Welcome to the Dodgers, Brock Stewart!

Few players have risen up the ranks as fast as Brock Stewart.  He started the year with the Dodgers Single-A club in Rancho Cucamonga, was quickly promoted to Double-A Tulsa, and spent the past few weeks with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers.  Now, with a rotation spot open in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the Dodgers have decided to bring up the 24-year old prospect to make his Major League debut.  On his rise, via Michael Avallone at MiLB.com:

"Honestly, it has been fast," Stewart said. "The other day our pitching coordinator, Rick Knapp, said to me, 'You know, I met you two years ago at [Rookie-level] Ogden.' It was really crazy to hear him say that. It seems like yesterday that I was drafted, but here I am. I'm blessed and fortunate to be where I am now, but I'm not all the way there yet."
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The Illinois native said he's a bit surprised with what he's done so far in the Pacific Coast League.

"A little bit, to be honest," Stewart said. "But I'm confident in my stuff and I'm confident I'll get guys out. It should be the norm for me. I try to not focus on the numbers, but at the same time, it is a little surprising, especially because I just got to this level."

Questionnaires from 1945 Filled out by Walter Alston and Pee Wee Reese

A couple weeks back I highlighted a questionnaire filled out by Steve Garvey in 1970 (Link Here) for legendary Baseball biographer/statistician William J. Weiss.  Since the 1940's Weiss had been in contact with just about every professional ballplayer in the game, and used the information he gathered to put together sketchbooks filled with data on both minor and major league ballplayers.  Along with the Garvey I previously highlighted, Hunt Auction also has completed questionnaires from the Weiss collection of a couple other Dodgers players: Walter Alston and Pee Wee Reese.  Check those out in this post.

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Featured on the right is the questionnaire filled out by Dodgers Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston in February 1945 (Auction Link Here).  Click on the pic to embiggen.

At the time, Alston had just become a player-manager the season prior for the Trenton Packers - a minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers.  Although he would still play on the field for a few more years it would become obvious that his future role in the game would be as the skipper.  In the questionnaire above he recounts an interesting Baseball experience with Branch Rickey related to his second year of professional ball in 1936 and as a rookie player-manager four years later.  He writes: 

2016 Panini Flawless - All the Dodgers Base Gem Cards

Last week Panini America released their inaugural Baseball edition of Flawless, and below are pics of all the Dodgers Base Gem cards that are available. 

As you may know, this is a high-end card product that features ten cards per box; including six signature cards, two relics and two encased gem cards.  Each box is actually a metal briefcase, and it will cost you about $1,500 each.  The unusual packaging is meant to underscore how pricey and scarce these cards are suppose to be.  Check out an example of what a box looks like on the right.  Go here for a complete checklist.

It is notable that Clayton Kershaw, Jackie Robinson and Corey Seager each have two different encased gem cards available. 

Base Gems

#9 Clayton Kershaw                       #20 Jackie Robinson

Blog Kiosk: 6/27/2016 - Dodgers Links - Sborz, Seager and Adrián González

Today is a travel day for the Dodgers, and as is tradition ballplayers are tasked with looking their best when going from town to town.  This often means wearing a suit, but I think Adrián González's duds will work out just fine.  Check out the pic above, tweeted by AGone this morning, of himself wearing some special clothes in anticipation of traveling to Milwaukee later this afternoon.  As you know, he'll be riding the pine for this afternoons game (which starts at 9:35 AM PST).  Via Doug Padilla at ESPN:

“You look over the last couple weeks, he’s not swinging well, and sometimes, I think it’s good to get away,” Roberts said.

BTW, the Dodgers lost a tough one yesterday.  With Clayton Kershaw on the mound they continued their losing ways on the road by losing to Pittsburgh 4-3.  Unfortunately, Kershaw had an uncharacteristic start.  He went only six innings, throwing 98 pitches, striking out only four, walking two and giving up nine hits.  All four earned runs came across the plate in the second inning.  Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com:

"It just really comes down to limit the damage," said Kershaw, who allowed nine hits in six innings. "Some of those hits, I missed some spots, but they didn't hit it too hard. Then the Freese hit killed me tonight. I missed my spot bad, he made me pay. He's a good hitter, he's had some success against me and always been a tough out. I've got to get the guy ahead of him out. That's pretty much the name of the game tonight."

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodger History: In 1980 Jerry Reuss no-hit the Giants at Candlestick Park.  He misses a perfect game due to an error by Bill Russell in the first inning.  In 2011 the Dodgers file for bankruptcy under the McCourt's.