Pitching was the story for the Dodgers‘ farm system this week, but one positional prospect stood out and was recognized for his great offensive performance.

It’s nice to see youngsters take advantage of their given opportunities.

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Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (1-6)

Player Of The Week

Matt Angle – OF

.333/.448/.583/1.031, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 5 R, 2 SB, 4 BB, 9 K

Angle, who somehow remained on the 40-man roster for the entire 2012 season, is having a decent 2013 so far. He’s getting consistent playing time with the injury to Alex Castellanos. He, along with others, are going to have to pickup the slack with Tim Federowicz and Scott Van Slyke playing in LA these days.

Pitcher Of The Week

Kelvin De La Cruz – LHP

4 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

De La Cruz was an under-the-radar minor-league signing this winter, and so far, he’s pitching well. He’s getting a lot of strikeouts (13.1 K/9) and proving to be a valuable reliever out of the Isotopes’ bullpen.

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Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (4-2)

Player Of The Week

Joc Pederson – OF

.619/.692/.810/1.502, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 SB, 5 BB, 2 K

Pederson was somehow not named Southern League Player Of The Week, but he continues to do nothing but hit for Chattanooga. He’s making all kinds of noise and is quickly becoming a more realistic option to be recalled than Yasiel Puig.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ross Stripling – RHP

6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Not bad for a Double-A debut. The 23-year-old was promoted to Chattanooga and was thoroughly impressive. Stripling is proving to be a fast mover and could be some time in LA next year.

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High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-4)

Player Of The Week

Ryan Mount – 3B

.556/.571/1.074/1.645, 3 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 12 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Mount was named the California League Player Of The Week with an outstanding performance that included a 5-for-5 game. The nearly 27-year-old is this year’s version of C.J. Retherford. Honorable mention goes to Darnell Sweeney, who hit for the cycle in a game this week.

Pitcher Of The Week

Duke Von Schamann – RHP

6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

The Quakes’ starter had another good week and is adjusting to the Cal League rather nicely. With Stripling having been promoted to Double-A, Von Schamann is the most consistent starting pitcher the Quakes have remaining.

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Low-A Great Lakes Loons (1-5)

Player Of The Week

Kevin Taylor – 2B

.348/.423/.391/.814, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K

Taylor got his first action of the season this week and performed well. Too bad he’s about the only Loon who hit even remotely well. Corey Seager is on the disabled list and the “veteran” hitters aren’t hitting right now.

Pitcher Of The Week

Angel Sanchez – RHP

13 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 16 K

It’s disappointing to see Sanchez repeating Low-A, especially at the age of 23, but it’s nice to see he’s pitching well thus far. It’ll be interesting to see if he can continue it, get a call-up to High-A, and try to do better this time around.

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Dustin Nosler is the founder of the site Feelin’ Kinda Blue. He also co-hosts the weekly podcast Dugout Blues. Follow him on Twitter @FeelinKindaBlue or like his site on Facebook.

I remember when I went to see the Quakes in April because I was excited. I had just started the Dugout Blues podcast with Jared Massey (we’re just on an extended hiatus … promise) and we were all prepared to see Zach Lee pitch.

Well the week before I went down to Rancho Cucamonga, a Quakes game got rained out and there was a doubleheader, meaning the rotation got messed up. Instead of seeing Lee, we saw Angel Sanchez. That was fine. I had yet to see him in person and was happy for the opportunity.

Side Note: How much as he sucked in the California League this season? Holy Jesus.

Somehow the topic of seeing another game came up and Massey said, “Watch, we’ll get Andres Santiago or something.” I laughed. Little did I know that, all things being equal, I would have welcomed the opportunity to see Santiago pitch.

—–

Santiago, 22, has been one of the most surprising Dodger prospects in the system this season, and his prowess on the mound earned him a late-season call-up to Double-A Chattanooga.

The Dodgers drafted Santiago out of Puerto Rico in the 16th round of the 2007 draft. Before this season, he had been pretty unremarkable in his professional career. He spent his first two seasons in the Gulf Coast League before spending the next two in the Arizona League. He the skipped Low-A completely and spent 2011 in the Cal League. He went 8-5 with a 5.03 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, and a gaudy 11.1 H/9 rate. Like I said, unremarkable.

This season, however, has been completely different.

He first caught my attention after his April 29 performance in which he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed two hits while striking out 11. Repeating the Cal League or not, that’s something that made me do a double-take. He then spent about a month on the disabled list a week after that performance before returning to the Quakes’ rotation. After that, it looked like he might be settling into his old ways again — three outings in which he allowed 19 earned runs in 13 innings — but he turned it around.

In his last six starts for the Quakes (July 3 through 31), he was fantastic: 1.76 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 4.6 H/9, 0.7 HR/9, 2.0 BB/9, 10.5 K/9, 5.33 K/BB. Those numbers are not accumulated easily in the hitter’s haven, and before his promotion, his FIP sat at a tidy 3.06.

Aside from one blip — five runs allowed in 4 1/3 IP on Aug. 23 — he’s fared pretty well in Chattanooga, too.

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There are a couple things that impress me most about Santiago. First, his increased strikeout rate. While he was able to get solid rates in the past (8.0, 7.4, 8.4 K/9 the last three seasons), he’s stepped up to another level this year. His 9.8 K/9 is second only to Matt Magill for best among starting pitchers in the system.

Additionally, his performance this season against left-handed batters might be the most promising. He actually pitches better against lefties than he does righties.

Against LHP
.194/.263/.340

Against RHP
.232/.323/.353

A reason for that split might be Santiago’s arsenal, which consists of a fastball, slider, and changeup. His fastball sits in the low-90s and can touch 94, while his slider is a weapon against right-handed hitters.

But after his 11-strikeout performance I mentioned earlier, he said it wasn’t his fastball or slider that did the trick for him.

“‘My changeup is the out pitch. I like to throw it with two strikes,’ he said. ‘I actually struck out a couple guys today with my slider, but my best pitch after the fastball is my changeup. If I can throw it for a strike, it’s a strikeout pitch.’”

Sounds like a guy the Dodgers are going to trade in a couple of months a la Rubby De La Rosa. Of course, he doesn’t have the triple-digit fastball De La Rosa has, but it’s nice to see he isn’t afraid to use his arsenal when necessary.

—–

Whatever he’s doing this season, it’s encouraging. When I do my Top 50 prospects in the winter, he’ll be in there. Hell, I think he’s even a Top 30 prospect at this point.

Before the Dodgers traded Ethan Martin and Allen Webster, it was going to be hard for Santiago to crack the Lookouts rotation. Now, he’s probably their No. 2 or No. 3 starter behind Magill and Lee. All in all, he’s now a sleeper in this organization and he has a chance to make a name for himself.

Here’s hoping he does it.

According to George Ofman of WBBM in Chicago, the Dodgers have an offer on the table for the Cubs‘ Ryan Dempster that involves two pitching prospects.

Cubs have at least 2 deals on table for Dempster. One from Tigers including young lefty and from Dodgers for two pitching prospects.

— George ofman (@georgeofman) July 14, 2012

I’ve already explored the potential deal for Dempster and explained why I don’t mind the idea, but the price is a separate issue altogether.

By itself, two pitching prospects doesn’t mean much, as it all depends on the names. So who might the involved prospects be?

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Despite Ned Colletti being Ned Colletti, I would believe that Zach Lee (Age 20|Level A+/AA|3.45 SIERA) and Nate Eovaldi (22|MLB|5.01) would be off the table for a #2/#3 starter rental. Also, Allen Webster (22|AA|3.81) would be an odd inclusion to me, as would Chris Reed (22|A+/AA|3.42) because I feel the organization thinks highly of him.

All of that leaves Garrett Gould (20|A+|3.77) as a potential centerpiece prospect that sticks out once again, as the team was willing to part with him in a Carlos Lee trade. I would think the surging Ethan Martin (23|AA|4.19) could also be a potential centerpiece of a trade, as a friend of mine says he’s touching high-90s again. As for the secondary prospect, Chris Withrow (23|AA|3.96), Aaron Miller (24|AA|4.39), Angel Sanchez (22|A+|4.11), Matt Magill (22|AA|3.66), and Ryan O’Sullivan (21|A/A+|4.50) would be the possibilities. So mix-and-match one from each pool and there you have the potential deal in place.

—–

Would the deal be worth it? Probably.

While both Gould and Martin are likely top ten prospects in the system at this point, and all the secondary prospects have potential value, the Dodgers have a ton of arms in the system. None of the mentioned names strike me as sure thing MLB contributors, and given the bust rate of prospects, I think a deal of this nature is an acceptable risk to take for a rental.

It would be difficult to complain if the team made a deal like the one I proposed above for what represents a clear upgrade in the rotation and a pitcher that slots in nicely behind Clayton Kershaw. However, if the deal includes Lee, Eovaldi, Webster, or Reed, it could come back to haunt the team sooner than later.

This was an interesting week in the minors. The Isotopes actually looked like they were playing in the Pacific Coast League, scoring 45 runs in seven games (6.4 runs per game) while giving up 57 runs (8.1). Despite that, they were still be better than .500 this week. Of course, they got a little help from Matt Kemp and Juan Rivera in Sunday’s game.

The Quakes only scored 16 runs on the week, and that’s not a typo. The Lookouts gave up the fewest runs with 27. That pitching staff, despite the promotions, is really stepping up.

The Loons should get a boost this week from new additions Angelo Songco and Ralston Cash, both of whom made their season debuts Monday.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (4-3)

Runs Scored: 45
Runs Allowed: 57

Player Of The Week

Brian Cavazos-Galvez – OF

Despite struggling mightily in Double-A, Cavazos-Galvez, local to New Mexico, is flourishing with the Isotopes. He went 11-for-24 (.458) with a home run, seven RBI, three doubles, a triple, and six runs scored. I wouldn’t get too terribly excited; Cavazos-Galvez has done well in the hitter’s league and has struggled in the pitcher’s league this season.

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely – RHP

Can there really be a Pitcher Of The Week when the staff allowed 57 runs in seven games? Sure. This week, it’s Ely. Elymania posted a great line this week: 14 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 13 K. This is his second POTW honor, and it’s really surprising to see such a good performance from him in a week the team allowed so many runs. In fact, if you take away Ely’s three runs allowed, the rest of the Isotopes staff allowed 54 runs. That’s … ugly.

After a rough start to the season, Ely has put up some great numbers in an extreme hitter’s league: 3.58 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 0.7 HR/9, 2.2 BB/9, 9.7 K/9, 4.33 BB/K and a 1.85 groundout to flyout rate. He wouldn’t be nearly this good in the majors, but it’s nice to see him pitching well in case the Dodgers need an emergency starter later this season.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (4-2)

Runs Scored: 31
Runs Allowed: 27

Player Of The Week

Pedro Baez – 3B

Nick Buss pushed hard for this award, but Baez gets the nod this week. He went 8-for-20 (.400) with two home runs, six RBI, a double, and, most encouraging, five walks (against three strikeouts). I have long since given up on Baez being any kind of contributor for the Dodgers, but the talent is there, as his defensive ability at third base has never been questioned. His bat, however, hasn’t lived up to the potential. While he’s hitting just .259, he does have a .360 on-base percentage and is improving his pop a little bit.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ethan Martin – RHP

Martin’s resurgence continues, as he had a good start and a mediocre start this week: 11 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 12 K. The walk total was a bit high this week, but it’s still pretty good by Martin’s standards. He’s holding opposing hitters to a .190 batting average and has given up just three home runs this season.

With Nate Eovaldi‘s promotion to Los Angeles (for now), Martin is vying with Matt Magill for the role of Chattanooga‘s ace — something I bet no one was expecting coming into the season (on both accounts).

The Southern League, however, doesn’t agree with my pick as Magill was named league’s Pitcher of the Week (for the second time this season) on Tuesday. He had a fantastic outing on Thursday: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K.  Seems I should have gone with him instead of Martin, but I’m standing by my choice.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-4)

Runs Scored: 16
Runs Allowed: 31

Player Of The Week

Austin Gallagher – 1B/DH

This was slim pickins, as the Quakes scored an unimpressive 16 runs in six games this week. Gallagher was the best of the bunch, going 7-for-22 (.318) with two doubles, two RBI, three walks, and a run scored. Like I said, slim. Gallagher, who earns his second POTW award, is still hitting with some pop, posting a .483 slugging percentage on the season. However, I’d like to see his .264 average come up substantially.

Pitcher Of The Week

Angel Sanchez – RHP

Wasn’t much to get excited about this week on the hill for the Quakes. Chris Reed made his return and Scott McGough was solid out of the bullpen, but Angel Sanchez had one of his best starts of the season, earning him this week’s honor: 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Sanchez has been a bit up and down this season, but hopefully this outing gets him going. He’s issued just two walks in his last 27 2/3 innings. Like Gallagher, this is Sanchez’s second POTW award.

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Great Lakes Loons (3-3)

Runs Scored: 33
Runs Allowed: 39

Player Of The Week

James Baldwin – CF

Baldwin just edges out O’Koyea Dickson for the honor this week. It would have been Dickson’s third consecutive award, but instead, this is Baldwin’s second award this season. He went 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, two RBI, two walks, and seven stolen bases. Baldwin did most of his damage on May 21st, going 5-for-5 on the day.

Despite the solid week, he’s struggled mightily this season. His power has completely disappeared (six doubles, no triples or home runs) and he’s still striking out far too much (35.2 percent). His potential and talent is unquestioned; the ability to harness said potential is what’s in question.

Pitcher Of The Week

Yimi Garcia – RHP

As you can probably tell from the 39 runs allowed in six games, it wasn’t a great week on the hill for the Loons. So, this award is going to the Loons’ closer this week. Garcia was decent but not great this week: 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 saves. Garcia is more than holding his own as a 21-year-old in Low-A (1.93 ERA, 12.5 K/9) and should get the call to Rancho Cucamonga soon.

The Loons are on fire, going 5-1 this week and taking top honors. They also have the week’s top pitcher in Jarret Martin. Surprisingly, the hitters stepped up this week, especially Scott Van Slyke, who helped the Isotopes put up 43 runs in seven games. The Loons allowed 21 runs, while Albuquerque checked in with 22 runs allowed.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (5-2)

Runs Scored: 43
Runs Allowed: 22

Player Of The Week

Scott Van Slyke – OF/1B

Van Slyke tends to hit in waves, and this week was no exception. He went 7-for-23 (.304) with four home runs, eight RBI, six runs scored, and five walks. His best game came on Thursday, when he went 3-for-5 with two home runs against Oklahoma City. He’s up to .330/.406/.626 on the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely – RHP

Elymania! Well, not really. But Ely did have a good week, making two strong starts: 1-0, 12 2/3 IP, 16 H, 2 R (earned), 3 BB, 14 K. Ely has struggled ever since getting off to a fast start in the 2010 season, spending the majority of his time with the Isotopes. Ely has a 4.64 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and .316 BAA so far this season.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4)

Runs Scored: 27
Runs Allowed: 26

Player Of The Week

Jake Lemmerman – SS/2B

Late Night, my boy, had himself quite a week, going 7-for-13 (.538) with two home runs, four RBI, two doubles, six runs scored, three walks, and two stolen bases. Despite starting the season off slowly, Lemmerman is up to .316/.391/.500 this season while splitting time at shortstop and second base.

Pitcher Of The Week

Red Patterson – RHP

Despite being a little old for the league (25 on Friday), Patterson has been awfully effective out of the Lookouts’ bullpen. This week, he pitched in four games and posted this line: 5 IP, 7 H, 1 R (earned), 1 BB, 7 K.

Patterson started with the Loons and Quakes last season and was effective, but with the logjam of starters in Chattanooga, Patterson has been relegated to bullpen duty – and has done well: 2.11 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, and a 10.1 K/9.

He’s nothing more than Triple-A roster fodder, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him throw a pitch in the majors before the end of next season.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-5)

Runs Scored: 37
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Austin Gallagher – 1B

Gallagher is finally tapping into the power potential that a 6’5″, 210-pound frame should have. He went 6-for-20 (.300) with three home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored, and a double. He’s hitting just .265 and has a .336 on-base percentage, but he does have a .504 slugging percentage to supplement his line. If there’s any hope left for him, he’ll start completely mashing – but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Gallagher just edged out catcher Michael Pericht, who hit four home runs this week, including a walk-off shot on Thursday.

Pitcher Of The Week

Angel Sanchez – RHP & Logan Bawcom – RHP

Sanchez had been struggling a little bit, but he put together two fine performances this week: 1-0, 14 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 R (earned), 5 BB, 10 K. His season line isn’t pretty (4.83 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 9.4 H/9, 4.68 FIP), but he’s shown signs of improving.

Bawcom had an impressive week out of the bullpen despite only making two appearances. He threw 2 2/3 innings, allowed two hits, no runs, no walks, and seven strikeouts. He struck out all six of the batters he faced on Friday night. Bawcom doesn’t get a lot of love in prospect rankings, but he’s quietly posting some great numbers as the Quakes closer: 23 strikeouts, six walks, and zero runs allowed in 13 innings.

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Great Lakes Loons (5-1)

Runs Scored: 39
Runs Allowed: 21

Player Of The Week

Joseph Winker – 1B

Like the Loons, Winker had himself a week: 9-for-23 (.391) with a home run, seven RBI, five doubles, six runs scored, and three walks. The 22-year-old is hitting .273/.331/.473 after today with three home runs, 19 RBI, and a league-leading 13 doubles. He’s not much of a prospect right now, but he’s having moderate success so far in the Midwest League.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jarret Martin – LHP

In perhaps the biggest no-brainer for Pitcher Of The Week, Martin continued to have success in the Midwest League. This week’s line: 1-0, 14 IP, 5 H, 1 R (earned), 4 BB, 10 K. He had a bad start on April 26th (5 IP, 11 H, 7 R), but he still boasts a 2.63 ERA, .205 batting average against, and a 2.17 GB/FB ratio.

He definitely needs a promotion to Rancho Cucamonga, and it’s kind of weird that the Dodgers promoted Brandon Martinez instead of Martin, unless the fits the rotation schedule better. If not, Martin should get promoted as soon as possible, especially with Chris Reed suffering from shoulder fatigue.

We’re now two weeks into the minor league season and there are some Dodgers down on the farm who have gotten off on the right foot.

I’ll be focusing on offense here because there isn’t a lot to analyze in regards to pitchers since most of them have either only made a couple starts or have pitched less than five innings in relief.

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Triple-A

This one was tough. It could either be Alex Castellanos or Scott Van Slyke. Both are off to equally fast starts, so I’m just going to chose both.

Castellanos (.333/.444/.556) is playing mostly second base for the Isotopes, and despite the rarefied air in the Pacific Coast League, one thing that has jumped out regarding Castellanos’ quick start: he’s walking.

Coming into the season, Castellanos had a career 7.2 percent walk rate and a 25.9 percent strikeout rate — and that includes his improved walk rate after being acquired by the Dodgers in July. This season, he’s walking at a 17.8 percent clip. He’s probably not going to be able to keep it that high, but it’s an encouraging step in the right direction.

Van Slyke hit home runs in three of his first four games this season and is primed for a big season in Triple-A — that is, until he gets the call to the majors.

Van Slyke (.381/.469/.690) is leading the team in all three triple-slash categories (batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage). But the most impressive stat might be the fact he’s only struck out two times this season (in 42 at-bats).

Van Slyke struck out 100 times in 457 at-bats (21.9 percent) with the Lookouts last season. That’s not a terrible rate, but it could stand to be better. Now, he’s not going to strike out just 4.8 percent of the time this season, but like Castellanos’ improved walk rate, Van Slyke’s decreased strikeout rate is encouraging. Oh, and so are the home runs.

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Double-A

While Kyle Russell‘s 1.025 OPS is impressive, he’s repeating Double-A as a 25-year-old. So, I’m going with J.T. Wise, who is the same age (25 days older) and is in Double-A for the first time.

Wise (.344/.432/.563), playing predominantly first base for the Lookouts, just continues to mash everywhere he goes. His career minor league OPS is .900, and despite always being a little too old for his competition, the first baseman-catcher can put the bat on the ball. His walk rate has increased three consecutive seasons, but so has his strikeout rate, so that’s something to keep an eye on.

The Dodgers are wafer-thin with quality bats in the minors, and if Wise proves he can handle Double-A pitching, a midseason promotion to Triple-A isn’t out of the question. Then again, let’s see where he is in a month or so.

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High-A

Leon Landry was one of the guys who I said had the most to gain this season, despite a down year in Great Lakes. So far, he’s taking full advantage of California League pitching.

Landry (.318/.362/.545) leads the Quakes in most offensive categories — total bases (23), home runs (two), runs (eight), doubles (four), and stolen bases (six). His numbers could be a product of the environment, but he’s the best offensive prospect on the Quakes’ roster anyway.

He’s split time between left and center field, but he’s one of the best defensive outfielders in the Dodgers system and should see a majority of the time in center, despite his poor throwing arm.

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Low-A

Jesus Alberto Arredondo — get used to that name, especially if the guy is going to continue to get on base 47 percent of the time.

Arredondo (.400/.471/.567) was signed out of Mexico, is in his first professional season, and he’s already making a great pitchers league look easy. He’s listed as a shortstop, but he’s been playing second base and just turned 21 in February. Maybe he’s the offensive version of Angel Sanchez, who burst onto the scene as a 21-year-old in the Midwest League last year.

Prospect Rankings Thoughts

Zach Lee has the projection to eventually be a #1/#2, but his stuff right now definitely resembles more of a #2/#3. Hence his production in low-A.

I liked both Webster and Eovaldi as sleepers a while ago, but I gave the edge to Allen Webster over Nate Eovaldi because although there’s more risk to Webster, I think there’s more upside as well. Eovaldi can improve his breaking pitches, but not enough to be more than a #3 starter, and I think ending up as a reliever is a definite possibility.

I have Joc Pederson higher than most, and I acknowledge the risk, but I liked his swing, his plate discipline, and he’s probably going to be good defensively. If the power projection comes through, he’ll end up as a solid regular.

Angel Sanchez is currently what everybody assumes Chris Reed will be. Both can pitch in the mid-90s, have good secondary pitches, and possess a solid tertiary offering. They are basically the same to me, but Sanchez actually accomplished something as a professional, so he gets the edge. It’s odd that people bag on Sanchez because he might be a reliever down the road but don’t pay any attention to the fact that while Reed has the pitches, he hasn’t even made the transition from reliever to starter yet.

Garrett Gould is a solid prospect that does everything well but has concerns about how his stuff will play against advanced bats.

Even though he’s a reliever, Josh Lindblom clocks in so high because it’s rare to have a guy on a prospect list that has posted a 2.73 ERA and 2.35 FIP in 29.2 innings over 27 appearances at the MLB level.

Chris Withrow has a ton of potential, but he’s going to be 23 and I have a hard time believing his control with improve drastically. However, it just needs to get a bit better for him to be MLB useful.

Gorman Erickson might be a surprise this high, but there’s a lot to like from big switch hitting catchers with pop, plate discipline, consistent contact, and decent defensive skills. A worry of mine is that the Dodgers don’t seem to like him, as they favor defensive catchers who can’t hit, but hopefully he hits enough in 2012 to change their minds.

Alfredo Silverio and Alex Castellanos both have the tools to succeed, but you’ll have to excuse me for not being excited about their plate discipline, and the strikeout rate of Castellanos is scary. Silverio has made me believe he can be a major leaguer, but I don’t know if he’ll ever be regular. Similarly, I think Castellanos’ bat only plays at second, so it’s important to me that he can stay at the position.

Shawn Tolleson could be better than Lindblom, but there are more question marks there with him, including experience and his almost dangerous throwing motion.

James Baldwin and Scott Barlow are the upside guys. Both could be out of the top 25 by November or be in the top 10, depending on how their 2012 goes. Following them are Tim Federowicz and Steven Ames, both of whom aren’t impact players but look to be a solid bet to be contributors.

Blake Smith and Angelo Songco are one to two years behind where most regulars are at this stage in their careers (well Songco isn’t that bad, but he lacks the raw tools), so they will always have questions about competition level until they hit at the MLB level. Speaking of that, it’ll be interesting to see if Scott Van Slyke ever gets a chance. I think he can hit, but he’s gonna have to hit a ton to be relevant.

Aaron Miller and Ethan Martin both need breakout 2012 seasons in a bad way. Miller simply needs to regain his old stuff and stay healthy. Martin needs to find his mechanics and the strike zone. Upside will only take them so far as they age.

Jonathan Garcia has always been an underdog favorite of mine. He wrecked the Midwest League early on but got exposed later by breaking balls. Realistically, he’ll have to hit a lot because he has little else of value, but he has surprising pop and a solid swing. O’Koyea Dickson is another prospect that will have to be rushed because of his age, but if he hits like he’s capable, he could reach high-A in 2012. I really like his swing and I think he has good pop, but he’s not tall and is stuck at first base, so there’s a ton of pressure on his bat.

Much like Webster and Eovaldi, Matt Magill was a favorite of mine from before, but unlike them, his stuff hasn’t exploded quite the same. Still, he has above average velocity and can miss bats with his off-speed stuff, but he’ll have to perform at AA to gain any respect. I’m interested to see if he progresses at that stage or becomes Tim Sexton.

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Honestly, I thought it would be a lot worse than this. Fortunately though, the Dodgers have a ton of potential contributors, even if most of them are clocking in on the pitching side of the ledger.

The top 10 is quite solid from my view, even if it does lack huge upside. However, after that the Dodgers are stuck with a bunch of guys who are more likely to end up as part-timers or utility players than regulars. My hope is that one out of the seven or eight bats that are too old for their level but still produce in the minor leagues eventually becomes a regular.

No, there’s not a ton of star potential, but given the budget restraints, the complete lack of care in the international market, and the mass graduation of talent in 2011, it could have been a ton worse.

Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Pitchers
Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Hitters
Arizona League Dodgers: Pitchers
Arizona League Dodgers: Hitters
Ogden Raptors: Pitchers
Ogden Raptors: Hitters

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Today I continue my off-season recap of the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates, moving on to the pitchers of the Great Lakes Loons.

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I’ll be picking the prospects for the 2012 Prospective Prospect Profiles list from these reviews, so it might be worth reading. Or not.

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Garrett Gould – RHP – 19

Garrett Gould Statistics

His 2.40 ERA is being a bit kind, but he certainly had the breakout season people like me were waiting for. He posted a 3.23 FIP with a K% of 20.4 (Average=20.7%) and a BB% of 7.3 (Average=8.6%). His peripherals still need work, but he was among the youngest to play in the Midwest League, so it was certainly a noteworthy performance.

Watching him pitch since he was drafted, he always appeared to be victim of horrid umpiring and defense, so I was always higher on him than his statistics indicated, but this was a surprise nevertheless. His fastball now sits in the low-90s, but his sharp curve will always be his out-pitch. Despite reports, this was the first year I have seen him try to use a third pitch (change) and it wasn’t that bad. His control didn’t improve much, but his command in the zone did, inducing more ground balls than before.

He’ll probably see high-A in 2012 and could be pushed to AA if he thrives.

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Zach Lee – RHP – 19

Zach Lee Statistics

While this wasn’t a bad professional debut by any means, he’s the same age as Gould and had a worse season statistically, so he didn’t exactly set the world on fire like some predicted.

He carried a 3.47 ERA and a 3.68 FIP over 109 innings with a 19.4 K% and a 6.8 BB%. The most disappointing part about his year was the lack of missed bats, but his command and polish were immediately apparent.

Lee shows command, confidence, a fastball with solid movement, and two good off-speed pitches. However, his fastball velocity leaves me short of anointing him. He still generally sits in the low-90s and unless that takes an uptick, I’m just not seeing this #1 starter potential people keep talking about. I know that sounds negative, but I get e-mails penciling Lee in as the #2 starter behind Kershaw in 2014 like it’s his god given right and I just don’t have that level of confidence in him.

I like Lee plenty, I’m just not willing to crown him because he might be the best prospect the Dodgers have.

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Scott McGough – RHP – 21

Scott McGough Statistics

Serving as the primary closer for the Loons, McGough struck out 25 in 20.1 innings while walking only 6 batters en route to a 2.21 ERA (2.27 FIP).

I haven’t seen him get much attention but I liked him at the University Of Oregon and I think he has a chance at a bullpen role down the road. Sitting 91-93 and touching 95, there’s plenty of velocity to make it to the show. However, his low-80s slurve will need to improve, not so much the command like most young pitchers, but the break itself needs to be sharper or it’ll get hammered as he moves levels.

He should move to high-A in 2012 with an eye on AA.

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Red Patterson – RHP – 24

Red Patterson Statistics

He split time between A and A+, but was basically the same at both levels. Overall, he posted a 3.69 ERA with an impressive 3.19 FIP due to his 24.7 K% and 6.5 BB%.

While that’s all well and good, the problem is that he’s 24 and in A-ball. He doesn’t just need to do well next year in AA, he needs to destroy it. Maybe he’s a late bloomer, but I don’t know many impact pitchers who were in A-ball at 24. Just saying.

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Juan Rodriguez – RHP – 22

Juan Rodriguez Statistics

Acquired in what I still maintain was a pointless trade that sent Trayvon Robinson away, Rodriguez shows raw promise on the mound. He posted a 5.19 ERA with the Red Sox before coming over and putting up a 1.59 ERA for the Dodgers, but nothing truly changed. He had a 2.91 FIP with the Red Sox and a 2.96 FIP with the Dodgers on the strength of an unreal 31.9 K% and a wild 12.4 BB%.

He throws the ball hard, regularly in the mid-90s, but his frisbee slider could use depth, consistency, and command. Rodriguez obviously has the stuff to succeed, but he’s extremely raw for his age and will need time. I’m not sure he will ever develop better command unless he makes changes to his motion, which is violent and wild. Additionally, he has an easy tell on what type of pitch is coming.

Rodriguez should move to high-A in 2012, with the possibility of AA.

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Angel Sanchez – RHP – 21

Angel Sanchez Statistics

Making his professional debut at age 21, Sanchez proved worth the wait, posting a 2.82 ERA and 3.43 FIP in 99 innings primarily as a starter. He struck out 20.3% of batters and walked 9.4%, both of which were below league average.

Statistically, there were hiccups, but his stuff is legit. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he can touch high-90s, while he has two potential plus off-speed pitches in his curve and change. He still has a ways to go refining everything, but it was an impressive debut. However, I would advise against letting the surprise aspect of his debut lead to overrating him.

He should be in high-A in 2012, though I would probably keep him there for the year as he develops and adapts.

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Shawn Tolleson – RHP – 23

Shawn Tolleson Statistics

I think he had an okay year in 2011.

He started with the Loons, posting a 0.00 ERA and -0.40 (yes, really) FIP, which consisted of a 58.9 K% and 7.1 BB%. That’s just stupid. He then moved on to the Quakes in A+, where he posted a 0.93 ERA with a 1.96 FIP. His K% was 47.2 and his BB% was 8.3, so you can see how he was already on his way to mediocrity. Then he moved on to the Lookouts in AA, where he posted a 1.62 ERA and a 2.16 FIP. His 29.8 K% and 6.1 BB% were both way better than league average.

His fastball is average, clocking in the low-90s, but his high-80s cutter is all he has needed. It has late, sharp break and he commands it well, making the offering devastating to just about everybody. Moreover, he throws it against his body, hiding the location well. When it’s on, it doesn’t matter if the batters know it’s coming. Of course, the bad part about having awkward mechanics is injury risk, and he has a history of it, having undergone elbow surgery in high school.

Wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Tolleson making an impact on the 2012 Dodgers, but he probably won’t start there since the roster is crowded.

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Logan Bawcom – RHP – 22

Logan Bawcom Statistics

Serving as a reliever, Bawcom posted a 2.78 ERA and 2.30 FIP with the Loons and a 3.74 ERA and 3.62 FIP with the Quakes. His 30.7 K% highlights his performance, but his BB% sits at 10.2, so his command will need to improve down the road.

He sits in the low-90s and has two off-speed offerings (slider/change) that could grade out as above average. I doubt he’ll ever have elite stuff, so his command has to take strides if he’s to be an impact arm out of the pen.

He’ll probably spend 2012 in high-A, looking to move to AA.