Dodgers Blue Heaven: Blog Kiosk: 11/13/2018 - Dodgers Links

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Blog Kiosk: 11/13/2018 - Dodgers Links - Some Odds and Ends

If I could name a 'Captain' on the Dodgers it would be Justin Turner. He, along with several other Dodgers' spent yesterday afternoon with 400 military veterans and their families at Dodger Stadium. Per Doug Padilla at MLB.com:

"Being Veterans Day, Veterans Weekend, having a chance to give a little bit of time to say thank you and spend time with the men and women that sacrifice their life, their family, their time to go defend our country is a no-brainer for me," said Turner, who also visited fire evacuation centers in the Los Angeles area last week. "I would have not been anywhere else.
...
"For me, my guy is Justin Turner, because every time I see him, I'm always watching him and he's always saluting the vets and he's always into the vets," Ortega said. "So that's my favorite player right there. He is a good teammate, and it reminds me of all the guys I was with [in the Army]. It was all about teamwork."

Pic above via @Dodgers on twitter. Below are more links to check out:

This Day in Dodgers History: In 1974 Steve Garvey was named the National League MVP; receiving 13 of 22 first-place votes. Lou Brock was the runner-up. In 2003 Eric Gagne becomes the ninth reliever to be named a Cy Young winner. He recorded 55 consecutive saves this season. In 2014 Clayton Kershaw becomes the first pitcher to win the National League MVP award since Bob Gibson of the Cardinals in 1968. He received 18 of 30 first place votes.
Happy Birthday, Andrew Friedman, Moose Clabaugh, Alex Kampouris, Steve Lembo, Steve Bilko, Wes Parker, Tony Abreu & Carlos Frias!
Podcast: Dodgers Digest - ‘Dugout Blues’ episode 249 – Kershaw, Freese, Grandal, Ryu, Zaidi (Podcast Link).
Podcast: True Blue LA - Podcast episode 1832: Farhan Zaidi gone, Hyun-jin Ryu back (Podcast Link).
ICYMI: Yasmani Grandal has rejected the Dodgers Qualifying Offer and is now a free agent. The Dodgers will receive a draft pick after the Competitive Balance Round B in the upcoming draft.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, on the other hand, is the only player in the league to accept the Qualifying Offer, per Matt Kelly at MLB.com. His new one-year contract will be for $17.9MM. This should not have been a surprise for anyone, including Andrew Friedman of the Dodgers.
Per Arrick Joel at Dodgers Low-Down; "Japan All-Star Series: How the Dodgers Performed in Tokyo."
As you surely know by now, Walker Buehler came in third place in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Ronald Acuna Jr. of Atlanta took home the crown. Buehler received 1 1st place, 1 2nd place and 20 3rd place voted, per Richard Justice at MLB.com.
Via Jim Callis at MLB.com; "Dodgers' Walker turns AFL hitting campaign around."

Walker homered in his first AFL game but then fell into a 2-for-23 tailspin that included 15 strikeouts. He has tried to adopt a more patient approach and flourished since, batting .286/.407/.619 in his last six contests.

"It's more about trying to put the ball in play a little more, cutting down with two strikes, trying to take the little base hit over the shortstop's head, something simple like that," Walker said. "It's been better the last two weeks, starting out was a little slow, but I feel like it's picking up."