When the Dodgers traded All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp to the San Diego Padres, it set into motion a series of other trades that would ultimately bring four-time Gold Glove winner, three-time All-Star and former NL MVP Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers. But no matter how you slice it, most Dodger fans will forever remember the shocking December 19, 2014 trade as the one that sent the career-hitting .292 Matt Kemp to the Padres for the career-hitting .245 Yasmani Grandal – regardless of who else was involved in the deal. And even though the blockbuster trade is now little more that a painful memory for Matt Kemp fans, and oh there were many, a closer look at Grandal reveals that in spite of the power-number disparity between the 26-year-old catcher and the 30-year-old Kemp, Grandal was actually a pretty good get for the Dodgers.

During last Saturday’s FanFest event at Dodger Stadium, Grandal met the Dodgers media corps for the first time, and if there is one thing that the Cuba native is not lacking in, it’s confidence.

“You take away my knee injury I probably would have posted right around a .280 or .290 batting average, played every single game and hit fifteen-plus home runs,” Grandal said. “So I think that’s a pretty good year.”

Yasmani Grandal faced the Dodgers media for the first time at last Saturday’s FanFest event.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Grandal suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to his right knee during a violent collision at the plate with Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon on July 8, 2013 – an injury that required reconstructive surgery and took Grandal out for the remainder of the season. But the then 24-year-old would make an almost miraculous recovery and actually appeared in the Padres opening night 2014 game as a pinch-hitter and caught one inning in a 3-1 win over – you guessed it – the Dodgers.

And where is Grandal’s surgically-repaired knee at today relative to a year ago?

“It’s a hundred and ten percent,” said Grandal. “It’s the reason why I went to the Dominican Republic [for Winter League play] and I think I showed that I was alright and I think that’s why so many teams started calling in on me [for a possible trade].

Grandal acknowledges that he was a bit surprised to be traded within the division.

“I thought if I was going to be traded it was going to be somewhere outside of the division,” Grandal said. “But for my luck I stayed inside of the division so I still have a dream. I’m just excited to be here.”

Is it flattering to be traded for a player as good and as popular as Matt Kemp?

“No… I mean yes it is but I think both teams got what they wanted,” said Grandal. “The Dodgers were looking for a catcher and San Diego was looking for a big time bat, and that’s what Kemp brought to the table and that’s what I brought to the table. So the trade happened and I’m very thankful to be here and I’m very thankful to be a Dodger.”

In his three seasons in the big leagues Grandal has developed a reputation for being very good at pitch framing – something that has been missing from Dodger catchers for quite some time. Where did he learn this much-coveted skill?

“That’s something that came up in college [at the University of Miami],” Grandal said. “I worked with a catching coach named Joe Mercadante. We worked on it a lot and he basically taught me the groundwork on how to do a good job at it and I think after that it was just natural.”

Grandal is considered by many to be among the best pitch-framers in the game today.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

As most Dodger fans are well aware, Grandal received a 50-game suspension for his part in the Biogenesis scandal in 2013 – something that he is not proud of but also something that he accepts full responsibility for. When asked what that was all about, Grandal was very frank in his answer.

“Everything that’s out. There’s not much… there’s nothing there that I can really tell you,” Grandal said. “The way I see it we make mistakes and we learn from them. Just like the game of baseball, you make a mistake at one at-bat and you come back and you do it all over again.”

The switch-hitting Grandal acknowledges that he has struggled in the past against lefties – except for one, that is. Grandal is 5 for 14 (.357) against Clayton Kershaw with a double, an RBI and a walk. But he also struck out five times against the reigning NL MVP and Cy Young award winner. When it was pointed out to him that he is among very few guys to have put up good numbers against the best pitcher on the planet, Grandal laughed and said what every other hitter feels when facing Kershaw.

“Apparently I did do pretty good against him, but in my mind I didn’t do that good against him,” said Grandal. “But am I glad I don’t get to lose against him anymore? Yah.”