Cuban import Hector Olivera, who went 2 for 4 (while being robbed of a third hit) in a nationally televised game Thursday at Double-A Tulsa, has been promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
In six games with the Drillers, the 30-year-old Olivera went 7 for 22 with a grand slam and three walks, for an .855 OPS. He also had a slick defensive play at third base in Thursday’s game, charging a ball hit down the line.
The transaction puts Olivera alongside the Dodgers’ top young prospect, Corey Seager, who went 2 for 4 with a double Thursday in Oklahoma City’s 3-1 victory over Barry Zito and Nashville. Seager now has a .356 on-base percentage and .419 slugging percentage in Triple-A, despite playing home games in the most run-depressing environment in the Pacific Coast League.
[milbvideo id=”35016585″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /] By Jon Weisman
Ronald Torreyes, a 22-year-old minor-league infielder, has been acquired from Toronto in exchange for cash considerations by the Dodgers, who also designated infielder Darwin Barney for assignment.
A native of Venezuela, Torreyes was orginally signed by the Reds as a 17-year-old in early 2010. He has a career .353 on-base percentage and .410 slugging percentage in 537 minor-league games, though he has only gone 7 for 50 with two doubles and four walks in his most recent stint, for Double-A New Hampshire.
Torreyes has played the majority of his career at second base while also dabbling at shortstop, third base and the outfield. He played for Triple-A Oklahoma City last year when it was an Astros affiliate, but is being optioned to Double-A Tulsa by the Dodgers.
The 29-year-old Barney was on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster this year but played only two games, going 0 for 4. After being acquired by the Cubs on July 28 last year, the 2012 Gold Glove winner had a .467 on-base percentage in 45 plate appearances, lifting his career OBP to .294.
With Triple-A Oklahoma City, Barney had a .273 OBP in 121 plate appearances.
From the team that put the Sand in Sandy Koufax and the Beach in Brandon Beachy: Dodgers Beach Bag Night opens the next homestand at Dodger Stadium on June 17.
Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Yasmani Grandal, C
Andre Ethier, LF
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Brett Anderson, P
By Jon Weisman
After taking right-handed college pitchers with six of their first nine picks, the Dodgers didn’t drift very far from that focus as the 2015 MLB Draft concluded today.
Although the Dodgers drafted five catchers between rounds 12-21, the franchise still ended up using 22 of their 42 picks overall on northpaws — 17 of them from college. (See the round-by-round list here.)
Howie Kendrick’s home run and two-run single in the Dodgers’ 3-1 victory Tuesday over Arizona practically speak for themselves, so here are some thoughts on some other Dodgers …
Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 7:10 p.m.
Chris Heisey, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Alex Guerrero, LF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Alberto Callaspo, 3B
Carlos Frias, P
By Jon Weisman
Justin Turner’s knee is still stiff after taking a foul ball Monday, and Joc Pederson is “a bit worn down and beat up,” so they are resting tonight along with Andre Ethier against Arizona lefty Robbie Ray.
I can barely remember how I lived before Baseball Reference’s searchable Play Index came into my life, but a perfect example of the irrational pleasures it provides me came Monday night, when I got it into my head to figure out where Turner ranked offensively in history among Dodger third basemen.
Do you want an All-Star Game with no Dodgers in the starting lineup? If your answer is “No, I do not want an All-Star Game with no Dodgers in the starting lineup,” then get involved in the fan voting for the All-Star Game.
Click the image below to enlarge the current results, which show that the Dodgers’ lone position leader, Adrian Gonzalez, has fallen into second place.
Here’s a link to MLB’s 2015 Draft Tracker of the Dodgers’ selections. Today brings rounds 3-10, and you can either follow along at MLB or see your updates as they come here at Dodger Insider.
The third round begins at 10 a.m., with the Dodgers making the 26th pick of that round and 101st overall.
But with his seven-inning performance in the Dodgers’ 9-3 victory over Arizona, the 27-year-old righty continued to thrive at Dodger Stadium — and in fact, set a standard worth noting.
Not since Jerry Reuss in June 1982 — nearly six years before Bolsinger was born — had a Dodger pitcher retired 32 straight batters at home, the way Bolsinger did from the second batter of the first inning May 23 through the third inning tonight.
“Everything just felt smooth, from the curveball to the fastball,” said Bolsinger, who struck out eight tonight and lowered his ERA to 2.08. “Everything just felt right.”
Bolsinger, already establishing himself as about as easygoing as they come for a starting pitcher, holds no grudges against the Diamondbacks for taking him off their 40-man roster last fall and then selling him to the Dodgers for cash.
“The way I think about it, it’s probably like $5 million, $6 million, right?” Bolsinger joked.
But pressed further, Bolsinger acknowledged that he has had to make huge strides, on the field and off, to make himself a rotation regular. And though he believed in himself, even he seems a little blown away by the speed of his transformation.
Using the competitive balance draft pick (74th overall) they acquired from Baltimore in the Ryan Webb deal, the Dodgers selected 6-foot-3 college right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz from Virginia.
Sborz, whose brother Jay spent eight seasons in pro ball, pitched in relief as a freshman at Virginia before moving into the rotation as a sophomore. He returned to the bullpen in 2015, serving as the Cavaliers’ closer and thriving in the role. Sborz’s arm strength is what defines him as a prospect. He’s shown a fastball that he can crank up to 98 mph on occasion, though it usually sits in the 93-95 mph range, with some sink. He has a slider that should be at least Major League average and while he doesn’t need a changeup much in short relief, he will show occasional feel for the pitch. Scouts aren’t in love with his funky arm action, but the stuff is hard to be denied. Sborz didn’t pitch badly as a sophomore starter, and it’s possible a team taking him early could decide to send him out in a rotation. But he more than likely profiles as a hard-throwing short reliever at the Major League level.
The younger brother of one-time major leaguer and second-round pick Jay Sborz, Josh has the potential to be the second in his family to reach the big leagues. The younger Sborz has bounced back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen for Virginia, and scouts have had ample time to evaluate him in both places. Sborz has a less than conventional delivery, with a stab in the back followed by a deep finish out front that makes his stuff difficult to square up. His fastball works mostly at 90-94 mph, but can reach 95 and the pitch features late life, which allows Sborz to generate poor contact. His best offspeed pitch is his slider, which plays as an above-average pitch because of how late it breaks, but the pitch lacks the shape and depth of the standard swing-and-miss slider. Sborz tends to struggle with fastball command, sometimes elevating the offering and running into trouble. Even so, many scouts believe Sborz has the stuff, as well as the body, to make it as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
The MLB draft resumes beginning with the third round Tuesday morning.
[mlbvideo id=”82575983″ width=”550″ height=”308″ /] By Jon Weisman
Mitch Hansen, a 6-foot-4 left-handed outfielder from Plano Senior High in Texas, is the Dodgers’ second-round pick (67th overall) in the 2015 MLB draft.
One of the more well-rounded position players in the 2015 Draft class, Hansen has solid tools across the board. Evaluators who like him think several of those could develop into plusses, though he’ll have to get picked early to deter him from his Stanford commitment. Hansen has a fluid, compact left-handed swing and a good feel for hitting. He uses the entire field, has performed well against quality pitching on the showcase circuit and with the U.S. 18-and-under national team, and is growing into some power. He’s not especially quick out of the batter’s box but flashes plus speed at times once he gets going. Hansen has enough speed and arm strength to play all three outfield positions, though he profiles best in right field. Scouts have compared him to Michael Saunders and Mets prospect Brandon Nimmo, a high school first-rounder in 2011.
In 1991, the Blue Jays were enamored enough with a tall, sweet-swinging and academically-inclined lefthanded-hitting outfielder to pick him sixth overall, which was enough to induce him to forgo his scholarship to Stanford. Both Shawn Green and the Blue Jays made a wise decision as Green went on to play nearly 2,000 MLB games. He’s unlikely to go in the top six picks, but Hansen, a tall, sweet-swinging and academically-inclined lefthanded-hitting outfielder with a Stanford commitment will face a similar decision. Hansen has been a two-sport star at Plano playing quaterback/wide receiver and outfield and his sister just set an Ivy League record in winning the women’s heptathlon. Hansen has an ideal corner outfielder’s frame as he should add significant good weight to his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame. He plays center field for now and shows good reads and routes, but will likely grow to a corner spot as he gets bigger and slows down. He’s currently an above-average runner who turns in plus times at his best. His arm is below-average. His swing can get long at times, but it’s a smooth stroke with some lift and leverage that could eventually produce above-average power. Signability is a question if he falls far in the draft.
Walker Buehler at the 2014 College World Series (Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
Given that he wasn’t drafted by the Texas Rangers, the first thing Walker Buehler’s name brings to mind is the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Buelher has steered into that skid, taking the Twitter handle @buehlersdayoff.
“I do actually like the movie,” Buehler said. “I’ve seen it a bunch of times, probably 10 times. It’s one of those things, where you get to your first day of school, every teacher tries to reinvent the wheel, do the whole skit, so at some point I just went with it.”
Buehler already has a taste by pitching at the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic in March.
“It was awesome, man,” he said. “I guess it was the first time I ever pitched in a big-league park. It was a cool environment, cool area.”
Buelhler said that of all Dodger pitchers, the one he sees as a role model is Zack Greinke, because of a “similar body type” and, Buehler dares to dream, a similar type of pitching.
“We’re really excited to be able to take Walker at 24,” said Dodger director of amateur scouting Billy Gasparino. “He has a lean, athletic build, a power three-plus pitch mix and is a quality young man.”
All in all, Buehler was still digesting his newfound status as a potential Dodger.
“Pretty cool day,” Buehler said about two hours after his selection, adding that he didn’t have an inkling in advance that the Dodgers would draft him. “You have an idea of where you think you want to go, but I don’t think you ever know anything.”
With the 35th overall pick in the MLB draft — compensation for the free-agent departure of Hanley Ramirez — the Dodgers have nabbed Louisville right-handed pitcher Kyle Funkhouser.
Funkhouser ranked as the top prospect on the U.S. collegiate national team last summer, topping the staff with 36 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. That capped a stellar sophomore season during which he tied for the NCAA Division I lead with 13 victories and helped Louisville reach its second straight College World Series.
Undrafted out of an Illinois high school in 2012 because of his commitment to the Cardinals, Funkhouser has a solid three-pitch mix that begins with a 92-96 mph fastball. Both his slider and changeup show flashes of becoming plus offerings as well.
Funkhouser’s 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame is built for durability. There’s some effort to his delivery, though not enough to lead scouts to think he’ll wind up in the bullpen. His biggest need is to improve the consistency of his control and command.
… Funkhouser has a lengthy track record, including being the ace of USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team last summer, and has proven very durable. Thickly built at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Funkouser had made every start over the past two seasons and averages 111 pitches a start this season, having topped 100 pitches in 11 of his first 13 starts. Funkhouser’s control is well below-average for a first-round college arm. He’s improved his control as a junior, but his 3.7 walks per nine innings is a high number. Part of Funkhouser’s control issues come from the life of his fastball; sometimes it simply leaks out of the zone thanks to its excellent run. Funkhouser’s two-seam fastball is a potentially plus pitch. He pitches at 91-94 mph down in the zone with a two-seamer with plenty of bore and he gets excellent extension. He can elevate with a four-seamer that touches 96-97 mph when he needs it but it’s a truer pitch that’s easier to hit. The rest of Funkhouser’s assortment is solid. His slider shows flashes of developing into a plus pitch as he can throw it for strikes or bury it and he has shown a feel for using it to backdoor righthanded hitters. His curveball is more of a get-over pitch. He uses his changeup infrequently but it has a shown average potential. Funkhouser has a solid chance to be a solid mid-rotation starter who keeps the ball in the park. His stuff would seem to indicate that he has a higher ceiling, but so far he’s yet to show the command to unlock that potential consistently.
With their first-round selection, the 24th overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft, the Dodgers have selected 6-foot-2 Vanderbilt right-hander Walker Buehler.
One of three potential first-round picks from Vanderbilt, Buehler had an exceptional summer, sharing playoff MVP honors in the Cape Cod League and pitching well with the U.S. collegiate national team after helping the Commodores win the College World Series. He missed the first two weeks of the 2015 season with elbow soreness but bounced back after that.
Buehler has a deep repertoire featuring four potential solid-or-better big league pitches and the ability to throw all of them for strikes. His best offering is his 90-96 mph fastball, and while he sometimes gets caught in between his curveball and slider, both can be weapons. His changeup similarly varies from inconsistent to effective.
Buehler could have been a draft pick in the top two rounds out of a Kentucky high school in 2012 had he been signable away from Vanderbilt. The biggest knock on him is that he’s just 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, but he had been durable prior to this spring. His athleticism and sound delivery should allow him to remain a starter.
And here’s Baseball America’s take:
Buehler had a busy summer last year. After helping Vanderbilt win its first-ever national championship, he pitched briefly for Team USA and was then named co-MVP of the playoffs in the Cape Cod League, as he helped Yarmouth-Dennis to the championship. His start to his junior season at Vanderbilt was delayed by elbow soreness, but he’s pitched well since rejoining the Commodores rotation. At his best, Buehler has four above-average offerings. He throws his fastball in the low to mid 90s, though it doesn’t have a ton of life. That, in addition to his clean arm action, allows him to pound the strike zone, but also makes it a bit easier for hitters to square the pitch up if he misses in the zone. His curveball and slider both show promise and he has a good feel for spinning the baseball, but they run together at times. He gets good fading action on his changeup. Though at a listed 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, Buehler is taller than teammate Carson Fulmer, he isn’t very physical and also lacks ideal size for a righthander. Scouts have more confidence that Buehler will be able to remain in the rotation, however, thanks to his deep arsenal, athleticism and more polished delivery.
Buehler has already pitched at Dodger Stadium. He started in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic against Texas Christian on March 8, allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts over four innings.
Buehler’s Twitter handle is, wonderfully, @buehlersdayoff. Fellow Vanderbilt pitcher David Price was taken out of high school by the Dodgers in the 2004 draft, but chose to go to college.
What happens when three old friends in crisis fall into an unexpected love triangle? In The Catch, Maya, Henry and Daniel embark upon an emotional journey that forces them to confront unresolved pain, present-day traumas and powerful desires, leading them to question the very meaning of love and fulfillment. The Catch tells a tale of ordinary people seeking the extraordinary – or, if that’s asking too much, some damn peace of mind.
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Attendance
1991-2013
Dodgers at home: 1,028-812 (.558695)
When Jon attended: 338-267 (.558677)*
When Jon didn’t: 695-554 (.556)
* includes road games attended
2013
Dodgers at home: 51-35 (.593)
When Jon attended: 5-2 (.714)
When Jon didn’t: 46-33 (.582)
Note: I got so busy working for the Dodgers that in 2014, I stopped keeping track, much to my regret.
By Jon Weisman
