Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus recently reviewed the NL West 2008 draft. I have to take issue with some of his less then inspired analysis about Josh Lindblom.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Top Pick: First-rounder Ethan Martin has been as good as advertised in his pro debut, striking out 51 over 402/3 innings at Single-A Great Lakes, with one awful start giving him a mediocre 3.76 ERA, while he's delivered five shutout innings in three of his nine starts.
Movin' On Up: Ultra-athletic shortstop Dee Gordon is batting .294/.349/.397 with 25 stolen bases at Great Lakes, and while that line may not blow you away, scouts call him one of the most raw players in the league, one who is just beginning to scratch the surface of his abilities, with a few Jimmy Rollins comparisons thrown out there for good measure.
Disappointing: Second-round pick Josh Lindblom generated an enormous amount of buzz this spring by earning some consideration for the big-league squad, but the big right-hander has struggled in both starting and relief roles at Double-A Chattanooga with a 4.78 ERA.
Now I'm just not sure how Josh Lindblom's first full professional season can be called a "disappointment". The 2nd round pick is already pitching in AA, and for the most part has been the best pitcher in the league. For a site steeped in analysis, Kevin points to his 4.78 ERA as the reason for his disappointment. With just a little more review we find that Josh Lindblom leads the Southern League in FIP and has the best base on ball %. I'm not quite sure what more BP expects of Josh Lindblom. Maybe his K rate is not upto par. Oh wait, not only does he lead the league with the best base on ball % he is also striking out 21% of the hitters he's facing. He's appeared in 11 games and has been hit hard in three of them while being yanked back and forth between starting and relieving. For a guy in his first full year of professional baseball if this is disappointment, bring me more.