The Arizona Fall League wrapped up this week with the Mesa Solar Sox — the team with eight Dodger prospects — finishing in last place with a 10-20 record. Now, it wasn’t all the Dodger prospects fault, but there were some, shall we say, not-so-great performances from some of the fellas.

I’m going to keep my eye on the Puerto Rican Winter League now, as Yasiel Puig made his debut there on Saturday night. It’ll be nice to see him get some playing time after being forced to miss the AFL with a staph infection.

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Arizona Fall League

Gorman Erickson – C
14 G, .268/.400/.341/.741, 3 2B, 9 BB

Erickson played better in two weeks worth of games in the AFL than he did at Chattanooga this season. But despite playing better, his power was still absent. While the big switch-hitting catcher looks like a power hitter, he’s anything but. His on-base percentage trumped his slugging percentage, which better suits a leadoff hitter. Still, a .400 OBP is nice.

Joc Pederson – OF
15 G, .096/.161/.154/.315, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB

Atrocious. There is no better word to describe Pederson’s AFL experience. While 15 games is hardly anything to be concerned about, an .096 average will get negative attention. Despite the poor performance, Pederson is still a top five prospect in the organization.

Rafael Ynoa – 2B/SS
27 G, .330/.374/.515/.889, 10 XBH, 7 SB

Ynoa was the Dodgers’ offensive standout in Mesa this season. He led the club in batting average, RBI (20), hits (32) and triples (four). He was second in stolen bases and slugging percentage (to George Springer, .600). Ynoa is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, and after a strong AFL campaign, a team could take a chance on him. Then again, he is 25 and has utility player upside (at best). With the 40-man roster pretty full, I’d expect him to be unprotected.

Eric Eadington – LHP
12.1 IP, 5.11 ERA, 1.86 WHIP, 10.9 K/9

Eadington finished his AFL season on a strong note. Despite a high ERA and WHIP, his K/9 was impressive. His 15 strikeouts were tied for third-best on the club, and as a lefty who can touch 95 MPH on the gun, he potentially has a future in a big league pen.

Onelki Garcia – LHP
4 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 4.5 K/9

Garcia finally made his AFL debut. He threw just four innings and has a total of four professional appearances under his belt. Still, I like his potential as a starter. He needs to establish a third pitch to remain a starter going forward though.

Red Patterson – RHP
11.2 IP. 5.40 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 3.1 K/9

Patterson, who had a 9.1 K/9 with the Lookouts this season, managed just a 3.1 strikeout rate in the AFL. That might have been the most disappointing part of his season. The 25-year-old is a favorite of mine, but he doesn’t profile as much more than a middle reliever.

Chris Reed – LHP
10 IP, 7.20 ERA, 2.40 WHIP, 8.4 K/9

Reed pitched exclusively as a reliever in the AFL and he didn’t pitch that well. He was a late addition to replace Paco Rodriguez, so that has to be taken into consideration. I’ve never been as high on him as most, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by his performance.

Andres Santiago – RHP
19.2 IP, 6.86 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 8.2 K/9

Santiago relieved Garcia in his final two outings, but made four starts for Mesa. He was up and down, but I like his potential. A full season at Double-A in 2013 will show whether he has a future as a starter or reliever.

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Dominican Winter League

Brian Cavazos-Galvez is 3-for-17 (.176). Looks like his Southern League numbers.

Tim Federowicz is 6-for-36 (.189) with a 1/17 BB/K rate. Ouch, again.

Dee Gordon is 28-for-88 (.318) with six triples in his 23 DWL games. He’s improved his walk rate since the last update (seven in 88 ABs).

Luis Vazquez has walked seven batters in 7.2 innings. He’s also struck out seven.

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Venezuelan Winter League

Alex Castellanos is 26-for-82 (.317) with four home runs and 18 RBI.

Luis Nunez is 26-for-111 (.234) with a home run, six doubles, and 12 runs scored.

Scott Van Slyke is 21-for-91 (.231) with seven home runs and 14 RBI.

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Mexican Winter League

J.T. Wise has not played since the last update.

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Puerto Rican Winter League

Freddie Cabrera has struck out three, walked two and given up seven hits and two runs in six innings.

Jarret Martin has appeared in two games so far. In 1 2/3 innings, he’s given up three runs and three walks. He’s also struck out three.

Yasiel Puig made his winter debut on Saturday night by going 2-for-5 with a home run, a stolen base, and two strikeouts. He went 0-for-3 in his second game.

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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.

Chris Jackson of the Albuquerque Examiner tweeted to me and said that Dodgers left-hander Onelki Garcia hasn’t appeared yet in the Arizona Fall League because of an oblique injury, but he was unable to confirm it. If true, I wouldn’t expect to see Garcia play at all in the AFL, though he could still pitch in another winter league.

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Arizona Fall League

Gorman Erickson – C
11 G, .276/.432/.345/.777, 2 2B, 8 BB

Erickson is having a decent AFL campaign in his second year in the league. The power he displayed in his 2011 campaign (.204 ISO) is all but gone, as hi ISO at Chattanooga was .095 and it’s just .069 in the AFL.

Joc Pederson – OF
9 G, .094/.171/.094/.265, 3 RBI, 2 SB

Pederson had been out of action since Oct. 23, but he returned to the Solar Sox‘s lineup yesterday and promptly went 0-for-3. His AFL season has been atrocious, but he still got an invite to the Rising Stars game, which was held on Saturday.

Someone mentioned that Pederson could be fatigued and I buy it. He played 110 games this season, then played in the World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament with Israel before heading to Arizona. I don’t think the jump in competition had this much negative impact on Pederson.

Rafael Ynoa – 2B
18 G, .338/.365/.529/.893, 7 XBH, 7 SB

Ynoa has been a stud for Mesa so far. He leads the club in hitting and is tied with Cubs prospect Matt Szczur in stolen bases. He’s also popped two home runs in the league — two more than he did in 421 Southern League at-bats. Ah, the rarefied air of Arizona.

Eric Eadington – LHP
8.2 IP, 7.27 ERA, 2.19 WHIP, 11.4 K/9

Eadington was doing fairly well a couple weeks ago, but he ran into some trouble, as his high ERA and WHIP show. The positive: he’s striking guys out at an elite rate.

Red Patterson – RHP
8.0 IP. 7.88 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, 3.4 K/9

Patterson started off the AFL great but has been awful in his last five innings. The positive: not much. But it’s just fall ball, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned about him at this point.

Chris Reed – LHP
6.1 IP, 9.95 ERA, 2.68 WHIP, 8.5 K/9

Reed’s ERA is finally in the triple-digits, so that’s progress, I suppose. He’s also improved his strikeout rate. Not too hard to improve on zero, though.

Andres Santiago – RHP
15.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 8.4 K/9

Finally, a good pitcher! Santiago has held his own in the AFL and, despite the higher-than-desired WHIP, he hasn’t allowed a home run in his 15 innings. I’m eager to see what he does in 2013.

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Dominican Winter League

Brian Cavazos-Galvez is 3-for-17 (.176). Looks like his Southern League numbers.

Tim Federowicz is 2-for-20 (.100) with 11 strikeouts. Ouch.

Dee Gordon is 14-for-43 (.326) with three triples in his first 10 DWL games. He’s only drawn two walks in 43 at-bats, though.

Luis Vazquez has walked four batters in three innings.

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Venezuelan Winter League

Alex Castellanos is 9-for-31 (.290) with two home runs and eight RBI.

Luis Nunez is 18-for-72 (.250) with four doubles and nine runs scored.

C.J. Retherford is 22-for-73 (.301) with three home runs and five doubles.

Scott Van Slyke is 16-for-62 (.258) with seven home runs and 13 RBI.

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Mexican Winter League

J.T. Wise is 4-for-17 (.235) with a home run.

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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.

The Dodgers sent eight players to the Arizona Fall League this season to play for the Mesa Solar Sox. Only Onelki Garcia has yet to appear in a game. I’m hoping he gets in soon because he only threw in two minor-league games this season. We all know about Yasiel Puig suffering the staph infection, which caused him to miss the league.

Position Players

Gorman Erickson – C
3-for-10 (.300), 1 run, 3 strikeouts

Erickson, who struggled last year in the AFL (.213/.279/.361), is sharing catching duties with two other prospects, hence the limited number of at-bats. He’s coming off a disappointing 2012 campaign, so a chance to re-establish himself in the league is needed.

Joc Pederson – OF
0-for-15, 1 run, 2 BB, 3 K

Pederson, one of the youngest players in the league, has struggled (obviously). Whether it’s fatigue or him just being overmatched, Pederson just hasn’t been able to get on track thus far. He’ll face similar talent in the Southern League in 2013, so it’d be nice to see him get it going.

Rafael Ynoa – 2B
7-for-17 (.412), HR, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB

Ynoa has been an offensive star among the Dodger talent in Arizona, leading the Solar Sox in batting through the first seven games. He also clubbed a home run, something he didn’t do in 421 Southern League at-bats in 2012.

Pitchers

Eric Eadington – LHP
3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Eadington gave up two runs in his first outing — both on solo home runs — but has been lights out since. This is a good test for the 24-year-old, who should begin 2013 with the Chattanooga Lookouts.

Red Patterson – RHP
3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Patterson has been nearly perfect in his first few AFL outings. He could see some time in Albuquerque next year with a potential call-up to the majors waiting in the wings.

Chris Reed – LHP
2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Reed, who picked up a victory in his second AFL outing, was absolutely rocked in his third appearance to the tune of five hits and five runs without recording an out. What’s disturbing is it took just 17 pitches (10 strikes) to accumulate the damage. Reed replaced Paco Rodriguez on the roster.

Andres Santiago – RHP
3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Santiago didn’t receive any help from his defense in his lone AFL start, hence the three unearned runs. He recovered nicely to strike out three batters in his next two innings though. This is a good test for the 22-year-old, who made a name for himself this season.

Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Gorman Erickson, Steven Rodriguez, Red Patterson, Rafael Ynoa, and Eric Eadington have been named to the roster of the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, according to the Dodgers official site.

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Yasiel Puig, the much hyped outfielder signed out of Cuba, has a .372/.462/.667/1.128 combined line from Rookie and High A ball. Given that he’s already being paid like an MLB starting outfielder, scouts will want to see him tested against the advanced pitching of the AFL, and he’ll likely be closely scrutinized by everybody.

Outfielder Joc Pederson is having a breakout year at High A. He was my top positional prospect in rankings before the season, but I didn’t expect the power to come this soon. It’s the California League, yes, but a .315/.396/.517/.913 line as a 20-year-old is still impressive.

Gorman Erickson, a catcher, is having a rough go of it at AA this year. I liked his patience/power potential at a premium position, but while the patience has maintained, his power has disappeared. He has a .236/.349/.333/.683 line on the year and will look to right himself in the AFL.

Steven Rodriguez, the 2012 second-round pick, is already making a hell of a splash. Between A and AA levels, he has a 0.95 ERA in 19 innings with 31 strikeouts and 6 walks as a 21-year-old lefty reliever. He could help the Dodgers and soon.

Pitcher Red Patterson has been a pleasant surprise out of the bullpen for a 2010 late-round pick, and he’s putting up a 3.03 ERA in 68.1 innings with 68 strikeouts and 30 walks at AA. Yet another bullpen arm with the potential to help sooner than later, especially since he’s already 25.

I’ve been following Rafael Ynoa’s progress ever since his time in the Dominican Summer League, and while I’ve always loved his on-base skills, I never thought he would be able to get it done against advanced pitching. Yet he has produced a .280/.364/.351/.715 line at AA. Still probably not an MLB caliber player, but maybe organizational depth or a utility role.

Eric Eadington went undrafted in 2011 and he’s going to the AFL in 2012, which says a lot about the work he’s done so far. Yes, he’s already in his age 24 season, but he’s already passed so many other prospects, especially with his performance outside of Rookie-ball. Between A, A+, and AA this year, he has posted a 3.44 ERA in 65.1 innings with 75 strikeouts and 19 walks. After struggling a bit at AA, he’ll look to prove he’s somebody to watch for the Dodgers bullpen.

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The primary draws for Dodgers fans will obviously be Puig and Pederson, but I’m very interested to see Rodriguez against AFL competition and whether Erickson can right himself.

The Lookouts were the best team of the week in the Dodgers farm system, going 5-1 while allowing just 19 runs in those six games. Outfielder Blake Smith was also named league player of the week. The Quakes and Loons both scored the most runs this week at 34.

The Isotopes were carried by two of the three players acquired in the Trayvon Robinson deal from last July in Tim Federowicz and Stephen Fife. However, the roster has been ravaged by the Dodgers due to an abnormal number of injuries on the big league roster.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (1-5)

Runs Scored: 27
Runs Allowed: 43

Player Of The Week

Tim Federowicz – C

Federowicz wins this award for the second time in four weeks, going 7-for-21 (.333) with a home run, four doubles, and eight RBI. He’s not showing the desired offensive ability from a prospect in the Pacific Coast League, but Federowicz has never been known for his bat. He’s at .286/.342/.466 with three home runs, 24 RBI, and 13 doubles.

Pitcher Of The Week

Stephen Fife – RHP

This one is pretty much by default, as no one with the Isotopes really dominated on the hill. Fife had a decent week: 13 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, and 6 K. He’s starting to settle down after a horrific start to the season. Still, his 5.32 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and .305 batting average against aren’t exactly stats to brag about.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (5-1)

Runs Scored: 33
Runs Allowed: 19

Player Of The Week

Blake Smith – OF

Unlike the choices for Albuquerque, this one was a no-brainer. Smith was named the Southern League Player Of The Week, so he naturally wins this week’s award (his second overall). Smith went 8-for-18 (.444) with two home runs, two doubles, a triple, and 11 RBI.

Smith has struggled in Double-A so far, posting a .255/.335/.453 line with a 27.7 strikeout percentage. However, he’s shown some on-base ability (9.7 percent walk rate) and some pop (.453 slugging). He just needs to focus on making more contact.

Pitcher Of The Week

Nate Eovaldi – RHP

Eovaldi had his best week of the season, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA, six hits allowed, one run, and six strikeouts. The only hiccup came with his seven walks allowed. Still, he seems to be getting back on track after the Dodgers messed with his routine a month ago.

He’s 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .250 BAA, 7.9 H/9, 0.5 HR/9, 3.4 BB/9, and a 7.1 K/9. It’ll be nice when he’s in Los Angeles for good.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (4-3)

Runs Scored: 34
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Scott Wingo – 2B

Wingo takes his second POTW award by going 8-for-21 (.381) with a double, five RBI, two runs scored, seven walks (against two strikeouts), and a stolen base. The 23-year-old has a .265/.387/.353 line with the Quakes and has hit all over the lineup (leadoff, second, third, eighth, ninth). With the rate Dodger infielders are dropping, he could reach Los Angeles before too long (I’m only half-joking).

Pitcher Of The Week

Eric Eadington – LHP

Eadington was a recently called up from Great Lakes and struggled in his second outing (1 1/3 IP, 4 runs). However, he was nearly flawless this week: 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 1 save. The big lefty has a ridiculous 34:4 K:BB rate between Rancho and Great Lakes and seems to be getting acclimated to California League hitters and the environment.

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Great Lakes Loons (3-4)

Runs Scored: 34
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

O’Koyea Dickson – 1B/DH

Dickson earns his second consecutive POTW award by going 8-for-23 (.348) with a home run, five RBI, four runs scored, and three walks. Dickson is performing quite well to start his season, posting a .377/.460/.642 line in his first 15 games.

If he’s still hitting this well (or close to it) in early June, it should be good enough for a promotion to Rancho Cucamonga.

Pitcher Of The Week

Joel Lima – RHP

It wasn’t the best of weeks for the Loons pitching staff, but Lima did some good work out of the bullpen: 2 G, 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Lima has pitched just three games for the Loons, but the 23-year-old has been solid in his first 8 2/3 innings of work: 1.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and a .241 BAA.

Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Pitchers
Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Hitters

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There’s no Arizona League picture of suitable size, so you’re stuck with what’s actually a better alternative.

Anyway, today I continue my off-season recap of the minor league affiliates, moving on to the pitchers of the Arizona League Dodgers.

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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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Jose Dominguez – RHP – 20

Jose Dominguez Statistics

After three years in the Dominican Summer League, he finally got his shot in America and thrived, posting a 3.50 ERA, 3.57 FIP, and 3.36 SIERA in 10 starts and 43.2 IP. In particular, his hot June earned him the month’s Dodger Pride Award. At Rookie-ball in Ogden, he struggled in 3 starts, but it’s tough to read too much into that.

More importantly, his stuff seems to have improved as well, going from touching 89-90 to sitting a tad above that range. Additionally, his curve is progressing nicely, but he’ll still need a dependable third pitch as a starter and he’s not necessarily young for his level of competition.

Unfortunately, I can’t go without mentioning that he tested positive for Stanozolol and was suspended for 50 games back in 2009.

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Eric Eadington – LHP – 23

Eric Eadington Statistics

Eadington’s 2011 performance was excellent, as he posted a 1.59 ERA, 1.35 FIP, and 2.39 SIERA in 9 games of relief work over 11.1 IP. In 9 games and 10.1 IP in Ogden, he posted an even better 0.00 ERA, 1.55 FIP, and 1.92 SIERA.

The catch, of course, is that he was already 23, which is normally grounds for ignoring a performance like this, as somebody at his age should be dominating this level of competition. However, coming out of college from Harvard explains his age, and the words “lefty” and “reliever” combined with velocity from 90-93 will draw interest.

Eadington is solidly build and throws from a 3/4 arm slot. He has a repeatable delivery and solid mechanics, though I think he could hide the ball better if he completed his follow through. As a potential LOOGY, he stays closed longer than normal, so it’s deceptive from that side of the plate. To go along with his velocity, he has a curve that neutralizes lefties and he generally throws strikes.

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Matthew Laney – LHP – 22

Matthew Laney Statistics

For 24.1 IP in 12 games, Laney put up a 0.74 ERA, 2.46 FIP, and 3.43 SIERA, an impressive performance, but with the caveat that he’s 22 and old for the competition level.

As a lefty reliever though, there’s hope for him to move quickly, especially since his velocity has grown from 83-85 to 88-91 in college at Coastal Carolina. He has a curve and a change, but he’ll only need the former pitch in his projected role. For a big guy, his delivery is surprisingly coordinated and his control should hold up as he moves levels. I still think he’ll need to sit in the low-90s to have a legitimate shot.

He’s a rather large individual and he’ll need to work at maintaining his weight.

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Juan Noriega – RHP – 20

Juan Noriega Statistics

He weighs in at 145 and stands 5’7″, so even though I’ve never seen him pitch, I can’t say I’m all that optimistic about his prospects.

However, I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention his 2011 performance, which consisted of allowing 0 runs in 13 Arizona League innings and 4 innings in Ogden. Additionally, he struck out 27 and walked 2, so he was simply dominant.

What does it mean? Who knows, but it’s worth noting.

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Kazuya Takano – RHP – 18

Kazuya Takano Statistics

His 6.82 ERA was ugly, and his peripheral measurements were better but not by that much, as shown by his 5.06 FIP and 4.01 SIERA. However, he missed a good number of bats (17.5%) and showed control beyond his years (5.2%), but simply gave up far too many bombs to be effective. Throw in the fact that this is a teenager in unfamiliar surrounding with nobody from his background around, and it’s understandable that he might struggle initially.

Like most Japanese pitchers, he has about eleventy billion different pitches, but the significant ones are his 85-88 fastball and slow curve. I’m assuming he’ll be developed as a starter, in which case his third pitch will likely be the changeup with the split grip, unless the Dodgers puzzling aversion to the pitch opts to develop the slider/cutter that the system philosophy seems to prefer.

Unsurprisingly, he has solid mechanics with ideal timing, and his control is likely to be a strong point for him throughout his career. At 6’1″, there’s room for velocity upticks, which will be something to look out for going forward.

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Daniel Tamares – RHP – 21

Daniel Tamares Statistics

After 4 years in the Dominican Summer League, Tamares finally got his crack stateside and made the most of it, posting a 2.11 ERA, 1.65 FIP, and 1.91 SIERA.

Haven’t seen him, heard about him, or read about him, but just based on his peripherals, he seems ready to test the waters at Ogden as a reliever.