The Dodgers have signed Dominican outfielder Ariel Sandoval for $150,000, according to Baseball America‘s Ben Badler.

The scouting report on Sandoval is promising:

Sandoval is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and impressed the Dodgers with his potential to hit for both average and power from the right side of the plate. He’s an above-average runner who should begin his career in center field, though he has the arm strength to play right field if he outgrows the position.

Sandoval, 17, marks the first international amateur signing of over six figures since the new international scouting regime of the Dodgers was put into place. His signing is indicative of the continued emphasis on international player development that was lost under the Frank McCourt regime.

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The Dodgers have signed Felipe Burin, Eliezer Alfonzo, Brian Barden, Ramon Castro, and Matt Palmer to minor-league deals, and the latter four have invitations to Spring Training. The team also re-signed Danny Carela. Alfonzo and Castro, in particular, are the ones to pay attention to, as they will likely be looked at to push Tim Federowicz in camp.

As part of the ebb and flow nature of the game, the Dodgers released Derek Cone, Ronny Lugo, Bret Montgomery, Jason West, Mike Drowne, Matt Laney, Greg Wilborn, Steve Domecus, Andrew Edge, Kevin Thompson, Scott Woodward, and Charlie Mirabal. No real surprises here as far as I can tell.

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

The Isotopes, Lookouts, and Raptors all made the playoffs in 2012.

The Isotopes went up against a team with the best hitter in minor league baseball in Wil Myers. It was, as expected, a slugfest, but the Omaha Stormchasers got the best of the ‘Topes, 3-2.

The Lookouts went up against one of the more stacked teams in the minors in the Jackson Generals. They, like the ‘Topes, were dispatched, 3-1. A couple of bright spots include Onelki Garcia‘s performance and the fact that Joc Pederson got his first taste of Double-A (3-for-11 with a triple).

Fortunately for the minor league system, the Raptors were able to win its first-round series 2-1 and move on to the Pioneer League championship behind some strong pitching and some timely hitting.

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Albuquerque Isotopes (3-5)

Runs Scored: 38
Runs Allowed: 51

Player Of The Week

Elian Herrera – OF/IF

Herrera, who had his share of success in the majors this season, closed out the final week of the minor league regular season with one of his best weeks: 12-for-25 (.480) with two doubles, two triples, five RBI, and three runs scored. He finishes the season with a .341/.381/.520 line in 64 games. Herrera should be on the Dodgers’ bench soon.

Pitcher Of The Week

Stephen Fife – RHP

Fife earned his fourth award of the season by having a nice outing for the Isotopes on Friday: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K. He finishes the season at 11-7 with a 4.66 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 10.4 H/9, 0.9 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, and a 2.11 K/BB. He might get recalled if the Dodgers need a starter or a long man.

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Chattanooga Lookouts (5-2)

Runs Scored: 29
Runs Allowed: 17

Player Of The Week

Luis Nunez – 1B/OF

Once again, the Lookouts struggled to score runs this week. Nunez was the best hitter of the bunch, going 6-for-18 (.333) with a home run, two doubles, three RBI, and four runs scored. This was Nunez’s fourth award of the season. He finishes the year at .257/.319/.420.

Pitcher Of The Week

Zach Lee – RHP

Lee didn’t fare too well in the Lookouts’ second playoff game, but he had a great week prior to the postseason: 12 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 K. He finishes his 2012 campaign with some solid numbers: 6-6, 4.14 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 3.76 FIP, 3.63 SIERA, 2.1 BB/9, and a 7.7 K/9. Not bad for a 20-year-old who spent the majority of his time in Double-A (62 IP vs. 55 1/3 IP).

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Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (3-5)

Runs Scored: 33
Runs Allowed: 60

Player Of The Week

Pedro Baez – 3B

Baez, who was demoted after making the Double-A All-Star team earlier in the season, had his best week of the season. He went 13-for-24 (.542) with two doubles and two runs scored. His arm is great and it might be about time the team gave this light-hitting third baseman a shot on the mound. Baez finishes the season with a .221/.307/.375 triple slash with 11 home runs, 27 doubles, five triples, and 58 RBI.

Pitcher Of The Week

Onelki Garcia – LHP

Garcia made his professional debut and fared quite well: 2 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K. It’s a modest outing, but a nice one for a debut. How did he follow that up? With a great showing in the Double-A playoffs (3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K). Not sure where he’s going to begin next season, but I’m hoping it’s Double-A. He could be the Dodgers’ second-best pitching prospect by this time next season.

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Great Lakes Loons (5-3)

Runs Scored: 35
Runs Allowed: 38

Player Of The Week

Jesus Alberto Arredondo – 2B

An early season favorite of mine, Arredondo hasn’t made an appearance on this list since I started this feature. Well, he was able to close out his 2012 campaign with a nice showing: 9-for-20 (.450), two doubles, a triple, three RBI, and three runs scored. Arredondo finishes the season with a .253/.305/.339 triple slash. After the way he began the season, I expected more from him.

Pitcher Of The Week

Joel Lima – RHP

Lima made two of his three starts for the Loons in the season’s final week, and he pitched quite well: 12 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. He threw 28 games for the Loons, but only three in the rotation. He finishes the season with a 4.52 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a .277 batting average against.

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Ogden Raptors (5-1)

Runs Scored: 53
Runs Allowed: 34

Player Of The Week

Justin Boudreaux – IF

Boudreaux, who struggled mightily in Great Lakes this season, had himself a week for the Raptors. He went 5-for-16 (.313) with a home run, four doubles, seven RBI, and four runs scored. For the season, he hit .195/.292/.305 between Ogden and Great Lakes. I rated him as a top 30 prospect prior to the season. Obviously, I missed badly on this one.

Pitcher Of The Week

Lindsey Caughel – RHP

The Dodgers’ 23rd-round pick, despite being nearly 22 in the Pioneer League, is showing he might have some ability down the road. He had a nice outing in the season’s last week: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. He followed that up with a great outing in the Pioneer League playoffs. Caughel had a nice debut season between Ogden and Arizona: 5-4, 3.32 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3.33 FIP, 3.72 SIERA, 1.7 BB/9, and a 6.5 K/9.

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Arizona League Dodgers (1-3)

Runs Scored: 14
Runs Allowed: 24

Player Of The Week

Stefan Jarrin – 2B

It was hard to find an offensive star for the AZL Dodgers this week, so I went with the guy who hit a home run. He went 2-for-7 (.286) with the aforementioned home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. He finishes his second professional season much like he did his first: .209/.305/.363.

Pitcher Of The Week

Ronny Lugo – RHP

Lugo had the best appearance of the week for the pitching staff: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. It was his first and only start of the season. He finishes with an ugly 6.27 ERA, 1.93 WHIP, and a .333 BAA.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (0-0)

Season ended Aug. 25.