Clayton Kershaw SP Los Angeles Dodgers 2012 National League Cy Young Award Winner-May 15th, 2012

Clayton Kershaw is a left handed starter for the Los Angeles Dodgers  His four seam fastball (which has been clocked at 95 MPH,) combined with a nasty curveball and change-up, makes him one of the best pitchers in baseball.  He was drafted right out of high school by the Los Angeles Dodgers with their first round draft pick (7th pick overall.)  He quickly moved up the through the Dodger minor league system and was called up May 24th 2008, and has been with the big club ever since. In 2011, Clayton compiled a 21-5 record with a 2.27 ERA, 5 complete games and 248 strikeouts and  won the National League Cy Young Award  When Clayton isn't blowing away hitter at the plate, he is spending time reaching out to those in need.  He is part of a non-profit group called Arise Africa, which helps spread the gospel and helps the poor.  Feel free to check them out-www.ariseafrica.org 


We arrived a few minutes after the gate opened and walked in and saw that Clayton was doing his in between starts work in the bullpen.  He threw for about 10 minutes, and when he got done, he tossed his ball to a young girl who was watching him throw.  He walked over to where I was standing and I handed him my ball and asked him who his favorite player was.  "Will Clark," he said without a hesitation.  When I asked him why, he said, "because he's from Dallas," which is where Clayton was born and grew up.  As he walked off, he took the time to sign one last autograph for the young girl who he tossed the ball to.  I was very impressed with how polite and friendly he was, and surprised that a man wearing a Dodger jersey would have for his favorite player a former Giant!  


All in all, baseball needs more players like Clayton Kershaw on...and more importantly, off the field.