Blog Kiosk: 3/9/2020 - Dodgers Links & News - Some Odds and Ends

Just some Dodgers' having some fun at Camelback Ranch, pics via @Dodgers on twitter.

Below are more links to check out:

• This Day in Dodgers History: In 1943 the Brooklyn Dodgers received soon-to-be Hall of Fame centerfielder Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner and Al Glossop from the Phillies in exchange for veteran infielder Babe Dahlgren. Although, Waner did not join the club for the 1943 Baseball season. Instead, he asked to be placed on the voluntary retirement list and took a wartime job at the Douglas Aircraft plant in Oklahoma City. Lloyd would eventually join Brooklyn for the 1944 season (playing briefly with his brother Paul -- also a fellow Hall of Famer), but would eventually be released by mid-June -- He slashed .286/.412/.286/.697 in just 14 at-bats, primarily as a pinch hitter.
• Happy Birthday, Rube Yarrison, Arky Vaughan, Terry Mulholland, Koyie Hill, Daniel Hudson & Willy Aybar!
• Video: Watch SI's Steven Douglas interview Dodger prospect Marshall Kasowski (video link).
• Video: Via Jerry Trotta at 12UP -- "Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger Competing in Bar and Drinking Games is Amazing." (video link)
• Here's something fun -- to distract you from the craziness around you. Via Dylan Parker at The Travel -- "Dodger Stadium In L.A., California Is Worth Visiting (Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher And These 13 Celebs Know It)."
• Oh, no! Not Willie! Per TR Sullivan at MLB.com -- "Calhoun has fractured jaw after being hit by pitch." Willie is one of my favorite former Dodger prospects, and I was really looking forward to this season for him. Worse yet, Julio Urias, a friend and former teammate of Calhoun, threw the pitch.

“I felt so bad for him because he wasn’t saying anything and you could tell he was hurting,” teammate Joey Gallo said. “It’s tough because I’m really, really close with Willie. He’s one of my best friends, so to see that happen and him go down like that, it was really, really tough. I just tried to be there for him and make sure he knew we were all around him and trying to help him and just praying that he’s OK.”

...
“We’ve known each other since we were in the Minor Leagues together,” Urías said. “He was always one of the teammates I had a good relationship with, him and Alex Verdugo. In the second inning, I really had a hard time and I didn’t feel like myself out there. I’ve never been in a situation like that. It was really hard. I just really didn’t feel like it was me out there. 

“After the second inning, I kept praying for him. He was in my thoughts. I went out for the third inning and I have to continue my job. I trust in God, put it in the hands of God and go out and focus on pitching.”

• Via a tweet from Jorge Castillo:

Dave Roberts said Julio Urías exchanged texts with Willie Calhoun yesterday. Calhoun fractured his jaw yesterday when he was hit by a 95-mph fastball from Urías.

— Jorge Castillo (@jorgecastillo) March 9, 2020

• Guess who'll be showing up Topps 2020 Opening Day set? Photo on right per Jaime Jarrin's Facebook:
• Per Ken Gurnick at MLB.com -- "Who's this 33rd-round pick impressing Dodgers? McKinstry could become latest big leaguer from 2016 Draft."

“I went looking for a left-handed pitcher and found a shortstop,” said Magnuson. “I just remember this skinny kid at shortstop really caught my eye. He was athletic, moved well, quick feet. Looking back at my report, I didn’t see him hitting 19 home runs (his 2019 total). I didn’t predict that kind of power. I remember he was a super nice kid, but when he got on the field he played with a chip on his shoulder. He wanted to beat you.”

• Via Rowan Kavner at Dodger Insider -- "The 24-year-old who could help optimize Dodger All-Stars."

(Rob Hill) began chatting with Dodgers director of player performance Brandon McDaniel and vice president and assistant general manager Brandon Gomes. He liked the way they cared about their players and went about problem-solving. That was attractive to Hill, who said it can be difficult to be creative in a place and a sport where data rules.

“It’s like objectivity or nothing,” Hill said. “I personally like to bridge subjectivity and creativity in with the objective data to find a more natural, true path to improvement. I don’t really like the cold-cut stuff as much because people don’t like it, so it’s hard to convince them to do it. I like to take a more personal approach.”

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