Thread: Official Dodgers Off-Season Thread...

Some Dodger prospect stuff

Wes (Wrigleyville)


Is Starlin Castro the top SS prospect in the minors? top 3?
Jim Callis
(2:13 PM)


For me, yes. My top three are Castro, Alcides Escobar and Dee Gordon, with Grant Green right behind Gordon.

Byung-Hyun (Seoul, KOR)


Which pitching prospect has the highest upside in dodgers organization? Is Josh Lindblom the one ready to make a Major League impact soon? Thanks.
Jim Callis
(2:21 PM)


Ethan Martin has the most upside. Lindblom is the most ready to make an impact in the near future. Aaron Miller isn't too far off on both counts.

Brandon (Tell City, IN)


High on Chris Withrow, or just a #3, 4 type?
Jim Callis
(2:44 PM)


He has the chance to be better than that. I like him

Dodgers prospect, Newbury Park grad Lambo getting back on track - LA Daily News

Story on Andrew Lambo. Stuggled in AA last year but was young for that level and he had a strong AFL. This season will be a big indicator for his future.

The Dodgers have signed outfielder Timo Perez and pitcher John Koronka to Minor League contracts with Major League invites.

Twitter / Ken Gurnick: The Dodgers have signed ou ...

Dodger Thoughts moves to ESPN.com/LA next week | Dodger Thoughts | Los Angeles Times

Weisman moving up in the world.

This continues to hurt. Law's top #100 prospects, look who's right near the top:

3 Carlos Santana
Age: 23 (DOB: April 8, 1986)
Bats: Both Throws: Right
Position: Catcher Organization: Cleveland Indians
Top '09 Level: AA (Akron)
2009 ranking: 13


Santana could be the Victor Martinez who can actually catch -- a switch-hitter with legitimate plate discipline and power with good receiving skills and an above-average arm. Cleveland swiped Santana from the Dodgers in the Casey Blake deal because they were willing to send L.A. the $2 million required to pay Blake's salary the rest of the way; in other words, they paid roughly what the ninth or 10th pick in a typical Rule 4 draft gets and ended up with the third-best prospect in baseball

Originally Posted by Frolov24

This continues to hurt. Law's top #100 prospects, look who's right near the top:

3 Carlos Santana
Age: 23 (DOB: April 8, 1986)
Bats: Both Throws: Right
Position: Catcher Organization: Cleveland Indians
Top '09 Level: AA (Akron)
2009 ranking: 13


Santana could be the Victor Martinez who can actually catch -- a switch-hitter with legitimate plate discipline and power with good receiving skills and an above-average arm. Cleveland swiped Santana from the Dodgers in the Casey Blake deal because they were willing to send L.A. the $2 million required to pay Blake's salary the rest of the way; in other words, they paid roughly what the ninth or 10th pick in a typical Rule 4 draft gets and ended up with the third-best prospect in baseball

Blah why do people keep bringing this guy up. It sucked when we traded him then and still sucks now. It's better to just build a bridge and get over it rather than keep rubbing salt in the wound.

Dee Gordon was 39th

Gordon, son of longtime big leaguer Tom "Flash" Gordon, fell to the fourth round in the 2008 draft because of academic and discipline issues that made it hard for scouts to see him. But at this point the Dodgers appear to have out-scouted the industry, given how pro scouts are reacting to Gordon's play. Two evaluators independently told me they think he's Jimmy Rollins with less power. Gordon is listed, perhaps generously, at 5-foot-11, and is as thin as a rake despite efforts to put on weight, but he's wiry-strong and has shown he can hit line drives deep to both gaps. So while he may never hit 20 homers in the majors, he should produce plenty of extra-base power. He is a plus-plus runner with an above-average arm and has the athleticism and quickness to play shortstop in the big leagues. Gordon's feel for the game is poor, especially for the son of a big leaguer, but he was primarily a basketball player until his senior year in high school. The inexperience shows in all facets of his game, from pitch recognition to high caught-stealing rates. His upside is substantial, but he's more like a 19-year-old player in a 22-year-old body; he has to develop at a faster pace than a typical tools prospect to reach that Rollins-like potential.

Chris Withrow is 83rd

Withrow appeared at No. 86 on the 2008 edition of this list, but fell off after developing The Thing (also known as Steve Blass Disease) in 2008, a malady from which few pitchers recover. Withrow appears to be on his way back, and while his control is still below-average -- more on that in a moment -- he was able to throw a full season in a tough league for pitchers. His arm is live, with a 91-97 mph fastball, and he'll show an above-average curve with good depth, although it's not consistent yet and he can snap it off a little early. He has a changeup that is improving, but it's still below average. Lefties got to him last year: 41 of the 57 walks he issued in 2009 were to left-handed hitters, so against right-handers he was as good as a specialist reliever (71 strikeouts and 16 walks in 231 right-handed batters faced, per minorleaguesplits.com). It's a huge arm with a good frame, and there's No. 1 starter potential here; 2009 was almost like his first year in pro ball, and he could make a huge step forward in his second full year back from oblivion.

Some more prospect stuff. A blurb on some sleeper prospects

Carl Webster, also known as Allen Webster, sits in the 92-94 range, touching 96, with a power breaking ball. He doesn't have great feel for his changeup and his command is still improving, but he's a former shortstop with limited pitching experience. And don't sleep on converted outfielder Kenley Jansen, sitting 97-99 in short relief work in his first year on the mound.