The Dodgers spring training begins in just a few weeks, so you know what that means right? It's time to talk prospects. Unfortunately the Dodgers pipeline is looking a bit gloomy these days. There is definitely some talent in the system, but the quantity and depth is simply lacking. If you read here often you will know that I am big on home-grown talent, which is a lot of the reason I am so frustrated with the state of the Dodgers organization right now.
In the last several years under the Ned Colletti regime, the Dodgers have casted countless prospects away. You ready for this? Josh Bell, Andrew Lambo, Edwin Jackson, Cody Ross, Wilson Betemit, Carlos Santana, Jon Meloan, Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young, Tony Abreu, Joel Guzman, Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, James McDonald, Lucas May, Chin-lung Hu, and Trayvon Robinson.
What names stand out to you the most? For me it's Santana, Bell, Jackson, and Robinson. Seriously look at how many guys Colletti has given up on. I didn't even list all of the prospects, only the more notable ones at the time. Some trades worked out looking back. Guzman is out of MLB and playing in China, LaRoche brought us Manny Ramirez and that led to two straight NLCS appearances, which without him I don't think would've happened. DeWitt, Meloan, Young, Abreu, Wallach, and May haven't really amounted to much and I doubt they ever do. Bell, Jackson, Ross, Santana, McDonald, and Robinson, wow! How different would the team be in 2012 if we still had these guys around, yikes! I don't know if this is as much of Colletti's fault as it is ol' Frank. I blame both because I have seen time and time again where Colletti has been on the short end of the stick. Free agents, trades, whatever the case. I see the Andre Ethier trade back in 2005 as it's Ned's best trade since he's been GM for the Dodgers. But I will note that last season he picked up a decent prospect when he traded Furcal for Alex Castellanos. So what do we have to show for it as of today? Ted Lilly, Michael Antonini, Blake Hawksworth, Anthony Jackson, Tim Federowicz, Stephen Fife, and two appearances in the NLCS. Not exactly what you had in mind right?
So where do the Dodgers stand today? Basically the Dodgers farm system is one of the worst in the league sadly. There is some good talent down there though, so I am going to take you on a quick journey through the top twenty prospects. I gotta admit this was way harder than it has been in years past.
1. Zach Lee- He is a bonafide future superstar. His stats last season were very impressive and he is hands down the best prospect the Dodgers have right now. I think his control speaks for itself, he gave up only nine home runs and struck out 91 batters in his first minor league season. He has great feel for the game, excelling both physically and mentally. He needs to work on his off-speed stuff and breaking stuff as he struggled a bit with his secondary pitches. Scouts love his fastball and cutter, so that's a good sign. I am calling him a potential ace, being for sure a solid number two starter. I project we see him in the rotation in 2014, maybe 2015 at the latest. Lee just turned 20 last September so the Dodgers are in no rush here.
2. Nate Eovaldi- I think Eovaldi graduates off this list in 2012 as he is first in line for one of the DL probables of Harang, Lilly, and Capuano. Eovaldi is penciled in as a sixth starter right now, so that tells you what the Dodgers are thinking. Eovaldi made huge progress last year, the kid has one of the best fastballs I've seen from a young pitcher in awhile. I was concerned about his ability to strike guys out at times, and he walked way too many guys. Eovaldi will be 22 in just a couple days so you gotta figure there will be some obstacles along the way. I project Eovaldi to get some serious innings in the majors this season, and I wouldn't be surprised if he made the opening day roster.
3. Alfredo Silverio- He's the best position player in the Dodgers farm system right now, period. Although there isn't a whole lot of competition for that spot right now. I think he's going to have a huge year for the Isotopes this season. He's got a solid swing with great bat speed and he can hit to both sides of the field. He's has all the tools to be a five-tool major league ball player. He is probably better suited as a corner outfielder, but there is no doubt he has the talent to handle center. I say he's about a year away or so, this season at AAA will tell us a lot. I'm excited to see what this guy does in March.
4. Allen Webster-He's really a top 3 prospect but there's sorta of a three-way tie going on here. Webster is one of my personal favorites and I think he'll do in 2012 what Eovaldi did in 2011. Webster just turned 22 today and he already has amazing off-speed stuff. He has a phenomenal change-up, and the scouts love his slider and curveball. His fastball has solid movement and sits in the low-mid 90's no problem, when needed he can reach back and get up to 97mph. He's got a high groundball ratio with that fast, heavy, sinking fastball he throws, and you know how well groundball pitchers do in Dodger Stadium. Webster projects to be a number two or three major league starter.
5. Chris Reed- The Dodgers 2011 top pick was a shutdown reliever for Stanford for three years. The Dodgers are insistent upon making him a starter, so some caution will be needed as the transition continues in 2012. I really like this guys stuff and see no problem with him projecting as a middle of the rotation guy for the Dodgers down the road. One full season in the minors will give us a better indication on what to expect long term. I would like to point out how much the scouts love him and the kid is only 21.
Here is the rest of the Dodgers top 20 prospects. A lot of names to watch here in 2012. Some of my favorites are Gould, Pederson, Castellanos, and Van Slyke. I am sure we will here plenty more about these guys over the next few months. I wish I had time to break down every single one of these guys, but I just don't. I know, no sympathy, what can you do?
6. Garrett Gould
7. Josh Lindblom
8. Joc Pederson
9. Chris Withrow
10. Tim Federowicz
11. Alex Castellanos
12. Angel Sanchez
13. Alex Santana
14. Shawn Tolleson
15. Gorman Erickson
16. Aaron Miller
17. Scott Van Slyke
18. Blake Smith
19. Jake Lemmerman
20. Ethan Martin
0 comments:
Post a Comment