Don Mattingly, took numerous questions from reporters today on workload and how Kershaw will be used at the outset of the season. Because of the odd spacing of the early season schedule, Kershaw could start as many as three of the first six games of 2014 — March 22 in Sydney, March 30 in San Diego and April 4 against the Giants in Los Angeles. Kershaw is certainly willing, but Mattingly was wary of that possibility, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Dylan Hernandez of the Times, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com, J.P. Hoornstra of the Daily News, Bill Plunkett of the Register and Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. could tell you.

Mattingly discussed monitoring Kershaw’s innings in general after the lefty threw 259 innings in 2013 (including postseason), but raised a point that Kershaw also emphasized — the real thing to keep an eye on was stressful innings.

“You’d see it three or four times last year where it’s just not clean, he’s having to fight the whole game,” Mattingly said (via Saxon’s report). “Those wear on guys. There are other games where you throw nine innings, but it’s 10, 11 pitches an inning and it seems like he’s just out there playing catch.”

Said Kershaw (via Stephen): “I’ve never been a big fan of monitoring innings. I feel like throwing 100 pitches in nine innings is a lot different than throwing 100 pitches in five innings. I think stressful innings is what you have to monitor. Inning count isn’t a huge detriment, but the stressful innings really get you.”

There’s also the issue that the more often the Dodgers use Kershaw in those early games, the more stale such pitchers as Hyun-Jin Ryu and Dan Haren might become. In any case, there are weeks for this to play out.

Coincident to all this, Koufax walked into Camelback Ranch during the quiet period after workouts, with players trickling out the doors. No doubt, he and Kershaw will have a conversation, royalty meeting royalty. It happened about an hour after I asked Kershaw about the best advice the Hall of Famer had ever given him.

“Nothing that I want to talk about,” Kershaw said. “Sandy’s a pretty private guy, and I respect him so much. He talks about the game, and it’s just great to be around him.”

“It looks like you picked up some style since last year.” -Sandy Koufax “I’ve always had style, Sandy.” -Matt Kemp pic.twitter.com/DuCmuoMLdw

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 16, 2014

Pinch-hitting a calling card for Mike Baxter

In Bench, Spring Training

Mike Baxter, second from left, runs with fellow reserve candidates Miguel Rojas, Dee Gordon,
Nick Buss and Chone Figgins at Camelback Ranch on Friday.

By Jon Weisman

GLENDALE, Ariz. — He hasn’t been the subject of much chatter at Spring Training, but outfielder Mike Baxter has displayed a special skill that might be of intrigue to fans wondering about the Dodger bench in 2014.

Baxter, quietly claimed October 17 off waivers from the New York Mets by the Dodgers (who were planning for 2014 even during the 2013 National League Championship Series), has a career .417 on-base percentage and .463 slugging in 84 plate appearances as a pinch-hitter. His .313 batting average coming in cold off the bench trails only Corey Hart, Jamey Carroll and Seth Smith among MLB players active in 2013.

“A lot of my time has been as a bench player,” the 29-year-old said today. “Over the years, I’ve kind of gotten comfortable in that role, so I have a lot of experience with it. I look forward to getting at-bats off the bench.”

That’s easy enough to understand. In 2012, Baxter was unconscious as a pinch-hitter, leading MLB by going 11 for 24 with eight walks and six doubles for a .458/.559/.708 slash line. He came back in 2013 with a .412 on-base percentage in another 34 pinch-hit plate appearances.

Twice in three nights last year, on May 7 and May 9, Baxter had walkoff singles, the first breaking a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the 10th.

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“I’ve developed an in-game routine that I’ve tried to stick to through the course of the season,” Baxter said. “When you’re coming off the bench, you’ve just got to be ready to go from the first pitch they throw you. You get a good pitch to hit, you’ve got to go for it.”

Overall, Baxter has hit .229 in 353 career at-bats, dragged down by a .189 season in 2013, but with walks in 11 percent of his trips to the plate, his lifetime MLB on-base percentage is .335. He walked five times on August 4, 2012 to tie an NL record for a nine-inning game.

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Baxter has also displayed defensive ability as well as determination, earning a broken collarbone on a catch that helped preserve Johan Santana’s no-hitter on June 1, 2012. He said he spent the 2013-14 offseason “just trying to get back to kind of staying down through my swing and not popping out of it … staying down through contact.”

Last year, Dodger pinch-hitters OBPed .256 and slugged .313. No one reached base more often as a pinch-hitter than Jerry Hairston, who had seven hits but is now part of the SportsNet LA broadcast team. The Dodgers’ leading returning pinch-hitter is Scott Van Slyke, who went 4 for 10 with a home run.

“I’m excited to be here,” Baxter said. “When they claimed me in October off waivers, I was thrilled to have another chance and come out on a team with such a good roster and so many good players. I’m excited to be a part of it. I know that I can help them win.”

Video: Carl Crawford looks ahead to 2014

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As Matt Kemp reminds us, it’s February

In Health/injuries, Spring Training

By Jon Weisman

The headline that came out of Camelback Ranch on Friday was Matt Kemp’s feelings about potentially being labeled a fourth outfielder, interpreted in different camps outside the clubhouse as an impending crisis or a declaration of confidence.

Putting aside the obvious that no one would want to be labeled below their potential — and at his maximum potential, Kemp isn’t a fourth outfielder but rather a starting outfielder at an All-Star Game — what’s most important about what Kemp said is when he said it.

On February 14.

We’re all eager to tap into the future and find out what this Dodger team is made of. But there’s no getting past the present — and the outfield, like second base, like the back of the starting rotation, like the back of the bullpen, like anything with the team, has several weeks to sort itself out.

It’s February. And yeah, soon it will be March, and this year, the season starts in March (for two games, anyway), and it’s true that time catches up with all of us and what is the meaning of life anyway?

Where was I? Oh yeah: It’s February.

As I wrote in January, we should be so fortunate if the Dodgers have a problem of four star-cailber outfielders who are healthy at the same time. A footnote: As Kemp spoke Friday, the Dodgers technically had no more than one of those. Kemp’s not running, Carl Crawford just had his wisdom teeth out and Yasiel Puig has a minor case of shoulder inflammation. Maybe not earthshattering, but it reminds you about the players’ vulnerabilities.

And it shouldn’t be lost that even Kemp realizes it’s early. As good as he feels with his swing …

Matt Kemp’s effortless power swing is back. He increased his baseball activity on Friday’s first full-squad workout, taking ground balls off the bat of first-base coach Davey Lopes and moving around like a healthy ballplayer. Then he matched every one of Yasiel Puig’s moonshots with the swing that’s been missing during two seasons of shoulder problems. Those seem to be over, based on the unrestricted follow-through of every swing. (Ken Gurnick, MLB.com)

… he knows he has to progress on his running.

“Me rushing back hasn’t helped any in the past two years, so I need to take a different approach,” Kemp said. “Rushing back I’m better, but when I come back other injuries happen from rushing back. I don’t want to be the player who comes back, feels good, gets hurt again, comes back. I want to be 100%. (Eric Stephen, True Blue L.A.)

For that matter, even Kemp understands that none of the four players in question wants to take a back seat.

“I get it. I think all of us four outfielders feel the same way. None of us are fourth outfielders, and everyone wants to play every day,” Kemp said, according to Stephen.

Opening Day is more than a month away, and even that is only the first of at least 162 games for the Dodgers. Kemp’s not rushing, and neither should we.

Good morning from Camelback