Dodgers 2011 Final Prospect Chat - #’s 16 - 20

So the #16 vote was so wide open that I couldn’t even crown a winner.  Therefore, I’ve decided to finish up our TBLA prospect list by holding one final vote that will determine the final 5 spots.

For this vote, please rank your top 5 remaining prospects 1 – 5, and I’ll use a point system to determine the final 5 spots.  The #1 prospect on each voter’s list will get 5 points, the #2 prospect will get 4 points, and so on.  I’m going to leave this vote open until Wednesday morning at 7 am so everyone can get a chance to vote.  Later on Wednesday morning I will reveal the results.  We will continue to use the commenting voting system for this final vote.

Since this is the final vote, I’m going to add the final names to the list.  The last 3 names I’m adding are Nick Akins, Jamie Hoffmann, and Pedro Baez.  I know it’s a little ridiculous to have 19 options for the final 5 spots, but I think that most people would agree that each player on this list has at least a few reasons to be included in the Dodgers top 20 prospects for 2011.

To make it obvious for those not reading the whole article, Click Here To Vote.

As always, use this thread to talk about the voting and other things, and only use the other Fanpost to submit your votes. 

The final round candidates (ages as of 2011 opening day):

Nathan Eovaldi (21 years old) RHP – Throws gas, but has never recorded particularly high strikeout numbers.  According to Charlie Hough, the low strikeout totals are due his poor command.  Had a mediocre season in 2010, and was limited due to a mid season oblique strain.  He is still being groomed as a starter, although it has been rumored that consistency with his breaking pitches will determine his future role.

Brian Cavazos–Galvez (23 years old) OF – After an outstanding 2009 season, BCG got off to an extremely slow start with the Great Lakes Loons.  By the time 2010 season was over, however, Cavazos-Galvez had put together one of the best all around seasons of any Dodger minor leaguer.  He hit .318, smacked 18 homers, stole 43 bases, and drove in 77 runs.  The negatives about BCG are that he was a little bit old for LoA, and that he isn’t a very strong outfield defender.

Matt Magill (21 years old) RHP – Magill surprised a lot of people with his great 2010 season, and even led the minor leagues with a .194 opponents’ batting average.  Also had a 3.28 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and had 9.6 strikeouts per 9 innings as a 20 year old.  Some scouts describe his stuff as fringy, although throws in the low 90’s and has a slider that was too much for the Midwest League hitters.

Ralston Cash (19.5 years old) RHP – 2^nd round pick in the 2010 draft had a solid debut in the Arizona Rookie League.  His fastball hits 94 but sits in the lower 90’s with some movement, and he has two other potentially above average pitches (curveball and changeup).

Joc Pederson (18.75 years old) OF – The Dodgers went way over slot to sign their 11^th round pick in the 2010 draft because they loved his athleticism.  While he has 5 tool potential, none of the 5 tools have a particularly high ceiling.  He only had 12 plate appearances for the Arizona Dodgers.  

James Baldwin (19.5 years old) OF – The son of the former major league pitcher, Baldwin is an exciting young player due to his speed and athleticism.  He initially struggled in his professional debut, but then made adjustments and was very good for the final month of the 2010 season.  He is still very raw, but some scouts believe he has the potential to one day become a 5 tool prospect. 

Jake Lemmerman (21 years old) SS – After a monster season with the Raptors this past year, Lemmerman was named as the Pioneer League MVP.  In 259 at bats, Late Night had a .363 average, a 1.044 OPS, 12 homers, and 47 RBI’s.  He also did all this while playing the premium position of shortstop, and coming out of college he was described as a solid defender at the position. 

Leon Landry (21 years old) OF – The Dodgers 3^rd round pick in the 2010 draft, Landry had a great professional debut with a .349 average and a .909 OPS.  He drew comparisons to Andres Torres from the Ogden Raptors radio announcer, who also described him as a gap hitter.  However, Baseball America says he could top out with a .280 and 15 homers per year.  He covers a lot of ground in the outfield, although he has a below average arm.

Javier Solano (21 years old) RHP – Solano came out of nowhere in 2010 with an outstanding season.  He played both in HiA and AA, and was the youngest player on both of those teams, yet had a combined ERA under 3, a WHIP of 1.10, stuck out over 10 batters per 9 innings.  Solano has a low 90’s fastball, a cutter, a curve, and a changeup, but the downside is that he is barely 6 feet tall.

Jon Link (27 years old) RHP – Link was called up by the Dodgers 6 different times during the 2010 season, but was used sparingly to the tune of just 8.2 innings.  In 60.2 innings in AAA, Link did very well considering his home park, posting a 3.71 ERA and a 3.55 FIP.  He seems to be a viable option for the Dodgers 2011 bullpen, and while his ceiling isn’t very high, he could be a solid arm for this organization.

Travis Schlichting (26.25 years old) RHP – The converted infielder had a unique season in 2010 because he performed better in the big leagues than he did in the minors.  In 47.1 AAA innings, Schlichting had a 4.75 ERA and a .294 batting average against, but in his 22.2 innings with the Dodgers he had a 3.57 ERA and a .233 batting average against.  While Schlichting has never had a high strikeout rate, his composure in the Dodgers bullpen over the past two seasons demonstrates to me that he can be a valuable option out of the Dodgers bullpen for years to come.

Josh Lindblom (23.75 years old) RHP – Lindblom has been moved back and forth between starter and reliever throughout his minor league career, which produced negative results in 2010.  Going forward, he will be strictly a reliever, which is definitely the best role for him.  While his velocity was lower last season, he generally sits in the low to mid 90’s out of the bullpen, and also has a hard curveball.  Finally, while he’s been in big league camp for the last couple of seasons, the one thing to remember about Lindblom is that he is still just 23 years old. 

Greg Wilborn (23 years old) LHP – Wilborn started off the 2010 season by dominating the Pioneer League, then was promoted up to the Great Lakes Loons and continued to thrive.  His most impressive stat in 2010 was his very strong strikeout rate, which is rare for a starting pitcher.  While he was a little older than most of his prospect teammates in both leagues, he still had a great season.  Finally, the lefty features a slider, curveball, and changeup, and can get his fastball up to 94 mph.

Blake Smith (23.25 years old) OF – Blake Smith was a huge disappointment in 2009 as the Dodgers 2^nd round pick, however he rebounded nicely in 2010.  In his first full pro season, Smith led the Loons with 19 homers and hit a respectable .281 at the plate.  His strikeout rate was a little high at 27.4%, but he is also pretty inexperienced as a hitter so hopefully that will improve.  A former pitcher, he also has a very strong arm in the outfield and recorded 11 assists in 2010. 

Shawn Tolleson (23 years old) RHP – Had absolutely ridiculous stats in the hitter friendly Pioneer League, posting a 0.63 ERA, a 0.77 WHIP, and striking out over 12 batters per 9 innings.  However he was a 22 year old playing in a Rookie League and only has 28.2 innings professional innings under his belt.  He has an excellent cutter, which is his out pitch.

Mario Songco (22.5 years old) OF – Songco isn’t a very big guy, but is known for his occasional huge power.  He smacked 15 homers in 2010, but a slump at the end of the season caused his year end average to fall to .274.  He makes good contact for a power hitter (K’d in 16% of plate appearances in 2010), but his defensive position is probably limited to left field.

Nick Akins (23 years old) OF – Compared to Manny Ramirez for his big bat, his care free attitude, and his poor outfield defense, Akins did nothing wrong in 2010 as he compiled a 1.125 OPS, a .341 average, and 21 homers in just 67 games.  The only problem was the he was playing in the Rookie Leagues for the 2^nd straight season, which diminishes his stats a little bit.  Also, as mentioned, he isn’t a great defender which will limit him to left field in the future.

Pedro Baez (23 years old) 3B – Pedro Baez had a down year in 2010, but he still made his way to AA by the end of the season won’t even turn 23 until the 2011 season starts.  In addition, he is really the only 3^rd base prospect in the Dodgers upper minor leagues.  While his defense isn’t great, he has an outstanding infield arm which has given some people the idea that he can be moved to the mound if he has another down year at the plate.

Jamie Hoffmann (26.5 years old) OF – Recently added to the Dodgers 40 man roster for the 2^nd time in his career, Hoffmann is a solid player in terms of both offense and defense.  While he probably doesn’t have what it takes to ever be a full time starter in the big leagues, he definitely help the Dodgers in the future as a backup outfielder/pinch hitter/late game defensive replacement.

Again, Click Here for the Final Dodger Prospect Voting