Dodgers Notes from Spring Training: Full – Squad Workout #1

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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(Sandy Koufax is in the house!  Pic via Matthew Mesa/LA Dodgers 2015)

LET’S GET IT STARTED: Today marked the first full-squad workout of the 2015 season and Dodger Manager Don Mattingly introduced key personnel including Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Tommy Lasorda and Dodger Legends Maury Wills and Manny Mota to the team. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, Director of Public Relations Joe Jareck, Director of Team Travel Scott Akasaki and Vice President of Medical Services Stan Conte also addressed the team.

• Former Dodger first baseman Eric Karros arrived in Camelback Ranch today and will be a special instructor for the team for a couple days.

NICE TO MEET YOU:  With the full-squad in full gear today, the Dodgers’ 40-man roster is filled with new faces which includes 19 new players since the end of the 2014 season. Joc Pederson, Carlos Frias, Zach Lee and Chris Reed, who were non-roster invitees last year are making their first appearance to Spring Training.

(Full squad workouts, pic via @Dodgers on twitter)

BUSY WEEKEND: On Saturday morning, the Dodgers will have their Photo Day at 7 a.m. and media outlets who are scheduled to attend are Dodgers photographers, MLB Photos, MLB.com, ESPN the Magazine, Topps, LA Times, USA Today, Getty Images, Baseball Digest and Associated Press. On Sunday, the Dodgers will be featured on ESPN SportsCenter, which will air live from Camelback Ranch – Glendale.

BACKSTAGE: DODGERS: SportsNet LA will debut a new season of its signature series, “Backstage: Dodgers,” tonight at 7:00 p.m. The behind-the-scenes documentary series returns with new exclusive inside access to the team that will cover the off-season to the first day of Spring Training and through the last pitch of the season. “Backstage: Dodgers” episodes will debut every Thursday all season and will provide fans with an unrivaled behind-the-scenes view of the players, coaches, executives and Dodger legends inside the clubhouse, out in the community and more.

BLUE DIAMOND GALA: The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) announced today its inaugural Blue Diamond Gala honoring the Jackie Robinson Foundation, The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education and the LA84 Foundation on Thursday, April 16 at Dodger Stadium. The event will kick off with a VIP reception hosted by Dodger owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson at the Top of the Park, a cocktail reception in center field, dinner and awards with a Ted Baker London fashion show featuring Dodger players. There will also be a performance by Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc. For tickets and information on Blue Diamond Gala sponsorships please visit www.dodgers.com/gala.

(Tommy Lasorda is also in Arizona signing for fans, pic via Camelback Ranch on twitter)

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Blog Kiosk: 2/26/2015 - Dodger Links - Koufax, Pederson and Grandal

If autograph hounds are commonly known as "graphers" then what do you call folks who only want a selfie?  Selfers?  Photo above via Camelback Ranch on twitter . 

Below are some more links to check out:

• Koufax is in the house!  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Koufax, Lasorda to greet Dodgers at camp."  They'll be at Camelback Ranch today!
• Via Joseph Werner at Beyond the Boxscore, "Joc Pederson's troubling trend."

Pederson offers up gobs of potential – above-average power and speed, a career walk rate north of 14%, the ability to man center field effectively – but he isn’t a certainty for stardom. In fact, it could be just the opposite. As the Dodgers’ front office aggressively pushed the burgeoning big leaguer quickly through the minor leagues, it appeared that Pederson handled each promotion with aplomb. But his once modest strikeout rate has become increasingly concerning with each stop.

• Via August Fagerstrom at FanGraphs, "An Attempt to Explain Yasiel Puig’s BABIP."
• Via Mark Saxon at ESPNLosAngeles.com, "Yasmani Grandal and the art of stealing strikes."

“I’m trying to make the umpire’s job easier. The better lane I give them to see the ball, the better relationship I’m going to have with them, the more they’re going to trust me,” Grandal said. “I’m always talking to them, trying to see, ‘Hey, do you have a good lane to see? Am I cutting you off? Are you seeing this pitch?’ The relationship between the catcher and pitcher is pretty important, but you also have to have a relationship with the umpire.” 

• An old friend alert!  Mark Ellis has retired, via Susan Slusser at SFGate.com.
• Apparently, the ever cautious Dodgers had Hyun-Jin Ryu get a MRI.  No worries though, Ken Gurnick reports it's fine.

Ryu MRI negative, no workout.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 26, 2015

• Via Mike OZ at Big League Stew, "California stars are dominating MLB merchandise sales."
• AWESOME!  John Thorn, the MLB official historian, put together "A Long and Winding Quiz."
• David Seiderman at Forbes provides a recap of the recently closed Heritage Sports auction, "Sandy Koufax Dodgers Jersey Sells for 580K And Other Highlights From Biggest Sports Auction Ever."

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