Dylan Hernandez reports the Dodgers have acquired Skip Schumaker from the Cardinals, sending minor-league shortstop Jake Lemmerman the other way. Chad has more on the deal here.

My reaction: meh.

—–

The Dodgers have designated Scott Van Slyke for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Schumaker. Van Slyke was the Dodgers’ 2011 Minor League Player Of The Year.

Van Slyke is unlikely to clear waivers, so there’s a good chance he gets traded in a minor deal.

—–

Tony Gwynn Jr. has received an invitation to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, as he’s still under contract for 2013 but is not on the 40-man roster.

—–

The Red Sox will send $11.7 million dollars westward to the Dodgers as part of the mega-deal centered around Adrian Gonzalez. The payments will come in three equal installments of $3.9 million, to be made in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and they will conclude the deal.

—–

Zack Greinke‘s contract with the Dodgers is $147 million guaranteed, but it could increase to $158 million with incentives.

=====

Greg Zakwin is the founder of the site Plaschke Thy Sweater Is Argyle. Follow him on Twitter @ArgyledPlaschke.

The Dodgers have acquired Cardinals utility man Skip Schumaker in exchange for minor-league shortstop Jake Lemmerman, according to Mike Petriello.

Tonight — well, tomorrow, perhaps, by the time it’s official — that may change. Multiple sources tell me that the Dodgers are in agreement with St. Louis on a deal that would send minor league shortstop Jake Lemmerman for veteran Skip Schumaker.

This has been rumored for a while, and back when it was announced that a deal was likely at some point, I gave my thoughts on Schumaker.

He plays second, left field, center field, and right field, so there’s versatility there, but he’s a terrible defender at second, a bad one in center, and just solid-average in the corners. Over the last three seasons, since he turned 30, he’s had an OPS+ of 88.

Not so thrilled, really.

He’ll be 33 next season and had a .276/.339/.368/.707 line in 2012, as well as a career .288/.345/.377/.722 line. Other than that though, the upside is that he has a pronounced platoon split, hitting .305/.359/.403/.762 against righties in his career versus .205/.276/.245/.521 against lefties. So if he’s used carefully, there’s offensive value to extract.

Unfortunately, as stated in the quote above, while he can play a few positions, he’s really not good at any of them, so he lacks true versatility, IMO. Additionally, as we learned when the Dodgers acquired both Hyun Jin Ryu and Zack Greinke, their 40-man roster is now full, so a corresponding move will have to be made.

—–

Jake Lemmerman is a shortstop that was selected by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft. 2012 was his age 23 season, and he hit .233/.347/.378/.725 in AA.

Prior to 2012, I had him outside of my top 25 prospects in the system, and his 2012 didn’t do anything to change that.

As such, while I’m not exactly thrilled with Schumaker occupying a roster spot, the return for him wasn’t significant.

It was a decidedly mediocre week for the Dodgers minor-league system with some standout performances. The Isotopes, Lookouts, and Arizona League Dodgers are on the verge of making the playoffs, while the Quakes are trying to nail down the wild card spot in the California League.

The Raptors scored the most runs this week with 69, and the Lookouts pitching, despite losing many arms via trades by the big club, allowed just 24 runs this week.

—–

Albuquerque Isotopes (3-4)

Runs Scored: 36
Runs Allowed: 47

Player Of The Week

Scott Van Slyke – OF/1B

Van Slyke earned his second consecutive award (fourth overall) by going 8-for-21 (.381) with a home run, four doubles, three RBI, three runs scored, and six walks. He’s hitting .325/.408/.575 in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Pitcher Of The Week

Will Savage – RHP

Savage, who was once 6-0 on the season, had a really good outing this past week: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He’s not faring well in the league on the season, but he throws an occasional good game.

—–

Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4)

Runs Scored: 32
Runs Allowed: 24

Player Of The Week

Jake Lemmerman – SS

This one was close between Lemmerman and Bobby Coyle, but I gave the nod to Late Night. He went 10-for-22 (.456) with a home run, three doubles, a triple, seven RBI and three runs scored. It’s just his second honor of the season. His 2012 has been rather disappointing, especially since I was higher on him than a prospect than most.

Pitcher Of The Week

Zach Lee – RHP

Lee is definitely getting the hang of the Southern League now. He had a fantastic outing this past week: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. His overall ERA is lower now than it was when he was promoted from Rancho Cucamonga, as he has a 4.18 ERA with the Lookouts. This is his fourth honor of the season (third since being promoted) for the Dodgers best prospect.

—–

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-4)

Runs Scored: 50
Runs Allowed: 68

Player Of The Week

Austin Gallagher – LF

Gallagher, who started this season as a first baseman, has been playing a lot of left field and he had his best week of the season to date: 13-for-26 (.500) with two home runs, three doubles, 11 RBI, nine runs scored, and six walks. Gallagher missed some time with an injury this season but still owns a career-high slugging percentage (.474). It’d be more impressive if he wasn’t repeating the level.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jordan Roberts – LHP

It’s hard to find a good pitcher when a team gives up 68 runs in seven games, but Roberts did admirable work out of the Quakes bullpen this week: 10 2/3 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Roberts is, somehow, 8-0 on the season with a 3.57 ERA. His peripherals, however, aren’t as nice as his undefeated record (for whatever that’s worth) and his decent ERA.

—–

Great Lakes Loons (4-3)

Runs Scored: 32
Runs Allowed: 31

Player Of The Week

Tyler Ogle – C

After destroying the Arizona League, Ogle was promoted to Great Lakes and then demoted to Ogden before being repromoted to Great Lakes. This week, he went 7-for-15 (.467) with two home runs, three RBI, and four runs scored.

Pitcher Of The Week

James Campbell – RHP

Campbell, the Dodgers 12th-round pick this year, made three appearances this week, including his first start: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K. Those were his totals from the week, not his start, unfortunately. Still, Campbell does have some ability and, like many relievers, should move rather quickly through the system.

—–

Ogden Raptors (6-1)

Runs Scored: 69
Runs Allowed: 47

Player Of The Week

Jesus Valdez – 1B/RF

This one could have gone to Corey Seager, Malcolm Holland, or Bladimir Franco, but Valdez’s performance was the best. He went 13-for-31 (.419) with two home runs, five doubles, 14 RBI, and nine runs scored. Valdez is enjoying lots of success with Ogden, posting a .325/.399/.516 triple slash with nine home runs and 16 doubles.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ross Stripling – RHP

Stripling, the Dodgers fifth-round pick, profiles as a starting pitcher, but he hasn’t thrown many innings per start because the club wants to limit his innings. But he threw well this week: 6 IP, 5 H, 1R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. He owns a 0.85 ERA and a 35:4 K:BB ratio.

—–

Arizona League Dodgers (3-2)

Runs Scored: 27
Runs Allowed: 23

Player Of The Week

Cory Embree – OF

Embree, the Dodgers 38th-round pick, has hit well for the Arizona League Dodgers this season as a 20-year-old. In limited action this week, he was the team’s best: 6-for-11 (.545) with a double, two triples, six RBI, and two runs scored. He’s hitting .320/.409/.493 on the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Zachary Bird – RHP

Bird, widely considered a sleeper from the Dodgers 2012 draft class, had a nice outing this week: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. He averages more than a strikeout per inning and is someone to keep tabs on going forward.

—–

Dominican Summer League Dodgers (1-4)

Runs Scored: 13
Runs Allowed: 25

Player Of The Week

Josmar Cordero – C/1B

The team only played five games and scored 13 runs this week, so this award had to go to someone. Cordero was the best of the bunch: he went 5-for-13 (.385) with two doubles and two RBI. He finished his third stint in the league with six home runs, 19 doubles, 47 RBI, and 50 runs scored.

This shouldn’t come as any surprise to followers of the Dominican Summer League Dodgers or readers of this feature. On the year, Cordero’s line is a scintillating .362/.419/.533/.952, easily making him the best hitter on the squad. Therefore, if one were into sports betting, then Cordero has been the one to wager on in 2012 when it comes to Player Of The Week nods due to his consistent production week-to-week and the lack of other relevant bats on the team.

Pitcher Of The Week

Luis Silverio – LHP

Silverio had the best outing of any DSL Dodger this week, as the team ended its season: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 K. He had a nice showing in the league. I wanted to give this to Bryan Munoz (the 16-year-old the Dodgers signed), but he only threw one inning this week.

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Pitchers
Dominican Summer League Dodgers: Hitters
Arizona League Dodgers: Pitchers
Arizona League Dodgers: Hitters
Ogden Raptors: Pitchers
Ogden Raptors: Hitters
Great Lakes Loons: Pitchers
Great Lakes Loons: Hitters
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes: Pitchers

=====

Today I continue my off-season recap of the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates, moving on to the hitters of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

—

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

=====

Angelo Songco – OF -22

Angelo Songco Statistics

Songco was probably the Quakes best offensive player, putting up a monster .311/.366/.579/.945 line with 29 bombs. Most impressively, his strikeout rate was only 20.6%, which was about in line with league average despite his huge power. Of concern is his walk rate though, which at 7.1% was below league average (8.9%) despite hitting the snot out of everything.

Another primary concern statistically is his platoon split, as he hits .334/.395/.621/1.016 against righties and .255/.292/.478/.770 against lefties. He’s on the correct side of that platoon, but since his value lies in his bat, it’s something worth worrying about. On the upside, his power generally remains regardless of handedness.

Speculation is that he might have problems with contact against advanced pitching, but I see little evidence that it’ll be the main issue. He does have an uppercut type of swing that produces a lot of fly balls, but he shows the coordination to consistently put bat to ball. If there’s any worry from me, it’s that he might not even be good enough defensively to stick at a corner, as he split time between left field/first base/designated hitter in 2011. If that ends up being the case, while his bat is good, it might not be that good.

Regardless, Songco is certainly an outfielder to watch in 2012 while going against advanced competition in AA.

—–

Blake Smith – OF -23

Blake Smith Statistics

Smith hit .294/.359/.539/.898 with 16 homers for the Quakes, once again proving that he can hit, even if the level of competition is a year or two younger than he is. At 25.2% and 9.7%, his strikeout and walk rates were solid but not spectacular. On the upside, he’s a true right fielder, with enough athleticism to stick, and a right arm that actually made me prefer him as a pitcher, because he can unleash the dragon almost as well as Rex Grossman.

I would have liked to have seem him get a taste of AA last year, but a hernia probably threw a wrench into that path. Regardless, he’ll be in AA in 2012, and there will rightfully be pressure on him to perform immediately if he wants to prove himself to be a MLB regular since he’s already 24.

—–

Jake Lemmerman – SS – 22

Jake Lemmerman Statistics

Put up a solid .293/.379/.420/.799 line with the Quakes, featuring average contact ability and above average plate discipline. The performance earned him a promotion to AA, where he struggled, putting forth a .234/.318/.390/.708 effort while striking out a tad more and walking a tad less.

Lemmerman has a level stroke that results in a lot of ground balls, but he does have gap power. With the defensive tools to stick at short, despite shaky results there so far, if he can prove his bat is worthy against advanced pitching, he has a MLB future. Whether that’s as a regular or a utility guy is yet to be determined though.

—–

Gorman Erickson – C – 23

Gorman Erickson Statistics

Hitting .305/.408/.491/.899 as a catcher with outstanding strikeout (15.4%) and walk (15.0%) rates will get you promoted, and that’s exactly what happened to Erickson in 2011. He didn’t exactly slow down once in AA either, posting a .275/.329/.479/.808 line that was almost 70 points above the league average OPS despite a .281 BABIP. His peripherals did suffer in AA, as his walk rate dipped to 7.0%, though he struck out even less against advanced pitching (14.0%).

A switch hitting catcher who was known more as a catch-and-throw guy before 2011, I can only imagine that the Dodgers are chomping at the bit for him to succeed given the dearth of catching depth in the system. With a productive 2012, he could be on track to make his major league debut.

—–

Austin Gallagher – 22- 1B

Austin Gallagher Statistics

Completely written off by many (me included) after two poor, injury plagued seasons that saw him shift to first base, Gallagher put it together a bit in 2011, posting a .292/.386/.451/.837 line. Perhaps most impressive were his peripherals though, putting up a 15.3% strikeout rate (League Average=20.0%) and 13.5% walk rate (League Average=8.9%).

Because he started early, he’s not that old for the level either, but like Songco, he struggles against lefties (.630 OPS) and is limited defensively, so the bat doesn’t have to be just good, it has to be exceptional.