Dodgers notes: Tyler Anderson, Tony Gonsolin, Futures Game

On a rare Sunday off day for the Dodgers, we have the MLB Draft starting up, and the calm before the storm with the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game coming Monday and Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

In the meantime, here are some notes from Saturday, including the Futures Game and more.

Tyler Anderson was named to his first All-Star Team Saturday, and the veteran left-hander was surprised, telling Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, “Obviously you hope, but I wasn’t expecting it by any means ... We had plans with my girls to go to Disneyland and the beach for a couple days.”

Hannah Keyser at Yahoo Sports wrote a wonderful profile on Tony Gonsolin’s path from college outfielder to major league All-Star pitcher, which included this aside about his feline fandom: “He doesn’t talk about them a ton, but that’s definitely a thing,” Clayton Kershaw confirms. “He loves cats.”

Helene Elliott at the Los Angeles Times advocates for Clayton Kershaw to start the All-Star Game: “Other pitchers have gaudier numbers, including Dodgers teammate Tony Gonsolin. But no one is more deserving of this honor and this moment than Kershaw, especially on the field he has graced for 15 seasons, where we’ve marveled at him, suffered with him at times and felt exalted with him, too.”

Miguel Vargas on his Futures Game experience with fellow Dodgers prospects Bobby Miller and Diego Cartaya, to Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic: “That was kind of a special moment. I hope we can do that soon in the future, with the Dodgers…It was an emotional day. Being at Dodger Stadium, all the fans here, it’s probably the best moment of my life playing baseball.”

Jim Alexander at the Orange County Register talked to Miller, who struck out three in his one inning at the Futures Game, allowing a run. Miller said this of Dodger Stadium: “I was like, ‘Wow, this is it. This is where I want to be one day for a long time.”

Emma Baccellieri at Sports Illustrated wrote a wonderful detailed and personal tale of the 30th anniversary of the film ‘A League of Their Own,’ the upcoming Amazon Prime series of the same name that builds off the firm, and the old stadium of the Rockford Peaches. It’s a tremendous read from Baccellieri, who says of the film: “Its portrayal of sisterhood is pitch-perfect, expertly navigating the intense, fraught overlap between love and competition.”