Video game-esque numbers

What was your favorite baseball video game growing up? Stratomatic (pre Atari)? Earl Weaver Baseball? RBI on Nintendo? The more recent versions of MLB-licensed games for X-Box or Playstation?

For me, it was Baseball Stars on Nintendo, where you could build your own team and rack up sick stats. And that’s what Shawn Tolleson is doing these days in the minors. Tolleson’s prep teammate, Clayton Kershaw takes the mound today against the Reds while another of his teammates, Jordan Walden, is the Angels’ closer. In fact, Kershaw might have been the third-best pitcher on their high school travel team and Tolleson is showing why these days.

After Tommy John surgery shelved him in high school and sent him to college at Baylor rather than the minors, the Dodgers drafted and signed him last year. In his first pro season, he had a 0.63 ERA and 17 saves so he popped up on a lot of radars. But what he’s doing this year is, well, the exact same thing. In 21 games for three different minor league teams, he has an identical 0.63 ERA with 13 saves and has struck out 52 batters in 28.2 innings. That’s a career so far of 47 games, 30 saves, 57.1 IP, 28 hits and 91 strikeouts. Those numbers belong in a video game, not the minor leagues.

This winter, Tolleson and Kershaw were groomsmen in each other’s wedding and Dodgers Magazine had a cool feature on them back in Spring Training. You can download it here: p58-62_Kershaw_Tolleson

193 comments

  3. trublu4ever

    We MUST produce with RISP….we MUST improve at the bottom of our lineup….we MUST implore Donnie to put the best team (ha-ha) on the field everyday. No more platooning! We MUST get rid of FRANK & NED!

    Reply
  4. messagebear

    Lucky Martin. Lucky Loney?
    Read an article about Martin becoming the regular catcher with the Yankees after recovering from his operation. Can’t say that I disagree with the decision not to tender him after his degeneration the last couple of years and the injury, but the Dodgers seem to have a dismal record with handling most of their young prospects, especially if they have to be nursed through any kind of injury. Coincidence?
    I don’t think so.
    *
    Then comes Loney. He’s not been injury prone, but nobody seems to be able to straighten out his hitting – nobody with the Dodgers that is. I can easily see him with another team next year, and he’ll come back to be a successful first baseman once he’s from under the cloud of this ownership and management.
    How many more “lucky” guys are out there, ready to depart this sorry organization?

    Reply
      • nedsajerk

        I don’t think Honeycutt have nothing to do with these pitchers getting hurt. Heck we was in the top 3 in the NL in pitching in 2008 and 2009 and we was so bad in 2010. Rubby is a starter so 5 to 6 innings shouldn’t be any problem for him.

  10. vl4eccjr

    Good afternoon all.
    Here’s hoping Kershaw gets them back on the winning track today.
    Here’s a funny one I dug up on Baseball-almanac.com.
    .
    A recent Scottish immigrant attends his first baseball game in his new country and after a base hit he hears the fans roaring run….run! The next batter connects heavily with the ball and the Scotsman stands up and roars with the crowd in his thick accent: “R-r-run ya bahstard, r-run will ya!” A third batter slams a hit and again the Scotsman, obviously pleased with his knowledge of the game, screams “R-r-run ya bahstard, r-r-run will ya!” The next batter held his swing at three and two and as the ump calls a walk the Scotsman stands up yelling “R-r-run ya bahstard, r-r-run!” All the surrounding fans giggle quietly and he sits down confused.

    A friendly fan, sensing his embarrassment whisper, “He doesn’t have to run, he’s got four balls.” After this explanation the Scotsman stands up in disbelief and
    screams, “Walk with pr-r-ride man! Walk with pr-r-ride!!!!”
    . There’s alot of neat stuff on this site. . .

    Reply
  11. messagebear

    In my view Honeycutt is a ballhanger, as in one who deserves to be hanged by them, regardless of how well the current pitching staff performs. When it comes to Conte, I doubt that he has any, so I can’t quite label him as the same.

    Reply
    • enchantedTheBeav

      Bear, I have to agree with you. Where I think Bunnynutts is particularly lacking is in the development of young pitchers. I think Kersh should be a little further along in his development, and Billz should be WAY further polished as a complete pitcher by now. Young relievers?, forget it. All Bunny did as a pitcher was nibble nibble nibble, and generally, that’s all his staffs do.

      Reply
      • JhallWally

        Yep!! I’m sure they will be very happy. It sounds awful, but, the more we lose now, the sooner Frank and Ned are gone. Plus, I don’t want Ned doing any buying at the trade deadline. We need to be sellers. Although, we don’t have anything to sell.

  26. nedsajerk

    I just check the Reds ERA and they are ranked 15 in the NL in there starters ERA ahead of the Cubs but have a good bullpen.

    Reply
  50. nedsajerk

    lol walking a reliever pitcher now that is bad. I remember when Guerrier got one and an rbi to.

    Reply
  60. JhallWally

    Whew!! Wow, what a win. Congrats to Guerra on your 1st big league win. Only the 4th time since the Dodgers moved west in 1958 that the Dodgers have come back from 5 or more down after the 7th inning. Pretty impressive. Especially since Blake, Sands, and Loweeney didn’t do shit!!! Carroll, Miles, Gwynn, and Kemper really mashed today.

    Reply
  62. nedsajerk

    I’m looking forward to the draft I hope White go off the routine and draft a couple of bat in the 1st round than those HS pitchers and hope a 1st baseman.

    Reply
    • nedsajerk

      Quote To Note:

      “It’s the same process as always. We’ll go after who we think is the best player. Sometimes, we might not like a player as much as somebody else (is projected). We might feel he’s not worth the money. It doesn’t mean it’s a financial restriction. You can expect us to draft as normal. If we’re high on a pick, we will take him. I think we’re going to have a lot of success.”

      —Logan White, the Dodgers’ assistant general manager in charge of scouting, on the 2011 draft, which starts Monday.

      Reply
  64. trublu4ever

    Good Morning. Here’s todays lineup:
    Carroll, ss
    Miles, 2b
    Ethier, rf
    Kemp, cf
    Blake, 3b
    Sands, lf
    Barajas, c
    Loney, 1b
    Billz, p
    \|/ \|/ \|/ \|/ \|/ GO TEAM GO!!!!

    Reply
    • nedsajerk

      I still like Blake batting 2nd and no way Loney batting 8th. I seriously think this is the best lineup. Having Blake protect Kemp is prefect instead of Uribe and Loney.

      Reply
      • enchantedTheBeav

        I don’t see much difference. Blake’s not hitting either. Basically, Kemp’s on his own EVERY game.

      • nedsajerk

        Well seeing how Ethier got a 2 outs double and Kemp was ibb in the 1st game while Gibbons was batting behind Kemp I think Blake is a bigger threat than Gibbons.

  76. grizzy

    The sooner Orel, Garvey and that very rich guy get control of the team, the better.

    I’ve never thought Ned has done a horrible job. Hind sight makes some of his moves look simply awful, but that is with the benefit of hind sight. Still, any new owner(s) will want their own people and it is probably better to start with a clean slate anyway. If I was Ned, I’d be making contacts,trying to figure out a place to land But… first things first. C’mon, Frank, Do the right thing.

    Reply
  82. nedsajerk

    How the hell did Bills k’s Votto who was hitting over .330+ and Bruce and couldn’t get a .220 hitter and the pitcher who was hitting under .100 and he was trying to make an out?

    Reply
  87. messagebear

    I’ll admit that I prefer watching Sands to seeing Thames or Gibbons or Gwynn in the outfield, but the realization comes that Sands, to say the least, is not ready to be a major leaguer or may always be just a good hitting AAA player. We’ve had Hoffman up who fit that category, and Paul who the management figured fell into that category. I know that we’ll bring back Thames and give Gibbons and Gwynn many more chances, although they’re only marginal major leaguers if that, but I’m ready for Sands to go back to ABQ, and I’d like to see what Oeltjen or Travis can show here in the majors when we need the next outfielder up here. Sands has been given a reasonable opportunity to claim left field, but he doesn’t belong there either, at least not yet.

    Reply
  88. nedsajerk

    I didn’t know my uncle pass away on May 27 but than again that was my cousin dad and I haven’t seen him in over 20+ years.

    Reply
  100. nedsajerk

    lol Kcal announces bashing Baker. I don’t think I ever seen them bash Torre but we all know he does to.

    Reply
  105. nedsajerk

    What was that? I don’t understand why pitcher try to pick off a runner out at 2nd when they don’t have a chance of getting the runner out.

    Reply
  110. nedsajerk

    I wonder why Baker not playing Renteria but I guess he didn’t know he was a Dodgers killer in the past.

    Reply
  123. selltheteam

    Damn it! We’re in third place and only 5 1/2 games out. This is ruining everything. Fans will start showing up at Dodger Stadium. Ned will think we should be buyers, not sellers.
    .
    Hurry up, Frank! Sell the Team!

    Reply
    • trublu4ever

      I have the feeling they like to play on the road. Afterall, they are playing in front of a big crowd….with enough Dodger fans there to cheer for them.

      Reply
  124. nedsajerk

    Damn look like both managers got tossed in that Nats/Dback games but blah Dback lose and Giants won.

    Reply
  125. StolenMonkey86

    I was a big fan of World Series Baseball for Sega Genesis. Mike Piazza could smack a 495 foot home run from anything thrown at him.

    Reply
  126. jason ungar

    I was so stoked when Dusty walked Loney to get to Bills! Sad but true! I was a huge fan of MLB 04 or 05 for PS2. I would be the GM and make my own good Dodger team and then everynight before bed would play one game as I played the whole season. As a side note when playing the Giants I would simple bean Bonds on the first pitch. No need to pitch to him or waste pitches..

    Reply
    • nedsajerk

      Isn’t Bonds some guy name Stocker back in those game? I have MLB 07 for PS2 and his name was Stocker on that game.

      Reply
  127. nedsajerk

    J.A Happ .350 .409 .550 .959 (to think Happ were 0/26 last year and 4/43 in 2009.)
    Billlingsley .304 .385 .565 .950
    Zambrano .321 .345 .500 .845

    Reply
  129. emma

    Eric, for anyone that never played is also a great read on the players and their gloves. Live all the names Tori Hunter gives his gloves. Btw, great post in the prior thread.
    .
    Next stop on the train is my stop!

    Reply

Leave a reply to trublu4ever Cancel reply