Los Angeles Dodgers Farm System Discussion
by John Sickels on Dec 19, 2009 2:02 PM EST
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PrintPersonal and family obligations are going to keep me busy for a couple of days. I will check in here occasionally to make sure you aren't running amuck too badly, but I probably won't have the Blue Jays done until Tuesday.
The next team is the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be followed by the Oakland Athletics.
Use this thread to discuss the Dodgers farm system. It's thinned out as the upper levels but there are still some intriguing properties here, namely toolsy shortstop Dee Gordon and a group of live-armed pitchers headlined by Chris Withrow, Ethan Martin, 2009 draftee Aaron Miller, Josh Lindbloom, and Allen Webster. Who else do you like in this system?
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Yeesh
Color me unimpressed. I don’t see much here to like other than the guys John already mentioned (and I’m not all that sold on Lindblom). I do like Lambo; I don’t think he’s going to be an All-Star but I see him as a solid regular.
Mike Emeigh http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/minor_key/
the pitchers
are still young with solid upside….Withrow, Miller, Lindblom, Martin….and Janssen could be in the mix for a bullpen spot out of ST.
raygu
by Ray Guilfoyle on Dec 19, 2009 3:02 PM EST up reply actions
dont forget
allen webster, garrett gould and my favorite Nate eovaldi..
Love the arms, not so much the bats
Not many hitters in the system I’d feel confident projecting as regulars. Seems like every time a position player breaks out, Ned trades them. The Dodgers do have a lot of power bats in the lower levels but most of them probably won’t pan out.
yup
carlos santana top 10 prospect in MLB gone for casey blake..
josh bell top 30 prospect in mlb gone for george sherrill
if we had those 2, the dodgers might have one of the best systems in MLB..
Scott Elbert
Apparently he’s going to be given the opportunity to win the 5th starter role in spring. If he can stay in the rotation he becomes significantly more interesting.
+1
Always a fan. Has swing and miss stuff, very intriguing guy if he’s in the rotation… most seem to have either forgotten about him or are ready to pronounce him a reliever for life.
Letting who down?
He was very good last year as a starter with a 12.6 K/9 in AA and a 10.2 K/9 in AAA. The 19 major league innings is completely irrelevant.
The questions with Elbert are whether he can stay healthy and if he can limit the walks.
Agreed
Who did he let down? He was one of our best prospects a few years ago, when the likes of Kemp, Martin and Billz were in the minors. He got hurt and was slowed. However, he stayed healthy last season and was a beast in the minors… 19 relief innings in mop up roles mean nothing…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 22, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
Big Lindblom fan
colletti has committed to starting him in the rotation this year and i think he has a good chance of breaking spring with the big club………….plus slider, solid mid-90’s fastball, and a change-up and splitter to mix it up……lot of upside here and he’s close to contributing
BA
says Lindblom could be a closer….and he almost made the team out of ST in 2009.
raygu
by Ray Guilfoyle on Dec 19, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions
Wrong, wrong idea.
He shouldn’t be making the team out of ST to go to the pen. Wrong idea, big time.
"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it" ~ Mae West
Trayvon Robinson..
CFer.. has some power hit 17 home runs this year combined in A+ and AA (mostly A+) Also had 60 walks.. and just started switch hitting too so he is still learning… also had 47 steal but got caught 20 times so he has some improving to do on the basepaths.. and he also strikes out a ton but still had a 300 average.. really became a walk machine late in the season..
Aaron Miller
What are folks’ impressions of his ceiling, time-table and risk? BA says potential #2, though he’s still adjusting to full time pitching, it sounds.
Re: Aaron Miller
Tough to gauge his ceiling because of his lack of pitching experience. I wouldn’t rule out him being a #2, but I would project him more as a #3. It’s like how you usually won’t put a ceiling on a non-1st round high school pitcher. I see his main risks being a lack of track record and lack of experience throwing a change, but if he continues to adjust to pitching well I could see him reaching the majors in 2011. Although the Dodgers, with the exception of Kershaw, have been slow to bring guys into the rotation.
Mario Songco and Brett Wallach… two sleepers to keep your eye on.
by another know it all on Dec 19, 2009 2:47 PM EST reply actions
Gerald Sands
The way he’s approaching the plate, look out for a breakout year next year. I’m excited for this guy. He’s 6-4/210 so the power is there.
by Julio Nievas on Dec 19, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions
and he was playing CF in ogden
but in A ball went to first base cause the outfield was full… i expect a big breakout year for him next year..
He just turned 21
So he’ll be in A-ball and if he has a productive year, he’ll be double A at 22..
by Julio Nievas on Dec 19, 2009 3:16 PM EST up reply actions
Sands
looks alot like Russell. Big power, terrible plate-discipline, old for his league…. eh
by another know it all on Dec 20, 2009 3:38 PM EST up reply actions
sands
was only 21 and tore the cover off the ball in A ball at the end of the year when he was promoted… and he does not have terrible plate discipline.. he can take a walk but also strikes out some too
I'm also looking for Nate Eovaldi to have a breakout year
He’ll be starting for great lakes, this time without the Martin/Eovaldi tandem.
by Julio Nievas on Dec 19, 2009 3:37 PM EST up reply actions
kyle russell
you either love him or hate him.. does this guy have a chance at all to make it to the bigs with all the Ks hes putting up in A ball at 23 years old??
branyan a possible comp.
His numbers actually look a little similar to Russell Branyan when Branyan repeated the Sally League:
Branyan (1996): 482 PA, 20 2B, 40 HR, 62 BB, 166 K, 268/355/575/930
Russell: 481 PA, 39 2B, 26 HR, 72 BB, 180 K, 272/371/545/916
Of course, Branyan was 20, while Russell turned 23 in the middle of this season. I don’t really know what Branyan was like back then, but Russell sounds like he has more athleticism and defensive value than him.
Allen Webster
Has terrific stuff, could be a great reliever. Too skinny to be a starter right now, needs to add more muscle.
A question my favorite blogger once asked...
Do the Dodgers draft evil people, or do they turn them evil once they’re in their system?
Hector Sanchez: Underrated. Fighting body bias since the 2009 off season. I still love you, son, even if you're fat.
Evil players are a scarce commodity, easier to develop them.
The Dodgers have had a lot of success converting players, particularly to the dark side.
it sounds bad and mean, but I was kinda happy that it came out that he was playing hurt for most of the year… because last year wasnt pretty at times
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 22, 2009 4:15 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah he had a huge year 2 years ago then struggled badly last year
This year will be critical
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
I love the pitchers
We have guys like Withrow, Martin, Eovaldi, Gould, Miller, Webster, and Elbert who have TOR stuff. Elbert is ready now. Withrow, if he does well at AAA, could be a Sept call up. I have read on multiple Dodger blogs that they think he will be a top 100 and possibly top 50. Gould, Martin, Miller, Eovaldi and Webster are young and are mainly projection. However, all those guys could be #2s or #1s…
The other guys are kinda thin. Gordon, Lambo, and Robinson, IMO, have star potential, among others. Gordon seems like a Jose Reyes type. He was held out of talks when we were talking about Felix Hernandez(shows how high they are on him). Robinson had a break out year last year, and if proven it isnt a fluke, becomes a legit prospect. With Lambo, every one needs to take a chill pill. He is a prospect that has been pushed through the system very fast. He is still very young and proved he could hit AA pitching in the first month. He had a hard time adjusting to the pitchers after. I think that this is a big year for him, and I think he steps up.
I have been high on DeJesus on sites like MLBTR and MOKM, but it seems like his tools are more of an average 2B/SS rather than an all star. I hope he gets a chance to come back slowly next year, getting ABs and time at AAA before he is called up. However, he could be MLB ready…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 19, 2009 7:41 PM EST reply actions
Tons of big power arms from AAA to the Rookie Leagues.
Sister SBNation TBLA, this is how I see the prospects.
http://www.truebluela.com/2009/12/1/1179992/killing-arbitration-time
Course we can now add Ely and Link to the conversation. How about that, Ned actually traded for minor league help. Wonders never cease.
Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen
Nobody Has Mentioned Scott Van Slyke
Baseball America ranked Roger Kieschnick the #7 Giants prospect, and put him among the Top 20 prospects in the California League. Scott Van Slyke of the Dodgers did not make BA’s Cal League Top 20, and he did not make BA’s Dodger Top 10, even though the Giants, according to BA’s John Manuel, are supposed to have a much better farm than the Dodgers. Check out Kieschnick and Van Slyke’s stats from the Cal League in 2009:
Kieschnick: .296/.345/.532, 36 BB’s, 130 SO’s in 517 AB’s
Van Slyke: .294/.373/.534, 61 BB’s, 128 SO’s in 496 AB’s
They were both 22 in the 2009 season, and both play RF. BA calls Van Slyke the Dodgers’ best defensive outfielder, so nobody can point to defensive shortcomings to explain the lack of respect.
I think it is just another example of Dodger prospects being overlooked or underrated compared to similar prospects in other teams’ systems.
is there a park factor difference ?
the cal league is funny like that.
Agreed, but...
…it’s also a great compliment to the Dodger’s drafting and player development skills. Considering the “limited financial resources” available the past few years (translation: McCourt has little money) , I think they’ve done a great job. People don’t recognize some of these guys as prospects until they have played a year or two in pro ball.
by wonderphenom on Dec 19, 2009 11:02 PM EST up reply actions
kenley jensen...
.watch out for this guy right here…catcher turned into pitcher. he is a future closer.. 97 mph heat from a 6-6 220 pound monster 22 year old…
Lindblom
John, you spelled his name wrong… :)
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 21, 2009 9:37 PM EST reply actions
Garrett Gould
Was wondering what people thought of Gould?
He’s gonna be an F*in stud, IMO. He should have been a top 10 pick in the draft, but fell because he basically said he was going to college. Some how, we convinced him to come…
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 22, 2009 12:03 AM EST up reply actions
he was not projected to be top 10
more like late right round to supplemental
by matthewmafa on Dec 22, 2009 12:30 AM EST up reply actions
He also at no point said he was going to college. Gould was one of the more signable of the first round type HS pitchers.
I think you are cunfusing him with someone else. It was a sure fire he was going to college, and that scared some teams off. He fell to the Dodgers and they took a chance. I believe he was going to Baylor, but I am not 100% on the school
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 23, 2009 1:57 AM EST up reply actions
thanks
I remember his family really wanted him to go to college and he thought he could have gotten his stock higher than it was. Scared plenty of teams away, and he fell to the Dodgers
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 23, 2009 2:51 AM EST up reply actions
mechanics
sure there were some signability issues but what probably scared most teams away were his mechanics. he’s got a little effort in his delivery and a lot of scouts don’t like his arm action. that’s what separates him from the Zach Wheelers and the Chad Jameses
I should have said could have, not should have. Anyways, my point is he has a lot of talent..
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 22, 2009 12:32 AM EST reply actions
Pedro Baez
Young 3B. I think he could be pretty good.
Hoping for BowkerMania to hit AT&T Park in 2010
Blake Smith?
What do people think about him, miserable debut, but the Dodgers and other people expect big things from him as a hitter and maybe as a pitcher
horrible as a hitter
convert him to a pitcher already..
by matthewmafa on Dec 23, 2009 12:53 PM EST up reply actions
next year is huge. If he struggles, he goes back to pitching. Otherwise, he remains a hitter. We’ll see..
by lakersdodgersyankees4life on Dec 23, 2009 5:25 PM EST up reply actions
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