Welcome again to the most comprehensive analysis of the Dodgers minor league system. For the 4th straight year, I am going to provide a summary of virtually every player in the Dodgers minor league system who meets the following qualifications: (1) is within the Dodgers organization as of December 14, 2011; (2) is under 28 years old as of Opening Day 2012; and (3) is still considered a prospect by Baseball America standards, which means that pitchers must have less than 50 innings pitched (or 30 appearances) in the majors, and hitters must have less than 130 at bats in the majors. Like Baseball America, I do not take into account service time, and therefore it is possible that I have included prospects who will not technically be rookies in 2012.
As I mentioned last year, I know that writing up 200+ players seems a little excessive, especially since the majority of these players are obviously not prospects. However, I really look at this as a "get to know your Dodger minor league system". My goal is for Dodger fans to know at least a little something about all players in the Dodgers system because it makes looking at the minor league box scores more fun. There won’t just be a bunch of names, but instead players that fans have at least heard of.
That being said, the first portion of this list might be a little bit boring, especially since there seem to be more foreign players than ever this year. In fact, in some cases I'll be basing my raking solely on stats and the players' size since I have nothing else to go off of. But I still think it's worth putting together a complete list because you never know who is going to breakout with a big season. Allen Webster was #100 on my 2009 list, and now he is a top prospect.
In addition, what also makes this list fun is that this is the 4th year I've done a countdown, so you can track where each player has ranked over the past few seasons. You can see whether a player has made moved up or down my list over the years. I’ve included where each prospect played in 2011, how each was acquired by the Dodgers, their height, weight, age as of opening day 2012, and finally their 2011 combined minor league statistics. I will generally post 10 players at a time, and will be posting 1 to 2 times a week. While I'm starting my posts a little later this year, my goal is to finish the list before 2012 Spring Training starts.
This year they'll be an extra bonus since I counted up 204 eligible players for my ranking after the Dodgers released their list of spring training non-roster invitees. The "extra" players, who all played in the DSL last year with relatively limited playing time, will all be counted as #200. So without further ado here are the Mr. Irrelevants:
200A. Henry Heredia, 1B/3B (24 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers 10/13/10
5’8”, 170 lbs, 20.25 years old
.197 average, .510 OPS, 0 HR’s, 9 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Signed out of the Dominican Republic during the 2010 offseason, Henry Heredia had a dreadful season in his professional debut. Playing most of the year as a 19 year old, Heredia hit just .197 and had just 4 extra base hits (all doubles) for the Dominican Dodgers. He also had a terrible 22:2 strikeout to walk ratio. On defense, Henry is listed as a 3rd baseman, yet spent most of the 2011 season at 1st base which is perplexing given his small stature. If Heredia is back next season, he’ll definitely return to the DSL.
200B. Jose Moreno, C (21 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers 10/26/2010
6’0”, 187 lbs, 21.75 years old
.265 average, .673 OPS, 1 HR, 8 RBI’s, 2 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Jose Moreno was already 20 years old when the Dodgers signed him of the Dominican Republic, so his baseball career got off to a late start. His professional debut in 2011 didn’t really help his progress as he only played in 21 DSL games, spread evenly among the 3 month season. His overall stats for the season were relatively decent for the pitcher friendly Dominican Summer League, but he didn’t get anywhere near the experience he needs given his age. The Dodgers may keep him around for another season to help out with the catching duties, but other than that he doesn’t have much of a future.
200C. Abinaer Soriano, OF (46 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers prior to 2011 season
6’0”, 175 lbs, 20.25 years old bats right handed
.216 average, .600 OPS, 1 HR, 17 RBI’s, 5 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Signed prior to the 2011 season, Abinaer Soriano made his professional debut in the DSL and played the entire season as a 19 year old. Unfortunately, he had a pretty ugly season at the plate as he had an OPS of just .600 and an OB% of .276. His only value really came in the field, because even though his fielding% was a little low at .939, he was able to handle center field for the Dominican Dodgers for most of the season. If the Dodgers don’t release him, 2012 will surely see Soriano back in the DSL.
200D. Claudio Tejeda, SS (5 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers 2/8/11
6’0”, 170 lbs, 19.25 years old, bats right handed
.167 average, .500 OPS, 0 HR’s, 1 RBI, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Tejeda signed with the Dodgers in February of 2011, but didn’t make his professional debut until the tail end of the DSL season. He only got into 5 games and managed a couple of singles, but the sample size is too small to analyze. On defense he spent all his time at shortstop, and based on his height and weight he seems to be a good size for a middle infielder. He played all of last year as an 18 year old, so he’s still quite young and will definitely return to the DSL in 2012, although this time around I’m sure he’ll get much more playing time.
200E. Geuris Alcantara, RHP (3.2 IP in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers 10/26/10
6’2”, 185 lbs, 19.75 years old
0-0, 12.27 ERA, 3.82 WHIP, 10.84 FIP, 7.36 K/9
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Alcantara had an interesting professional debut as he made two relief appearances early in the DSL season, missed almost 2 months, then started the Dodgers final game of 2011. His overall stats were pretty ugly, but it was an extremely small sample size so it’s tough to judge. Like most DSL players I don’t know anything about how hard he throws or what pitches he has, but at 6’2” he has a good pitching frame. Due to his age and limited experience he will definitely return to the DSL in 2012.
#'s 199 - 191 after the jump:
199. Steve Cilladi, C (12 games in LoA in 2011)
Drafted by Dodgers 2009, 33rd round
5’9”, 182 lbs, 25 years old, bats right handed
.185 average, .481 OPS, 1 HR’s, 2 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: 187; Pre 2010 Rank: 193; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Steve Cilladi was basically the Loons personal catcher in 2011, only appearing on the active roster when an extra backstop was needed on the team. Whenever his services were no longer needed during the season, Great Lakes would simply make up an injury for him and put him back on the DL. In his spare time, I’m sure he helped out in the bullpen and caught side sessions. When the season had finished, Cilladi had only appeared in 12 games and managed just 5 hits, although he did crush one homer. To provide a little background on Cilladi, his dad was a former athletic trainer for the Rockies and Cubs, so I’m sure he knows something about conditioning. He played college ball in the NAIA with the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes, and during his four seasons there Steve hit .267 with 76 hits, so he wasn’t exactly a masher in college. In addition, he wasn’t even the full time starting catcher during his Senior year. Getting back to his current status, Steve is simply another organizational catcher who is most valuable during spring training.
198. Angelo Ponte, C (1 game in AA, 2 games in Pioneer Rookie Lg, 1 game in Arz Rookie Lg in 2011)
Non Drafted Free Agent signed by the Dodgers on 6/14/10
5’11”, 215 lbs, 25.25 years old, bats right handed
.333 average, .1.167 OPS, 0 HR’s, 0 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011: 195; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Angelo Ponte wasn’t drafted in 2010 after playing his college ball at Fordham University, but was signed by the Dodgers shortly after draft day by the Dodgers. As most people know, Fordham was the college that Vin Scully graduated from, so there are some ties between the school and the Dodgers. In his 4 years at Fordham, Ponte had a career .283 average and only hit 4 home runs, so the Dodgers didn’t bring him onboard because of his bat. They instead seem to use him as a “fill in backstop” when one of the Dodger minor league teams is in need of a catcher. Ponte only appeared in 4 games in 2011, but played for 3 different teams including the Lookouts who were short on catchers back in August. He’s a useful player for spring training when extra bodies are needed to catch all the pitchers, but besides that he doesn’t have much value as a 25 year old…although he does have some moves.
197. Jose Luis Javier, SS (16 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers prior to 2011 season
5’10”, 160 lbs, 19.25 years old, bats right handed
.235 average, .578 OPS, 0 HR’s, 5 RBI’s, 5 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Jose Luis Javier, or JLJ as I like to call him, is another Dominican born player who signed with the Dodgers before the 2011 season. Like several other young international signees, JLJ practiced with the team early in the year before making his professional debut in late July. He ended up only getting into 16 games, and while his overall stats were pretty ugly (.235 average and struck out in 32.1% of his plate appearances), he did show good speed on the basepaths. Also, while the Dodgers put him at the premium position of shortstop, he didn’t impress with his defense as he posted a .885 fielding %. At just barely 19 years old, I’m sure he’ll get a longer look in the DSL next season.
196. Keyter Collado, C (1 game in AAA, 1 games in LoA in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers 5/27/04
5’9”, 182 lbs, 25.75 years old, bats right handed
.333 average, .667 OPS, 0 HR’s, 0 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: 174; Pre 2010 Rank: 190; Pre 2009 Rank: 154
Keyter Collado has been a classic fill in catcher for the Dodgers organization, appearing in just 21 total games over the past 3 seasons. 2011 was an especially interesting year for the minor league veteran as he played one game in AAA early in the year, then sat out a month before re-emerging in the Midwest League. In his first game with the Loons, however, Collado was involved in a nasty collision at home plate on the back end of a Great Lakes triple play, and as it turns out that ended his season on May 29th. I’m not sure what 2012 will bring, but I’m guessing he’ll at least stick around to help out in spring training.
195. Jorky Infante, 3B (32 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers in 2009
6’0”, 155 lbs, 21 years old, switch hitter
.210 average, .567 OPS, 0 HR’s, 6 RBI’s, 6 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: 186; Pre 2010 Rank: 167; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
2011 was Infante’s third season in the DSL, yet he showed no signs of improvement and actually regressed significantly from 2010. His 4 doubles were the only extra base hits he had all year, and he also struggled in the field with a .902 fielding percentage at 3rd base. The only highlight for the switch hitter was his continued plate disciple, as he walked almost as much as he struck out. The Dominican native is still just 21 years old, but probably won’t have much of a role with the organization in 2012 since he doesn’t appear ready for a move to a US based rookie league, and probably wouldn’t get much value out of a 4th season in the DSL.
194. Daniel Lantigua, RHP (0.2 IP in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers in 2011
6’3”, 180 lbs, 19.75 years old
0-1, 0.00 ERA, 6.00 WHIP, 7.70 FIP, 0.00 K/9
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
There really isn’t much to say about Daniel Lantigua. 2011 was his first professional season, but he only made one appearance for the Dominican Dodgers and didn’t even pitch a full inning. Lantigua’s lone appearance occurred very late in the season, so it’s possible that he was signed after the 2011 season already started. The only other thing to mention about Daniel is that at 6’3” he has a solid pitching frame, and because he’s still just 19 years old he had lots of time to build muscle. I’m sure he’ll return to the DSL in 2012.
193. David Iden, 2B (31 games in LoA, 5 games in Pioneer Rookie Lg in 2011)
Drafted by Dodgers 2009, 35th round
5’9”, 160 lbs, 25 years old, bats right handed
.259 average, .655 OPS, 0 HR’s, 13 RBI’s, 2 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: 193; Pre 2010 Rank: 175; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
A late round pick for the Dodgers in 2009 out of Cal Lutheran University, David Iden is the type of player who just wanted a chance to play. At Cal Lutheran, the Thousand Oaks native was a career .343 hitter, and ranked in the school’s top 10 for career RBI’s (100), runs scored (121), and stolen bases (63). Unfortunately, Iden hasn’t been very impressive during his 3 years as a professional. In 2009, he was sent to the Pioneer League and struggled to produce. He was then demoted to the Arizona Rookie League in 2010 and had another lackluster campaign. I figured Iden would get released prior to the 2011 season, but he managed to stick around and again found himself in a rookie league. An injury to Christian Lara opened up a spot on the Loons, however, and an Iden spent the last two months as a backup infielder in Great Lakes. His first stint in a full season league didn’t go so well, though, as he batted just .211 and had only 4 extra base hits (all doubles) in almost 100 at bats. At 5’9” Iden is undersized, which is another thing working against him, and now with three bad seasons under his belt he’s again a candidate to be released.
192. Jesus Perez, SS/3B (2 games in DSL in 2011)
Signed by Dodgers 10/13/10
6’1”, 180 lbs, 18.75 years old, bats right handed
.333 average, .762 OPS, 0 HR’s, 0 RBI’s, 1 SB
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
What can I really say about a DSL player who has only played two professional games? Not much, so I’ll just stick to the basic facts. Perez was signed back in 2010, but spent most of the 2011 season practicing with the Dominican Dodgers before playing a couple of games at the end of the season. He is listed as a shortstop, but played his lone game in the field at 3rd base. He’ll be just 18 years old at the start of the 2012 season, and I expect the young infielder to get much more experience in the DSL next year. At that point, we’ll have a much better idea of what Perez can bring to the table.
191. JJ Ethel, C (12 games in Arz Rookie Lg in 2011)
Drafted by Dodgers 2011, 49th round
6’2”, 180 lbs, 22.75 years old, bats right handed
.303 average, .894 OPS, 1 HR, 7 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A
Most players drafted in the 49th round don’t sign, but Jack Joseph Ethel was a college senior so it was either the Dodgers or the real world. He chose baseball, so at the very least he’ll be able to tell his kids one day that he played professional ball. In his two years at Louisville Ethel did a whole lot of nothing at the plate as he managed just two career homers and hit just .271. Here’s one of them. He had good defensive numbers, however, which is probably what got him noticed. After signing in June Ethel joined the Arizona Dodgers and went 6 for 8 with a homer and 7 RBI’s in his first two professional games, but he didn’t do much after that. At the end of the day, he probably won’t ever be more than a warm body that helps out during spring training and fills a backup catcher role.