Category Archives: Awards Season

Dodgers shut out at Gold Glove awards.

Posted on by
Reply

No Dodgers will win Gold Glove awards this season. That was an anticlimactic revelation in an hour-long show on ESPN2 Tuesday night, when the awards were announced on live television for the first time.

Florida Marlins pitcher Mark Buehrle got the award over Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the last of the Dodgers’ finalists to be announced. Kershaw completed his second consecutive errorless season and hasn’t committed an error since Aug. 1, 2010 but Buehrle, who left the Chicago White Sox to sign with the Marlins last winter, has won the award each of the last three seasons in the American League.

Jason Heyward of the Atlanta Braves edged Andre Ethier for the award among National League right fielders. Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees got the nod over Adrian Gonzalez among American League first basemen (Gonzalez was one of three AL finalists despite being traded to the Dodgers in August).

Three Dodgers won Gold Glove awards last season — Kershaw, Ethier and center fielder Matt Kemp.

Trout, Harper win postseason rookie awards.

Posted on by
Reply

Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are the American League and National League rookies of the year, respectively, in voting announced Tuesday by the IBWAA.

That stands for Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and, if you haven’t heard of it, you’re not alone. The results are relayed here because several voting members (yours truly included) are also voting members of the BBWAA, whose results are used to determine the “traditional” award winners at the end of each season. So think of this as a possible harbinger of awards to come — the Golden Globes to the BBWAA’s Oscars, if you will.

Trout won the AL award unanimously, followed by A’s outfielder Yoenis Céspedes and Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish. Harper was followed by Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Wade Miley and the Cincinnati Reds’ Todd Frazier.

Andre Ethier, Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez named Gold Glove Award finalists.

Posted on by
Reply

Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier and pitcher Clayton Kershaw were named finalists for National League Gold Glove Awards at their respective positions Monday.

Ethier ranked second among National League right fielders with a .988 fielding percentage, committing just three errors in 146 games (142 starts) in right field this season. His streak of 282 games (276 starts) from July 10, 2010-July 25, 2012 without an error was the second-longest active run among non-pitchers in baseball behind only Franklin Gutierrez and the second-longest errorless run by a Dodger outfielder behind only Brett Butler’s 306-game run from 1992-94.

Clayton KershawKershaw completed his second consecutive errorless season and has not committed an error since Aug. 1, 2010 — a span of 76 games. At 24, he led the Majors with 11 pickoffs and has either led or tied for the National League lead in pickoffs in each of the last three seasons.

Both players won the award for the first time last season. So did Matt Kemp, who won’t get a chance to defend his award after a defensively stout but injury-riddled 2012 campaign.

Adrian Gonzalez will get a chance to defend his Gold Glove from last season — in the American League. He made just three errors at first base with Boston before being traded to Los Angeles, and is one of three finalists in the AL (along with Eric Hosmer and Mark Teixeira). Gonzalez also won a pair of Gold Gloves in the NL while playing for the Padres in 2008 and 2009.

Gold Glove winners will be unveiled Nov. 9. Here’s the complete list of nominees from both leagues:

Continue reading →

Players Choice Awards Finalists Announced.

Posted on by
Reply

The Dodgers were shut out Tuesday when finalists for the Players Choice Awards, the honors handed out annually by the MLB Players’ Association, were announced.

Perhaps the most surprising omission was Clayton Kershaw, who was passed over for the National League Pitcher of the Year Award in favor of Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto, R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets and Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez.

With one start left on his schedule, Kershaw leads the National League in earned-run average (2.58) and WHIP (1.033), and is second in strikeouts (221 in 219 2/3 innings). If this is a preview of the Cy Young Award voting, it’s proof that Kershaw’s 13-9 record could be a major hindrance to his campaign. Kershaw gets the 12th-worst run support of any NL pitcher.

The complete list of nominees:

Continue reading →

A.J. Ellis receives Roy Campanella Award

Posted on by
Reply

The Dodgers didn’t know what they were going to get from A.J. Ellis this year, at 31 years old and an everyday major-league catcher for the first time in his life.

Seamlessly, Ellis has asserted himself as one of the National League’s best defensive backstops and an on-base machine — in the process giving Dodgers necessary stability at the most important defensive position and an everyday number eight hitter. He’s also handled a pitching staff that ranks third in the NL in ERA (3.42) and second in opponents’ batting average (.239).

For these reasons, Ellis was named the winner of the seventh annual Roy Campanella Award, given to the Dodger player who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Fame catcher. The award, which was voted upon by Dodger uniform personnel, will be presented to Ellis by Campanella’s daughter, Joni Campanella Roan, during pre-game ceremonies Saturday night.

Continue reading →

Vote Kershaw in 2012.

Posted on by
Reply

Clayton Kershaw was selected by his teammates as the Dodgers’ nominee for the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, given annually to the MLB player whose on-field performance and contributions to his community inspire others to high levels of achievement.

Fans can log on to MLBPlayers.com to vote Kershaw as the league-wide winner through 9 p.m. Sunday.

Kershaw currently leads the NL with 206 strikeouts and ranks second with a 2.70 ERA, trailing only the Mets’ R.A. Dickey (2.68).

August Dodger Pride Award winners announced.

Posted on by
Reply

Josh Wall, Jerry Sands, Steven Ames, J.T. Wise, Ryan Acosta, Joc Pederson, Craig Stem, O’Koyea Dickson, Lindsey Caughel, Eric Smith, Jackson Mateo, Paul Hoenecke, Jose Diaz and Luis Alcantara were the minor-leaguers honored with Dodger Pride Awards in August, the team announced today.

The Dodger Pride Awards were created in 2008 by Ned Colletti, and are given on a monthly basis to the players at each level of the club’s minor league system who play the game with a “hustling, smart, aggressive style.” The players and staff on each respective club vote for the awards.

Here’s more on what each played did last month:
Continue reading →

Mattingly to receieve Lasorda award.

Posted on by
1

Don Mattingly will be honored with the Tommy Lasorda Managerial Achievement Award at the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation’s “In the Spirit of the Game” Spectacular in on Jan 12, 2013.

Lasorda annually presents the award at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. This is believed to be the first time the former Dodger manager will hand the award to the current Dodger manager. Previous winners of the award include Jim Leyland, Mike Scioscia, Gene Mauch, Bobby Cox, Whitey Herzog, Tony LaRussa and Bobby Valentine.

The annual gala attended by 1,500 guests, including many prominent figures from the world of sports, entertainment and media, benefits baseball scouts who are in need. Over the past nine years, the foundation led by Dennis Gilbert has raised over $1.5 million.

Kershaw (2-0, 0.00 ERA) named NL Player of the Week.

Posted on by
1

Clayton Kershaw doesn’t have the longest consecutive scoreless innings streak by a Dodger pitcher this season. His National League Player of the Week award collected Monday is nothing new, either — it’s the third won by a Dodger in 2012 (Matt Kemp won it on back-to-back weeks to begin the season).

But things are going good right now for the Dodgers, and Kershaw joined the party last week. He went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 16 innings (the most thrown by any NL pitcher), with 10 strikeouts, three walks and 10 hits allowed.

Seven days ago, Kershaw tossed seven shutout innings, striking out six and allowing just four hits in the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.

On Saturday night, Kershaw outdueled St. Louis Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook in a 6-0 shutout at Dodger Stadium. He also doubled and scored a run in the Dodgers’ four-run seventh inning, which broke a 0-0 tie.

The left-hander currently ranks second in the National League with 61.2 innings pitched, and is third among qualifying pitchers with a 1.90 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. This is his second career weekly award, the other coming June 27, 2011.

Kershaw’s streak of 22 scoreless innings dates back to May 8 against the Giants and is 2.2 innings shorter than the season-high set by Chris Capuano.

In recognition of his award, Kershaw will be awarded a watch courtesy of Game Time.

The Dodgers visit the Diamondbacks tonight (6:40 p.m., Prime Ticket).

Matt Kemp is the NL Player of the Week.

Posted on by
Reply

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp is on pace for 81 home runs, 324 RBIs, 41 stolen bases and a .412 batting average.

That’s what happens when you put up monster numbers in the first four games of the season. And when those games constitute the entire first week of the season, you earn National League Player of the Week honors, as Kemp did Monday.

From the official press release:
Continue reading →