Official Dodger Prospects Thread

These 3 guys seem to be doing alright. That guy who said Russell was tearing it up is totally right, beastly numbers so far. I've always been intrigued with Orr, with his "Sexson from the left side" comparison, finally will be able to follow his numbers. Thanks for the updates.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarf

That guy who said Russell was tearing it up is totally right, beastly numbers so far.

Yea, Russell played 3 years at Texas and set some HR records so he's probably a bit advanced for Rookie ball. But yea it is a good sign he is crushing the ball right now. Definitely one to follow.

I've updated the first post of the thread to include direct links to the prospects' profiles along with some stats. Hope all this is helpful.

While going through the numbers, there are two players who stand out.

Ivan DeJesus and Carlos Santana. Check out their numbers, especially Santana, both guys' rankings will undoubtedly jump up in next year's handbook.

Also was wondering why Hu has only played three games in Vegas since being sent down and apparently he has an eye problem.

Hu disabled - PE.com - Professional Sports

I'll post up the profiles of the guys with the big club. Probably should have done these earlier but better late than never.

#9 Delwyn Young
OF
B-S
T-R
5-10 209

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Young's father Delwyn Sr. played pro ball and served as a hitting coach in the Mariners system. He taught his son well, as Delwyn Jr. has hit .303 in the minors and hit .382 during a September callup. He was drafted twice by the Braves before signing with the Dodgers.

Young has electric bat speed and an above-average feel for hitting. He lets balls travel deep and they jump off his bat. He'll pepper bth alleys with line drives from both sides of the plate. He made strides against lefthanders in 2007, improving his average against them in Triple-A to .365 up from .198 the year before.

He has average power, coming more in the form of doubles than home runs. A former second baseman, his defense has improved and his arm is solid-average. Minor holes in his stroke and a free-swinging approach ultimately could make Young an extra outfielder.

With below-average speed, he lacks the range to play up the middle. Comparisons range from Matt Stairs to Lenny Harris, but the consensus is that Young will hit enough to have a significant major league career. It's likely as a reserve in Los Angeles, but he could carve out an everyday role with a second-division team down the road.

#16 Ramon Troncoso
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-2 197

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Troncoso capped 2006 with 13 consecutive scoreless innings at high Class A and was scintillating in instructional league, earning a return to the California League to begin last season. He moved up to Double-A and worked as Jonathan Meloan's setup man before inheriting the closer role when Meloan went to Triple-A.

Troncoso has a repeatable delivery, loose arm and plenty of arm strength. His fastball ranges from 91-95 MPH with heavy sink and late life. He tends to leave it up in the strike zone, and though he has average control, his command is slightly below-average.

Troncoso made strides wit his secondary stuff last season, and his slider shows occacional plus shape with late bite. He powers though it and gets around it. His changeup is no more than a show-me pitch, though he usually maintains his arm speed when throwing it.

With his sinking fastball and durability, Troncoso has a chance to become a middle reliever or setup man. He was added to the 40-man roster and could open 2008 in Triple-A with a shot at a callup at any time.

Quote:

DL: Who else stands out?

BG: The first name that comes to mind is Bryan Morris, who was a supplemental first rounder in 2006, which was the draft that got the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw. Morris is coming off of Tommy John, and at one point this year he suffered some shoulder inflammation, but when he’s on he throws hard and really gets a lot of movement on the ball. He’s also a smart pitcher on the mound, a guy who really thinks out there and has a good approach. He’s both competitive and a bright guy.

This is from a Q and A with the Great Lakes Loons broadcaster. Morris is a guy I have been excited about. Scouts seem to rave about his stuff, he makes batters miss and is a guy to keep an eye on.

#12 Bryan Morris
RHP
B-L
T-R
6-3 175

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Originally drafted by the Rays in the third round out of high school in 2005, Morris agreet to a $1.4 million bonus but Tampa Bay's ownership failed to finalize the well above-slot deal. So he elected to play under his father Ricky, a pitching coach at Motlow State (Tenn.) CC where he dominated, then signed with LA for $1.325 million.

The knock on Morris as an amateur was his delivery, as he pitched with a stiff front side and threw across his body. Sure enough, he had an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery shortly after the end of his pro debut. Morris missed all of the 2007 season but made it back to the mound by instructional league.

Dodger officials said that ihs fastball was up to 95 MPH there, and they worked on cleaning up his mechanics. During his debut, Morris pitched at 93 MPH with good life and cutting action to his fastball. His hammer curveball also graded out as a plus pitch with tight, hard spin. He showed some feel for his changeup and mixed in a below-average slider. He could begin 2008 in low Class A and has a ceiling of a No. 3 starter.

Morris has made a strong comeback from Tommy John. Numbers look pretty solid, it'll be interesting to see how his arm holds up the rest of the year.

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG GLL MID 1 3 3.67 12 12 1 1 0 56.1 52 25 23 5 15 46 1.81 .251

Quote:

Another guy who has started the year off well is Andrew Lambo. A local kid drafted out of HS. Lambo was named the organization's best "pure hitter" going into the season by the handbook.

Here as his numbers thus far for Single-A Midwest League

Code:

Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS GLL MID .291 22 79 8 23 8 1 3 18 42 9 26 0 0 .360 .532 .891

And his profile from BA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

#14 Andrew Lambo
OF/1B
B-L
T-L
6-3 190

Based on ability alone, Lambo would have been long gone by the time the Dodgers drafted him in the fourth round last year. The part-Greek, part-Italian three-sport standout found himself in off-field trouble as an underclassman at Cleveland High in Reseda, California, where he was caught smoking marijuana in a classroom.

He turned up at Newbury Park High for his final 2 seasons and continued to show the hitting prowess that makes him a prospect.

He signed for $164,250 and raked in his debut, ranking second in the Gulf Coast League in on-base percentage (.440) and third in batting (.343).

He drew rave reviews from Los Angeles for his showing during instructional league, earning comparisons to James Loney.

For a hitter straight out of high school, Lambo has an advanced feel for hitting. He has leverage and the early signs of lift in his smooth lefthanded stroke. He laces line drives from foul pole to foul pole, keeping his hands inside the ball well.

He projects to hit for at least average power. He ha a plus arm and good hands that would make him an above-average defensive first baseman, but the Dodgers believe he has a chance to handle a corner outfield position. He's a well below-average runner, but reads balls well off the bat and takes proper routes in the outfield. He probably could handle a full-season assignment following spring training.

Great to hear Lambo impressing. He's probably a few years away but his bat sounds really promising.

Quote:

DL: Who is the best player wearing a Great Lakes Loons uniform right now?

BG: I think that Andrew Lambo, hands down, is the best prospect, and the best player, on this team. He’s a hitter who can go to all fields with power, especially gap-doubles type power. He’s also a real competitor. For some players there’s an intangible you see when you’re with them on a day-to-day basis, and with Andrew that’s a swagger and confidence. He’s an above-average defender in left; he gets good jumps on the ball, despite the fact that this is his first full year playing left field. He’s probably a better defensive first baseman, but we have hardly seen him there, because with James Loney at first for the Dodgers, I think they see the future for Lambo as a left fielder. And I think he’ll be well above adequate there, but his strength is hitting. He’s a left-handed hitter who hits lefties better than righties, and he can go to all fields. He’s the guy you want at the plate late, when the game is on the line, because he’s far and away this team’s best hitter.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball Prospectus

Justin Miller is another. At the start of the year he was kind of this team’s ace. He has good sinking action to his fastball, but he has to control himself a little bit because he’s kind of wild–at this point he might be a bit more of a thrower than a pitcher, in part because he was predominantly a position player in college.

#22 Justin Miller
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-3 190

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Many scouts didn't get to see Miller pitch much last spring at Johnson County (Kan.) CC because he threw just 18 innings out of the bullpen while doubling as a right fielder. It didn't help that the Major League Scouting Bureau's video on Miller was a few poor-quality frames of him throwing in a gymnasium.

Area scout Mitch Webster liked him all along, however, and when he and assistant GM Logan White saw him touch 93 MPH in his final outing of the spring after he had missed a month with a tender arm, Miller was destined to be a Dodger. He signed on for $120,000 afer going in the sixth round.

Clocked from 89-94 MPH during his pro debut, he relies heavily on his fastball, which plays up because of his sink. During the GCL playoffs, he induced 16 groundouts and allowed just three hits in a seven-inning relief outing-during which he threw only one breaking ball.

He's not polished and looks like a position player trying to pitch, but he has the makings of a second plus pitch in a low-80s slider. He hasn't developed a third offering yet.

Miller lands on a stiff front leg and has a habit of not following through completely. He projects to have average command. He has a ceiling as a middle-of-the-rotation starter or a setup man. He'll most likely spend 2008 in low Class A.

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG GLL MID 3 6 3.50 17 17 0 0 0 90.0 87 46 35 3 48 49 2.86 .254

Seems like this guy has been playing with fire all season long. Not sure how he's kept an ERA in the 3s while walking 1 less guy than he's struck out and giving up almost a hit per inning. But I guess it's not a bad sign considering he is very raw still.