Dodger Thoughts

#BaseballBegins NOW! Pitchers and catchers report TODAY. pic.twitter.com/fcmysXbhZD

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 19, 2015

By Jon Weisman

So I looked outside because they said pitchers and catchers were reporting to Spring Training today, but no one was on the field at Dodger Stadium. And then someone said, “Maybe they’re in Arizona, at Camelback Ranch.” And I said, “You know, you’re probably right. That makes sense.”

Well, maybe that’s not exactly how it went. But I do wish they were here, or I was there. The good news is, I’ll be there in less than a week. So I told them not to wait for me to start their workouts.

Now, what’s happening on this fine morning …

• Among the other position players who have reported ahead of their February 26 deadline are Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Scott Schebler.
• Senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes gave a 12-minute interview to David Vassegh of AM 570 KLAC. Here’s what he had to say about the Dodger bullpen in the wake of Kenley Jansen’s foot surgery:
  

  “I think it’s something we’ll talk about with Don Mattingly and Rick Honeycutt,” Byrnes said. “Sometimes, the players will dictate what roles they need to be in, and I’ve certainly been around a few teams and seasons where we probably didn’t know until the end of March who was going to be our closer. Once someone locks it down, they can sometimes get on a roll. I think we’ll keep talking about it — we might just be patient and see how guys are doing, we might look external — but I think we’re gonna be open-minded in terms of how and when we try to solidify the back end.”

• Why is Julio Urias so awesome? Wilson Karaman answers the question at Minor League Ball.
• In November, we reported how close the Dodgers came to being known as the Kings. At Radom Thoughts, Todd Radom writes about how close they came to being nicknamed the Canaries.
• Former Dodger infielder Lenny Harris has been named assistant hitting coach for the Marlins, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com (via Hardball Talk).

And more from social media …

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