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.

There were some eye-popping performances in the Dodgers minor-league system the last couple weeks, and I got to see three of the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes games in person, which was awesome.

There are some guys below folks should keep eyes on this season, as they could establish themselves as legitimate prospects with solid performances in 2013.

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Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2 & 5-2)

Player Of The Week – 4/22

Scott Van Slyke – 1B

.480/.536/.800/1.336, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 2B, 7 R, 1 SB, 3 BB, 4 K

Van Slyke is absolutely mashing the ball right now. Maybe he has a chip on his shoulder from being designated for assignment in the winter, maybe it’s his improved physique. Whatever it is, he’s doing everything right so far in Triple-A.

Player Of The Week – 4/29

Tim Federowicz – C

.571/.583/1.238/1.821, 3 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Federowicz was the Pacific Coast League Player Of The Week and posted some ridiculous numbers. Those numbers, coupled with Ramon Hernandez’s struggles, helped Federowicz get recalled to the Dodgers on May 8.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/22

Chris Withrow – RHP

2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 SV

Withrow, a failed starter, is having some success with the Isotopes. While he’s still walking too many hitters (6.4 BB/9), he’s getting strikeouts (12.1 K/9). He’s on the 40-man roster and could get the call if the Dodger bullpen continues to falter.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/29

Steven Ames – RHP

4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SV

Ames has been decent but unspectacular this season. His strikeout rate is way down (10.2 last season, 5.2 this season) and he’s giving up a lot of hits (15 in 12 innings), but he did spend some time on the disabled list. He’s also on the 40-man roster, so a call-up could be in his future.

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Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (2-3 & 1-5)

Player Of The Week – 4/22

Blake Smith – OF

.300/.364/.450/.814, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K

Smith has struggled a bit this season in his second go-round in the Southern League. He’s played a lot of left field because of Yasiel Puig‘s presence and prototypical right-field profile.

Player Of The Week – 4/29

Joc Pederson – OF

.300/.323/.533/.856, 2 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 7 K

Pederson is enjoying a fantastic start to his 2013 in the Southern League. There’s some chatter he could be the outfielder the Dodgers recall ahead of Puig, should the situation present itself. I wouldn’t be opposed to that.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/22

Rob Rasmussen – LHP

5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K

Rasmussen was acquired for John Ely this winter and has done a nice job at the back of the Lookouts’ rotation. He’s not going to overpower hitters, but he’ll get his fair share of outs.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/29

Rob Rasmussen – LHP

12 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

Rasmussen was the pitching star for the Lookouts. He’s small in stature, but he’s off to a great start in the Southern League so far. He’s a player to keep an eye on going forward, especially with Chris Reed and Andres Santiago struggling a little.

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High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-3 & 4-2)

Player Of The Week – 4/22

Jonathan Garcia – RF

.400/.429/.700/1.129, 1 HR, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB, 0 BB, 4 K

Garcia is repeating the California League after a dreadful 2012. So far, he’s handling the league pretty well. He’s spent a lot of time as the team’s No. 3 hitter, but he was recently moved out of that spot. He has some decent raw power, but he swings and misses too much and he’ll need to improve that this season.

Player Of The Week – 4/29

Darnell Sweeney – SS

.333/.379/.556/.935, 2 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, 3 SB, 2 BB, 7 K

Sweeney has been a nice surprise since being drafted in the 13th round last year. He’s now hitting third in the Quakes’ lineup after hitting leadoff most of the season. His fielding leaves a lot to be desired, though.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/22

Duke Von Schamann – RHP

7 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K

The 2012 15th-rounder is throwing well so far this season. He’s an inning-eating starter a Class-A team desperately needs. And with Ross Stripling being promoted, Von Schamann is the ace of the staff.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/29

Garrett Gould – RHP

6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K

Gould was named California League Player Of The Week, although this honor could have gone to Jarret Martin (6 IP, 0 ER, 8 K). I actually saw Martin’s start in person, but it’s hard to argue against Gould’s performance.

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Low-A Great Lakes Loons (3-4 & 1-6)

Player Of The Week – 4/22

Corey Seager – SS

.350/.350/.550/.900, 2 3B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Seager did most of his damage in a Loons’ doubleheader sweep on April 21, but he did collect seven hits this week. He’s off to a slow start (.236/.323/.364/.687), but he’s a few days shy of his 19th birthday. This is a tough, aggressive assignment for a teenager, and he’ll be just fine going forward.

Player Of The Week – 4/29

Tyler Ogle – C/DH

.269/.345/.423/.768, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K

There wasn’t much offense in Great Lakes, but Ogle one of the most veteran hitters the Loons have, and he had a decent week. He’s been splitting time with Eric Smith at catcher and DH.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/22

Lindsey Caughel – RHP

6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Caughel has been the most consistent Loons’ pitcher this season. He was recently promoted to Rancho Cucamonga, and it’d be a surprise if he were to pitch in Midland again this season.

Pitcher Of The Week – 4/29

Carlos Frias – RHP

6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Frias led the Loons pitching staff and is making his first appearance with Great Lakes in his career. He’s pitched at Ogden and, surprisingly, Rancho Cucamonga. So far, he’s having success in the Midwest League.

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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.

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 (2-4)

Player Of The Week

Alex Castellanos – OF

.417/.417/.667/1.084, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 2 SB, 0 BB, 4 K

Castellanos and Scott Van Slyke have quite the nice 3-4 combination going in Albuquerque. The outfielder, who should be a part-time player in Los Angeles, is hitting well again in Triple-A. He’s been great down there since being acquired by the Dodgers.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Magill – RHP

6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Magill made the best start of his young Triple-A career by allowing just six baserunners in as many innings. He has the ability to succeed in the rarefied air, but does he have the ability to survive in LA? His most recent start (April 22) was limited because the Dodgers wanted to keep the option of recalling him after Chad Billingsley‘s season ended on April 23.

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Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (4-3)

Player Of The Week

Joc Pederson – OF

.387/.457/.774/1.231, 2 HR, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 5 SB, 4 BB, 5 K

Also the Southern League Player Of The Week, Pederson is off to a great start in AA. He’s atop or near the top of a lot of offensive categories in the league, and he’s doing it as the third-youngest player. Impressive, to say the least.

Pitcher Of The Week

Zach Lee – RHP

12 IP, 11 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

This makes me extremely happy. Lee is still my No. 1 prospect, and he’s making me look good so far (and that’s a hard thing to do). He has a sparkling 1.17 ERA and a 2.85 FIP, so it’s not like he’s getting particularly lucky.

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High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-4)

Player Of The Week

Scott Schebler – OF

.462/.500/.885/1.385, 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 3B, 8 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB, 2 BB, 7 K

The Quakes have some interesting, if unspectacular, offensive prospects, including Schebler. He’s definitely holding his own in left field so far and should probably move up in the lineup before too long. I’d still like to see him walk some more, though.

Pitcher Of The Week

Michael Thomas – LHP

4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2 SV

The Quakes’ closer is having a pretty good season so far, even if he is a bit old for the California League. If he were a couple years younger, he’d be a legitimate prospect. At this point, he could make some noise by pitching well, and, since he’s left-handed, could have some sort of future in the majors.

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Low-A Great Lakes Loons (3-3)

Player Of The Week

Corey Seager – SS

.350/.350/.550/.900, 2 3B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Seager did most of his damage in a Loons doubleheader sweep on April 21, but he did collect seven hits this week. He’s off to a slow start (.236/.323/.364/.697), but he’s a few days shy of his 19th birthday. This is a tough, aggressive assignment for a teenager, and he’ll be just fine going forward.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jharel Cotton – RHP

7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

There were three candidates this week, including Ralston Cash and Lindsey Caughel. However, Cotton was the best of the trio. Cotton threw a seven-inning shutout in one of the Loons doubleheader games this week, and he rebounded well after a poor first start (with a relief appearance mixed in).

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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.

Kind of a quiet week on the farm for the Dodgers affiliates. The Loons went 4-1, but the other three affiliates didn’t play .500 ball.

The pitching seemed to lack this week more than the offense, but there have been some impressive early-season performances thus far.

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Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (2-5)

Player Of The Week

Scott Van Slyke – 1B

.435/.517/.957/1.474, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 2B, 7 R, 5 BB, 4 K

Van Slyke is on fire to start the season. Not only is he hitting the cover off the ball, he’s walking, too. He’s slimmed down and it appears to be helping him. He’s a late-bloomer for sure, but this is ridiculous — in a good way.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Magill – RHP

5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K

Magill’s first start wasn’t great, but his second start was much better. He has the skill set to pitch in the Pacific Coast League, especially with his ability to get the strikeout. It’ll be interesting to see how Magill fares in the extreme hitter’s league this season.

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Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4)

Player Of The Week

Yasiel Puig – OF

.304/.333/.609/.942, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 BB, 5 K

Puig wasn’t as good as last week, but he still was able to smack four extra-base hits while trying to help the mediocre-thus-far Lookouts’ offense. Joc Pederson was a close second.

Pitcher Of The Week

Zach Lee – RHP

7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB (Intentional), 7 K

Lee pitched like the Dodgers’ best pitching prospect this week, as he spun a gem against the Tennessee Smokies. He’s off to a fast start this season, and could re-establish his prospect status (even though he didn’t do a whole lot to hurt it in 2012) with a strong performance in Double-A.

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High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-4)

Player Of The Week

Scott Wingo – 2B

.400/.571/.467/1.038, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 5 R, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 HBP

Wingo is an on-base machine, or at least he was this week. He gets pushed to the bottom of the lineup thanks to Darnell Sweeney and Noel Cuevas, but it’s nice to have that on-base ability to turn the lineup over.

Pitcher Of The Week

Pedro Baez – RHP

2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

Kind of a rough week for Quakes’ pitching. Ross Stripling pitched relatively well, but still gave up three runs in five innings. Baez is not the Quakes’ closer right now, but he could be by mid-season, due to either promotions or performance.

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Low-A Great Lakes Loons (4-1)

Player Of The Week

Paul Hoenecke – 3B

.476/.500/1.262/1.762, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 2B, 7 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Hoenecke has been the Loons’ best hitter by far. He’s providing the middle-of-the-order presence Great Lakes’ terrible offense needs. Corey Seager has struggled (statistically), and the team isn’t getting much offense from anyone else.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ralston Cash – RHP

6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Despite giving up six runs in his first start, none of them were earned. That explains the 0.93 ERA and 4.09 FIP this season, but still, he’s striking batters out (15 in 9 2/3 innings). This is a big year for the former second-rounder.

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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 2013 projection for the Dodgers from Dan Szymborski‘s ZiPS system was released last week, and given that it’s probably my favorite forecasting tool, it’s worth a look to see how the team fared.

Forecasting is not a complete science, obviously, and I’ll address some of the potential pitfalls as we go along, but it’s better to use objective tools like these than the hopes/dreams of fans or the bitterness/wishes of haters.

To start us off, how does the team fare, generally speaking? A solid playoff contender, for sure, but a super team? Doesn’t seem likely.

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The Field Players

Despite all the hype over the recent acquisitions, the key cogs in this machine are still Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp. It’s a promising sign then, that Kemp projects at a 144 OPS+ and the system has confidence in him continuing to put up offensive numbers in the ~.900 OPS range. His defense in center still lags below average, but his bat more than makes up for it. His playing time projection has dropped due to his injury woes last season, and quite frankly, it’s hard to fault it for that. Regardless, he still figures to be the most valuable field player on the team.

Adrian Gonzalez is slated to be another bright spot, as ZiPS pegs him to bounceback a bit, though not as much as some want, clocking in at an ~.830 OPS/128 OPS+. That would still be his lowest OPS+ since 2008 (besides 2012, of course), but it’s a marked improvement considering his age and negatively trending skills. A-Gon compensates for that lagging bat a bit by putting up plus defense almost worth a win by itself. Hanley Ramirez factors in as yet another bounceback candidate, projecting at a 115 OPS+, which is an upgrade over last year’s 106 and is closer to his pre-2011 production. Defensively, even his horribad -8 run defensive rating is optimistic to me, as he was truly terrible with the glove last year. Given that I already wanted to barf seeing him trying to turn a double play in 2012, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him put up horrid defensive numbers after basically not playing the position all of spring.

Unfortunately, that’s where a lot of the offensive optimism ends. Luis Cruz checks in at 84 OPS+ (106 last year), which will anger many fans, but is completely reasonable given the track record. He remains valuable through plus defense, though given the sample size, there’s reason to be skeptical there as well. A.J. Ellis at 96 OPS+ (118) is another depressing but completely logical projection, as evidenced by everybody’s surprise in 2012 at his potent bat. Andre Ethier at 112 OPS+ (123) is hard to figure for me, because he has been consistently putting up ~120 OPS+ seasons even if it has come down from the ~130 OPS+ range two years ago. I suppose the projection system thinks he’ll get old in a hurry … or maybe it just thinks he’ll face an inordinately high amount of lefties. Mark Ellis at 81 OPS+ (93) shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering he’s 36 and put up an 80 OPS+ at Coors Field in 2011.

The last guy of the starters is Carl Crawford, who is the enigma of the 2013 season. He checks in at 104, which is notable because it’s basically his career OPS+ and it’s about what he did in limited time in 2012 over in Boston. That’s of particular note for me, because what he did in Boston in 2012 can be attributed to a mechanical fix that I pointed out in an article for Baseball Prospectus. Understandably, his playing time checks in low, but if he can produce like he did in 2012 but over a whole season, the Dodgers will be much better for it.

Overall, after fixing the playing time of A.J., adjusting Ethier’s offense up a bit, and adjusting Hanley’s defense down a bit, the starting lineup totaled about 22 WAR.

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The Bench & The Prospects

Assuming a bench of Tim Federowicz, Scott Van Slyke or Alex Castellanos, Jerry Hairston Jr., Nick Punto, and Skip Schumaker, we’re looking at around 3 WAR here after playing time is adjusted back to realistic bench levels. I’m guessing Alfredo Amezaga or Tony Gwynn Jr. work their way in somehow, but a five-man bench seems likely initially if the Dodgers can’t deal multiple pitchers before the season starts. Neither player would affect the WAR projection much though.

Honestly? I have to hope the Dodgers do something to improve the bench, because the current configuration looks rather mediocre, and the other options are keeping Juan Uribe and/or Elian Herrera. Yuck.

The good news is that Joc Pederson, T-Fed, SVS, and Castle are projected to be solid at the MLB level, though it sees Dee Gordon basically languishing behind.

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The Rotation

Clayton Kershaw is simply a beast, and he figures to check in with a 75 FIP-. This might seem high considering his 2011 and 2012 ERA- figures of 63 and 67, respectively, but when you consider that Felix Hernandez clocks in at 78 FIP- for 2013, you get the picture.

What might surprise is how close new acquisition Zack Greinke comes in behind him, as he figures to put up an FIP- of 81. Granted, he has always projected favorably, as his career FIP- is 80, while his career ERA- is 88, but even adjusting slightly for that, there’s a definite case there for the best 1-2 punch in the majors.

Unfortunately, this is where it gets murky, as Chad Billingsley has the stuff to be the #3, but if I were a betting man, I would bet his elbow implodes before July. He projects at 92 FIP-, which would put him around last year’s performance, which was his arguably his best season since 2008. However, given the nature of his injury and its history in the league, you can basically never rely on him to stay healthy again until he has Tommy John surgery.

Next in the pecking order are Josh Beckett, who comes in below-average at 103, and foreign import Hyun Jin Ryu, who comes in well below-average at 116. As mentioned before, the scouting reports for Beckett match this projection, as he’s no longer a front-line starter due to his decrease in velocity. However, if he can manage to learn to pitch a bit more, he still has the curve to perhaps slot in as a #3 more than a #4. Ryu is a case where I would take any projection with a mound of salt, because there’s hardly anything to base objective projections on. Personally, I don’t think Ryu has the stuff to be a #2, nor do I think he’ll be a #3 on a team with a $250 million payroll, but he should slot in comfortably in the back-end of the rotation for years. I would project something slightly below-average for 2013 and then hope for better.

The rotation is a strong point because it has both arguably the best 1-2 punch in the majors and depth, with Chris Capuano (108 FIP-) and Aaron Harang (114 FIP) presumably traded for upgrades (or maybe kept somehow?), and it checks in at about 17 WAR.

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The Bullpen & The Prospects

As of right now, I’m assuming a bullpen of Brandon League, Kenley Jansen, Ronald Belisario, Javy Guerra, Matt Guerrier, J.P. Howell, and Ted Lilly.

Jansen is the best of the bunch (63 FIP-) and League projects a distant second (92 FIP-), but Belisario has the most upside in these projections (101 FIP-). After that, Guerra, Guerrier, and Howell are all around replacement level. Lilly projects as a league-average pitcher, assuming he’s healthy, which would be a boon to a team that has a ticking time bomb in the rotation.

As far as prospects go, ZiPS thinks Chris Reed could be a replacement-level fill-in right now, but Zach Lee, Matt Magill, and Garrett Gould need more seasoning. And for all of you who have Stephen Fife wet dreams (yes, you’re out there), he projects at a 4.91 FIP, so keep it in your pants.

Speaking of replacement level, that especially applies to the Dodgers bullpen because of Shawn Tolleson, Scott Elbert, Steven Ames, and Paco Rodriguez, so the 4 WAR projection for this pen figures to be solid.

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Team Projection

A replacement-level team figures to win 43 games, and the team with the lowest amount of wins to get into the playoffs last year was the Cardinals at 88 wins, so 42 WAR puts you in the contender range and 45 WAR makes you viable, while 50 WAR will generally make a team a safe bet to be in the postseason. The Dodgers total 46 WAR, which puts them well within the playoff hunt: good but not great.

The Dodgers basically project neck-and-neck with the rival Giants, while the D-Backs lag behind a bit by maybe a half dozen wins or so, but they’re well within striking distance as well.

So make no mistake, the Dodgers recent spending habits did not make them an elite team, as the money simply duct-taped over both a flawed team and farm system depleted by Frank McCourt‘s ownership and Ned Colletti‘s questionable decisions. But that’s not to denigrate the job the new owners have done, as they turned the franchise into a legitimate playoff contender seemingly overnight, which is still saying a lot about what money can do.

Granted, “we gave you a team that has the chance to make the playoffs” is not what fans want to hear, but it’s an acceptable scenario as they lay the foundation to rebuild the franchise the correct way in their own minds. The 2013 projections might not reflect world-beaters like most seem to expect, but it’s a projection based on historical trends rather than hopes and dreams.

The 2013 Dodgers are indeed a team with a lot of upside, and if everything breaks correctly, they could very well end up being one of the best teams in the league, but they also carry a ton of inherent age and injury risk, which is why the projections come in understandably conservative. Either way, if nothing else, this team figures to be never boring.

The Dodgers have invited 12 players to their Winter Development Camp, which, after operating for its first five years of existence at Dodger Stadium, will move to Camelback Ranch due to construction at Chavez Ravine.

Zach Lee, Joc Pederson, Chris Reed, Onelki Garcia, Paco Rodriguez, Chris Withrow, Steven Ames, Matt Magill, Tim Federowicz, Matt Wallach, and newcomers Jeremy Moore and Rob Rasmussen makeup the 12 players selected by the organization.

Though Yasiel Puig was originally scheduled to participate in the camp, the Dodgers have opted to leave him with his Puerto Rican Winter League team, which is in the midst of a playoff run.

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The Dodgers signed former Rays lefty J.P. Howell to a one-year, $2.75 million deal with incentives. Chad has details and analysis here.

I’m just glad the deal is for one year, especially given Ned Colletti‘s proclivity to give veteran bullpen guys long-term deals.

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Jeremy Moore is one of five players to recently sign a minor-league deal with the club. Fabio Castro, Wilmin Rodriguez, Omar Luna, and Rusty Ryal round out the signings. Also, Scott Van Slyke was re-signed after being outrighted.

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Alfredo Amezaga has signed his second minor-league deal with the Dodgers and has been invited to Spring Training. He was an NRI to Spring Training in 2010 as well.

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

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

Mexican Winter League

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

—–

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.

The Dodgers are facing an interesting situation heading into the 2013 season — at least, the Albuquerque Isotopes and Chattanooga Lookouts are.

Following a Twitter exchange with Chris Jackson (@TopesWriter) and Evan Chavez (@newmexicofan), it occurred to me: The Isotopes and Lookouts are going to have some awfully crowded outfields — especially the ‘Topes.

The following outfielders are, at this point, slated to begin the 2013 season in Albuquerque:

Alex Castellanos: Could play second or third base.
Brian Cavazos-Galvez: Left fielder with some experience at first base.
Scott Van Slyke: Corner outfielder who the Dodgers don’t view as a 1B anymore (h/t to Jackson).
Kyle Russell: Corner outfielder who could fill in at center field in a pinch.
Blake Smith: Same as Russell, but better defensively.

Those guys are all but certain to be ‘Topes in 2013. Castellanos and Van Slyke have a chance to be on the Dodgers bench, but I’ll believe that when I see it. Nick Buss, who spent the entire 2012 season in Chattanooga, is another guy, and if things fall his way he could actually be the Isotopes starting center fielder. Of the guys listed above, Buss is the only true center fielder.

Then there are the players who aren’t even members of the Dodgers yet. Perennially, those are the likes of Trent Oeltjen and Matt Angle. Hell, Tony Gywnn Jr. is still under contract and could find himself back in New Mexico as well.

Bottom line is, the Isotopes are going to be jam-packed in the outfield.

—–

Including all of the guys above doesn’t even take into account players who could be promoted during the season based on performance — mainly, Bobby Coyle, Joc Pederson, and Yasiel Puig.

Coyle was a late-season call-up to Chattanooga and I think he’d have the best chance of playing in Albuquerque in 2013. Pederson is only 20 and should be with the Lookouts for the entire season (save perhaps a playoff call-up, as he was this past season for Chattanooga).

The wild card though is Puig. There’s no telling where he’ll begin, but it won’t be any lower than High-A Rancho Cucamonga. If he makes it to Double-A and flourishes, I could see him don an Isotopes uniform before the conclusion of the 2013 season.

Any of the trio being promoted quickly would make for even more of a mess than it already appears to be.

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Heading into last season, the Dodgers minor-league depth came in the form of right-handed pitchers and outfielders. They’ve already traded away a lot of the RHP depth and now it looks like the OF surplus could be next.

Too much of one position isn’t usually a bad thing, but the concern is that it could stunt the development of a few players, so it’ll be interesting to monitor the situation and see how it plays out.

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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 had the opportunity to speak with Joc Pederson before his Nov. 8 Arizona Fall League game.

Edited for sanity, because nobody wants to read “uh” and “um” and laughs and transitions and crap.

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You admitted that you scuffled to start 2011, but that you made adjustments that helped shape your breakout in 2012, specifically what mechanical changes were implemented by the Dodgers or what did you do to change things up?

“There were a couple things I worked on, there were a couple things that we addressed, and I just tried to fine tune my movements that I was doing, and one of the hitting coaches I had in Ogden helped me with that.”

You mentioned that you looked at Carlos Gonzalez and those types, so was there anything specific in your swing or was it just balance or something of that nature?

“Yeah, I don’t think my swing has changed, it’s just the position I’m getting into. Like allowing my swing to work, and my body was not allowing my swing to work.”

You said that playing for Team Israel in the WBC was a great experience for you, but after full-season ball and then going to the WBC qualifiers, and now you’re in the AFL, has fatigue become a factor at all?

“I mean it’s a grind but I’m enjoying every day of it, and I’m learning as much as I can and taking it all in so that it’ll help me with my season next year and throughout my career.”

As far as your batting approach goes, the approach you take at the plate is often lauded as advanced, but is that something you’ve worked on over the years or is that an innate feel for hitting?

“I have an approach that Johnny Washington helped me with to stay through the middle and stay inside the ball. My approach changed when I got to Ogden. I didn’t really have an approach before, I just went out and was relying on my ability, but he helped me have a plan in going up to the plate and what not.”

Speaking of adjustments, do you anticipate having to make any adjustments as you move up to AA or even now in the AFL?

“Yeah, I’m just trying to keep it simple. Get a good pitch and put a good swing on it, and obviously it’s a game of adjustments, so guys are going to pitch you differently and guys are going to adjust, so you’re gonna have to adjust to the game and still put together a quality at-bat.”

Is it more like the speed of the game as you move up through the levels or it is more like the mental aspect?

“Yeah, I’m really focusing on the mental aspect of the game and controlling what I can control. So that’s the learning process, it won’t come overnight, so you just have to stay with it and eventually it’ll come.”

—–

Not sure if he didn’t want to talk about his hitting mechanics so specifically or if he didn’t know the specifics or if he assumed I wouldn’t understand, but I couldn’t get much out of that. He did talk a bunch about refining his approach at the plate and where he needed to be though.

I thought the comments about his mental adjustments were particularly interesting, because it seemed like the typical path of a guy who had all the physical tools but needed to refine them into baseball skills, and it’s probably beneficial that he learned the difference early on in the process rather than later when it might have been too late.

For what it’s worth, he came off as amicable and friendly.

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

LAist: In what I had not seen reported anywhere else, oddly enough, Dodger Stadium is scheduled for renovations.

ESPN Los Angeles: Jamie McCourt is suing Frank McCourt for fraud. I’m sure we could fill the Grand Canyon with the amount of shits you all give.

—–

Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness: Mike Petriello says that the people already declaring the Adrian Gonzalez trade a failure are off-base. He’s right, of course, since this was always a long-term deal.

MLB.com: John Ely and Joc Pederson were named the Dodgers minor league players of the year.

—–

The Wall Street Journal: Now we have scientific proof that Vin Scully is awesome.

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.

—–

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.

—–

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 Chattanooga Lookouts are in contention for a playoff berth and helped their cause with a 5-1 week. They did it on the strength of their pitching, allowing just 19 runs in six games. The Dodgers minor league system had two players earn Player Of The Week honors in Luis Nunez and Joc Pederson.

The Arizona League Dodgers scored the most runs this week at 50, while the Dominican Summer League Dodgers allowed 40 runs this week.

—–

Albuquerque Isotopes (4-3)

Runs Scored: 39
Runs Allowed: 38

Player Of The Week

Scott Van Slyke – OF/1B

Van Slyke earned his third award of the season by going 9-for-25 (.360) with two home runs, two doubles, seven RBI, nine runs scored, and six walks. He obviously has no difficulty with Triple-A pitching so it’s too bad he didn’t seize his chance in the majors. He’ll be up in September.

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely – RHP

You’re shocked, I know: 14 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 13 K; ninth honor this season. Ho hum.

—–

Chattanooga Lookouts (5-1)

Runs Scored: 33
Runs Allowed: 19

Player Of The Week

Luis Nunez – 1B

This is Nunez’s third award this season and he earned it by going 10-for-20 (.500) with two home runs, three doubles, five RBI, and five runs scored. He also was named the Southern League Player Of The Week. The 25-year-old is having a decidedly mediocre season for the Lookouts.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Magill – RHP

Magill continues his solid season by taking home his fifth award this season (the first in which he didn’t win the league Player Of The Week honor) by pitching well for Chattanooga: 12 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 18 K. His 154 strikeouts and 10.5 K/9 lead the Southern League.

—–

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (4-2)

Runs Scored: 35
Runs Allowed: 26

Player Of The Week

Joc Pederson – OF

Pederson, who was named the California League Player Of The Week, continued his torrid August by going 11-for-25 (.440) with four home runs, four doubles, 10 RBI, and six runs scored. For the month, he’s hitting .397/.494/.863 with 19 extra base hits (11 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR).

Pitcher Of The Week

Ryan Acosta – RHP

Acosta takes home his first honor by having a nice start for the Quakes: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K. The 23-year-old is in his second stint with the Quakes. He’s faring much better this season than last (10.66 ERA vs. 3.15 ERA).

—–

Great Lakes Loons (4-3)

Runs Scored: 23
Runs Allowed: 24

Player Of The Week

O’Koyea Dickson – 1B

Dickson seems to be snapping out of his second-half slump. He earns his third honor in the last five weeks by going 9-for-19 (.474) with a home run, a double, two RBI, four runs scored, and, surprisingly, three stolen bases. He’s back up to .269/.370/.460 with 14 home runs on the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Greg Wilborn – LHP

Wilborn earns his second award in three weeks by throwing a good game this past week: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. The 25-year-old isn’t a prospect at this point.

—–

Ogden Raptors (4-3)

Runs Scored: 36
Runs Allowed: 23

Player Of The Week

Corey Seager – SS

Seager winning this week’s award was almost by default (his third in a row). Despite scoring 36 runs in seven games, there wasn’t really an offensive standout for the Raptors this week. Seager went 6-for-20 (.300) with a home run, double, triple, six RBI, and five runs scored. Seager owns an .856 OPS in the Pioneer League as an 18-year-old. That’s pretty good for a debut season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Lindsey Caughel – RHP

The Dodgers 23rd-round pick in 2012 had himself a week: 13 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K. The 22-year-old has some work to do before getting noticed on the prospect map.

—–

Arizona League Dodgers (5-2)

Runs Scored: 50
Runs Allowed: 35

Player Of The Week

John Sgromolo – 1B

Sgromolo helped to lead the AZL Dodgers to a solid 5-2 week by going 6-for-16 (.375) with three doubles, a triple, seven RBI, and six runs scored. The 2012 37th-rounder has a .305/.383/.427 line in 22 games this season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Miguel Sulbaran – LHP

Sulbaran had a decent week on the hill for the AZL Dodgers: 12 IP, 11 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 15 K. Sulbaran has good strikeout numbers in the AZL (54 in 52 2/3 IP) and is someone to keep an eye on going forward.

—–

Dominican Summer League Dodgers (4-3)

Runs Scored: 39
Runs Allowed: 40

Player Of The Week

Josmar Cordero – C/1B

Cordero missed some time earlier this season, but he was back this week: 9-for-26 (.346) with two home runs, three doubles, seven RBI, and eight runs scored. Cordero has a nice triple slash (.367/.422/.540), but he needs to be promoted to see if he can put up decent numbers against advanced pitching.

Pitcher Of The Week

Luis De Paula – LHP

De Paula, a 20-year-old lefty, had a nice performance this week: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. He’s started half the games he’s pitched in this season and it looks like he’ll remain in the rotation.

The Arizona League Dodgers were the big winners this week by going 6-1. They also scored the most runs this week at 50. The Lookouts continued to struggle offensively. Their pitching has been good (24 runs allowed in seven games), but the hitting has nearly disappeared. The Dominican Summer League Dodgers actually allowed the fewest runs at 23.

Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig continue to impress, as does John Ely. Zach Lee might be coming into his own in Double-A as well.

—–

Albuquerque Isotopes (4-2)

Runs Scored: 44
Runs Allowed: 48

Player Of The Week

Tim Federowicz – C

Federowicz’s hot week was just enough to unseat Jerry Sands and to take his third honor of the season. He went 8-for-18 (.444) with a home run, three doubles, seven RBI, five runs scored, and five walks. He’s quietly posting a .297/.369/.482 line, but it is Albuquerque, so it must be taken with a grain of salt.

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely – RHP

Ho hum: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K. It’s his eighth honor of the season.

—–

Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4)

Runs Scored: 19
Runs Allowed: 24

Player Of The Week

Brahiam Maldonado – OF

Maldonado earns his second award of the season by going 10-for-20 (.500) with two home runs, two doubles, three RBI, and four runs scored. The Lookouts didn’t hit well this week (scoring just 19 runs), so it’s a little surprising to see a guy hit .500 for the week.

Pitcher Of The Week

Zach Lee – RHP

Lee might finally be getting comfortable in the Southern League after a few up-and-down outings. He was pretty solid this week: 12 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 K. His K/9 is down from his California League performance, but it’s all about him making quality pitches against advanced competition right now.

—–

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-3)

Runs Scored: 34
Runs Allowed: 37

Player Of The Week

Joc Pederson – OF

Pederson is having a great second half and a fantastic July and August. This week was no exception: 10-for-23 (.435) with two home runs, four doubles, six RBI, eight runs scored, and five walks. Pederson is hitting .333/.500/.744 in August with eight of his 13 hits going for extra bases. His on-base percentage on the season is flirting with .400 (.393). He’s a flat-out stud.

Pitcher Of The Week

Yimi Garcia – RHP

This was a tough one. Sanchez had one of his best starts in awhile (6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K), but I went with Garcia here. Why? Well, his first week in the Cal League was pretty awesome: 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Eight of the 11 outs he recorded were via the strikeout. That’s not a bad debut for a 21-year-old (soon-to-be 22).

—–

Great Lakes Loons (4-3)

Runs Scored: 32
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Nick Akins – OF

Akins hasn’t made much noise this season (not surprising because he’s not a prospect at this point in his career), but he had a solid week for the Loons: 7-for-22 (.318) with two home runs, two doubles, three RBI, six runs scored, and eight walks.

Pitcher Of The Week

Juan Rodriguez – RHP

Rodriguez, who was suspended for more than a month by the Quakes earlier this season before being demoted, amazingly got into four games for the Loons this week: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. The 23-year-old has an undeniably electric fastball, but his off-speed offerings aren’t great, just like his control. He had potential heading into the season, but his suspension and demotion raised some eyebrows.

—–

Ogden Raptors (2-4)

Runs Scored: 34
Runs Allowed: 46

Player Of The Week

Corey Seager – SS

Seager earns his second honor of the season by going 10-for-25 (.400) with a home run, a double, a triple, five RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases. Seager isn’t fairing well defensively (15 errors in 30 games), but he’s definitely coming into his own with the bat. It’d be nice to see him begin next season at Low-A, but the Dodgers don’t have a reason to rush him.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jharel Cotton – RHP

Cotton, the Dodgers 20th-round draft pick out of East Carolina, had a really nice outing this week in relief: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K. He’s off to a nice start in his first 10 professional innings (1.80 ERA, 1.00 FIP, 12.6 K/9).

—–

Arizona League Dodgers (6-1)

Runs Scored: 50
Runs Allowed: 29

Player Of The Week

Yasiel Puig – OF

Puig had another impressive week in the Arizona League: 7-for-14 (.500) with two home runs, a triple, six RBI, six runs scored, and six walks. His performance was good enough to earn him a promotion to Rancho Cucamonga. It’ll be nice to see him play against more advanced competition.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jhouse Bermudez – LHP

Bermudez made the jump from the Dominican Summer League to the Arizona League and fared quite well: 5 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K. The 19-year-old lefty has a little potential.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (4-2)

Runs Scored: 24
Runs Allowed: 23

Player Of The Week

Melvin Santana – 2B

It’s basically Santana vs. Josmar Cordero for this award. Santana had the better week of the two: 6-for-15 (.400) with a double, four runs scored, three walks, and two stolen bases. Santana boasts a nice .396 on-base percentage in the DSL.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jose Agusto Diaz – RHP

Diaz earns his second award of the season by throwing the ball well on August 9: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. The 21-year-old is a sleeper in the organization.

Man, I’m never going two weeks between these posts again. Anyway, most of the Dodger minor-league affiliates were mediocre the last two weeks. The Ogden Raptors scored the most runs this week with 83, thanks to Jeremy Rathjen, Corey Seager and Eric Smith. They also gave up the most runs this week at 94.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (7-8)

Runs Scored: 81
Runs Allowed: 69

Players Of The Week

July 23: Jerry Sands – OF/1B
July 30: Jerry Sands – OF/1B

Sands has been one of the hottest hitters in the minor leagues for the past couple weeks. For the week of July 23, he went 12-for-34 (.353) with three home runs, 11 RBI, a double, and five runs scored. He earned the Pacific Coast League Player Of The Week, as Sands hit two grand slams in the second game of the July 29 doubleheader. For the week of July 30, he went 11-for-25 (.440) with three home runs, 10 RBI, and three runs scored. His hot hitting earned him a call-up to Los Angeles.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: John Ely – RHP
July 30:  Josh Wall – RHP

Ely had a couple solid outings for the Isotopes: 13 1/3 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K. He has a 3.42 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 9.2 K/9 on the season. Wall made three appearances last week and saved two games for the Isotopes: 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (7-6)

Runs Scored: 65
Runs Allowed: 54

Players Of The Week

July 23: Rafael Ynoa – 2B
July 30: J.T. Wise – 1B

Ynoa won his fourth award of the season, but his numbers were less than impressive: 5-for-20 (.250) with two doubles, two RBI, and seven walks. The Lookouts were one-hit twice and no-hit once in the week of July 23, so that accounts for the poor offensive week. Wise had a much better week: 10-for-23 (.435) with a home run, 10 RBI, three doubles, six runs scored, and seven walks.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Zach Lee – RHP
July 30: Matt Magill – RHP

Lee had a nice outing on July 27 to earn just his second award of the season: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K. He hasn’t fared well in Double-A thus far, but he is just 20 years old. Next season will be the true test of his prospect status. Magill had one of his best outings of the season despite giving up three runs: 7 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. This is Magill’s fourth honor of the year.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (6-6)

Runs Scored: 81
Runs Allowed: 75

Players Of The Week

July 23: Leon Landry – OF
July 30: Bobby Coyle – OF & Joc Pederson – OF

Landry had a fantastic week before being traded to Seattle with Logan Bawcom for Brandon League: 14-for-30 (.467) with two home runs, five (!) triples, a double, six RBI, and nine runs scored. That performance earned him California League Player Of The Week honors. He finishes his Quake career with a .328/.358/.559 triple slash with eight home runs, 51 RBI, 26 doubles, 15 triples, 63 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases. The next week, Coyle and Pederson carried the Quakes offense. Coyle went 10-for-25 (.400), with a home run, double, triple, and four RBI. Pederson didn’t get many hits, but he walked a bunch: 5-for-20 (.250) with a home run, double, triple, five RBI, eight runs scored, nine walks, and three stolen bases.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Rubby De La Rosa – RHP
July 30: Andres Santiago – RHP

Well, well, well, Mr. De La Rosa, so nice to see you. De La Rosa made his season debut with the Quakes and showed no ill effects from his Tommy John surgery: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K. He also had a fine performance in his second appearance, but it was cut short because of discomfort in his groin (thankfully it wasn’t his elbow). Santiago had a great outing for the Quakes — and it’d be his last at the level because he was promoted to Double-A Chattanooga: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. Santiago has taken the award four of the last five weeks and has won it five times overall this season.

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Great Lakes Loons (3-10)

Runs Scored: 58
Runs Allowed: 78

Players Of The Week

July 23: Pratt Maynard – C
July 30: O’Koyea Dickson – 1B/DH

Maynard, who started the season in a terrible slump, has picked it up of late. For the week of July 23, he went 6-for-20 (.300) with three doubles, two RBI, and three walks. Dickson has been mired in a slump for most of the second half, but he had a nice week: 8-for-26 (.308) with three home runs, five RBI, and three runs scored.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Duke Von Schamann – RHP
July 30: Greg Wilborn – LHP

The Dodgers might have found themselves a gem in Von Schamann, who earns his third award of the season — all since being promoted to Great Lakes. He had his best outing of the season so far during the week of July 23: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. He doesn’t strike guys out, but he gets them out. He’ll have to miss more bats as he moves up the ladder, but it’s hard to argue with what he’s doing at the moment. Wilborn had a nice week for the Loons in the following period: 11 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 12 K. Wilborn has been all around the minors this season, and he’s not a prospect at this point.

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Ogden Raptors (7-6)

Runs Scored: 83
Runs Allowed: 94

Players Of The Week

July 23: Jeremy Rathjen – OF
July 30: Corey Seager – SS

Rathjen, who fell in the draft because of injury concerns, continues to mash for the Raptors. For the week of July 23, he went 10-for-21 (.476) with three RBI, seven runs scored, and eight walks. Seager hit his first professional home runs last week, as he went 8-for-24 (.333) with three home runs, nine RBI, five runs scored, and seven walks. Jesus Valdez (.346, four home runs) and Eric Smith (.455, 10 walks) were the runners-up.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Ross Stripling – RHP
July 30: Owen Jones – RHP

Stripling is having no problems with the Pioneer League, but the Dodgers are limiting his innings. He had a short but effective outing: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. Jones, the Dodgers 19th-round draft pick in 2012, had a solid week coming out of the bullpen for the Raptors: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

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Arizona League Dodgers (3-6)

Runs Scored: 47
Runs Allowed: 54

Players Of The Week

July 23: Cory Embree – OF
July 30: Yasiel Puig – OF

Embree had a modest week for the AZL Dodgers: 5-for-12 (.417) with a double, four RBI, and three walks. Puig, making his professional debut, went 5-for-16 (.313) with two home runs, five RBI, two triples, and four runs scored.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Jonathan Martinez – RHP
July 30: Zachary Bird – RHP

Martinez had a fantastic outing on July 24: 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K. The 18-year-old is having a lot of success in the Arizona League and is someone to keep an eye on going forward. Bird, the Dodgers ninth-round pick this year, had the best outing of his young career: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (3-7)

Runs Scored: 48
Runs Allowed: 61

Players Of The Week

July 23: Jeffry Rojas – SS
July 30: Melvin Santana – 2B

Rojas only played three games, but he made them count by going 6-for-10 (.600) with a double and an RBI. Santana, making his fourth appearance on this list, went 6-for-17 (.353) with a home run, a double, four RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Pitchers Of The Week

July 23: Jose Agusto Diaz – RHP
July 30: Wascar Teodo – RHP

Diaz, 21, earned his first award of the season by throwing six quality innings on July 27: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Teodo did just a little better than Diaz this past week: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. The 18-year-old is throwing well for the DSL Dodgers.

It was a down week for some of the Dodgers minor league affiliates. The Chattanooga Lookouts and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes both had 2-4 weeks. The Great Lakes Loons checked in with the best record at 5-1. The Albuquerque Isotopes had an abbreviated week due to the Pacific Coast League All-Star Game.

The Loons and Ogden Raptors scored the most runs this week at 41. The ‘Topes allowed just seven, but did so in just three games.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (2-1)

Runs Scored: 16
Runs Allowed: 7

Player Of The Week

Alex Castellanos – 2B & Brian Cavazos-Galvez – OF

It was a short week for the Isotopes, hence the split award. Castellanos went 4-for-9 (.444) with four walks and two runs scored. Cavazos-Galvez went 6-for-9 (.667) with a home run, double, four RBI, and two runs scored. They’re the two most consistent hitters for the ‘Topes right now.

Pitcher Of The Week

Fernando Nieve – RHP

I don’t like giving this to a 30-year-old in Triple-A, but it was a short week. Nieve did have a solid outing: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K. He hasn’t fared well on the season, though: 6.08 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, and a ridiculous 105 hits allowed in 74 innings.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (2-4)

Runs Scored: 18
Runs Allowed: 25

Player Of The Week

Gorman Erickson – C

After the season Erickson’s had, I doubted he’d ever make this list. But it was a slow week in Chattanooga and his performance takes the cake: 6-for-13 (.462) with three doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. With the “big” week, he’s posting just a .232/.335/.316 triple slash on the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Magill – RHP

This is Magill’s third honor and also his third time being named Southern League Pitcher Of The Week. He had a great outing on Wednesday: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K. After a horrid June, it’s nice to see him getting back on track.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (2-4)

Runs Scored: 24
Runs Allowed: 31

Player Of The Week

Joc Pederson – OF

Pederson finally makes his first appearance on the list, taking home this week’s award. He went 6-for-21 (.286) with a home run, a double, three RBI, four walks, and three stolen bases. It wasn’t the best week he’s had, but it was good enough this week for Rancho. His .815 OPS is impressive for a 20-year-old in A-ball, even if it’s in the California League.

Pitcher Of The Week

Andres Santiago – RHP

I wonder if it’s about time we start talking about Santiago as a legitimate prospect? Yes, he is repeating the league, but despite his unpolished ERA, he’s pitching better this time around than last. He had a good game on Saturday: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. On the season, he has a 10.3 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 (down from 3.5 last season), and a 3.23 FIP. This was his third award of the season.

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Great Lakes Loons (5-1)

Runs Scored: 41
Runs Allowed: 30

Player Of The Week

Darnell Sweeney – SS

Sweeney gets the nod instead of James Baldwin because he’s putting up fantastic numbers as a 2012 draftee (a college draftee, but still). The 13th-round pick went 9-for-22 (.409) with a double, triple, three RBI, six runs scored, six walks, and three stolen bases. He’s stepped right in to be the Loons’ leadoff man and sparkplug at the top of the lineup.

Pitcher Of The Week

Duke Von Schamann – RHP

Another 2012 draftee, Von Schamann made two starts this week and was effective in both: 11 2/3 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. He’s obviously not a big strikeout pitcher (11 in 24 1/3 minor league innings), but he knows how to get outs, and his 1.82 GO/AO rate is impressive. This is his second honor of the season.

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Ogden Raptors (3-3)

Runs Scored: 41
Runs Allowed: 38

Player Of The Week

Jeremy Rathjen – OF

The 2012 11th-round pick had himself quite a week and seems to be settling in nicely with the Raptors: 13-for-27 (.481) with two home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, 10 runs scored, and three stolen bases. The lanky outfielder has drawn comparisons to Corey Hart, and if he keeps hitting like this, he should see Great Lakes before the season is out.

Pitcher Of The Week

Carlos Frias – RHP

Frias, who’s a bit old for the league at 22, had the best week of any Raptors pitcher: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. On the season, Frias owns a 4.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, and a 2.67 FIP. Nice numbers, but not great for a guy repeating the level.

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Arizona League Dodgers (2-2)

Runs Scored: 21
Runs Allowed: 12

Player Of The Week

Bladimir Franco – 3B

Franco, a 21-year-old third baseman, led the charge in an abbreviated week for the AZL Dodgers by going 7-for-18 (.389) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI, and three runs scored. This is his third stint in the AZL, and he’s struggled in his other two seasons. His six home runs lead the team and is one better than his home run total from the last two seasons … combined.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jonathan Martinez – RHP

Martinez claims his third award of the young AZL season by beating out Victor Araujo. Martinez had a nice outing on Friday: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. The young righty has a 1.90 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, a .250 BAA, and is striking out nearly a batter per inning. He, along with Miguel Sulbaran, are quite the 1-2 punch in Arizona.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (4-1)

Runs Scored: 21
Runs Allowed: 14

Player Of The Week

Melvin Santana – 2B

Santana is taking after Josmar Cordero, as he won his second consecutive POTW award by edging out Geison Nunez. He went 8-for-17 (.471) with a home runs, a double, two triples, five RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases. The small second baseman is at .306/.386/.521 on the season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Wander Beras – LHP

I really wanted to give this to Jose Agusto Diaz (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K), but it was hard to overlook Beras’ performance: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K. He’s thrown well in the Dominican Summer League, but he is 23 and isn’t really a prospect to get excited about.

With the Dodgers signing all of the players they drafted in the first 10 rounds, the minor league rosters have received ample reinforcements. The latest to sign: Paco Rodriguez. He was assigned to the Great Lakes Loons.

As for on-field performance, the Arizona League Dodgers are on fire. The team is 13-2 on the season and ahead of the second-place AZL Indians by 6 1/2 games. Aside from the Albuquerque Isotopes, the rest of the teams had mediocre weeks.

The ‘Topes led the system in scoring this week with 56 runs. The Dominican Summer League Dodgers gave up the fewest runs (12) in the fewest games played (five).

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Notes: Angelo Songco was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He’s one step closer to being where he needs to be after having offseason surgery. This year’s 13th-round pick Darnell Sweeney joined Rodriguez and Duke Von Schamann as the only 2012 draftees to play at a level higher than rookie ball so far. Matt Kemp finished his rehab stint with the Quakes and Isotopes.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (5-2)

Runs Scored: 56
Runs Allowed: 40

Player Of The Week

Josh Fields – 3B

Fields had a great week, even by Pacific Coast League standards. He went 17-for-31 (.548) with three doubles, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored. He had at least two hits in every game this week. He isn’t hitting for much power, despite a .515 slugging percentage, but at least he’s putting the bat on the ball. He’s fifth in the PCL in hits (112).

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely – RHP

Yeah, you’re not surprised. This is the sixth time Ely has won this award and he did so by having another fantastic week: 13 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 14 K. There’s not really much more to say about Ely’s performance this season, so I won’t.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4)

Runs Scored: 35
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Nick Buss – CF

The 2008 eighth-rounder out of USC had a great week for the Lookouts: 14-for-30 (.467) with two doubles, a triple, six RBI, and four runs scored. Buss, 25, isn’t much of a prospect, but it’s nice to see him have a solid week. He’s struggling against Southern League pitching (.740 OPS) compared to the California League pitching he faced last season (.880 OPS).

Pitcher Of The Week

Matt Magill – RHP

Magill just edged out Ethan Martin to his second award of the season. He had a great outing this week: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. Magill struggled mightily in June (7.46 ERA, .377 batting average against), but has started July off on the right track. Hopefully he’s a little more consistent for the rest of the season.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (4-3)

Runs Scored: 44
Runs Allowed: 35

Player Of The Week

Bobby Coyle – OF/DH

Coyle, despite getting limited playing, is making it count. This week was no different: 8-for-19 with two home runs, four doubles, six RBI, and four runs scored. The 2010 10th-round pick has a .413/.455/.641 triple slash in 29 games with the Quakes. Joc Pederson (12-for-32) earns another honorable mention.

Pitcher Of The Week

Andres Santiago – RHP

Santiago, 22, has been inconsistent this season, but he’s also had two of the better performances by a Dodger minor league pitcher this season. He had a couple good outings this week: 14 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 19 K. That 19:2 K:BB ratio looks awfully nice. On the season, Santiago has a 5.01 ERA (bad), but his peripherals are pretty solid otherwise: 3.39 FIP, 1.28 WHIP, 8.5 H/9, 0.8 HR/9, 3.0 BB/9, 10.2 K/9, and a 3.35 K/BB.

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Great Lakes Loons (2-5)

Runs Scored: 23
Runs Allowed: 44

Player Of The Week

Jesse Bosnik – 3B/1B

It was a down week for the Loons on both sides of the ball. Bosnik just edged out Pedro Guerrero for this week’s award. He went 8-for-20 (.400) with a home runs, double, four RBI, and four runs scored. He’s hitting just .256/.294/.390 on the season. Bosnik, 24 in two weeks, isn’t a prospect at this point.

Pitcher Of The Week

Raydel Sanchez – RHP

On the strength of seven no-hit innings on July 2nd, Sanchez wins this week’s award. Last year’s biggest Dodger international signing, Sanchez had the following line: 13 1/3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 10 K. The 22-year-old is having some success in Midland and is finally in the starting rotation after beginning the season in the bullpen.

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Ogden Raptors (3-4)

Runs Scored: 42
Runs Allowed: 50

Player Of The Week

Justin Boudreaux – IF

Boudreaux is having a much easier time with Ogden than he did with Great Lakes. This week, he went 9-for-21 (.429) with two doubles, two RBI, and four runs scored. The 2011 14th-rounder was somewhat of a sleeper in my eyes coming into the season, but he’s fallen and is a fringe prospect at best right now.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jake Hermsen – LHP

Hermsen earns his second straight award by having a couple solid outings: 11 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. The lefty is having a relatively easy go of it for the Raptors thus far, posting a 2.50 ERA, .236 BAA, and a great 2.36 groundout rate.

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Arizona League Dodgers (5-1)

Runs Scored: 42
Runs Allowed: 32

Player Of The Week

Tyler Ogle – C

Ogle picks up the award for the second straight week by, once again, mashing: 10-for-23 (.435) with two home runs, 10 RBI, three doubles, and three walks. The soon-to-be 22-year-old has no issues handling Arizona League pitching and should be promoted sooner rather than later.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jonathan Martinez – RHP

Martinez had another stellar week to earn his second award in three weeks: 10 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. The 18-year-old is having an impressive showing in the AZL and could be a guy to watch in the coming years.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (3-2)

Runs Scored: 24
Runs Allowed: 12

Player Of The Week

Melvin Santana – 2B

It was an abbreviated week for the DSL Dodgers, but Santana managed to have the best week of the bunch. He went 6-for-17 (.352) with two triples, two RBI, four runs scored, and four stolen bases. The 20-year-old played in the Dominican Summer League last year and hit .249/.344/.344 with 10 stolen bases. He’s already matched his triple total from last season (four) and has seven doubles (had 11 last year). He’s made some improvements and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up.

Pitcher Of The Week

Wander Beras – LHP

Beras had one of the best outings — if not the best — of any Dodger minor leaguer this week: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K. He’s been a little inconsistent in the DSL so far, but the 23-year-old is on his fourth stint in the league and isn’t much to get excited about. He did not play in 2011.

As I get ready to publish my midseason Dodgers prospect rankings on my blog, I’ve noticed Scott Schebler has been playing a lot better for the Great Lakes Loons than he was to begin the season.

The toolsy outfielder, coming off a decent showing with the Ogden Raptors in 2011, started 2012 off on shaky ground: .221/.250/.400. He was better in May — .277/.325/.438 — but got a lot better in June, hitting .330/.370/.489 for the month.

He has the ability to play center field, but with James Baldwin occupying that spot, he hasn’t played there at all this season — or last season when the two shared the Ogden outfield with Joc Pederson. He’ll likely end up in a corner.

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Schebler, 21, has good size (6’1″, 208 pounds) and good tools, but there is one thing holding him back from jumping to the next tier of Dodger prospects — his walk rate.

Last season, he walked 13 times. No, not 13 percent of the time; 13 times in 315 plate appearances (4.1 percent). This season, that number is down to 3.6 percent, which obviously is a red flag. Unless he hits .350 all the time, he’s not going to fare well against more advanced pitching (even, say, California League pitching). To make that jump from fringe prospect to potential fourth outfielder to potential every day player, he needs to learn some plate discipline.

Schebler’s definitely not an empty singles hitter, as his isolated power was .244 last year in the Pioneer League (whose wasn’t, really?) and is at .159 this year in the Midwest League. If Schebler can learn to take a walk, he could be a surprise position prospect coming up through a Dodgers system currently devoid of them.

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It’s possible that’s just not the kind of hitter Schebler is, though. This article from Hugh Berneuter of MLive.com has a lot of interesting insight into Schebler’s hitting routine.

“Mentally, I was not ready,” Schebler said. “This was my first season on a full-season team. I wasn’t ready to start that early, to go through the everyday grind. I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t. I’ve learned.”

Schebler’s miserable April was his first experience with extended failure. He did not handle it well.

“I was trying everything,” Schebler said. “I never had the same routine two days in a row.”

Finally, Schebler and Great Lakes Loons hitting coach Razor Shines worked out a daily routine that became, well, routine.

“I do a lot more pregame work now, doing the same things every day with a routine that Razor put together for me,” Schebler said. “A big thing is maintaining a good swing plane.

“Nobody is going to do well trying to hit homers in this league. Our goal is to hit everything hard for 100 feet. If the ball goes out … great. But you can’t try to do it. I’m more of a gap-to-gap hitter, always looking for extra-base hits.”

It hasn’t been all bad, though. Schebler has dramatically and encouragingly decreased his strikeout rate — from 30.8 percent in Ogden last season to 17.5 percent in Midland this season. That, coupled with his propensity for extra base hits (34 this season), is reason to be hopeful.

First thing’s first though, I suppose. The next step in Schebler’s development — for himself and for the organization — would be to focus on improving his plate discipline. It’s not something that can be completely taught, but any effort could potentially help him both now and later.

I could see Schebler getting a late-season call-up to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, but if he doesn’t, he’ll definitely begin next season there as a 22-year-old.

The Chattanooga Lookouts were the system’s best team this week, going a perfect 7-0 by allowing just nine runs — the entire week. That’s by far the fewest number of runs allowed by a Dodger minor league team this season, and part of the reason for their success were the reinforcements from Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the form of Chris Reed and Zach Lee (who had a great Double-A debut).

The Quakes scored the most runs this week at 50, including 17 on Sunday night.

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Notes: Corey Seager signed his contract with the Dodgers and will report to the Ogden Raptors this week. Yasiel Puig also signed and will get acclimated to professional ball in Arizona to start.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (3-4)

Runs Scored: 42
Runs Allowed: 46

Player Of The Week

Josh Fields – 3B

Fields takes home his second award of the season by going 8-for-27 (.296) with a home run, four RBI, two doubles, and four runs scored. Fields has been hitting the ball well, as he posted a 1.010 OPS in June. On the season, he has a .329/.397/.503 line with eight home runs, 38 RBI, and 56 runs scored.

Pitcher Of The Week

John Ely – RHP

I’m really thinking about renaming this the “John Ely Award” because he seemingly wins it every week. This is the fifth time he’s won it (most by any Dodgers minor leaguer), and he did it by posting the following line: 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. Not his best work, but still good enough. An interesting note: all three runs he gave up were via solo home run.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (7-0)

Runs Scored: 24
Runs Allowed: 9

Player Of The Week

Blake Smith – OF

Smith takes home his fourth award of the season by going 8-for-27 (.296) with one home run, four RBI one double, one triple, and four walks. There wasn’t much going on offensively in Chattanooga this week. Rafael Ynoa went 10-for-28, but all 10 hits were singles. Smith is up to .294/.386/.498 on the season and is establishing himself as one of the Dodgers best positional prospects.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ethan Martin – RHP

Martin had a fantastic outing this week for the Lookouts to earn his third POTW award of the season. He’s been the most consistently good pitcher for the Lookouts this season and I’m more than happy to say I was wrong about him. There is still plenty of hope for the power right-hander.

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-4)

Runs Scored: 50
Runs Allowed: 45

Player Of The Week

C.J. Retherford – 3B

I’m tired of giving this award to a 26-year-old in High-A, but he’s absolutely mashing, and this week was no exception: 17-for-29 (.586) with two home runs, four doubles, two triples, and 10 RBI. He’s at .368/.425/.676 with 18 home runs on the season.

Honorable mentions go to Joc Pederson and Bobby Coyle. Pederson had one of the best games of any Dodgers minor leaguer this season, going 3-for-6 with three home runs, four RBI, and four runs scored on Sunday. Coyle, on the strength of a 5-for-5 game, also Sunday, received consideration this week.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jon Michael Redding – RHP

Redding had another solid week for the suddenly pitching-thin Quakes: 12 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 7 BB, 9 K. Redding had a better season with Rancho last season and was demoted from Chattanooga earlier in the year. He isn’t much of a prospect these days, but he’s a decent pitcher for a team looking to make a playoff push in the second half.

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Great Lakes Loons (3-4)

Runs Scored: 31
Runs Allowed: 35

Player Of The Week

Pratt Maynard – C

Maynard has been disappointing this season, but the man with the 80 name had a solid week, including some surprising speed: 5-for-13 with a home run, three walks, four runs scored, and three stolen bases. I’m not sure where the speed burst came from, but I wouldn’t expect it to last.

Pitcher Of The Week

Duke Von Schamann – RHP

Schamann, the Dodgers 15th-round pick out of Texas Tech, made his debut with the Loons this week: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. Not bad for a guy who was a college student a month ago.

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Ogden Raptors (4-3)

Runs Scored: 42
Runs Allowed: 39

Player Of The Week

Alex Santana – 3B

The Dodgers 2011 second-round pick makes his first appearance of this season after going 10-for-20 (.500) with one home run, one double, seven RBI, and two runs scored. Santana has gotten off to a good start in the Pioneer League at .370/.354/.565. You’ll notice his on-base percentage is lower than his batting average — well, that’s because he’s yet to draw a walk this season. Now, he’s just 18 years old, but it’d be nice to see him show a little patience at the plate. He has 13 strikeouts to accompany those zero walks.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jake Hermsen – LHP

Hermsen, the Dodgers 28th-round pick this year, had a good outing to earn this week’s award: 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. He’s thrown a solid 12 innings for Ogden so far, posting a 2.25 ERA and allowing just one walk.

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Arizona League Dodgers (4-1)

Runs Scored: 40
Runs Allowed: 34

Player Of The Week

Tyler Ogle – C

Ogle, the Dodgers ninth-round pick in 2011, went 10-for-18 (.556) this week with four doubles, four RBI, and, you guessed it, four walks. He played just six games for the AZL Dodgers last year and is up to nine so far this season. He’s listed as a catcher, but he’s caught just two games this season.

Pitcher Of The Week

Miguel Sulbaran – LHP

Sulbaran had a great week as an 18-year-old in the Arizona League: 11 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K. He’s one of the better pitchers there and pitched with the DSL Dodgers last year (6-1, 2.81 ERA, .179 BAA).

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (5-1)

Runs Scored: 39
Runs Allowed: 23

Player Of The Week

Josmar Cordero – 1B/C

Again, Gerson Nunez fell short this week (8-for-12). If he had more at-bats, I probably would have gone with him. Instead, Cordero wins his third consecutive award by going 10-for-25 (.400) with two doubles, a triple, five RBI, two walks (against zero strikeouts), and seven runs scored. He really can’t do much more in this league (.453/.491/.679) and should be promoted.

Pitcher Of The Week

Jose Agusto Diaz – RHP

Diaz made one relief appearance and one start this week: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. The 21-year-old is in his second stint with the DSL Dodgers. Last season, he had a 0.67 ERA in 27 innings.

Garrett Gould throws during the June 5th game against the Stockton Ports. Photo by Dustin Nosler.

The three players I was most interested in seeing when I visited the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes a couple weeks ago in Stockton, California, were Garrett Gould, Zach Lee, and Joc Pederson. I got to see both Gould and Pederson, but missed out on Lee.

I did a scouting report on Pederson on Tuesday, and now it’s time for my thoughts about Gould.

How He Got Here

Gould, 20, was the Dodgers second-round draft pick in the 2009 MLB Draft out of Maize High School in Kansas. Before the Dodgers popped him in the second, he was committed to play ball at Wichita State, Darren Dreifort’s alma mater. He was a guy I had my eye on for the team’s first-round supplemental pick (No. 36). Instead, the team took Aaron Miller and ended up with Gould at No. 65. I was thrilled. The Dodgers signed him on August 14th to a $900,000 bonus, which was $337,500 more than the slot amount for the position.

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He began his professional career with the Ogden Raptors as virtually all high school draftees do for the Dodgers. He appeared in three games and got knocked around a little: 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 3 ER, HR, 2 BB, 4 K. Gould also started the 2010 season with the Raptors and fared much better this time around: 4.06 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, and a 2.60 K/BB. Not great numbers on the surface, but not bad for an 18-year-old in a hitter’s league.

Last season, Gould got his first taste of full-season ball, pitching for the Great Lakes Loons. He actually out-pitched the Dodgers top prospect Lee in a number of categories, as he finished with a 2.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.4 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.7 BB/9, 7.6 K/9, 2.81 K/BB, and a 3.23 FIP.

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So far in 2012, he’s pitched the entire season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and has been up and down. He owns a 4.90 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 9.7 H/9, 0.9 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, 9.3 K/9, 3.18 K/BB, and a 3.45 FIP. His FIP is close to his 2011 mark, and his K/9 is up to an impressive rate.

Why the struggles then? Well, he seems to be lacking a little this season in BABIP, which is .349 — 26 points higher than league average. So to this point, he hasn’t been that bad; just a little unlucky.

Vitals

Gould is listed at 6’4″, 190 pounds, but as you can tell by the photo, he’s a little bit more than 190 pounds. That’s not to say he has a bad baseball body, but he’s probably closer to 220 or 230 pounds, and he’s a legit 6’4″. Gould has a big frame and his bottom half reminds me a little of Chad Billingsley.

He’s just 20 years old, so there might be a little bit of projection left, but I wouldn’t count on it.

Repertoire

Gould has a classic four-pitch arsenal:

• Four-Seam Fastball
• Curveball
• Slider
• Changeup

He also incorporates a two-seam fastball.

For Gould, his success depends on his fastball velocity. During the 2010 season, his velocity sat more in the upper-80s than the low-90s, but in 2011, he was closer to the low-90s on a consistent basis. When I saw him live, he was sitting between 87-91 MPH with his fastball, and he threw his two-seamer in the 86-88 MPH range. He touched 91 MPH with his four-seamer and generally sat around 88-90 during his five innings of work. To be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with his fastball. He located it well at times, but it also got him into a little trouble during the game. His control was adequate, but he walked three batters in his five innings.

Gould’s curveball is his bread and butter pitch, as it’s the best in the system and ranks among the best in the minors. He throws his curve 12-6 and it sat in the 77-78 MPH range, which is on par with scouting reports. It had really good, late breaking action and is definitely advanced for the competition.

He also threw a few sliders, but it’s only his fourth-best pitch. He threw it in the 82-84 MPH range and it had a little depth and bite to it. It’s a fringe-average pitch right now.

Gould’s changeup surprised me most. He threw it a lot more than I expected and got a couple swings-and-misses. The pitch was clocked at 80-82 MPH and had good diving action away from left-handed hitters. He threw it with the same arm speed as his fastball most of the time, and he didn’t throw many to the right-handed hitters.

Delivery

Gould’s delivery, despite not being picturesque, is repeatable. It has a little “funk” to it, which is the word a scout used to describe Gould’s delivery. He said it wasn’t particularly a bad thing, though, as the deception is a good thing. The funk he’s referring to is the slightest of turns after Gould goes into his wind-up.

Gould’s arm slot is true overhand, and he throws the ball “the way you’re supposed to”. You know, from the time you’re in Little League, you’re taught to throw the ball over-the-top. Gould does exactly that.

When he pitched out of the stretch, he didn’t show much of a slide-step. And he still had the “funk” when delivering from the stretch. That’s something he’ll have to work on as he moves up, but base-stealers have only been successful on nine of 17 attempts this season, so he must be doing something right.

Gould is in a good fielding position after delivering the ball. He doesn’t fall off too much to the first-base side, which is a good thing. His front leg is somewhat stiff, and his back leg doesn’t break down when he pushes off as much as some pitchers.

Grades

Here’s how I would grade his pitching tools:

For June 2012.

Conclusion

At best, Gould could be a No. 3 starter in the majors. His curveball is definitely his best pitch, but his changeup is about on par with his fastball (from what I saw). More likely, Gould could be a nice No. 4 option, but either way, he should be a contributing member of the rotation.

The primary thing that will determine his rotation slot is his fastball velocity. If he pitches in the 90-93 MPH range with good command and control, he’s a No. 3 starter. If he’s in the 87-90 MPH range, he’s probably another Aaron Harang (as he is now, not as he was in his good seasons in Cincinnati). There’s nothing wrong with a No. 4 starter, but it’d obviously be better to see his stuff take a tick up.

With the surplus of right-handed starting pitching prospects in the Dodgers system, Gould’s future with the organization could end with him becoming trade bait.

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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 made a few minor-league moves this week, and the two most significant ones involved the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

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Tony Delmonico, 2008 sixth-round pick, was released. The 25-year-old was hitting just .188 with the Quakes in 21 games.

He was drafted out of Florida State, converted to catcher, and had a great debut season in the Pioneer League: .340/.443/.716. The catching experiment didn’t work, despite a decent caught stealing percentage for a guy who never caught before (28 percent). However, 33 passed balls in 102 games is where the experiment ended.

Delmonico is a former favorite of mine, as I ranked him as high as No. 11 in my prospect rankings just three years ago. Last year he was No. 30 and this year was No. 46.

He has good on-base skills, as his .394 career on-base percentage reveals, but Delmonico played against inferior competition for most of his Dodgers career and has not fared well in the last couple of seasons.

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Jonathan Garcia, last year’s April monster with Great Lakes, now finds himself on the Ogden Raptors roster. There’s no word on whether he’s injured or not, but his performance with Rancho was definitely sub-par.

In 15 games, Garcia posted a .228/.250/.263 line with 22 strikeouts in 57 at-bats, and that simply isn’t going to get it done for the 20-year-old. After hitting 19 home runs in the Midwest League as a 19-year-old last season, he had just two extra-base hits for the Quakes (two doubles).

When I saw him in person a a couple weeks ago, he actually had a good first two at-bats, singling both times. However, he struck out in his next two appearances and looked bad doing so. He swung at pitches that were literally eye-level, which speaks to his problem area.

Presumably, he went down to Ogden because the roster of Great Lakes is jam-packed. However, Ogden’s season doesn’t start until June 18th (two weeks after the draft), so maybe the Dodgers are just giving Garcia a little time off. Like I said, no word on whether he’s injured.

Fortunately for Garcia, he’s still young. His boom or bust potential is possibly the highest of any Dodgers position player, and he could use some seasoning at the lower levels to get his confidence back. Garcia just needs to get back to doing what was working for him, because for a smaller guy (5’11, 175 pounds) he has some great power potential. Hopefully a stint with the Raptors will get him back on track.

Given the dearth of position player talent in the Dodgers system, they badly needed him to progress, but all he’s done is regress so far in 2012.

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Jarrad Page, the former football player, began his season with the Quakes, but he also finds himself on the Raptors roster after going 1-for-10 with a walk and three strikeouts.

Brian Cavazos-Galvez, the subject of a previous post, was demoted from Chattanooga to Rancho in hopes of boosting the team’s offense (even though he couldn’t cut it this time ’round with the Lookouts).

Joc Pederson also made his return (injury) to Rancho on Wednesday night, going 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.

Much to my surprise, Joc Pederson made his season debut with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on Monday night. It was surprising because by all accounts, the 2010 11th-round pick was slated to begin the season in Midland, Mich., with the Great Lakes Loons.

A groin injury in spring training caused him to miss the first two weeks of the minor league season. I asked him about it via Twitter on April 2nd, but he wasn’t sure where he’d end up.

@feelinkindablue still in AZ rehabbing my groin…so gotta get it better before I can break camp and they haven’t told me where I am going

So when I saw Pederson was skipping Low-A in favor of High-A, it was surprising.

Pederson played briefly in the Midwest League last season, going 8-for-50 with seven walks and nine strikeouts. He went to Ogden when the Rookie-ball season opened and promptly mashed there (.353/.429/.568) to take home team MVP honors.

Pederson, who doesn’t have one standout tool but is average across the board, went 0-for-4 in his California League debut. He hit third in the lineup and played center field. Leon Landry and Casio Grider have split time in center field this season, so if Pederson is with Rancho for an extended period of time, I could see Landry playing a lot of left field despite being a better defensive center fielder than Pederson.

Suddenly, the Quakes’ roster looks a little crowded. With Grider, Landry, and Pederson, the Dodgers also have outfield prospect Jonathan Garcia playing right field (and struggling) every day. Christopher O’Brien, a catcher by trade, is playing some first base while Austin Gallagher is splitting time between first base and designated hitter. Chris Jacobs, recently back from injury, is taking up DH duties as well.

In the end, there might not be enough at-bats to go around for these guys every day. Of the players mentioned, Grider is the least impressive prospect of the bunch. Grider was an infielder last year with the Loons, so I suppose there’s a chance the Quakes could move him back there, but Tyler Henson and Charlie Mirabal seem to be entrenched up the middle.

Manager Juan Bustabad (yes, it’s his real name) has a tough job ahead of him. It’ll be interesting to see how he juggles the playing time in Rancho.

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I’m actually attending Friday night’s game in Rancho with Jared Massey of LA Dugout. If I get a chance to talk to the skipper or any players, I’ll be sure to pass along the information. I know I’ll be snapping plenty of photos and probably taking some video. Zach Lee is tentatively scheduled to start.

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

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Continuing my off-season recap of the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league affiliates, I will be moving on to the hitters of the Ogden Raptors.

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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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Joc Pederson – OF – 19

Joc Pederson Statistics

2010 11th round draft pick Joc Pederson destroyed the Pioneer League in 2011, it’s as simple as that. He put up a .353/.429/.568/.997 line (.792 OPS=Average) in 310 plate appearances, striking out 17.4% of the time, while walking at a 11.6% clip, both clearly better than the league average.

He has solid plate discipline, makes consistent content, and should be able to play good defense in the corners. Perhaps most impressive is his flash of immediate power out of high school, even if it was the Pioneer League.

He struggled a bit in A-ball to take some shine off his 2011, but he was one of the youngest players in that league, so giving him a pass for now isn’t hard. He’ll end up in A-ball again to begin 2012 and I’m excited to see how he fares.

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James Baldwin – OF – 19

James Baldwin Statistics

A fourth round draft pick in 2010 and son of a former MLB pitcher, James Baldwin flashes tools but still lacks refinement.

His .250/.348/.480/.828 line is solid, especially for a raw player, but striking out 32.6% of the time is just unacceptable. He doesn’t walk a lot to compensate for it either (7.8%), so it’s obvious that plate discipline and consistent contact will be his main issues going forward.

Baldwin’s athleticism, speed, and arm are generally unquestionable. Furthermore, he has power projection, which stacks even more potential onto a player who projects in center field. With that said, it’s hard to get around that strikeout rate, especially in Rookie-ball. My main concerns are that I don’t think he has particularly quick hands and his swing is lengthy enough where it’s not in the hitting zone for long. He has closed his stance off a bit since high school in an effort to shorten his stroke, and I think it has helped simplify his timing, but the swing itself still has the same path to it.

Given the Dodgers history with pushing raw players (Dee Gordon), I expect Baldwin to be in A-ball in 2012.

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O’Koyea Dickson – 1B – 21

O’Koyea Dickson Statistics

Taken in the 12th round of the 2011 draft, O’Koyea Dickson set the Pioneer League on fire in his professional debut. He put up a .333/.402/.603/1.005 line, which is impressive regardless of where it was done.

He hit at home (.979), on the road (1.044), against lefties (.999), and righties (1.007). Perhaps most noteworthy is that his strikeout rate was above average (20.5%) despite his power stroke. Dickson’s walk rate could use work though (8.8%), as it’s solid, but it’ll need to inflate as he moves levels.

Dickson has a quiet approach at the plate without much movement or complexities, and his swing is generally short and efficient. When he gets the ball in his zone, he squares up well, but can elongate his swing against tough pitches at the edges of the strike zone. I really like his hands and I think there’s a chance that he could develop into a good prospect. I would be remissed if I didn’t mention his short stature for the position though, which could ultimately handcuff him.

I’d like to see how he performs in A-ball before getting too excited, as he’s limited to first base defensively, and the offensive bar for that position is quite high. Still, you couldn’t ask him to do much more at the level he was put at.

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Scott Schebler – OF – 20

Scott Schebler Statistics

A 26th round pick in 2010, Scott Schebler was supposed to be able to hit, and that he did in his first extended season as a professional.

Schebler hit 13 homers en route to putting up a .285/.324/.529/.853 line for 2011. Of course, the problem is obvious, as he walked 4.1% of the time (13) but struck out in a frightening 30.8% of plate appearances (97).

I’m not all that optimistic going forward, mainly because he’ll need to do a ton better than that to play a corner.

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Noel Cuevas – OF – 19

Noel Cuevas Statistics

Sent to the California League to begin 2011, the 2010 21st round draft pick struggled immensely before being sent down to the Pioneer League.

Noel Cuevas played much better after the demotion, posting a .285/.326/.488/.814 line, both demonstrating that he can hit and why he struggled against better competition. The 20.2 K% is solid, but the 5.2 BB% is the problem area.

He’s not a refined product, so I’m unsure why they pushed him so quickly, as he’s one of the many that needs extra time to develop.

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Scott Wingo – 2B – 22

Scott Wingo Statistics

The 11th round 2011 draft pick out of South Carolina had an impressive professional debut that begs the question of where he’ll end up in 2012.

His line of .275/.464/.459/.922 showed the extent to which he overmatched Pioneer League pitchers, carrying a 19.9 K% and a 18.5 BB%.

For the coming year, whether he starts in the Midwest League or California League should tell us what the Dodgers think of his tools.

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Pratt Maynard – C – 21

Pratt Maynard Statistics

Drafted in the third round of the 2011 draft because he could hit, Pratt Maynard did none of that in 2011. He put up a line of .239/.346/.341/.687 in 104 plate appearances and never looked comfortable.

It wasn’t bad luck either, as his BABIP wasn’t so far removed from the league average that it could explain away his issues, at least not so much as his 67.7% ground ball rate would. On the positive side, he controlled the plate reasonably well, posting a 23.1 K% and a 12.5 BB%, but as far as actually hitting the ball, he didn’t do it.

It’s certainly not enough to condemn him, but it’s not the start you want in a hitter friendly league from your third round, bat first college catcher. As a mediocre defensive receiver, he’ll need to improve in both aspects at this point.

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Justin Boudreaux – SS – 21

Justin Boudreaux Statistics

Posting a .265/.400/.442/.842 line, Justin Boudreaux flashed plate discipline and pop, but didn’t make a significant impression considering he was a three year starter in college (Southeastern Louisiana).

He controls the strike zone well and makes consistent enough contact, but it’s his speed that has allowed him to excel thus far, stealing 16 bases without being caught. Defensively, he’s a tad error prone, but that can be cleaned up with time and he has the tools to stick at shortstop.

Boudreaux will have to be pushed to A-ball in 2012 if he’s going to be a relevant prospect.

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Jan Vazquez – C – 20

Jan Vazquez Statistics

To be totally honest, it’s starting to look like Jan Vazquez is becoming yet another example of why you don’t draft catch-and-throw backstops who have to be taught how to hit.

A sixth round selection in 2009, Vazquez is still in Rookie-ball sharing time with other catchers after three years as a professional. On the positive side, he’s getting better (OPS=.558/.648/.674 CS%=22/23/32). On the negative side, those still aren’t even average numbers and the scouting reports aren’t exactly glowing.

He might struggle to become even organizational depth if he doesn’t take a step forward in 2012.