The Trolley Dodger

With Andy LaRoche on his way to Pittsburgh, and with the rental Casey Blake likely only here this season, all eyes will turn to Blake DeWitt next spring.

From the Dodgers minor league report today, seems like DeWitt is doing pretty well so far in his first AAA experience:

BLAKE CAN RAKE: INF Blake DeWitt is 6-for-14 (.429) with a double, a triple, two homers, and seven RBI in three games since being optioned to Las Vegas on Saturday…the 22-year-old was selected by the Dodgers in the first round (28th overall) of the 2004 draft.

51s Roster, also available as a PDF. If you’re in Vegas this Friday, you might try to get to the game for Russell Martin Bobblehead Night.

Russell Martin Bobblehead Night will be presented on Friday, April 4 at Cashman Field. The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a “Martin Bobblehead” in a 51s uniform. The 51s will host the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, at 7:05 p.m.

Suns Roster

“2008 Jacksonville Suns Roster Announced”

The 2008 Suns are fielding two top pitching prospects who each saw time in Jacksonville in 2007: right-hander James McDonald and left-hander Clayton Kershaw. McDonald, a 2002 draft selection, is considered to have the best curveball in the Dodgers minor league system. He posted 64 strikeouts in just 52 innings and carried a 1.71 ERA for the Suns in 2007 and will start for the Suns on Opening Day. Kershaw, a first round pick in the 2006 draft, is considered to have the best fastball in the Dodgers organization, along with a drop-off-the table curveball. He finished the season in Jacksonville after posting stellar numbers at Single-A Great Lakes last year, his first full professional season. The 20-year-old Kershaw has been projected as a starter for the Dodgers as early as this season.[...]

Loons Roster

“Loons’ Opening Day Roster Set”

The Great Lakes Loons, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Dodgers, have released the opening day roster for the second season of Loons baseball. The roster is highlighted by nine players who played for the Loons in 2007 returning to action at Dow Diamond and six players ranking in Baseball America’s Top 30 prospect list.

There are big changes afoot for the Las Vegas 51s, according to this AP story “New Las Vegas 51s owner outlines plans, wants new name”.

Apart from the name change, there are some new additions to Cashman Field, including a spiffy new video scoreboard and a party deck.

Longer term, there may be a replacement field, not to mention a new big league affiliation.

A new ballpark isn’t a top priority, [new owner Derek] Stevens said, even though Las Vegas’ affiliation with the Los Angeles Dodgers expires after this season and a renewal could hinge on plans for a new stadium.

“The Dodgers were very clear with us,” Stevens said. “The status of the stadium will be the most significant factor in their willingness to extend our affiliation.”

Stevens said a new ballpark will be needed “at some point” and talked about building a dome.

I’d vote for a pyramid, myself. ;)

So apparently, 7/23 is a popular day for Dodger births — at least seven of them, anyhow, including two Hall of Famers.

• Hod Ford, 1897 (Brooklyn 1925)
• Paul Chervinko, 1910 (Brooklyn 1937-1938)
• Pee Wee Reese, 1923 (Brooklyn 1940-1957, LA 1958)
• Don Drysdale, 1936 (Brooklyn 1956-1957, LA 1958-1969)
• Nomar Garciaparra, 1973 (LA 2006-)
• Larry Barnes, 1974 (LA 2003)
• Hong-Chih Kuo, 1981 (LA 2005-)

Happy Birthday, everybody!

UPDATE

In the minors, Las Vegas 51s 1B Larry Barnes is also a birthday boy today, born in 1974. He celebrated by hitting a double in the first game of the double header against the Rainiers today, then a homer in the second game.

UPDATE #2

According to today’s Inside the Dodgers post, it’s also assistant athletic trainer’s Stan Johnston’s birthday today.

No word yet on the bat boys or Dodger Stadium vendors. ;)

And of course, as the Big League roster gets set, so do the others in the hierarchy. Here are links to the roster info on the minor league teams, although not all have been updated completely yet — probably after the weekend.

AAA: Las Vegas 51s roster

AA: Jacksonville Suns roster

A (High): Inland Empire 66ers (not posted yet)

A (Low): Great Lake Loons press release

Rookie: Ogden Raptors roster (not updated)

Rookie: GCL Dodgers (not updated)