Wednesday, September 28, 2016

2016 Topps Heritage Minor Leagues - All the Dodgers Cards

The newest Topps product to come down the pike is the 2016 Heritage Minor League Baseball card set.  It features most of the up-'n-coming ballplayers within the Dodgers farm system, and also happens to include a couple of prospects who have since been traded.  As you will recall, both Grant Holmes and Jharel Cotton were sent to the Oakland A's as a part of the Rich Hill and Josh Reddick trade on August 1st.  Go here for a complete checklist on this set.

Please note that I will update the photo for the Grant Holmes sticker card when I come across a better pic.  Also, there is a Mike Trout autographed card available with him in a Rancho Cucamonga Quakes uniform.  It is in the Looming Legacy insert set.  For obvious reason, I have not included this card in the below listings (#LLA-MT Mike Trout) even though that team is now a Dodgers affiliate.

Base Cards

#41 Andrew Sopko                             #47 Cody Bellinger

Blog Kiosk: 9/28/2016 - Dodgers Links - Culberson, Puig, Urias, the Nationals and Vin Scully


Hey... We scored a run.

Last night the Dodgers played their first game after clinching their fourth consecutive division championship and lost... Not that I'm fretting, or anything. 

The Dodgers are in the midst of preparing for the division series against the Nationals, so the outcome of the last five games of the regular season are less important than setting up the club for success in October.  Per Doug Padilla at ESPN:
Manager Dave Roberts did start nearly all of his regulars in the first game after clinching the National League West on Sunday, but starter Kenta Maeda only went four innings, as did left fielder Andrew Toles and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
...
"As you saw tonight, I normally wouldn't have taken Toles out as early as I did, but I want to get Andre [Ethier] some at-bats, and it was nice to see him get that last at-bat and get a walk and have a competitive three at-bats," Roberts said. "Toles will start tomorrow, and we'll see how the game plays out. And Adrian had a sinus infection, so that's why he came out of the game."

It's not as if the Dodgers do not care about playing host to the Nationals for the opening two games of the NLDS, plus a potential deciding Game 5. But post-clinch baseball is usually different from the version that preceded it.
Below are more links to check out:
  • This Day in Dodgers Baseball:  In 1988 Orel Hershiser broke Don Drysdale Major League record for consecutive scoreless innings pitched at 59.  He threw ten scoreless innings against the Padres in San Diego.  In 1997 Mike Piazza set the Los Angeles Dodgers record for home runs at 40. 
  • Happy Birthday, Todd Worrell and Jerry Sands!