Garrett Gould won the TBLA #4 prospect vote by a healthy margin, and with his victory this means that the community's top four prospects are all young right-handed pitchers. That's great news for the future of the Dodger rotation, but not so good from an offensive standpoint. Getting back to Gould, it will be interesting to see where he plays in 2012. His most likely destination is the California League, and if that is the case then hopefully he'll be able to continue his success in the hitter friendly environment.
I'm adding a bunch of names to the group of eligible candidates this time around, and will continue to do so in the upcoming votes. If you don't see the player you want to vote for in this list, let me know in the comments and I'll include him in the near future. Finally, please note that we will not be holding a vote tomorrow due to the impending NL MVP announcement, so we'll pick back up on Wednesday.
Please hold prospect discussions here, and vote in this fanpost.
Here are the candidates for the Dodgers #5 prospect:
Chris Reed - LHP (21.5 years old) - This year's 1st round pick only threw 7 innings in his professional debut, but as the Stanford closer Reed had a 2.56 ERA in 2011 and struck out a batter per inning. The Dodgers plan to use him as a starter, and he figures to move quickly through the system. The lefty can touch 96 mph and has 3 quality pitches (fastball, power slider, and an above-average changeup)
Joc Pederson - OF (19.5 years old) - Pederson's name was scattered all over the Pioneer League Leaderboard after a big offensive season that saw him hit .353 with 11 homers, 24 SB's, and a .997 OPS. As I mentioned last year he has 5-tool potential, although none of his 5 tools seem to have a particularly high ceiling. Scouts don't think he'll be able to handle center field in the big leagues, but believe he can play either corner outfield spot.
Chris Withrow - RHP (22.5 years old) - Withrow had a quiet, yet solid campaign in 2011 as he posted a 4.20 ERA in AA to go along with a 3.86 FIP and a 9.1 K/9. He continues to struggle with control, but is armed with a hard fastball, a very good curveball, and a changeup that Baseball America calls fringy. He's still in the rotation for now, although there have been talks that he could move to the bullpen if he can't improve his walk rate.
James Baldwin - OF (20 years old) - Baldwin started the 2011 season on fire, and while he cooled down as the year progressed he still finished with 10 homers, 22 stolen bases, and a .828 OPS. Many people call him the most exciting prospect since Matt Kemp, although Baldwin struggles with strikeouts much more than Kemp did. He should have no trouble handling center field as he moves up through the minors.
Javy Guerra - RHP (26 years old) - While he won't qualify as a rookie next season, he didn't quite reach the 50 IP mark in the big leagues so will still be considered a prospect in this vote. I probably don't need to provide and color here since he spent most of the 2011 season with the Dodgers, so everyone should be very familiar with him by now.
Jonathan Garcia - OF (20 years old) - Garcia got off to a hot start in 2011 and showed good power throughout the season with 19 homers, but he ended the year in a major slump and hit just .228 for the season. He was one of the youngest players in the Midwest League, however, and has plenty of time to improve and mature. On defense Garcia has a strong arm and should be able to handle right field as he moves up through the system.
Alfredo Silverio - OF (24.5 years old) - Signed way back in 2003, Silverio finally figured out how to make good use of the athleticism that scouts have seen in him for years. This past season the outfielder led the Southern League in total bases, and hit .306 with 16 homers and a .883 OPS. He also showed good speed with a minor league high 18 triples, but was caught in 12 of his 23 SB attempts. While he spent most of the 2011 in center field, it remains to be seen if he'll be able to handle that position at the big league level.
Shawn Tolleson - RHP (23.75 years old) - Tolleson flew through the minor leagues in 2011, advancing from LoA to AA and dominating everywhere he went. His combined stats were ridiculous as he had a 1.17 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, a 1.59 FIP, and a 13.7 K/9 over 69 innings. His cutter is by far his best pitch, which by most accounts is nearly unhittable for lower level minor leaguers. He also mixes in a solid fastball, which apparently hit 97 mph last season on a good night, and a slider.
Angel Sanchez - RHP (22 years old) - Sanchez literally came out of nowhere in 2011 and had a very good season for the Great Lakes Loons. Signed out of the Dominican Republic, he jumped straight to the Midwest League and had a 2.82 ERA, a 3.46 FIP, a 7.6 K/9, and a .198 batting average against. He throws a hard fastball that can reach 97 mph, and he also has a curveball and changeup.
Angelo Songco - 1B (23 years old) - Songco had a monster season for the Quakes in 2011, leading the California League in doubles and total bases while hitting .313 with 29 homers and 114 RBI's. He's always had a ton of raw power, and it finally showed this past year. He made the switch from left field to 1st base during the season, but overall doesn't have much defensive value so he's going to have to continue to hit as he moves up through the system.
As always, please use this post as the discussion thread, and cast your actual vote in this Fanpost.