Last night the Dodgers held a late afternoon workout in front of the chattering group of scribes, and revealed for all their roster for the upcoming playoff series against the Nationals. ICYMI, here are the players who will be representing the team in Washington DC on Friday:
Catchers (3): Austin Barnes, Yasmani Grandal, Carlos Ruiz; Infielders (5): Adrían González, Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Charlie Culberson; Infielder-Outfielder (1): Howie Kendrick; Outfielders (5): Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Josh Reddick, Andrew Toles, Andre Ethier; Starting Pitchers (3): Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenta Maeda; Swingmen (2): Ross Stripling, Julio Urías; Relief Pitchers (6): Kenley Jansen, Joe Blanton, Pedro Báez, Grant Dayton, Luis Avilan, Josh Fields.As you can see, there are some notable names missing. Kiké Hernandez, Rob Segedin, Alex Wood, Brock Stewart and J.P. Howell are not listed. Although, Stewart, Howell, Wood and Stewart will still travel with the team as possible replacements should an injury arise. On the exclusion of Howell from the playoff roster Dave Roberts adds, via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:
“That was a tough one,” Roberts said. “J.P.’s gonna travel with us, but he’s a guy that for me is one of the glue guys for our team this year. He’s had a lot of success in his career in the postseason, and for him to understand the decision, support it, but still have the opportunity in another series or possibly in this series by way of injury … those are the tough ones, because you know he’s here for the right reasons.”
Photo above via David Vassegh on twitter features the team huddling-up on the pitchers mound for a little meeting. BTW, Jon SooHoo shares a bunch of fantastic older pics of several Dodger players from the 2004 team who will be active during this years playoffs; including a great photo of Adrian Beltre with Dave Roberts as seen on the right. Go here to check them out. Below are more links to check out:- This Day in Dodgers History: In 1947 Dodger outfielder Al Gionfriddo robbed Joe Dimaggio of an extra base hit and several RBI's when he made a leaping grab near the left field bullpen during Game 6 of the World Series. Go here to watch a highlight reel of the play. In 1980 the Dodgers came back to defeat the Astros, 4-3, to sweep a season-ending, three-game series and force a one-game playoff with the Astros for the National League Western Division title. Ron Cey had hit a two-run stunner in the 8th inning to help win the game. Unfortunately, the Dodgers would lose that one-game playoff, 7-1, the next day.
- Happy Birthday, Tracy Woodson!
- Via Matthew Moreno at Dodger Blue; "El Compadre Restaurant Hosting NLDS Watch Party To Benefit Justin Turner Foundation."
- Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com; "Pederson, Toles nursing injuries before NLDS."
- Via Mark Whicker at the LA Daily News; "Corey Seager’s greatness comes from lifetime of support."
Meanwhile, Kyle was telling the world that it hadn’t seen the best Seager yet.
“I would come home from the minors, and we’d go through the drills that Dad would set up for us, and he was doing them better than me,” Kyle said. “I’m thinking, ‘My high school brother is better than me.’ I’ve been telling people that for years.”
- August Fagerstrom at FanGraphs takes a look at, "The 2016 National League Gold Gloves, by the Numbers," and determines that Yasmani Grandal was the best at his position.
This is why Baseball Prospectus’ pre-season projections considered Yasmani Grandal a potential favorite for National League MVP, something Grandal himself called “absurd.” Those same, nuanced catching numbers are the biggest contributor to Grandal’s 6.7 WAR at BP, putting him in the top-10 among all major league hitters. Simply put, he’s baseball’s best receiver — this is the second consecutive season in which he’s led the league in BP’s framing runs — and all the data we have suggests that framing can add up to huge value.
- Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider; "How lefty Grant Dayton found the feel in 2016."
“Actually, I think I may be an underthinker,” he said, “because if you asked me who I faced last night, I can’t tell you. If you ask me what happened two days ago – I don’t know. I trust our catchers completely. That might be a downfall of mine, is that I don’t think for myself on the mound.”
Nor was there an issue with the transition from the only club he had ever known to the Dodgers.
“The organization’s definitely welcoming to new guys — as they should be, because they’re always getting new guys,” Dayton said with a laugh.
- Via Mina Kimes at ESPN; "The Art of Letting Go." She went to Korea to understand the "bat-flip" sensation that is commonplace there.
At the beginning of the summer, I posed these questions to American and Korean baseball writers and historians. Most gave the same response: Bat flipping is part of the KBO because it's always been a part of the KBO. I heard, over and over, that the custom has existed for years, but no one seemed to know why such a seemingly flamboyant act has thrived in a country where decorum is ingrained in the culture. Daniel Kim, a commentator in Korea, told me over the phone that he had passed along my inquiry to a few players. "They can't pinpoint a period of time or a certain player who started it all," he said. "If you're trying to understand bat flips, you have to understand how the games are watched." I asked him what he meant. "The passion and emotion in a KBO game -- I can't describe it. You've just got to experience it," he said.
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