No surprises here.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) November 3, 2020
Congratulations @mookiebetts on being named a finalist for MVP! pic.twitter.com/OqKssXnLVL
Congrats @mookiebetts on winning your fifth straight Gold Glove Award! pic.twitter.com/sBWG3lOlMc
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) November 4, 2020
Congrats @mookiebetts on your fourth #SilverSlugger Award! pic.twitter.com/w4bSQihmRp
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) November 5, 2020
Fri, 6:30p: Clayton Kershaw vs Patrick Sandoval
Sat, 6:30p: Walker Buehler vs Andrew Heaney
Sun, 1p: Dustin May vs Julio Teheran
So, Mike Trout. Best player in baseball. Hands down. I'm a certified Mookiehead and in awe of Aaron Judge, but Trout's dominance is indisputable.
The rest of the Angels? Well, put it this way: Arte Moreno didn't think adding Ross Stripling to his team "would make much of a difference." The Angels' pitching staff has a 4.54 ERA, 22nd in MLB.
But! Do the Dodgers play the Angels well? They do not. I'm not going to look up stats to back up my totally irrational hunch; just trust me on this one. But we have our top three pitchers going and Mookie and A.J. Pollack (!) carrying the offense. But, Mike Trout HEAD EXPLODES
photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Matt Kemp on Frank McCourt selling the Dodgers, from "Kemp touches on contract, Prince, NL MVP" by Ken Gurnick at Dodgers.com:
"I was a little surprised. It's unfortunate for Mr. McCourt. I have nothing but respect for him. We always had a good relationship. Let everybody know I wish him the best."
Oh yeah:
This year, Kemp was voted by teammates as winner of the Roy Campanella Award, which goes to the Dodger who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Famer; he's received the Hank Aaron Award, as the most outstanding offensive player in the NL; the Baseball America Player of the Year; the NL Stan Musial Award, presented by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance; won the Gold Glove Award; won the Silver Slugger Award; was named a finalist for the Players Choice outstanding player in the NL; and was named to The Sporting News NL All-Star team.
photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Kemp nets Silver Slugger for monster year (Ken Gurnick, Dodgers.com)
First you get the hardware, then you get the respect, then you get the paycheck. Congrats to Matt Kemp for being on the road to getting paid. Hopefully by the Dodgers.
photo by Jill Weisleder/Dodgers
1&7: Jon SooHoo/Dodgers via dodgerfan.net; 2&5: Jill Weisleder/Dodgers; 3&4: Reed Saxon/AP; 6&8: Jeff Gross/Getty Images
From "Seven first-timers win Silver Sluggers New class of talented players joins baseball's hitting elite" by Matthew Leach at MLB.com:
If you got the feeling while watching baseball this year that a new class of exciting hitters was emerging, well, you were right. And confirmation came once again on Friday, when seven first-time winners brought home Silver Slugger Awards.First baseman Prince Fielder of the Brewers and shortstop Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies, two of the top candidates for National League Most Valuable Player honors, each picked up their first Silver Slugger, along with Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco, Diamondbacks pitcher Micah Owings, Devil Rays first baseman Carlos Pena and Mets third baseman David Wright....
The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award winners were chosen by Major League coaches and managers, who voted for the players they felt were the best offensive producers at each position in both the American and National Leagues in 2007. Selections are based on a combination of offensive statistics, including batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value. Managers and coaches were not allowed to vote for players on their own team.
UPDATE:
From Josh Rawitch at Inside the Dodgers:
Our congratulations go out to [Martin] and to all of the people in the Dodger organization (past and present) who have helped make him who he is today - from the scout who signed him, Clarence Johns, to those in player development and scouting on his way up the ladder (Jon Debus, Terry Collins, Steve Yeager, Kim Ng, Logan White, Chris Haydock), to his minor league managers (Luis Salazar, Dann Bilardello, Travis Barbary, Scott Little, John Shoemaker, Jerry Royster).
Also, click on the link to read about Dodger scout Lon Joyce winning this year's Distinguished Scouts Award.
