Los Angeles Dodgers: 31 interesting facts about the 2017 Dodgers

Owners of a 59-29 record, good for an organizational all-time best .670 winning percentage, the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to accomplish some very special things.

This is a team where miraculous comebacks are commonplace. Nearly every night features a new hero, and literally each player on the Los Angeles Dodgers is contributing. While some of the names and their respective bodies of work are familiar, others simply represent a jersey and a clutch hit or inning pitched.

In an effort to further humanize the 2017 Los Angeles Dodgers, here is one interesting fact about each key Dodger performer thus far in 2017.

Clayton Kershaw – his great uncle, Clyde Tombaugh, discovered Pluto.

Alex Wood  – batted .408 with three home runs and 23 RBI as a high school senior.

Rich Hill – grew up in Massachusetts idolizing Wade Boggs and Mo Vaughn.

Kenta Maeda – was listed at 6′, 154 pounds when he was first posted by the Hiroshima Carp to the major leagues.

Brandon McCarthy – is very active on Twitter, and is considered one of the most insightful and humorous athletes in the social media sphere.

Hyun-Jin Ryu – has a recurring role on Running Man, a South Korean variety series.

Luis Avilan – is a key contributor of the pitching staff for the Cardenales de Lara in Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

Sergio Romo – his grandfather, Evaristo Romo, was scouted by the Mexico City Diablos Rojos but refused to sign because he had to earn a living.

Josh Fields – batted .632 with 18 home runs in 19 games and 53 RBI his junior season at Prince Avenue Christian School in Georgia

Grant Dayton – struck out 20 in seven innings during a 6A playoff game for Bob Jones HS in Alabama.

Brock Stewart – son of former Illinois State baseball coach and San Diego Padres scout Jeff Stewart.

Pedro Baez – batted .248 with 45 home runs and a .701 OPS in 1,850 at-bats in the minor leagues prior to converting to pitching.

Brandon Morrow – struck out 17 batters, allowing only one hit in a start for the Blue Jays in 2010.

Kenley Jansen – batted .229 with a .647 OPS and 15 home runs as a catcher in the minor leagues.

Yasmani Grandal – the Cuban emigré and family were part of the last group to leave Cuba under the “Special Cuban Migration Program” lottery.

Austin Barnes – nephew of Mike Gallego, former Major League infielder and member of the World Series champion 1989 Oakland A’s.

Adrian Gonzalez – played in Liga Municipal de Tijuana, a competitive public baseball league in Mexico.

Cody Bellinger – was projectable as a pitcher in the Perfect Game showcase in 2012, garnering this favorable scouting report: ” Also pitched, raw mechanics with some effort, long arm action, loose out front, fastball topped at 88 mph, some spin and bite on 74 mph curveball.”

Logan Forsythe – part of the historic Tampa Bay Rays team that beat the Cuban National Team with President Barack Obama and Raul Castro in attendance in 2016.

Chase Utley – made 15 errors in his first 18 games as a shortstop for UCLA before improving enough to capture All-America honors.

Justin Turner – while a member of the Cal-State Fullerton Titans, he was hit in the face with a fastball during the College World Series. He was taken to a hospital but returned to the game on crutches and with a baseball-sized bruise.

Corey Seager – received an invite to try out for the 16-U National team only when a few middle infielders selected to participate dropped out. He made the team as a last-minute finished 18-of-35 (.514 batting average), leading Team USA to the gold medal in the Pan Am Games in Mexico in 2010.

Kiké Hernandez – had a cameo appearance in the long-running soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful, in 2016.

Chris Taylor – has one of the most famous hits in University of Virginia history, smacking a walk-off single to send UVA to the College World Series.

Joc Pederson – son of former Dodger Stu Pederson, he played for the Israel national baseball team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Yasiel Puig – the story of Puig’s defection from Cuba to the United States is “dark and complicated.” And a must read.

Franklin Gutierrez – the medical condition carried by Gutierrez, ankylosing spondylitis, can cause the spine to turn into something resembling “a bamboo stalk.” He attributes a rigorous stretching routine and an anti-inflammatory diet for helping him maintain his health.

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Scott Van Slyke – saved the life of his three-year old brother, Jared, who was drowning in a hot tub in 1992. Scott was only seven at the time when he pulled his unconscious brother out of the water.

Trayce Thompson – along with Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar and his brother Klay, a guard for the Golden State Warriors, is part of a triumvirate from the 2007-2008  Santa Margarita High School state championship basketball team that each went pro in different sports.

Andre Ethier – was the author of a popular food blog, Dining with ‘Dre, which was active from 2009 – 2013.

Andrew Toles – his father, Alvin Toles, was a first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 1985.

There will be more stories and contributors to the remainder of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season, so stay tuned to L.A. Sports Hub for more personalized updates later in the season.