Dodgers Pick Catcher Connor Wong in the Third Round - Welcome to the Blue!

With their first pick of the day in the 3rd round, 100th overall, the Dodgers select versatile and athletic catcher Connor Wong from the University of Houston. He is a junior, stands 5' 11", 180 lbs., bats right and throws right-handed. Connor is also the stepson of Matt Maysey, who was drafted in the seventh round in 1985 by the Padres, and eventually pitched briefly for Montreal and Milwaukee in the early to mid-90's. He also has a major league hit from his only MLB at-bat as a Brewer in 1993.

You can follow Connor Wong on twitter here: @Connor10Wong. Unfortunately, he has not been very active on twitter. I am not aware of any cards made for Connor yet. Per MLB's prospect report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Wong started immediately at Houston as a freshman shortstop before making the transition to catching as sophomore a year ago. He earned all-star honors behind the plate in the Cape Cod League last summer, leading the circuit with 72 total bases, and has upped his offensive production this spring. In a down year for catchers in the Draft, he should be one of the first selected and could climb as high as the third round.

Dodgers Pick Pitcher Morgan Cooper in the Second Round - Welcome to the Blue!

With the Dodgers second pick of the day, 62nd overall in the 2nd round yesterday, the Dodgers select right-handed University of Texas pitcher Morgan Cooper. Unsurprisingly, Cooper had Tommy John surgery in 2014 (the Dodgers have not been afraid to draft these players) and missed all of following season. He was also drafted last year by the Nationals in the 34th round, but did not sign. Furthermore, I am not aware of any cards made of him, but I will continue to look. Per a Dodgers press release:

In the second round, Los Angeles selected 22-year-old University of Texas right-handed pitcher Morgan Cooper. As a redshirt junior in 2017, he posted a 6-3 record in 16 games (15 starts) while recording a 2.32 ERA (23 ER/89.1 IP) and holding the opposition to a .208 batting average. Rated as the 80th overall pitching prospect by Baseball America, he led the Longhorns in starts (15), strikeouts (110) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.1) this season. The Jarrell, Texas native was named to the 2017 Collegiate Baseball All-America Third team and is a semifinalist for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound pitcher was scouted by Dodgers’ scout Clint Bowers.

Blog Kiosk: 6/13/2017 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

Here's a great vintage pic, said to originally be a Sports magazine photo (eBay link), of an old codger having a laugh with a young hurler. Featured in the undated photo are Don Drysdale with Duke Snider.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1973 the famed Dodger infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell and Ron Cey play on the field for the first time. Ten days later they would be inserted into the starting lineup for the first time. In 1998 the very first triple play is executed at Dodger Stadium. It sequence is 1-6-4-5 in the fifth inning -- with men at 1st and 2nd, Darren Dreifort fields a sacrifice bunt attempt, throws to shortstop Jose Vizcaino at 2nd, who then throws to covering second baseman Eric Young at 1st, who then throws to Bobby Bonilla at 3rd to get the final out. See the GIF on right to see the play.
• Happy Birthday, Gene McCann, Bill Bergen & Charlie Malay!
  

Dodgers Pick Outfielder Jeren Kendall in the First Round - Welcome to the Blue!

Yesterday was the day when big league dreams become more of a reality. Thousands of youngsters, from high school graduates to college aged kids, had been glued to their televisions in hopes of hearing their name. For one Team USA and Vanderbilt University ballplayer his wait is over. With the 23rd pick overall the Dodgers chose outfielder Jeren Kendall. Per a Dodgers press release:

The 6-foot, 190-pound left-handed hitting outfielder posted a .307 (80-for-261) batting average with 10 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs, 53 RBI and stole 20 bases in 2017 as a junior at Vanderbilt. He led the team in runs scored (59), hits and home runs, while posting a .372 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage. Kendall, 21, was rated by Baseball America as the sixth-best outfielder in the 2017 draft and was the 18th overall prospect. He was also named to the All-SEC and All-Defensive Team this season with the Commodores.