Lost in the hype and hoopla of Thursday afternoon’s MLB hot stove action that saw former Angels and Rockies right-hander Tyler Chatwood sign a three-year / $38 million contract with the Chicago Cubs and former Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon and his 5-year / $50 million contract traded from the Miami Marlins to the Seattle Mariners was another transaction, although it pales by comparison.

In the midst of the Dee Gordon breaking news that had the Twittersphere abuzz, a short one-line tweet by Kansas City Royals beat writer Jeffrey Flanagan popped up that immediately caught one Dodger fan by complete surprise.

Me.

What’s the big deal about Scott Barlow, you ask?

To be perfectly honest, not a whole lot … well, unless you’re Scott Barlow, of course. It’s also a pretty big deal for yours truly.

You see, Scott just so happens to be from my home town of Santa Clarita, California and I spent considerable time covering him and the rest of the Dodgers Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes during their remarkable Cal League championship season in 2015, due in no short part to some kid named Cody Bellinger, the eventual Championship Series MVP.

Barlow picked the right night to have his career game on September 18, 2015 in Game-2 of the 2015 Cal League Championship Series, during which he struck out a career high 11 while walking none in the eventual 4-3 Quakes win over the San Jose Giants. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Interestingly enough, Barlow’s six-year minor league career got off to a rough start, when the 6′-3″ / 215-pound hard-throwing right-hander had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2012. But he rebounded nicely and quickly made his way up the ranks of the Dodgers minor league system.

During that 2015 championship season with the Quakes, the then 21-year-old New London, Connecticut native appeared in 14 games (13 starts), posting a very impressive 8-3 record and 2.52 ERA while striking out 64 and walking 32 in his 71.1 innings pitched; good enough to earn an invitation to the prestigious Arizona Fall League one month later.

Unfortunately, Barlow struggled at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels, so much so that the Dodgers did not offer him a contract following the 2017 season. As such, he became a free agent until Thursday’s announcement that the Kansas City Royals had signed him to a one-year deal and added him to their 40-man roster.

Barlow’s contract with the Royals is rather unique. It is a “split contract” that is structured so that he will receive $650,000 if he makes the Royals 25-man major league roster or $225,000 if he is on their minor league roster.

Regardless, this is a great opportunity for the Dodgers former 2011 sixth-round draft pick out of Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita (Go Grizzlies!), and we wish him nothing but the very best with the Royals.