Dodgers Pick Righty Walker Buehler at the 2015 MLB Draft

I can only imagine it now.  Dodger Blue fans the world-over will be calling for his immediate promotion to Los Angeles.  After all, can you imagine the ridiculous puns and jokes that'll be bandied about?  It would be a lulz paradise

This afternoon it was announced that the Dodgers 2015 1st Round Draft Pick is Vanderbilt University right-handed starting pitcher Walker Buehler.

As the 24th overall pick his potential slot value is $2,094,400.00.  Buehler is 20-years old and will turn 21 in late-July.  He stands 6'2" tall and weighs 170 lbs.  He had previously been drafted in 2012 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round (436th overall).  You can follow him on twitter at: @buehlersdayoff.  Per a MLB.com scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 55

One of three potential first-round picks from Vanderbilt, Buehler had an exceptional summer, sharing playoff MVP honors in the Cape Cod League and pitching well with the U.S. collegiate national team after helping the Commodores win the College World Series. He missed the first two weeks of the 2015 season with elbow soreness but bounced back after that.

Buehler has a deep repertoire featuring four potential solid-or-better big league pitches and the ability to throw all of them for strikes. His best offering is his 90-96 mph fastball, and while he sometimes gets caught in between his curveball and slider, both can be weapons. His changeup similarly varies from inconsistent to effective.

Per a Baseball America report:

t his best, Buehler has four above-average offerings. He throws his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, though it doesn’t have a ton of life. That, in addition to his clean arm action, allows him to pound the strike zone, but also makes it a bit easier for hitters to square the pitch up if he misses in the zone. His curveball and slider both show promise and he has a good feel for spinning the baseball, but they run together at times. He gets good fading action on his changeup. Though at a listed 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Buehler is taller than teammate Carson Fulmer, he isn’t very physical and also lacks ideal size for a righthander. Scouts have more confidence that Buehler will be able to remain in the rotation, however, thanks to his deep arsenal, athleticism and more polished delivery.

In celebration of Buehler being picked by the Dodgers I made the above fantasy card for him.  I used a photo from S. Lee/The Tennessean and the 1972 Topps Baseball card design.

Check out his teammates at Vanderbilt celebrating his selection below on twitter:

Walker Buehler celebrates with his teammates after being drafted by @Dodgers !!! pic.twitter.com/Dbpc4YDPsl

— Vandy Baseball (@VandyBaseball) June 9, 2015

And here is a video of him via MLB.com.

Video Link:

Here is a FanGraphs video of him pitching:

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 6/8/2015 - Dodger Links - Some Odds and Ends

Once again Zach Greinke was dominant on the mound for the Dodgers.  He went 6.2 innings and allowed just one earned run.  Still, the Dodger lost due to a blowup in the later innings.

Much of the blame for can be laid at the feet of the bullpen.  Via Steve Bourbon at MLB.com:

"We haven't been nearly as consistent as we were early," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said of his bullpen. "We've had some games that we've let get away from us, and we've got find a way to get the ball to [Kenley Jansen]."

Zack added further:

"It makes sense what [the Dodgers] did. Liberatore has been amazing getting lefties out all year," Greinke said. "The matchups made a lot of sense."

Maybe the Dodgers recent troubles out of the 'pen are just the natural doldrums that occur during a long season.  After all, they've been lights out for much of the year, so you have to expect that lulls and valleys will occur from time to time.  Even know this, though, does little to assuage the stress these lapses can have on the fanbase.  Hopefully, the team and the peanut gallery in the stands can weather the storm.

The photo above is via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015.  Go here to check out more pics of yesterday;s game from Jon.  Below are some links to check out:

• BTW, today is the Baseball Draft, and the Dodgers have four picks to make this evening.
• ICYMI:  Via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA, "Dodgers send David Huff outright to Triple-A, lose Sergio Santos to free agency."
• Via Matt Goldman at Beyond the Boxscore, "Andre Ethier is good again."

This season, Ethier's power is back, he's driving in runs again (although his defense is still awful), and it no longer seems that he's destined for an early end to his career. He's on pace for his highest ISO in five years, his best wOBA in seven years, and his best wRC+ and fWAR ever.

• GCRL shares some more Steve Garvey cards in his collection, here.  It includes a whole bunch of different inserts.
• Via David Hood at True Blue LA, "Jose De Leon, Cody Bellinger Standout in May Prospect Review."
• Ha!  I remember this.  Via jbox at Gaslamp Ball, "Two Padres who attacked Giants' anti-mascot in 1984 revealed."

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