December 9, 2021
1. Yasiel Puig signs with the Kiwoom Heroes (South Korea)
It’s a strange tale, that of Yasiel Puig — one of the most electric major-league players over the last decade, hit a huge home run in the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium, and now after bouncing around between the Reds, Indians, then down in Mexico, now he’ll be heading to Korea for $1 million.
As for why he’s fallen out of favor with MLB teams, he addressed that recently in a video with his agent (from El Diario):
And a few more details, from today’s piece at CBS Sports:
But, maybe things will start looking up for him with a fresh start in South Korea —with the news coming just a day after his birthday, celebrated with a cake on his Twitter account:
2. David Fletcher played in a poker event in L.A. last night
And no one seemed to know who he was:
“I play baseball. I’m a baseball player.”
3. The baseball photo of the day: Dusten Knight
A 31-year-old American pitcher debuted with the Orioles last season, and now he’s down in the Santo Domingo, backflipping his way off the mound:
And the video:
4. Camden Yards will use artificial intelligence for ballpark security next season
Ever get man-handled by an algorithm?
From the Baltimore Sun article, on the beginning sequence of the new Terminator movie:
5. Fernando Tatis Jr. was in a minor motorcycle accident in the Dominican Republic
Bit of a scary headline to read, considering all the bad accidents that have gone on with players down there over the years — but it sounds like he’s completely fine.
6. Vladimir Guerrero has another son dominating baseball
Get these guys both on the Blue Jays. And Vlad Sr. for hitting coach.
7. Toby the Dog got a full tour of Dodger Stadium
Who? Well, check out the video:
8. Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants is forming a women’s team
But can they play against the Rockford Peaches?
9. The owner of the UFC is buying nine MiLB teams
And not obscure or small teams, either — from the article in Bloomberg:
10. And the Minor League “Rule 5” Draft went on yesterday
The major-league Rule 5 Draft was postponed because of the lockout, so this was some of the only baseball signing action we’ll see for quite a while. And if you’re not familiar with what the draft is — from Wikipedia:
A few highlights and notes (not that this is very interesting), from MLB Trade Rumors:
11. The Durham Bulls are returning to their classic “Bull Durham” uniforms
And we might need Nuke Laloosh to take the mound.
12. More miscellaneous news from around the league
Buck Showalter’s interview with the Mets went well:
And some other interesting notes:
13. The Braves win Sports Illustrated’s “Team of the Year”
And very well deserved.
But meanwhile, the organization of the year? That goes to the Rays::
14. And lastly, some great colorized footage of Babe Ruth
