The Albuquerque Isotopes and Chattanooga Lookouts had the best week in the Dodgers minor league system, both winning five games this week. The ‘Topes scored the most runs this week with 54, while the Great Lakes Loons gave up the fewest with 24.

The Arizona League Dodgers, a team that had been rolling, had one game in which it gave up 20 runs. The lowlight of the week for sure.

With the trade deadline fast approaching, some of these guys could be making their last appearances on this list.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (5-2)

Runs Scored: 54
Runs Allowed: 40

Player Of The Week

Josh Fields – 3B

Fields has been one of the Pacific Coast League‘s hottest hitters, and that continued this week: 10-for-23 (.435) with two home runs, four doubles, nine RBI, nine runs scored, and four walks. Fields is up to .345/.411/.525 on the season, and if the Dodgers don’t find an upgrade at third base he might actually get a shot at the hot corner. This was his third award in four weeks and his fourth overall.

Pitcher Of The Week

Stephen Fife – RHP

Fife had the best week of any Isotopes pitcher despite making his MLB debut this week (6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K). He had an even better outing for Albuquerque after he was optioned: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. It was his best outing of the season and there might be some hope for him as a swingman in the majors. This is Fife’s third award of the season.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (5-1)

Runs Scored: 37
Runs Allowed: 28

Player Of The Week

Rafael Ynoa – 2B

Believe it or not, this is Ynoa’s third award of the season. He went 11-for-23 (.478) with a double, four RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. He’s raised his season triple slash to .305/.375/.366. He has decent on-base skills but zero power.

Pitcher Of The Week

Allen Webster – RHP

The man who could be traded for Ryan Dempster, Webster had himself quite an outing on Friday: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. He’s showing why he’s one of the Dodgers top prospects after a terribly slow start to the season. He’s getting better and stronger as the season goes on and he should only be traded for an impact player — definitely not a rental like Dempster.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-5)

Runs Scored: 17
Runs Allowed: 34

Player Of The Week

Scott Wingo – 2B

Wingo had himself quite a week for the Quakes: 10-for-24 (.417) with three doubles and four runs scored. He has a good eye, drawing 41 walks in 84 games, and plays a decent second base. This is his third honor this season. He needs to finish the season strong to get on the prospect radar.

Pitcher Of The Week

Andres Santiago – RHP

Santiago is on fire, capturing his third straight award and fourth on the season by having another good outing: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. His ERA is high (4.48), but his peripherals continue to improve (1.19 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 10.3 K/9, 3.46 K/BB, 3.05 FIP). He’s the Quakes best pitcher right now.

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Great Lakes Loons (4-2)

Runs Scored: 29
Runs Allowed: 24

Player Of The Week

O’Koyea Dickson – 1B/DH

Dickson has been noticeably absent from this list for more than a month because of a horrifically bad slump to start the second half. However, it seems he might be back on track after going 8-for-25 (.320) with a home run, two doubles, seven RBI, and three runs scored. He still owns a respectable .842 OPS in the Midwest League. I’d still like to see him promoted to Rancho Cucamonga.

Pitcher Of The Week

Gustavo Gomez – RHP

Gomez makes his first appearance on this list, which is a little surprising. He had a solid outing on Saturday: 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. The 21-year-old has struggled a lot with the Loons, posting a 5.92 ERA and a .291 BAA. It’d be nice to see him finish the season on a strong note.

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Ogden Raptors (2-4)

Runs Scored: 28
Runs Allowed: 37

Player Of The Week

Pat Stover – OF

The Dodgers 40th-round pick this year, Stover could end up being a steal. Oh, and he had a solid week for the Raptors: 6-for-17 (.353) with a home run, three RBI, two runs, and two walks. He owns a .375/.452/.438 triple slash in his first 21 professional games.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Laney – LHP

Laney, who began the season with Great Lakes, had the best week of any Raptor pitcher: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. He’s actually pitched worse since going to Ogden.

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Arizona League Dodgers (1-4)

Runs Scored: 17
Runs Allowed: 39

Player Of The Week

Jesmuel Valentin – SS

The Dodgers 2012 second-round pick makes his first appearance on this list by going 4-for-13 (.308) with a home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and three walks. Valentin got off to a slow start but is up to a decent .253/.366/.400 triple slash in his debut season. He’s scored 19 runs and has 19 hits.

Pitcher Of The Week

Lindsey Caughel – RHP

The Dodgers 2012 23rd-round pick had the best week of the bunch, which isn’t saying much: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. He had a decent game, but no one else had a week worth noting for the team.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (3-3)

Runs Scored: 32
Runs Allowed: 28

Player Of The Week

Melvin Santana – 2B

Santana has taken over as the team’s best player by earning his third consecutive POTW award. Santana went 6-for-16 (.375) with a double, four runs scored, and three stolen bases. He owns a .313/.387/.507 line with 38 runs scored.

Pitcher Of The Week

Wander Beras – LHP

Beras, like Santana, earns his third consecutive POTW award for the DSL Dodgers by having another fantastic outing: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. He’s struck out 73 hitters in 56 1/3 innings, but he’s 23 years old at the lowest level of the minors.

All of the Dodgers minor league affiliates were in action this week, even if Chattanooga, Rancho Cucamonga, and Great Lakes played a short week because of its respective All-Star games.

Get used to hearing this: Ogden scored the most runs this week at 66, as the Raptors averaged 11 runs per game. They also gave up the most runs at 46.

The Arizona League began and the Dodger squad, filled with a plethora of 2012 draft picks (Zachary Bird, Justin Chigbogu, Joey Curletta, Jesmuel Valentin), went 4-0 in its first week.

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Notes: Zach Lee was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga from High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Monday. Ryan O’Sullivan was promoted from Low-A Great Lakes to Rancho.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2)

Runs Scored: 38
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Brian Cavazos Galvez – OF

Cavazos-Galvez isn’t getting four at-bats every game, but he’s making the most of his trips to the plate. He went 9-for-19 (.474) this week with a home run, two RBI, a double, and seven runs scored. Cavazos-Galvez is hitting exceptionally well for the Isotopes. If he could handle center field, he’d probably be playing every day. This is his third award of the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Josh Wall – RHP

Wall earns his first POTW honor by saving three of the Isotopes’ four victories this week: 3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 3 SV. Wall hit a bit of a rough stretch about a month ago, but has been solid in his last 10 games (1.80 ERA, 10.8 K/9) and could be the next player recalled if the Dodgers need yet another bullpen option.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (1-3)

Runs Scored: 16
Runs Allowed: 20

Player Of The Week

Rafael Ynoa – 2B

Ynoa wins his second award by going 7-for-11 (.636) with two doubles, four RBI, two runs, two stolen bases, and four walks. It was a great four games for him, but it wasn’t so great for the rest of the team. On the season, Ynoa has the following line: .260/.345/.329 with 13 stolen bases.

Pitcher Of The Week

Allen Webster – RHP

Webster finally seems to be rounding into form. He earned his second consecutive honor by having a really strong outing: 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 K. He’s made four starts since returning to the starting rotation and fared well: 21 IP, 13 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 7 BB, 26 K, 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP. That’s the Allen Webster we’ve been expecting all season.

Here’s to a strong finish.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (1-3)

Runs Scored: 29
Runs Allowed: 43

Player Of The Week

Jonathan Garcia – RF

I certainly thought we’d see Garcia on this list earlier than this, but he’s here now after going 9-for-19 (.474) with two home runs, seven RBI, a double, and four runs scored. His line on the season isn’t horrible (.266/.283/.447) considering he’s 20 years old and is playing against competition roughly a couple years older than him. However, while the pop is there, the walk rate is not. He’s drawn five walks against 63 strikeouts, and that isn’t going to cut it.

Pitcher Of The Week

Brandon Martinez – RHP

It’s hard to find a guy who threw well when the team gave up 43 runs in four games, but Martinez wins the award this week. He relieved the rehabbing Blake Hawksworth on Friday and pitched fairly well: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 4 K. Obviously, the walks are the only blemish. Martinez, who started with Great Lakes this season, has thrown surprisingly well for the Quakes this season. He could end up being one of their top pitchers going forward.

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Great Lakes Loons (1-2)

Runs Scored: 11
Runs Allowed: 15

Player Of The Week

Scott Schebler – OF

Schebler takes home his third award in the last four weeks (second straight) by going 4-for-10 with a double, two RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base. On the season, Schebler is hitting .279/.308/.444 in a pitcher’s league.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ralston Cash – RHP

Cash had the best outing of his season on Saturday for the Loons: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. It’s nice to see him getting work in and averaging five innings per start. Not bad for a guy who hadn’t pitched since 2010.

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Ogden Raptors (6-1)

Runs Scored: 66
Runs Allowed: 46

Player Of The Week

Jesus Valdez – OF/1B

Like the team, Valdez absolutely destroyed Pioneer League pitching this week: 14-for-25 (.560), a double, two triples, seven RBI, 12 runs scored, and three walks. Valdez, 20, is a big kid (6’3″, 180) and is handling Pioneer pitching better than he handled Arizona League pitching last year.

Pitcher Of The Week

Carlos Frias – RHP

It’s going to be difficult finding a Pitcher Of The Week in the Pioneer League, but I’ll make it happen. Frias, who pitched 5 2/3 unsuccessful innings with the Quakes earlier this season, had a decent outing in his first start for the Raptors: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. He was throwing in the mid-90s with his fastball, so that’s encouraging. However, he is 22 years old, so he should dominate this level.

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Arizona League Dodgers (4-0)

Runs Scored: 36
Runs Allowed: 16

Player Of The Week

Paul Hoenecke – OF/1B

Hoenecke, the Dodgers 24th round pick just a few weeks ago, had himself quite the debut week: 9-for-18 (.500), one home run, six RBI, two doubles, one triple, and four runs scored. Hoenecke is almost 22 years old and could easily be promoted to Ogden if he proves he can handle Arizona League pitching. Drafted as a first baseman, he played one game at first and three in the outfield this week.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jonathan Martinez – RHP

Martinez, who turns 18 on Wednesday, threw the best game for the AZL Dodgers this week: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League last year and handled himself pretty well. He might be a pitcher to keep an eye on in Arizona.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (5-1)

Runs Scored: 55
Runs Allowed: 34

Player Of The Week

Josmar Cordero – 1B/C

Cordero wins this award for the second consecutive week by going 13-for-28 (.464) with two home runs, nine RBI, three doubles, and 10 runs cored. Cordero has a ridiculous .469/.506/.716 line and needs to be moved up as he has absolutely nothing left to prove in the Dominican Summer League. Gerson Nunez gave Cordero a run for his money this week (.519/.552/.630), but fell just short.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jhouse Bermudez – LHP

I promise I’m not being lazy. Bermudez, like Cordero, wins this honor for the second straight week by posting the following line: 11 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 10 K. He’s won all four games he’s started for the DSL Dodgers and owns a 0.86 ERA. He’s walked 11 batters in 21 innings, and that’s the only blemish on his record thus far.

The Dodgers have now signed 18 of the 41 players they selected in the 2012 MLB Draft. In addition to their names, information on the amount it took to sign them has come out.

Supplemental first rounder Jesmuel Valentin signed for slot at $984,700, while fifth rounder Ross Stripling was inked for well below slot ($228,900) at $130,000. Sixth rounder Joey Curletta settled for slot money at $171,600, but ninth rounder Zachary Bird got slightly more than slot ($126,100) at $140,000. Tenth rounder Zach Babitt saved the team a ton of money by signing for $2,500 (assuming that wasn’t a typo) because his slot number was $125,000.

Seventh round selection Theo Alexander signed as well, but details on the amount haven’t been released yet. If he signed for his slot number of $144,600, the Dodgers are $207,500 in the black as far as their bonus pool is concerned, which should allow them to put money towards going over slot on Corey Seager or (especially) Onelkis Garcia.

Others who signed include 11th rounder Jeremy Rathjen, 13th rounder Darnell Sweeney, 14th rounder Matt Reckling, 19th rounder Owen Jones, 23rd rounder Lindsey Caughel, 24th rounder Paul Hoenecke, 28th rounder Jake Hermsen, 29th rounder John Cannon, 34th rounder Jordan Hershiser, 35th rounder Austin Cowen, 37th rounder John Sgromolo, and 38th rounder Corey Embree.

The Dodgers agreed to terms with 11 of their selections from the 2012 MLB Draft.

The Dodgers announced the signings of 11 recent draftees, including supplemental pick shortstop Jesmuel Valentin, the 51st overall selection and the son of former Dodger Jose Valentin.

The recommended slot bonus for the 51st pick was $984,700. Valentin, from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School, was committed to Louisiana State if he hadn’t signed.

Also signed and headed to Arizona for mini-camp: pitcher Thomas Stripling (fifth round); outfielder Theo Alexander (seventh round), who took batting practice with the big league club in Seattle on Saturday; outfielder Jeremy Rathjen (11th); shortstop Darnell Sweeney (13th); pitcher Matthew Reckling (14th); pitcher Jacob Hermsen (28th); catcher John Cannon (29th); pitcher Jordan Hershiser (34th); catcher Austin Cowen (35th); and outfielder Corey Embree (38th).

Nothing surprising there.

Should be interesting to see how much Corey Seager and Onelkis Garcia want and how long they’ll hold out for.

2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers Preview
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 1 – The 18th Overall Pick Is Corey Seager
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 1 – The 51st Overall Pick Is Jesmuel Valentin
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 2 – Rounds 2 Through 5
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 2 – Rounds 6 Through 10
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 2 – Rounds 11 Through 15
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 3 – Rounds 16 Through 25
2012 MLB Draft: Los Angeles Dodgers – Day 3 – Rounds 26 Through 40

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Corey Seager is one of the prospects I wanted the Dodgers to draft, so needless to say, I was pleased when they did just that. He could end up as the top prospect in the system with his combination of developing power, one of the best swings in the pool, and defense that could be plus at third base. Signability is a minor concern, as he’s said to be asking for money over slot, but he seems excited about starting his professional career.

Jesmuel Valentin pairs athleticism, bloodlines, and versatility. A switch-hitter, he’s much better from the left than the right, but he’s only been at it for a year and it takes time to get the skill down. He should get a chance to stick at short, which would make sense given his draft position. I’m not as enthusiastic about him as Logan White seems to be though, because he sort of reminds me of Preston Mattingly in the sense that he’s an athlete but the eventual bat ceiling and defensive position are up in the air. He should sign, as both him and his dad sound ready for him to play professional baseball tomorrow.

Steven Rodriguez was an interesting pick in the second round as a reliever because I don’t think he was the best player available. However, he should sign, and that’s important given the Dodgers other picks and the modified draft rules. A player that should move fast, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him next year.

Onelkis Garcia‘s demand for seven million dollars is just amusing, but he’ll require over slot money to sign nevertheless. The upside is there as a starter, but he hasn’t been seen in a game for a while now. Just based on potential alone, I like this choice if he agrees to terms.

Justin Chigbogu was an interesting choice in the fourth round. Since he was taken so high, he should sign and be giving up football. If he can shed pounds and gain athleticism, which is realistic since he would no longer have to carry the bulk necessary to play defensive line, his entire profile as a prospect could change.

Ross Stripling is a senior in college, so I think this was about signability as much as talent. He appears to be a middling starter with average velocity, but a potential bullpen move could help his profile. Josh Lindblom-esque?

Joey Curletta is an upside bat with massive power. He’s likely limited to first base, but wow, the power is impressive. He’ll need to alter his swing a bit to make contact consistently, much less hit for average, but the potential is there.

Theo Alexander sounds like Joc Pederson but with bat questions, which makes me wonder about his professional prospects. The Dodgers obviously believe he will hit given his draft position, and that’s a good thing since his upside appears to be limited elsewhere.

Scott Griggs is another college reliever and he should move fast. I assume he signs since I can’t imagine his stock having helium even if he returns to college.

Zachary Bird is an athletic, right-handed, lanky high school pitcher with velocity upside if he fills out, all of which makes him a standard Dodgers choice. This hasn’t proven to be a bad thing over the years and I hope to monitor his development.

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The first ten selections that the Dodgers made in the 2012 MLB Draft shows a solid sample of the changes to the team’s draft approach this year. The Dodgers seemed to stray from their usual staple of hard throwing high school arms and instead focused on power bats with monster upside and college pitchers.

I didn’t like that they seemed to completely get away from taking prep pitchers with upside, instead seemingly opting for lower ceiling, lower floor collegiate arms, but I loved the emphasis on revitalizing the system’s position player drought. Whether they were targeted specifically or because they were the best players available, the picks did end up filling system needs that had been neglected for years.

Going forward, I hope they don’t completely go away from high school pitchers in future drafts, but on the strength of just this one class, I found a lot more to like than dislike.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Jesmuel Valentin with the 51st overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft. Out of Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, and son of Jose Valentin, he’ll likely start his professional career at shortstop, but could move to second or third eventually.

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Baseball America had him ranked #71.

The son of Jose Valentin, who spent 16 years in the big leagues, Jesmuel has grown up around the game and spent plenty of time around major league clubhouses. Jesmuel has a similar build to his father at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds. He’s primarily a shortstop, but plays a lot of second base in deference to his high school teammate at Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Carlos Correa. He’ll likely get a shot to play shortstop in pro ball and has the defensive versatility to play all over the diamond, but many scouts believe he’s best suited for the keystone. Valentin is a steady defender with a strong arm and is a solid-average runner with good instincts on the bases. His tools play up because of his hard-nosed approach and instincts for the game. At the plate, he has a line-drive approach, and his strong forearms allow him to spray the ball from gap to gap with authority. Valentin projects more as a doubles hitter than a slugger, but he does have the strength and bat speed to hit the ball out of the park. A natural righthanded hitter, he has been switch-hitting for about a year and half and is still working to feel comfortable as a lefty.

ESPN‘s Jason Churchill reported this back on May 11th.

The son of former big-league infielder Jose Valentin has had a strong season and showed well recently, including at the Excellence Tournament in Puerto Rico late last week. He’s a teammate of Carlos Correa, perhaps the No. 2 overall prep prospect in the entire class, so Valentin plays mainly second base. He’s capable at short, however, and has enough arm to play there long term. He’s a switch hitter, and though there are some questions about the lack of future power, there is bat speed to support a pro career.

I actually thought the Dodgers would go after an arm here, but I don’t mind the position player direction. Another high upside bat with the potential to stick a premium position. Nice.

So far, so good.