Los Angeles Dodgers Number One 2010 Top Prospect - Chat & Vote

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 2:31 PM PDT in Minor League Updates Comment 55 comments

Based on the criteria below

Determining rookie status:
A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

McDonald is no longer considered a Rookie. We have some interesting candidates for the number one spot that was previously occupied by James McDonald.

For those who already voted, since I erroneously excluded Scott Elbert from the proceeding we are starting all over again with Scott very much in the discussion for the number one position.

Bday	Name	Update
8/13/1985	Scott Elbert	Elbert was the Dodger Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009 and did an excellent job in the AA and AAA rotations after spending all of 2008 in the AA bullpen. Once promoted to the Dodgers for good in Sept he spent the month performing as a Loogy. He's probably going to be death to lefties throughout his career but he's going to have to work on that command if the wants to be an important factor in a rotation. BA left him off the top prospect list because they don't feel he is going to be a fixture in a major league rotation. The Dodgers sure didn't show much confidence in his ability to start since they never gave Elbert even one such opportunity, instead turning to the likes of Milton, Schmidt, Weaver, Haegar, Stults, Padilla, and Garland. They also weren't very confident in him to be a solid middle relief option by trading two solid prospects for Sherrill. So I don't see the Dodgers showing much confidence in their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. At 24 years old he's, he's easily the oldest prospect on the this list, is he still the best simply because he already made the major leagues?
5/1/1987	Ivan DeJesus	Did not play in 2009 due to a broken leg. I'm firmly convinced that if DeJesus had played this season he'd be the top position prospect for the Dodgers. We already know what he can do in AA at the age of 21 so it doesn't take much insight to figure he'd have kicked butt in 2009 at AA/AAA.
8/11/1988	Andrew Lambo	Muddled through his first full season of AA ball and some scouts have marked him down to a fourth outfielder. That seems very premature given his age since he only turned 21 during the season. He held his own but didn't give any indication he can hit enough to man LF but the jury is still out. With an ISOP of only .150 in combination of a walk rate below 9% he's got a lot of work to do but has plenty of time to get that work in. On the plus side he is totally mashing in the AFL as we speak. BA ranked him as the 18th top prospect in the Southern league.
6/15/1987	Josh Lindblom	2008 number two pick Lindblom started out in AA working in relief and starting but once promoted to AAA he was used strictly as a relief pitcher. He had a good year but not a dominating year and failed to make any top prospect lists.
/1/1989	Chris Withrow	No pitcher had a better minor league season then Withrow including Dodger minor league pitcher of the year Scott Elbert. The 2007 number one pick finally got healthy and quickly put baseball on notice that he was someone to be reckoned with. The Dodgers aggressively skipped him to the tough offensive environment in the California League and he was more then up to the challenge. His ERA of 4.69 is not very glittery but his FIP of 3.49 belies the skills as that FIP would have led the league. Being one of the youngest pitchers in the Cal League in addition to being one of the best pitchers in the League you'd think the scouts might have noticed him and they did, rewarding him with a ranking as the 4th best prospect in the Cal League. The Dodgers continued to be aggressive with Withrow and promoted him to AA. Once in AA he continued to impress and ended the season with a five inning two hitter with eight K's and no runs. Being a legit 20 year old in AA is quite an achievement. Like many of our hard throwing kids, he's got to work on his command. With a K Rate in excess of 25% he also has a walk rate in double digits. Even though he was our number one pick in 2007 this is first real taste of professional baseball. He's no April Fool.
4/22/1988	Dee Gordon	We were excited about Gordon before the season started but by the end of the year the scouts were the one's who were drooling over his tools. Most of the drooling is because of his "raw" talent and when that raw talent starts turning into more production we could really have something. After a sizzling July he seemed to run out of gas in August but that did not stop the 21 year old from being named the MWL CO-MVP (along with Kyle Russell) and to be voted 2nd best prospect in the MidWest League by BA. The speed is unquestioned, maybe the fastest player in the organization he led the MWL in stolen bases but he's also 2nd in the league in being caught (73/30). He's no Juan Pierre, as he has gap power, and was developing some patience as the season wore. He started April with a walk rate of 4.7% and ended it in Aug at 7.9% with a high of 8.1% in July. He made a ton of errors but has the arm and range to stick at SS.

Poll

2010 Top Prospect

Scott Elbert - dipped his toes in the major league bullpen

34 votes

Dee Gordon - MidWest League Co-MVP

73 votes

Chris Withrow - 20 years old in AA and flourishing

87 votes

Josh Lindblom - AAA in first full professional season

29 votes

Ivan DeJesus - I expect if he hadn't missed the year he'd be the no - brainer pick here

67 votes

290 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Comments from the previous thread

Voted for Withrow

though I could easily have voted for Gordon.

The next three I’m going to add are Trayvon Robinson, Ethan Martin, and Nathan Eovaldi. Does anyone think someone else should be added in the early voting?

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Oct 23, 2009 11:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Robinson has to be the biggest surprise

He was probably the least mentioned of the three Sixers outfielders going into the season.

by prosellis on Oct 23, 2009 1:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Also Voted for Withrow

I became a believer after seeing the numbers he posted this year (2.97 FIP) in High A and Double A were pretty damn similar to Chad Billingsley (3.23 though younger) and James McDonald (2.78 though older.)

by mwhite06 on Oct 23, 2009 11:48 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Russ Mitchell

For prosperity sakes I’m saving this. From the BA prospect report this morning. This may be the only time that Russ Mitchell gets mentioned in this list.
TEAM CLASS PLAYER, POS AB R H BI AVG
ARI AFL Ciriaco, Pedro 2B 6 0 3 0 .429 2B (3)
ARI AFL Allen, Brandon 1B 5 1 2 3 .206 HR (1)
ARI AFL Gillespie, Cole CF 5 2 3 0 .400 2B (1), SB (2)
ATL MEX Rodriguez, Concepcion, dh 4 3 4 0 .297 23-year-old Panamanian
BOS DWL Wagner, Mark, c 2 1 1 1 .333 HR (2); 2 BB; 1-of-3 on SB att.
CHC DWL Perez, Nelson, ph 1 1 1 2 .476 HR (1)
CIN MEX Rosales, Adam, lf 4 0 3 0 .326
CLE AFL McBride, Matt C 3 1 1 2 .316 HR (1)
CWS AFL Retherford, C.J. 3B 4 2 2 1 .421 HR (1)
DET AFL Wells, Casper DH 3 1 2 5 .476 HR (2)
FLA AFL Stanton, Mike RF 4 0 3 0 .478 CS (2)
LAD AFL Mitchell, Russ 1B 4 2 1 2 .440 HR (4)

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 11:51 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Withrow

The Dee Gordon paragraph appears to have some formatting or cut n paste errors. Just a heads up.
vr, Xei

by Xeifrank on Oct 23, 2009 11:53 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Thanks – Hope I fixed them.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 11:59 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

IMO, it’s a question between Gordon and Withrow.

I chose Withrow, because I love his mechanics.

I have a feeling that Gordon is going to infuriate people his first couple of years with bad errors and not hitting quite as much as we’d like before he really turns it on and becomes a star.

by pdotmac1 on Oct 23, 2009 12:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
As long as he doesn’t become Jose Offerman

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Elbert

Elbert still does have rookie status. He accumlated 3 days of service time in 2008 before rosters expanded, and 30 days of service time in 2009 before rosters expanded, which is a total of 33 days. That is less than the 45 days of service time "during the period of 25-player limit"

by Coolguy_88888888 on Oct 23, 2009 1:12 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Elbert Is Our #1

I think his ceiling is reasonably high, and that in combination with his being MLB right NOW, elevates him in my mind over Withrow and others who are not MLB-ready.

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 1:21 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Is Ivan DeJesus related to the former major leaguer with the same name?

by Bilzo on Oct 23, 2009 1:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Father/son

by Eric Stephen on Oct 23, 2009 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wanted to vote for DeJesus

But I could not until i see some Winter League play. Stupid Juan Pierre. Why were you too lazy to get in position to tell the kid to slide!!?!?!?!

by delias man on Oct 23, 2009 1:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 2:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I still voted for Withrow

for the reasons above I posted above. After Withrow I would vote for Elbert though (over Gordon.)

by mwhite06 on Oct 23, 2009 2:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Elbert could become Billy Wagner

They both started most of their games in the minor leagues.
They both had excellent K rates in the minors but also had bad command.
Wagner never started a game in the major leagues, same thing could happen with Elbert

Then again if Doug Davis can pitch in a major league rotation, Scott Elbert should be able to.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The voting could be interesting

compared to BaseballAmerica and John Sickels.
Elbert will not be in the top 100 prospects come this spring. Withrow should be but Gordon will probably be in the top 50. It is just not BA who is unimpressed with Elbert, John Sickels also did not have him in his final top 100 but then again he did not have Withrow either. He had Dee Gordon at 32 and Aaron Miller at 85.

Given the age difference between Aaron Miller and Withrow I’m not sure how you can have Miller a head of him which is why I did not include Miller in the first vote.

BA Dodger Top Prospects Per League:
Arizona League – Number 3 – Allen Webster
                             - Number 9 – Jonathan Garcia
                             - Number 19 – Danny Danielson
Pioneer League – Number 16 – Brett Wallach
MidWest League – Number 2 – Dee Gordon
                                  Number 10 – Ethan Martin
                                  Number 17 – Kyle Russell
California League – Number 4 – Chris Withrow
                                    Number 15 – Trayvon Robinson
Southern League – Number 18 – Andrew Lambo
PCL – Nobody

Aaron Miller would have ranked higher then Ethan Martin according to the chat if he had qualified but they would be close.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think it's a mistake not to have Elbert in the top 100 prospects lists

He has sick strikeout numbers, he just has never had a real shot. Either make him a starter and keep him as one and give him a shot in the rotation next year or convert him to a reliever and keep him as one.

by Ivdown on Oct 24, 2009 5:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Based on the above

when BA does their Dodger top 10 list it will probably look like:
1, Gordon
2, Withrow
3, Scott Elbert
4. Aaron Miller
5, Ethan Martin
6, Andrew Lambo
7.Trayvon Robinson
8, Josh Lindblom
9. Nathan Eovaldi
10. Xavier Paul

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Fail

when BA does their Dodger top 10 list it will probably look like:
1, Gordon
2, Withrow
3, Scott Elbert
4. Aaron Miller
5, Ethan Martin
6. Ivan DeJesus
7, Andrew Lambo
8.Trayvon Robinson
9, Josh Lindblom
10. Nathan Eovaldi

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In 2008

the Dodgers had only Kershaw, Lambo, McDonald, Gordon, Russell, Baez, DeJesus show up on the BA Top League lists so we increased from 7 to 9 with only Baez dropping from the top 20 lists from 2008 to 2009, since Kershaw, McDonald, and DeJesus not eligible.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:52 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

From BaseballThinkFactory.com

61. Mike Emeigh (I AM Calvin Coolidge) Posted: October 15, 2009 at 03:24 PM (#3353119)

Mike, Dee Gordon is pretty easily the Dodgers’ top prospect, and Chris Withrow is probably second.

I know why people think that way, but I don’t see it. Gordon right now is about where Robinson was a year ago, and Robinson took a big step forward this year because he started driving the ball rather than playing slap-and-dash; Gordon’s going to have to start doing some of that if he wants to succeed at higher levels. Withrow and Martin are at about the same place, also, and because Withrow still looks to me like an injury waiting to happen I put him below Martin even though he’s ahead of him on the food chain. I would put both of them a notch below the other four – but still ahead of Bell and Johnson.

— MWE

Mike Emeigh runs the minor league section at BTF, and goes to a number of minor league games every season. Thought this post was relevant.

by Tripon on Oct 23, 2009 3:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Note: The thread itself evolved from into the merits of trading Bell,Johnson, and Santana for Casey Blake, and George Sherrill.

by Tripon on Oct 23, 2009 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It is

but can we rate prospects on what might happen based on their mechanics? So who does he have as the “other four”

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

54. Mike Emeigh (I AM Calvin Coolidge) Posted: October 15, 2009 at 02:41 PM (#3353078)

Bell is rumored to be the top prospect for both BA’s and BPro’s top 10/11 lists for the O’s, and Johnson said he gained over 4 MPH on his fastball to throw around 93/94 now.

Bell’s status is more due to the Orioles’ total lack of position player prospects than it is his own ability. If Johnson added to his fastball, it happened “after” he was traded, not before – and that speaks to the player development in LA’s farm system more than anything else (something that I think has been an issue for a long time, BTW).

LA’s top prospects at this point (IMO, and not in order) are Martin, Miller, Lambo, and Robinson, and I’d take all of those guys over Bell or Johnson.

— MWE

by Tripon on Oct 23, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So he's basically taking

Withrow out of the equation because he expects him to blow out his arm. Why is Elbert out of the equation? Is it because of the misconception that Canuck talks about below about his “Fragility”?

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see no red flags

with his mechanics

If his assertion is that he’s genetically predispositioned to injury because he cut his hand on a scuba mask or whatever then…ugh.

Then again, this is the same guy that was arguing with me that Josh Bell is a shitty mid level prospect.

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And that

nobody saw Carlos Santana being legit after last year.

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Emeigh

Yes, and what the hell is with the shot he took at the Dodgers’ minor league player development (a “an issue for a long time,” he says). WTF!!!

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i dunno

i just know reading that shit made me want to kill myself

and i was surprised to get that “ANY TRADE THAT HELPS THAT MAJOR LEAGUE TEAM NOW IS WORTH IT” reaction from a sabermetric crowd.

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

though after i posted the links

that showed tons of people thought highly of santana at the time, i got no response

*tear

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

DeJesus showed more offensive skills

then Lambo in the exact same league at the exact same age and one is a SS and the other is a LF. Did his broken leg effect his baseball skills more then I understand? You break a leg you fix it, you move on, it is not a knee injury or achilles injury. Could be I’m missing something important about the severity of the injury.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 4:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just realized that he has Justin Miller as one of the best four Dodgers prospect.

Wow.

by Tripon on Oct 23, 2009 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he meant Aaron

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 6:31 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'd hope so

Justin looks like he sucks terrible compared to Aaron.

by Ivdown on Oct 24, 2009 5:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Almost everybody

sucks terrible compared to Aaron :D

by kensai on Oct 26, 2009 2:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha, that is a great point.

by Ivdown on Oct 26, 2009 11:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder then if he actually saw Gordon play?

because we heard that he did drive the ball and wasn’t a slap and dash player.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hitting home runs isn't easy

in the MidWest League, ask Lambo, which is why I’m still impressed with Kyle Russell even with the K’s.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Drive the ball by his standards

Yes

Not at the Jose Reyes level of pop though. Probably never will be.

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wish we had a top prospect

with this name

http://twitpic.com/mna0s

by Eric Stephen on Oct 23, 2009 3:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I Want a Prospect...

…named “Bob Loblaw.”

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That would be great. I am glad to have a Bastardo though :)

by Eric Stephen on Oct 23, 2009 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Elbert's Prospect Status...

…has been unjustifiably low since he missed time because of shoulder tendinitis and the resulting exploratory shoulder surgery. Exploratory surgery that didn’t result in anything more serious than “fraying” being found. Elbert has proven that he recovered fully, but he still has the “fragile” tag for some reason. Why? It was ONE injury. No more. Yet I see some prospect experts talk about him having had multiple injuries, which isn’t true. Sure, Elbert’s control/command is not ideal, but that just makes him “part of the club” when it comes to hard-throwing Dodger pitching prospects. Billingsley and Kershaw weren’t downgraded severely for their control problems.

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 4:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Billingsley and Kershaw also weren't

put into the bullpen for a full season like Elbert was in 2008. For such a minor surgery they sure babied his ass. Yes, he has the same command issues that Withrow and Martin have but he’s also much older. I understand what you are saying about the confusion over his shoulder issue and how it has been misreported as multiple but I’m even more confused about the Dodgers lack of confidence in letting him start after he was ready to go and they needed a starter.

Why are the scouts so down on this guy?

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

They aren't really down on him, they have always ranked him pretty high regardless

I was down on him going into this year a bit though. I think some mechanical flaws make him a better fit to be a billy wagner type than a #3 starter. Same with Broxton.

Obviously he proved he can start this year, so there might be something to that and i’d give him a chance, but if you put a gun to my head, i’d say setup man. Kuo-lite?

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Does Elbert Have...

…any worse mechanics than Billingsley? Elbert certainly has superior athleticism, and his delivery looks smoother to me than Billingsley’s.

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 5:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Billingsley doesn't really have a huge issue

he’s just sort of stiff. His mechanics aren’t my ideal, but I can’t say I have a problem or concern with anything but his command.

Elbert is incredibly athletic, so adjustments should come easy, but the way he throws his breaking ball irks me. I haven’t looked at video this year to see if he changed, but last year I didn’t like it at all. He proved me wrong this year though, and it wouldn’t be the first time for me. :P

Either way, i’m more worried about his command in the short term, like I think most of us are.

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Don't Know How Old You Are...

….but do you remember the hard-throwing southpaw starter Mark Langston? Pitched for the Mariners and Angels? He was a guy you could see striking out 200 batters a year and walking 100. I see Elbert as a starter like Langston. But then striking out 200 and walking 100 a year is what I almost expect from Billingsley and Kershaw.

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 5:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Never watched him pitch except towards the end of his career, but I know of him.

If it worked out that would be fine. Solid #3 or a #2 in his prime and a #4-#5 down the road.

Like I said, I would like to see Elbert get a chance in the rotation, but I think we all know how long those chances last on this team unless you’re the top prospect in the system. His stuff is plenty good if he can stay health and remain in control.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers are quick to replace promising starters with Eric Milton so who knows how the development goes. :o

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm with you

Elbert has been underrated by just about everyone the last 2 seasons. I thought for sure Elbert would make a top 100 prospects list for 2010, and now it looks like he won’t even make one. That’s bs.

by Ivdown on Oct 24, 2009 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's look back to 2005 per BA

Gulf Coast League – Top 20

14. Ivan DeJesus, ss
19. Miguel Sanfler, lhp

Pioneer League – Top 20

13. Juan Rivera, ss, Ogden
20. Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss, Ogden

Sally League – Top 20

1. Scott Elbert, lhp, Columbus
7. Blake DeWitt, 3b, Columbus

Florida State League – Top 20

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Vero Beach
5. Matt Kemp, of, Vero Beach
8. Justin Orenduff, rhp, Vero Beach
11. Tony Abreu, 2b, Vero Beach
12. Chin-Lung Hu, ss, Vero Beach
17. Chuck Tiffany, lhp, Vero Beach

Southern League – Top 20

5. Chad Billingsley, rhp, Jacksonville
6. Joel Guzman, ss, Jacksonville
7. Andy LaRoche, 3b, Jacksonville
10. Russell Martin, c, Jacksonville
14. Jonathan Broxton, rhp, Jacksonville

Pacific Coast – Top 20
None

The Dodgers 2006 Top Ten per BA

1. Chad Billingsley, rhp
2. Andy LaRoche, 3B
3. Joel Guzman, IF/OF
4. Russell Martin, C
5. Jonathan Broxton, rhp
6. Scott Elbert, lhp
7. Blake DeWitt, 3B
8. Matt Kemp, OF
9. Tony Abreu, 2B
10. Chin-Lung Hu, ss

by bhsportsguy on Oct 23, 2009 4:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And all 10 of these players

At least reached the MLB with the Dodgers, 7 still remain in the system. It will be interesting to see how well meercat’s list does in four years.

by bhsportsguy on Oct 23, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

When I ask why are the scouts down on him

I’m talking about right now, because he has the same stuff he had when was getting all those plaudits before. In each of those years except the year he missed he was considered one of the best players in the league he was in but now even though he would have easily led the Southern League in K’s and K rate if he had stayed in the league he’s being ignored. He had almost the same success in AAA this year, so I’m a bit confused as to why the scouts are all of the sudden dissing him. It is not like he’s sucked at the Major League Level, he hasn’t had enough innings.

I’m sure part of it is because he’s been in the AA league since 2006 but when you take into consideration he missed 90% of 2007 due to the surgery and wasn’t allowed to start in 2008 I still don’t understand the lack of love unless the scouts have seen something that we don’t know. Does his velocity drop off big time when he starts after a few innings? If so why isn’t he hammered in the 5th or 6th inning? I guess I need to review the game logs from his AAA/AA starts.

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 5:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Elbert's rankings

2006 – first year eligible – 6th (Behind Bills, LaRoche, Guzman, Martin and Broxton)
2007 – 3rd – (Behind LaRoche, Kershaw)
2008 – 4th – Behind Kershaw, LaRoche, Hu, (this was the season he was hurt after 4 starts)
2009 – 5th – Behind Lambo, McDonald, Martin, Limblom

He missed the top 5 in 2006 but that was a packed top 10, otherwise while not making number 1 or 2, he’s been among the top prospects for the Dodgers since he’s been here.

by bhsportsguy on Oct 23, 2009 4:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

For 2009, that #5 rating was #5 in what BA and others...

…were starting to dismiss as a “weak” farm system. That is different than being top 5 in a highly ranked farm system. And then of course BA excludes Elbert completely from the Southern League Top 20 this year, though guys I consider inferior had no problem making the list.

by CanuckDodger on Oct 23, 2009 5:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Back On Topic

I think i’m gonna vote for Withrow. I had Martin above him for most of the year because I liked his raw stuff more, but Withrow put it together.

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 5:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for your responses to the BT comments

by meercatjohn on Oct 23, 2009 6:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

For Your Entertainment

I think this rant was in response to me. :o

Look, feel free to disagree with me, but when you insult me or try and convince me with statistics which WILL NEVER capture the power of the human spirit, you are showing you have no connection with reality. I suggest Fantasy Baseball. That’s the ticket! You little cowards who want to fire your "drive-by shootings" at me (you know who you are) wouldn’t last a minute in a face-to-face debate, so can it! Disagree all you want, but if you become disagreeable, it’s on! You cowards who hide behind your keyboards won’t win. As a matter of fact, you are losers, which is why you take such offense when I call JB that! What I just wrote is extreme and probably never will happen, but I do think that this years Dodger team has amazing talent, more than the Phillies, but they delivered and we didn’t! Do we need a change of direction in the organization? Maddux would make me happy! Let Don Mattingly take the Cleveland job and take Honeycutt with him. Then Kirk Gibson can replace Torre! Shoot, if Jim Tracy can manage, the so can Kirk Gibson.

You have to look at Torre and Manual. Charlie has fire. Torre has ice. The fire burned the ice! Get a clue!

http://www.ladodgertalk.com/2009/10/what-now-dont-see-what-is-see-what-can-be/

lol

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 6:32 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Why do people think Greg Maddux wants to be the pitching coach for the Dodgers?

He played for them for a total of 4 months. He doesn’t have the greatest connection with us.

by Tripon on Oct 23, 2009 6:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

DUDE

OBVIOUSLY EVERY SEMI-PLAUSIBLE SCENARIO CAN HAPPEN!

by kensai on Oct 23, 2009 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I talked about managing in a fanpost

I’ve become convinced that if you know how to fill out a line-up card, you are competent to be a manager.

I’m sure there’s some leadership, organizational, and motivational skills that are required too, but hitting and pitching coach are probably way more important in actually making a differnence.

Based upon how consistent the Dodger’s approach has been at the plate, I’d say Mattingly has been doing a good job. Pitchers always seem to be better on the Dodgers than on other clubs, so I would say at least we are above average.

Honestly, the biggest problem I saw was that we seemed to throw 18 fastballs in a row against the fills every time we got shelled. Not sure who’s fault that is.

by Cool Dudes on Oct 23, 2009 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs