Official Dodger Prospects Thread

Chris Withrow's season is easily the biggest disappointment on my list simply because of the fact that he hasn't pitched any meaningful innings this year. Hopefully he's able to make a few starts in Ogden before the season is out. If not, perhaps we'll see him in the Arizona Fall League. But he's basically lost a season of development.

#6 Chris Withrow
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-3 195

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

A year after taking Clayton Kershaw with their first round choice, the Dodgers went back for another Texas high school pitcher and drafted Withrow at No. 20. Withrow's father Mike pitched in the minors with the White Sox and was Chris' pitching coach in high school.

Signed for $1.35 million, Withrow was used sparingly in his debut but touched 98 MPH in the Gulf Coast League playoffs while striking out five in two innings.

A pure projection pitcher, Withrow steadily gained velocity as an amateur and there's likely more to come. Last spring his fastball sat between 88-92 MPH with good life when it was down in the strike zone. His 74-78 MPH curveball has 11-to-5 shape with tight spin.

He has feel for his changeup. His crisp, compact deivery is picture-perfect and his arm works easily. He's athletic and would have been a two-way player had he attended Baylor.

In his first pro season, Withrow will focus on consistency with his secondary stuff and command. His feel for pitching is rudimentary at this stage of his development.

Withrow projects to pitch with above-average command of three solid-average to plus pitches. He won't zoom through the minors, but he can become a future No. 2 or 3 starter. He'll most likely start 2008 in extended spring training but could make his way to low Class A Great Lakes sometime this summer.

While it is nice to see Greg Miller healthy again, his pro potential has severly dimished. Once thought to be a future front end of the rotation starter, it seems like he now projects to be a left handed reliever. Unfortunately, Miller hasn't been able to find the strike zone this year and his numbers look terrible.

#18 Greg Miller
LHP
B-L
T-L
6-5 195

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

As a 19-year-old Miller's name was spoken in the same breath as Cole Hamels and Scott Kazmir as the minors' best lefthanded pitching prospects. But then he missed the 2004 season and half of '05 with a shoulder injury that required two surgeries, and he never has been the same since.

His stuff isn't far from what it was, but a lack of consistency and command are preventing him from reaching his potential. Miller struggled to find the strike zone in Triple-A at the start of 2007, resulting in a demotion, and had a 12.79 ERA with 23 hits and 16 walks in 13 innings in the Arizona Fall League following the season.

His arm action is deeper in back that it once was, and though he showed better durability last year, his fastball command was nonexistant at times. He still pitches in the low 90s and touches 95 MPH, and his 83-87 MPH slider grades as a plus-plus pitch at times giving him the weapons to profile at least as a situational reliver if he rediscovers his feel for the strike zone.

He shows much better command of his slider than he does his fastball. He also throws a curveball, cutter, and changeup, but doesn't get to them often because he's too frequently behind in counts.

Miller remains on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, and they're optimistic he'll fill a role in their major league bullpen. That will come as soon as he figures out how to consistently throw strikes.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG LVG PCL 2 3 7.94 38 0 0 0 0 45.1 53 42 40 3 48 46 3.58 .298

48 Walks
46 Strikeouts

Yikes!

#20 Javy Guerra
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-1 185

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Los Angeles slowly has amassed a nice stock of power arms from Texas, and while Guerra doesn't have the ceiling of Clayton Kershaw or Chris Withrow, his raw stuff at times is every bit as awe-inspiring.

He had Tommy John surgery in 2005, and like so many others who had the operation, his velocity has returned but his command has not. He took the ball every fifth day in high Class A last season and consistently pumped 89-95 MPH heat, touching 97 on occasion. Guerra generates his velocity and breaking ball with a lightning-quick arm.

His 74-78 MPH curve has hard, sharp downer action. He'll mix in a slider and changeup that presently grade as below average. His delivery has been reconstructed from the ground up. He has ironed out the exaggerated crow hop he used as an amateur, but he still struggles to repeat his release point. His command is well below-average, and he's slow to make adjustemnts in his plan of attack. When he tries to throw harder, his fastball flattens out.

He's a long ways from a finished product, but he could develop into a middle-of-the-rotation starter or setup man with two plus pitches if he moves to the bullpen. He's ticketed for Double-A in 2008.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

Class A Advanced - Inland Empire

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG INL CAL 2 3 4.59 21 3 0 0 2 49.0 49 26 25 0 35 46 0.96 .262

#21 Mario Alvarez
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-0 194

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Alvarez could have gotten lost in the mix of Inland Empire's stout pitching staff because of his mediocre performance as a 23-year-old. But his upside was enough to prompt the Dodgers to protect him on the 40-man roster following the season.

A converted position player, Alvarez began 2007 in the 66ers bullpen before moving into the rotation in June. His fastball ranged from 90-96 MPH, and though he's just 6 feet tall, Alvarez is able to pitch downhill from a high-three-quarters arm slot.

His arm is loose and quick. His command is well below-average, and he often found himself throwing fastballs in predictable counts. He'll flash the makings of a fair slider, plus curveball and serviceable changeup, but he's inconsistent with all of them. His curve has occasional hard, sharp downer action at 76-81 MPH, and easily could become a legitimate weapon if he improves his command and feel of it.

He's ticketed for Double-A in 2008 and Los Angeles might opt to permanently to the bullpen in an effort to accelerate his arrival in the majors.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

AA- Jacksonville

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG JAX SOU 1 5 7.08 10 10 0 0 0 40.2 51 35 32 5 23 20 1.16 .321

#24 Tim Sexton
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-6 185

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Sexton transferred from George Washington to Miami-Dade (Fla.) CC prior to 2007 and expected to continue his college career at Charleston before going 8-1, 2.07 with 91 strikeouts in 78 innings last spring. He threw out signing bonus demands of $500,000 that caused him to slide to the 25th round. He spent his summer in the college Valley League before eventually signing for $123,000.

Because of an unorthodox delivery and long, thin frame, Sexton draws comparisons to Bronson Arroyo. He has an exaggerated drop-and-drive delivery, in which his right knee almost scrapes the mound before he vaults over his front side. His fastball ranges from 87-91 MPH and he pitched at 88 deep into games last spring. His fastball has average life with fair downward plane despite his delivery.

He's more polished than fellow 2007 Dodgers juco draftee Justin Miller, showing feel for two breaking balls and a changeup that has occasional plus fade. He needs to pitch off his fastball, as he has a tendency to fall in love with his curveball and slider.

His delivery is unconventional but he repeats it, and shows average command with plenty of deception. He's ticketed for high Class A in 2008.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

Class A Advanced - Inland Empire

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG INL CAL 4 10 5.51 21 20 0 0 0 114.1 141 79 70 12 29 74 1.33 .309

I remember Orenduff being pretty highly touted when we drafted him in 04. He's had pretty good success thus far but has hit the wall in Vegas. He could be switched to bullpen duty next season.

#27 Justin Orenduff
RHP
B-R
T-R
6-4 205

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

The two pitchers who might have the least exciting stuff yet remain among the system's mix of pitching prospects because of their command and consistency are Orenduff and Steven Johnson.

Orenduff suffered from shoulder inflammation in 2005 before missing most of 2006 with a shoulder injury that required surgery that August. He showed signs of recovering in 2007, but pitched past the fifth inning just six times in 23 starts and had a 5.12 ERA after the all-star break.

Orenduff can cruise through a lineup once thanks to a fringe-average fastball, plus slider and average changeup, but the second time through he often had a hard time missing bats. His durability and lack of pure stuff might not allow him to remain a starter in the big leagues. His fastball sat near 88 and touched 92 last season. He has good feel for pitching and solid-average control.

Orenduff could develop into a back-of-the-rotation starter if the Dodgers don't make a middle reliever out of him, which could happen as soon as this season.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

Triple-A - Las Vegas

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG LVG PCL 2 7 7.20 21 20 0 0 0 90.0 122 77 72 21 54 75 0.62 .326

#29 Alfredo Silverio
OF
B-R
T-R
6-1 185

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

Few young players look the part more than Silverio, who draws physical comparisons to a young George Bell. After three-peating the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, he won the GCL batting title with .373 average last summer, helping the Dodgers to a league best 40-15 mark and a berth in the championship series.

He's an exciting palyer with a good package of tools. Silverio has a sound approach at the plate and projects to hit for slightly above-average power. He shows the makings of pitch recognition and plate discipline.

Silverio is a 40 runner on the 20-80 scale, but better under way. He played all three outfield positions in 2007 and figures to settle into a corner spot. His routes and reads are advanced for his age in the outfield, and he has a solid-average arm.

Silverio could begin 2008 in low Class A.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

Class A - Great Lakes

Code:

Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS GLL MID .246 70 284 25 70 10 4 7 33 109 3 66 3 3 .256 .384 .640

Ugly numbers!

#30 Geison Aguasviva
LHP
B-L
T-L
6-2 166

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baseball America

The Dodgers' 2007 Dominican Summer League pitching staf had more than a handful of prospects, the most polished of whom was Aguasviva. He ranked eight in the DSL with a 1.50 ERA and posted a 2.6 groundout/flyout ratio. Lefthanders went just 3-for-23 against him.

Aguasviva has a free and easy arm action and shows good body control over the rubber. There's projection remaining in his 6-foot-2 frame, as well as stuff. He presently tops out at 91 MPH with his fastball, and he shows feel for his breaking ball, which projects as a second plus pitch.

He toyed with young Latin hitters at times, setting up his curve by hitting both corners of the plate with his fastball. He has shown durabiltiy in the DSL, and the Dodgers are contemplating jumping him to low Class A to start 2008.

Stats as of August 1st, 2008

Class A - Great Lakes

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG GLL MID 1 2 8.38 8 2 0 0 0 19.1 34 21 18 1 6 20 1.47 .3

Rookie Class A - Ogden

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG OGD PIO 2 2 3.40 9 9 0 0 0 47.2 56 29 18 3 10 38 1.94 .277

First page is updated with links to all 30 profiles along with stats.

Here are a few guys who are having breakout years and will more than likely feature in next year's top 30.

Austin Gallagher - 3B - Class A Advanced - Inland Empire

Code:

Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS INL CAL .311 63 257 34 80 31 1 5 49 128 18 63 1 3 .351 .498 .849

Michael Watt - RHP - Rookie Class A - Ogden

Code:

Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG OGD PIO 4 3 3.46 9 9 1 0 0 39.0 37 21 15 3 16 40 2.26 .248

Jamie Hoffman - OF - Double-A - Jacksonville

Code:

Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS JAX SOU .278 105 367 50 102 13 3 9 55 148 46 53 20 7 .356 .403 .759

Jamie Pedroza - SS/2B - Class A Advanced - Inland Empire

Code:

Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS INL CAL .283 97 364 62 103 25 6 6 41 158 25 94 18 10 .341 .434 .775

Appreciate the work Cruz.

I'm getting sick of hearing about our top picks getting hurt. First Morris, then Withrow, now Martin. And I'm not even mentioning some of our other 1st round picks.