It was a relatively close vote, but Ethan Martin now rounds out the top 10 Dodgers prospects heading into 2011. Ivan De Jesus, Jr. was 2nd in this vote, but both Jonathan Garcia and Garrett Gould also got some support so we are going to move ahead with an actual vote for the #11 prospect. Since the list is getting pretty long, I’m not going to list the top 10 here, but instead refer to the left sidebar of the website for the TBLA ranking thus far.
With 10 more votes to go, we are going to open up the voting a little bit by including even more names. All 5 of the players I’m adding this round are from the 2010 draft, and all have different reasons for why they should be considered among the top 20 prospects heading into 2011. There are still a couple more names that I could add, but we’ll probably wait a few rounds before including anyone else since we have so many options right now. However, if you feel strongly that somebody else needs to be in the mix right now, let me know.
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 round 11 candidates (ages as of 2011 opening day):
Jonathan Garcia (19.25 years old) OF – Garcia played the entire 2010 season as an 18 year old and posted some very solid stats. The only caveat to his .305 average and 10 homers is that he did most of his damage at home in the Raptors hitter friendly park. He’s a little undersized at 5’11", but plays solid defense and at 19 years old he still could still hit a growth spurt.
Garrett Gould (19.5 years old) RHP – Gould had a solid season in the Pioneer League as a 19 year old (4.06 ERA, 3.39 FIP), although his velocity dipped a bit during the season. However, his drop in velocity can be explained by a couple of injuries and the fact that this was really his first full season of professional baseball. In addition to his fastball, he has a very strong curveball, and like most young pitchers is working on his changeup.
Scott Elbert (25.5 years old) LHP – Battled personal problems and injuries in 2010, but the lefty is still just 25 and has nasty stuff when he is able to get it over the plate. According to a recent interview, it sounds like he will be strictly a reliever in the future.
Kyle Russell (24.75 years old) OF – Best known for his plus power and his strikeout totals, most prospect hounds either love him or hate him. Russell dominated the California League before getting promoted to AA where he struggled initially before hitting a hot streak over the final month of the season. Kyle is also a solid defender with a very good arm in right field.
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.
Ivan De Jesus, Jr. (23.75 years old) 2B – A broken leg cost him virtually all of his 2009 season, but De Jesus responded pretty nice bounce-back year in 2010. Hit .296 with 7 homers, although it should be noted he played his home games the very hitter friendly stadium. He doesn’t really have a plus skill, but seems to hold his own in most aspects of the game and is still just 23 years old. He is basically limited to 2B now on an everyday basis, although he could probably play enough shortstop to fill the role of a middle infield utility player.
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 – 2nd 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 11th 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 3rd 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.