Dodgers News: Kenta Maeda Getting Comfortable With Team
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda has been fantastic in his first two spring starts for the team, and fans have slowly begun to realize just how much he can help the team and just how good he can actually be. So, it should come as no shock to anyone that he’s starting to get comfortable with his new surroundings.
Maeda was signed by the Dodgers during the offseason after he came over from Japan. The worry about his right elbow dropped his asking price. The Dodgers signed him to an absolutely team-friendly incentive-laden contract. That hasn’t dampened his spirits, though, as he’s performed on the mound and, now, in the clubhouse.
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From Mike DiGiovanna, a contact reporter at the Los Angeles Times:
The Japanese right-hander further ingratiated himself to his new team in a clubhouse meeting this week when, at the request of Manager Dave Roberts, he performed his “MaeKen” dance, in which Maeda leans forward at the waist and, wrists limp, rapidly waves his arms and elbows in windmill fashion.
It sounds more and more like Maeda actually has a dance named after him. The “MaeKen” could be something that sweeps through the clubhouse like wildfire.
On the mound, Maeda is a commanding strike thrower who can get the whiff through a variety of pitches. In the clubhouse, it sounds like the rest of the team is embracing him and loving his free spirit and style. It’s something you love to see out of a new addition to the team no matter who it is.
