2012 TBLA #14 Dodger Prospect Discussion

Nine different players received votes in the TBLA #13 prospect vote, but in the end Alfredo Silverio got almost twice the support of any other player. Here's an excerpt about Silverio from the Baseball America scouting report that officially came out today:

Silverio could end up with five average or better tools. He has a quick, powerful swing that generates line drives from gap to gap and average home run power, mostly to his pull side. The biggest difference-maker for him in 2011 was how much he tightened his strike zone, putting together quality at-bats and forcing pitchers to execute pitches to get him out. He never has walked much and still has an aggressive mentality at the plate, but he has shown he can make adjustments. Silverio played all three outfield spots in 2011, seeing the most action in center field. He's a tick above-average runner who fits best on a corner. His solid arm strength and throwing accuracy play well in right field.

In addition to their list and scouting reports, Baseball America will hold a prospect chat specially about the Dodgers today, so if you have any specific questions you want to ask please post them in the comments.

As most have already mentioned, the difference between the next 7 prospect spots is pretty negligible, but it's still fun to see how the voting shakes out. As I've mentioned before, we will have two more individual prospect votes bringing us to #15, and then we have one final vote where each people will rank their 5 favorite remaining prospects to complete our list of 20. I probably won't add any more players to the group of candidates until we get to that final vote.

Here are the candidates for the Dodgers #14 prospect vote (age in parenthesis, level references 2011):

Angelo Songco - 1B (23 years old) - HiA - 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.

Alex Santana - 3B (18.25 years old) - Arz Rook Lg - The 2011 2nd round pick struggled a bit in his professional debut as he hit just .238 average and struck out in 31.2% of his plate appearances, but he's extremely young and raw so those numbers don't mean a whole lot. Santana has good bloodlines, and at 6'4" he's got a great baseball frame. According to Arizona Dodger manager Jody Reed, he has the potential to be a 5-tool player in the future as he has all the skills, just needs to put it all together.

Ethan Martin - RHP (22.5 years old) - HiA/AA - Martin was moved to the bullpen midway through the 2011 season, and showed solid improvement as he had a 4.02 ERA in AA with a 9.6 K/9 through 40.1 innings. The former 1st round pick has electric stuff, including a fastball that can reach 98 mph and a big curveball, but he struggles with control. He's still very young so it's possible that he moves back to the rotation at some point, but for now he is going to try to make it to the show as a hard throwing reliever.

Aaron Miller - LHP (24 years old) - HiA - Miller was hampered by injuries throughout 2011 and in essence had a lost season as he threw just 34 innings. Even when he was healthy, the 2009 1st round pick was uncharacteristically wild and had an ERA of almost 4 for the Quakes. That being said, at his best Miller features a sneaky fastball and an above average slider. He also shows potential for a slider and I expect that he'll be fully healthy in 2012.

Alex Castellanos - OF (25.25 years old) - AA - Castellanos made a great impression on Dodger prospect fans after joining the team in the Furcal trade as he posted a 1.009 OPS in his 32 games with the Lookouts, connecting on 4 homers, driving in 23 runs, and walking almost as much as he struck out. There has been talk about converting him to either 2nd base or 1st base since the Dodger have a crowded minor league outfield, so it will be interesting to see where he plays next season. He's listed at 5'11" and despite good home run numbers in 2011, he doesn't necessarily project as a true power threat at the big league level.

Griff Erickson - C (23.5 years old) - HiA/AA - The switch hitting catcher had a breakout season in 2011, posting a combined .866 OPS between HiA and AA and smacking 13 homers. He also posted an impressive strikeout to walk ratio, and showed strong defensive skills behind the plate. Erickson is still at least a year away from the big leagues, but he's just 23 years old so he's in a good spot.

Scott Van Slyke - OF/1B (25.25 years old) - AA - Van Slyke had the biggest season of his 7 year minor league career in 2011 while playing with the Lookouts. He led the team in every significant offensive category except for runs and stolen bases, and even won the league batting title with a .348 average. His SLG %, OB%, and OPS all ranked 2nd in the league, and his big season earned him a spot on the Dodgers 40 man roster. He doesn't have much defensive value, so he'll have to continue hitting to make it to the show.

Blake Smith - OF (23.75 years old) - HiA - A sports hernia injury forced Smith to miss about 6 weeks of the 2011 season, but when healthy Blake was a force to be reckoned with. The 2009 2nd round pick crushed 20 homers in just 313 at bats (including a short rehab), and with the Quakes he had a OPS of almost .900. Smith is a great right fielder with a cannon for an arm, and he recorded 13 outfield assists this past season.

Kyle Russell - OF (25.25 years old) - AA/AAA - As we all know by now, Russell is a power hitter that has a knack for striking out. In 2011 Kyle spent most of his season in AA, and with the Lookouts he hit 19 homers while striking out in 32.2% of his plate appearances. The lefty hits right handers very well, so the thought is that at the very least he'll has value at the big leagues as a pinch hitter.

Jake Lemmerman - SS (22.5 years old) - HiA/AA - The 2010 MVP of the Pioneer League had a much more average season in 2011, but he did manage to make his way all the way to AA in just his second professional season. Late Night combined for 10 homers and a .785 OPS this past season, and continuing to spend all his time at shortstop. A future move to 2nd or 3rd base might be required thanks to Dee Gordon, but no matter what position he plays he's going to have to continue hitting if he wants to make it to the show.

Steve Ames -RHP (23.75 years old) - HiA/AA - Since getting drafted in 2009, the former 17th round pick has a career ERA of 2.14, a career WHIP of 0.98, and a career K/9 of 13.5 in 109.1 innings. This past season Ames dominated the California League before getting promoted to AA where he continued to have a lot of success. Based on the AFL gameday reports, Ames was throwing in the low 90's with a mid 80's slider

Josh Wall - RHP (24.75 years old) -AA - As I've mentioned many times before, Wall has found new life in the bullpen and can again be considered a legitimate Dodger prospect. He led the Lookouts with 68.2 inning in relief and posted a 3.93 ERA, which wasn't all that impressive but was the best of his career since 2005. He's currently throwing very well in the AFL and rumor has it that he's hit 100 mph.

Please use this post as the discussion thread, and cast your actual vote in this Fanpost.