Here is the 10th part of my offseason Dodger minor league rankings, and with this post we are now halfway through. Please see the end of this post for a link to all the previous posts in the series that I’ve published thus far. As a reminder, my ranking includes players in Dodgers minor league system who meets the following qualifications: (1) played in the Dodgers minor league system during 2010, were injured during the entire 2010 season, or were signed prior to me putting together my ranking; (2) is still within the Dodgers organization as of season end; (3) will be under 28 years old as of Opening Day 2011; and (4) the player is still considered a prospect by Baseball America Standards, which means that pitchers must have less than 50 innings pitched in the majors, and hitters must have less than 130 at bats in the majors, regardless of service time. Also, remember that the player’s age I’ve listed is their age as of the start of the 2011 season.
110. Giordanny Chavez, RHP (68 IP in DSL in 2010) Signed by Dodgers in 2009 6’3”, 185 lbs, 19.75 years old Pre 2010 Rank: 139; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A After a terrible debut in the DSL in 2009 (6.38 ERA in 18.1 innings), Giordanny Chavez had quite a turnaround this past season. The 19 year not only pitched a full season, but also recorded the 2nd lowest ERA of all minor league players in the Dodgers organization (minimum 50 IP). In addition, he got better as the year progressed and allowed just two earned runs in his final 27 innings of the year. However, his peripherals don’t really compliment his ERA because the Dominican native had a FIP of 3.73, and he only struck out 6.22 per 9 innings. Nevertheless, Chavez has a good pitchers frame at 6’3” and could potentially turn into a prospect next season if he continues to put up good numbers. I’m almost certain he’ll get promoted to the Arizona League for 2011 and that is where the true test will begin.
4-2, 1.85 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 3.73 FIP, 6.22 K/9
109. Bolivar Medina, LHP (4 IP in Pioneer League, 33.2 IP in Arizona League in 2010)
Signed by Dodgers in 2007
6’2”, 175 lbs, 22.75 years old
1-3, 6.45 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 3.84 FIP, 9.32 K/9
Pre 2010 Rank: 82; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Prior to the 2007 season, the Dodgers signed a group of young Dominican players. According to Logan White in a 2007 interview, the two most impressive players in that group were Pedro Baez and Bolivar Medina. So even though the Dodgers haven’t been big international spenders in recent years, White’s assessment of Media tells me that he is better than your average Dominican signee. After posting a 2.75 ERA through 36 innings in the Dominican Summer League in 2007, Medina missed the entire 2008 season due to injury. He returned to action in 2009 and was promoted to the Arizona League where he had another strong showing with a 2.89 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and .235 batting average against in 46.2 innings. In 2010, Medina started the season in the Pioneer League, but got rocked in his first two games and was quickly demoted back to the Arizona League. He continued to struggle in Arizona although he finished the season strong and had a pretty solid strikeout rate. While Medina has divided his career between starting and relieving, his split stats in 2010 while in Arizona suggest that he best suited in the rotation (2.57 ERA as a starter in 21 innings vs. 11.37 ERA in 12.2 innings). Still just 22 years old, this 6’2” lefty still has potential in my opinion and will hopefully spend 2011 in a full season league.
108. Ji-Mo Lee, RHP (7 IP in LoA, 13.1 IP in Pioneer League, 1 IP in Arizona League in 2010)
Signed by Dodgers 5/24/09
6’1”, 188 lbs, 24.25 years old
3-0, 1.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 4.09 FIP, 3.80 K/9
Pre 2010 Rank: 85; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
The Dodgers signed Ji-Mo Lee out of Korea in May of 2009. He was originally drafted by a Korean baseball team in 2005, but was then required to serve two years of military duty. He played for the Korean team in 2008, but was released after posting a 9.64 ERA. While he performed poorly in 2008, after being signed by the Dodgers Logan White said “Ji-Mo has a feel for two types of pitches that are already at a Major League level and he should develop into a good pitcher.” In addition, Byung-Hwan An, the Dodgers' scouting supervisor in Korea said “I have been watching him since high school and always liked his fastball and aggressiveness on the mound. He is a very talented pitcher with a high ceiling. It is great that we can give him a chance to play in the States, which has been his dream.” Lee appeared in just 4 games for the Dodgers in 2009, and then made his 2010 debut in the Pioneer League. He spent 13 innings with the Raptors, and I got this perspective from Brandon Hart, Ogden’s radio broadcaster “He should be just a solid middle reliever in the minors but I just don’t see him making the big-league club. [However] he does have a plus slider and that could ride that to the show. Fastball is at 93 and he has a good [pitch] combo. Just doesn’t have the K numbers you would like.” Hart is right about the strikeout numbers at Lee’s K per 9 in 2010 was unbelievably low at 3.80. However, that is slightly skewed by the fact that he only threw 24 innings due to an undisclosed injury. Besides his K rate, Lee’s numbers in 2010 were very good, and because he is already 24 years old he’ll most likely play in a full season league next year. He already got a taste of LoA in 2010, so maybe he’ll spend 2011 in the California League. He’ll have to move quickly if he wants any chance to make it to the big leagues.
107. Andres Santiago, RHP (20.2 IP in Arizona League in 2010)
Drafted by Dodgers 2007, 16th round
6’2”, 200 lbs, 21.25 years old
2-0, 2.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 2.76 FIP, 7.40 K/9
Pre 2010 Rank: 147; Pre 2009 Rank: 133
Andres Santiago was drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2007 at the tender age of 17, and has spent his first four professional seasons in the Dodgers lowest US based rookie league (2 season in the GCL, and two seasons in the Arizona League). I’m guessing that he’ll finally get a change of scenery in 2011 since he put together a solid season in 2010 with the Arizona Dodgers. While his season didn’t start until August 1st due to an apparent injury, he made the most of his 6 appearances by allowing just 5 earned runs in 20.2 innings, good for a 2.18 ERA. Santiago has been trying to make up for some lost time by playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League, although the results have been disastrous in his limited appearances. Overall, Santiago has a solid pitchers frame and is still pretty young. Therefore I think that he has some potential as a prospect, and I really hope the Dodgers decide to challenge him in 2011 with an assignment to a full season league.
106. Beau Brett, 1B (28 games in Arizona League in 2010)
Drafted by Dodgers 2010, 35th round
6’3”, 185 lbs, 21.75 years old, bats left handed
.239 average, .617 OPS, 0 HR’s, 6 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
The fact that Beau Brett signed with the Dodgers as their 35th round pick in the 2010 draft was very odd to me. He was a draft eligible sophomore who was rarely used at USC and only had 44 at bats over two seasons with the Trojans. In addition, Brett never had an extra base hit in those 44 at bats. The only reason the Dodgers even drafted him was because he has baseball bloodlines, with his most famous relative being his uncle George Brett. Upon signing, Beau was sent the Arizona Rookie League and got a decent amount of playing time at 1st base. Unfortunately his offensive stats were pretty dismal for the Dodgers and he struck out in 26.7% of his plate appearances. In addition, I watched Brett’s scouting video and his swing simply wasn’t very impressive. Looking to the future, I can’t see Brett ever becoming a legitimate prospect because he plays 1st base and hasn’t done anything impressive since high school. Hopefully he proves me wrong, but I unfortunately see him taking the place the now released Austin Yount, who was another Dodger draftee with good bloodlines that didn’t do anything as a professional.
105. Bryant Hernandez, SS (15 games in HiA, 50 games in LoA in 2010)
Drafted by Dodgers 2009, 9th round
5’8”, 170 lbs, 23 years old, bats right handed
.179 average, .524 OPS, 2 HR’s, 20 RBI’s, 1 SB
Pre 2010 Rank: 84; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
The Dodgers first noticed Bryant Hernandez when they were scouting his University of Oklahoma teammate J.T. Wise, who ended up getting selected four rounds earlier than Hernandez in the 2009 draft. While Bryant is listed at just 5’8” and 170 pounds, in his junior season at Oklahoma he batted .351, hit 12 HR’s, and tied Wise for the team lead with 62 RBI’s. He was also a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, presented to the nation's top shortstop. After the draft, Logan White said that Hernandez “is a kid that had good numbers, could hit in the middle of the night, could play short or second and he's a sure-handed fielder with some pop in his bat. We could also turn him into a catcher down the road, if needed. He's a grinder and knows how to play the game.” Hernandez hasn’t played any catcher yet, and has instead spent the majority of his playing time at his natural position at shortstop. After a mediocre debut in the Arizona Rookie League in 2009, Bryant was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons for 2010. However, he had a terrible time in the Midwest League as he hit just.164 in 146 at bats and stuck out in 33.1% of his plate appearances. He also didn’t show any power or speed. Nevertheless, the 22 year old was promoted to the California League in August, and I’m guessing the move was made only because the 66ers needed depth at the shortstop position. But he continued to struggle there as well and hit just .224 over 15 games. Hernandez will be 23 when the 2011 season starts, so while he still has time to turn things around and become a legitimate prospect, he can’t afford to have another lost season offensively. He’ll probably return to HiA and hopefully this time he’ll have better results.
104. Moises Tamarez, RHP (44.1 IP in DSL in 2010)
Signed by Dodgers in 2009
6’3”, 195 lbs, 19 years old
3-4, 4.06 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 3.58 FIP, 5.68 K/9
Pre 2010 Rank: 87; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
The first thing I want to point out about Moises Tamarez is that his correct birth date is 3/6/92 and not 3/6/93 as is listed at various websites, so he is a little older than what most people realize. This was confirmed with both the Dodgers media guide and Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Either way, Tamarez is still a very young Dominican player who will not turn 19 years old until the start of the 2011 season. The good news is that he already has a lot of experience under his belt (75.2 innings), and has posted a pretty solid ERA in his each of his first two professional seasons. The bad news is that despite his solid pitching frame, Moises hasn’t been able to strike out many batters as his career K/9 stands at just 4.5. Given his aforementioned experience, the Dodgers may opt to promote Tamarez to the Arizona Rookie League in 2011 to get him some additional coaching while he is still young. I hope that is the case because with his size and youth, he could have what it takes to turn into a legitimate Dodger prospect in the future.
103. Nick Buss, CF (65 games in HiA, 61 games in LoA in 2010)
Drafted by Dodgers 2008, 8th round
6’0”, 180 lbs, 24.25 years old, bats left handed
.264 average, .661 OPS, 1 HR, 48 RBI’s, 26 SB’s
Pre 2010 Rank: 80; Pre 2009 Rank: 27
After failing to sign Nick Buss out of high school in 2006, the Dodger got their man two years later in the 8th round of the 2008 draft. During the two years between being drafted by the Dodgers, Buss spent time as the starting center fielder for the USC Trojans. While his stats at USC weren’t amazing, he did post a solid .415 OBP in 2008 and placed 2nd on the team with 8 HR’s. He also played in the Alaskan Baseball League in the summer of 2007, and was named the League’s top prospect by Baseball America after hitting .369 and stealing 29 bases. Since being drafted, however, Nick “Chili” Buss has been pretty average, and I’ll admit that I had him totally overrated when I did my ranking two years ago. I had based that ranking on a strong 2008 season in the Pioneer League and his ability to get on base, but it seems that his skills have diminished over the past two seasons. His on base percentage was only .298 in 2009, and in 2010 he struggled so badly in the hitter friendly California League that he was sent back to LoA at the end of June for the remainder of the season. While he improved slightly with the Loons, his 2010 combined OPS was only .661 and he only managed a single homer for the entire year. Really when I look at Buss, his only assets are his above average speed, his ability to make contact (he has a career strikeout percentage of just 13.6%), and the fact that he can play center field. He was selected to participate in the Arizona Instructional League after the season, however, so the Dodgers haven’t completely lost hope in him. Buss will be 24 years old heading into 2011, so he is going to need a big comeback season if he wants any chance to ever make an impact with the Dodgers.
102. Alberto Bastardo, LHP (56.2 IP in AAA, 82.2 IP in AA in 2010)
Signed by Dodgers 1/13/06
6’0”, 160 lbs, 27 years old
12-8, 5.68 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 3.93 FIP, 7.43 K/9
Pre 2010 Rank: 105; Pre 2009 Rank: 142
Alberto Bastardo was originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles in 2002, but left as a minor league free agent before the 2006 season. Upon joining the Dodgers, Bastardo was been pretty average until 2009, when he put his name on the Dodgers radar with a solid season split between HiA and AA. In 2010, Bastardo, bookended his season in Chattanooga while also spending some time with the Isotopes. With the Lookouts, one could argue that Bastardo was the team’s most effective starter as he went 7 and 4 with a 3.20 FIP. However his ERA was 4.79 and he was 26 years old so he was playing against younger competition. During his 2 month stint in AAA, Alberto made 12 starts and the results were ugly. With the Isotopes Alberto recorded an ERA of 6.99 through 56.2 innings, and his WHIP was 1.76. When it was all said and done, Bastardo’s stats for his 2010 season were not very good. In addition, things have not gone well for Bastardo in the Venezuelan Winter League as he has a 5.85 ERA through 32.1 innings. Nevertheless, the Dodgers re-signed the minor league free agent after the season, probably because he provides a cheap and experienced option as an emergency fill in starter at the big league level. However, I’d venture to guess that if we ever see the left handed Bastardo in a Dodger uniform, then the team is probably in real trouble and will not in contention.
101. Eric Krebs, RHP (39.1 IP in AA, 17.1 IP in HiA)
Acquired via trade with Pirates in April 2009 for Delwyn Young
6’3”, 210 lbs, 25.75 years old
0-4, 4.76 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 4.12 FIP, 10.96 K/9
Pre 2010 Rank: 68; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Eric Krebs was originally a 16th round pick in the 2005 draft by the Pirates out of a small community college in Texas. After four mediocre seasons with the Pirates, Eric was sent to the Dodgers as the player to be named later in the Delwyn Young trade. Upon joining the 66ers midway through the 2009 season, Krebs put up solid numbers, including a .182 batting average against through 25 innings. The earned him a spot on the Dodgers 2009 AFL roster, and a promotion to AA to start the 2010 season. In 39.1 innings with the Lookouts, Krebs had a 3.89 ERA and a K per 9 of 9.67. Nevertheless, he was sent back to HiA in late July and finished the year with a terrible ERA in Inland Empire (6.75) but an outstanding strikeout rate (14.2 K/9). Eric’s biggest problem has always been his command, an issue that continued to plague him during the 2010 season which is why his WHIP was so high. On the plus side, however, Krebs does flash a fastball that can hit 96 MPH, and he obviously has the ability to strike guys out, so he does have some upside. Now 25 years old with 56 innings of AA experience, it seems reasonable that Krebs could make it all the way up to AAA in 2011 as long as he is able to show at least some control. In fact, it’s still not out of the question that he could one day make the big leagues give his strong fastball and ability to rack up the K’s.
Previous Countdown Posts:
120 - 111, 130 - 121, 140 - 131, 150 - 141, 160 - 151, 170 - 161, 180 - 171, 190 - 181, 200 - 191