Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Infielder roulette

Monday was a day of past Dodger infielders making news, and present Dodger infielders become past ones.

  • Russell Mitchell was designated for assignment to make room on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster for Todd Coffey. He could return to the organization if he clears waivers. (Remembering 2011: Russell Mitchell)
  • Blake DeWitt, once upon a time known as “The Solution,” was designated for assignment by the Cubs, who acquired him in the Ted Lilly trade a couple years back. DeWitt, 26, had a 95 OPS+ (.305 on-base percentage, .413 slugging) with Chicago in 2011, compared with Adam Kennedy’s 79 OPS+ for Seattle – but don’t expect the Dodgers to give someone up to acquire DeWitt, who more likely would end up back in the minors for the Cubs.
  • Alex Cora is still at it, signing a minor-league deal with St. Louis.
  • Edwin Jackson reportedly turned down a three-year, $30 million deal with Pittsburgh to sign with Washington for one year and $11 million, banking on doing better in next season’s free-agent market (or just determined to set a record for organizations in a career).
  • Dodgers assistant general manager of amateur and international scouting Logan White talked about some of his prize picks – Zach Lee, Clayton Kershaw, Allen Webster, Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Reed – with David Laurila for Fangraphs.
  • Up-and-coming reliever Shawn Tolleson was profiled by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
  • The late Jose Lima is the subject of a recent SABR biography by Rory Costello.
  • Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. is taking a day-by-day look at the Dodgers’ divisional rivals, starting with Arizona on Monday and continuing with San Francisco today.
  • Monday in Jon SooHoo: Blake Griffin and Matt Kemp.
  • Mark Prior is trying one more time to salvage his pitching career, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Drew Silva of Hardball Talk). Prior last pitched in the majors in 2006 and won only two games after his 25th birthday.
  • Also aspiring to come back: Brandon Webb, out since Opening Day 2009.
  • Tim Lincecum talks about Clayton Kershaw, among other topics, in this video passed along by Roberto Baly of Vin Scully Is My Homeboy.
  • Here’s a simple dice baseball game designed for kids ages 3-6, via Baseball Think Factory.
  • One last baseball-oriented remark about “Smash” that I tweeted: “Hilty is the proven veteran talent. McPhee is green but higher-ceiling. It’s Juan Rivera vs. Jerry Sands. Harang vs. Eovaldi.”  Except this wasn’t quite right. It’s more like A.J. Ellis vs. Tim Federowicz.
  • Ten years ago, while on detail for MLB.com in Venezuela, former Dodger communications vice president Josh Rawitch wrote about an up-and-coming Rivera.
  • In this terrific podcast interview, ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Kamenetzky brothers talk to Oscar-nominated actor Gary Oldman about, among many other things in a 45-minute chat, his great admiration and love for baseball.
  • This seemed to fascinate some folks on Twitter late Monday: Take a look at these NPR contributor bios, and see if their pictures match with your images of them.

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17 Comments

  1. Anonymous

    I haven’t listened to the interview, but I find it odd that Oldman, who apparently moved to the US in his thirties, would feel such an attachment to baseball. I tend to think that our attachment to any sport is formed during our childhood.

    •  Prepare to find otherwise!  Though his original and deepest attachment was to soccer.

      • Anonymous

        I was raised as a baseball fan and it’s still my favorite sport to watch, but I love Saturday mornings in the fall and winter to watch the English Premier League. 

      • Anonymous

        I do, of course, find it admirable.

  2. Anonymous

    In the Boston Globe link, there are a couple sentences about Charlie Haeger needing Tommy John surgery and missing the 2012 season.  Too bad, would like to see him get some ML time.

  3. While I’d love to see DeWitt back in the Dodgers’ org, yeah doesn’t sound like that’s gonna happen. Mitchell could be back, doubt anyone wants to give up much of anything for him. 

    Btw I have mixed feelings about Fangraphs sometimes but that Logan White piece is gold! Every fan should read it.

  4.  AJ Ellis responded to the “Smash” comparison on Twitter. I like that he reads blogs.

    • I love it.  He even spelled “Anjelica” correctly, something that maybe 90 percent of people would get wrong.

  5. Anonymous

    How’s that for the local angle:  Peter Sagal was “named by New Jersey Jewish News as one of the top ten Jewish entertainers from New Jersey.

  6. SteelMohawk

    We Just signed Jaimey Wright.  Are we signing Jesse Orosco next? 

  7. Anonymous

    So was DeWitt never as promising as Joe Torre and I thought, or did he fail to develop?  

  8. Anonymous

    From a performance standpoint, I feel Dewitt, Mitchell, Miles, Kennedy et al. are completely fungible. I don’t know if Dewitt has any more upside, but I would certainly have preferred a homegrown meaningless player like Dewitt to the imported variety.

    • I love a good use of “fungible”.  Thanks.  And I also admit to an irrational preference for homegrown meaningless players.

      This is my first post-move comment.  Personally, I didn’t find the ESPN site to be stultifying, but it’s good to see a few old commenters return.  For myself, I’ll go to ESPN or anywhere for trenchant prose and lively commenting on the Dodgers.

  9. One year ago today: Dodgers sign Aaron Miles.
    http://atmlb.com/xJi4yq 

    • Anonymous

      I’m sure someone can find the DT thread from that day.  I would guess that it was overwhelmingly against the signing.

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