#MascotMania: The Battle for the Best MiLB Mascot

Lou E. Loon wants your vote!

Remember the uproar from earlier this season about whether or not the Dodgers have an official mascot?

Well, five of the Dodgers' minor league affiliates do have official mascots and Minor League Baseball is currently holding Mascot Mania, a contest to decide the best mascot in the minor leagues.

"Mascots are a big part of minor league baseball and it's a fun part of it too," said Matt DeVries, content manager for the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers Low-A affiliate.

At minor league games, mascots are a huge part of the in-game entertainment. They're on the field in-between innings and in the stands interacting with fans during the action, often providing funny gags and bits for the fans. This includes playing games with the kids in the stands or even dumping bags of peanuts on players in the dugout.

"It's something you wouldn't see at the major league level," DeVreis said. "You're not going to have a mascot dumping peanuts on a player in the dugout because Major League Baseball wouldn't allow that because (the focus) is more (on) baseball."

The Dodgers' minor league affiliates have a history of success in the competition as Orbit, of the Albuquerque Isotopes, won the 2012 championship. However, he was unable to defend his title in 2013, losing to LouSeal of the Columbus Clippers.

While he will certainly be seeking to reclaim his status as best mascot this year, he will face stiffer competition, including from within the Dodgers organization. Lou E. Loon of the Great Lakes Loons desperately wants the title after barely failing to advance to the championship round last year and the Loons are doing all they can to help him win it.

The team has gone on a social media blitz, using Twitter and YouTube along with photos and graphics to promote their beloved mascot and show the fans why Lou E. Loon deserves to be crowned champion.

"I would love to say that people come to the Loons games to watch the baseball games, but that rarely, rarely is the case," said Amber Ferris, promotion manager for the Loons.

"Almost every single fan that we've interacted with both on social media or in person has said in one way or another an experience that they had with Lou. ... They see him and they basically associate it with Loons baseball."

Lou E. Loon does about 320-330 "Lou E. Appearances" per year, according to Ferris, and like many mascots around in the MiLB, has become a big part of their brand and represents the Loons as the face of the franchise in the community.

"He's so much more active than most other mascots. For us, we like Lou E. out there the entire game," DeVries said.

"Nine times out of 10 when you look around you're going to see Lou E. in the seating bowl messing around with fans, having fun and he goes out to different events all the time. He'll go to the local YMCA, local Boys and Girls Club, local PTA meeting, and he just tries to act like a good, moral person."

As this contest shows, Minor League Baseball is not only about the prospects, so go on Twitter or to the MiLB website and start stuffing the ballot boxes.

Voting for each league started here this past Monday and runs until August 4, with the championship round featuring the winner of each league taking place throughout the following week.

Fans can also vote on Twitter using the official hashtag for each Dodger affiliate mascot, which are listed below.

• Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (PCL): Orbit #VoteOrbit_Isotopes
• Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (SOU): Looie The Lookout #VoteLooieLookouts
• High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (CAL): Tremor #VoteTremorQuakes
• Low-A Great Lakes Loons (MID): Lou E. Loon #LoveLouE
• Rookie Ogden Raptors (PIO): Oggie #VoteOggieRaptors

Photo credit: Phil Squattrito, Flickr

Dodgers' minor-league coaching staffs have a lot of MLB experience

The Dodgers made a number of changes in the minor-league coaching ranks and announced said changes on Sunday.

There was a vacancy at the Triple-A level after former Albuquerque Isotopes' manager Lorenzo Bundy was promoted to third base coach. The Dodgers filled that hole with a former Major League catcher. There are new managers at every level of the Dodgers' minor-league system (save the Dominican Summer League).

Triple-A Albuquerque
Manager: Damon Berryhill
Hitting coach: Franklin Stubbs
Pitching coach: Glenn Dishman

Double-A Chattanooga
Manager: Razor Shines
Hitting coach: Shawn Wooten
Pitching coach: Scott Radinsky

High-A Rancho Cucamonga
Manager: P.J. Forbes
Hitting coach: Mike Eylward
Pitching coach: Matt Herges

Low-A Great Lakes
Manager: Bill Haselman
Hitting coach: Johnny Washington
Pitching coach: Bill Simas



Pioneer League Ogden
Manager: Lee Tinsley
Hitting coach: Leo Garcia
Pitching coach: Greg Sabat

Arizona League Dodgers
Manager: John Shoemaker
Hitting coach: Henry Cruz
Pitching coach: Hector Berrios

-----

The most interesting move is Berryhill jumping from the short-season ball to the highest level of the minors. Berryhill managed Ogden for the last five years. He guided the Raptors to four playoff appearances. He's a former catcher, so there's no doubt he has the smarts for the job He's a fine choice to replace Bundy.

Stubbs returns as Isotopes' hitting coach. Last season was his first with club and sixth with the organization. He should have a good opportunity to work with Joc Pederson. Dishman has the unenviable position as the Isotopes' pitching coach. But it's his fourth year in that position, so he must be doing something right. Maybe he can make Zach Lee's stay a little more enjoyable than is anticipated.

Shines earned a promotion from Low-A to Double-A, where he figures to manage some familiar faces. He managed the Loons last season to the playoffs. His son Devin Shines is an outfielder in the organization.

Wooten, a former major leaguer most notably with Anaheim, will have the task of making guys like Scott Schebler and Darnell Sweeney into better hitting prospects. Former Dodger Radinsky takes over as the team's pitching coach. He figures to work with some of the better Dodger pitching prospects in 2014, including guys like Onelki Garcia, Chris Reed and Ross Stripling.

Forbes takes over for Carlos Subero and could have the most talent of any Dodger minor-league manager. He should have Corey Seager and Julio Urias to start the season, as well as Chris Anderson and Tom Windle.

Eylward gets bumped up from Great Lakes, where he was the hitting coach, to Rancho Cucamonga, where he will be the hitting coach. Herges returns third season as the Quakes' pitching coach.

Haselman managed the Inland Empire 66ers (Angels' affiliate and former Dodgers' affiliate) the last two seasons. He went to UCLA.

Washington was the Quakes' hitting coach this past season and also was the Glendale Desert Dogs' (Arizona Fall League) hitting coach in 2013. Simas returns for his second campaign as the Loons' pitching coach.

Tinsley is coming over from the Cubs for his first year with the organization. He played 14 years in the big leagues. Shoemaker has been with the Dodgers' organization in some capacity since 1977.

-----

Overall, some really nice hires. If these guys can continue to develop and improve the prospects through their respective minor-league journeys, then their work will be done.

Yasiel Puig named best Southern League prospect by Baseball America

In news that should surprise absolutely no one, Yasiel Puig on Tuesday topped the Top 20 Southern League prospects list published by Baseball America.

While Puig isn't a prospect anymore, he had enough plate appearances to qualify for the end-of-the-season list.

Puig hit .313/.383/.599 with eight home runs and 37 RBI in 40 games with the Chattanooga Lookouts this season. The 22-year-old was hard to evaluate after an abbreviated 2012 debut season, but he's proved to be more than worth the $42 million contract he signed with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers promoted Puig to the majors in early June and he never looked back. He hit .319./.391/.534 with 19 home runs and 42 RBI in the majors.

Joc Pederson also made the list, checking in at No. 7 behind Puig, Archie Bradley, Javier Baez, Taijuan Walker, Christian Yelich and Alex Wood.

Pederson got off to a fast start, especially in the power department. But with little-to-no offensive help after Puig left, his numbers declined a little bit. But he still managed to hit .278/.381/.497 with 22 home runs and 31 stolen bases (in 39 attempts).

It was an impressive showing from a 21-year-old in a neutral league with some of the game's best prospects.

Zach Lee was No. 15 on the list after posting the best season of his young career: 10-10, 3.22 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 8.3 K/9. The biggest knock against Lee is that he has an average fastball and no true strikeout pitch. Despite that, he was able to post a career-best strikeouts per nine rate while reducing his walk rate to the lowest of his career.

It's really curious why Lee doesn't get more publicity or acclaim. He's not the sexiest prospect, but his low floor has a lot of value in this game. And he posted his best season as a 21-year-old in a league where the average age is 22-23 years old.

The only other prospects who were probably considered for the list were Onelki Garcia and Ross Stripling.

With Garcia throwing mostly out of the bullpen, that probably doomed his chances.

Stripling is a lot like Lee in terms of repertoire, polish and physical frame. I'm a lot higher on Stripling than most, so it isn't a great surprise he didn't make the list.

What's funny is: the best minor-league talent was at Chattanooga this season, yet the team was never really in the playoff hunt. But, that's baseball for ya.

The Pacific Coast League Top 20 is up Friday. I'd be surprised if any Dodger prospects ended up on the list. The only guy I could see making it are Matt Magill, and that doesn't seem too likely at this point.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers, surprisingly, promote LHP Onelki Garcia to Triple-A Albuquerque

Word broke on Sunday that the Dodgers had promoted left-handed pitcher Onelki Garcia from Double-A Chattanooga to Triple-A Albuquerque.

The corresponding move was lefty Rob Rasmussen was demoted to Chattanooga. It was reported he'd be pitching exclusively out of the bullpen for the remainder of the season. He didn't fare too well in Triple-A after having a really nice go of it in the Southern League to start the season.

Garcia, 24, was the Dodgers' 2012 third-round draft pick out of Cuba (after being declared draft-eligible) and opened some eyes during the 2012 Southern League playoffs.

He began the 2013 in the Lookouts' rotation. He averaged less than four innings per start (19 1/3 innings) due to control issues. He walked more batters (15) than he struck out (13), but was still able to post a solid 3.72 ERA  and .231 batting average against. He was only throwing 52 percent of his pitches for strikes, which helped lead to him allowing nearly a .390 on-base percentage, which won't do.

In his only other start (June 3), he lasted just two innings, allowed six hits, four runs (three earned), walked one and struck out four.

Since that time, he's pitched out of the bullpen -- and been pretty good. The following numbers include a two-inning relief appearance on May 30:

33 1/3 IP
20 H
6 R
5 ER
16 BB
36 K
1.35 ERA
.175 BAA

He's been much better out of the bullpen. While his future probably ultimately lies in the 'pen, I'd have liked to see him get a chance at starting again before any kind of promotion.

The Dodgers could view Garcia as a possible September call-up, hence the move. But if they want him to be playoff-eligible (which may or may not be the case), he'll need to be on the 25-man roster (or major league disabled list) by 6 p.m. on Aug. 31. The same goes for every player on the 40-man roster -- which Garcia isn't even on at the moment.

Garcia's low-to-mid-90s fastball plays up out of the bullpen. He can sink it, hence a 2.27 ground out-to-fly out ratio in his last 18 appearances. He also has a power curveball that acts like a slider at times. His changeup is fringy at best, hence a probable future as a late-inning reliever. He can get righties out, so he's definitely not a LOOGY.

I'd be surprised if the Dodgers added him to the active roster before Aug. 31. Then again, I didn't see a promotion to Triple-A coming, so a call-up wouldn't be out of the question.

Photo credit: YouTube screen cap, Chris Blessing

Chris Reed helping himself and the Dodgers with improved performance

If you’ve listened to virtually any episode of “Dugout Blues,” you’d know Chris Reed is “my boy,” as dubbed by Jared Massey. He was massively overdrafted, which put him behind the proverbial 8-ball (at least with me) from the start.

While he’s still likely a future reliever, Reed is showing at least the slightest chance of remaining in the rotation -- at least for now.

But Reed’s success this season isn’t without some concern, because who else but his No. 1 fan bring up something negative?

Reed has a 3.50 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 3.61 FIP as a 23-year-old at Double-A Chattanooga. Those numbers are solid, especially since he started the season poorly.

In his first nine appearances (eight starts, one relief, 46 2/3 IP), he had a 5.40 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, a .290 batting average against and a 1.67 ground out-to-fly out rate. He was 1-5 and looking like a permanent move to the bullpen was nigh. Yet, Reed turned it around, and it’s been rather impressive.

Since that time (six starts, one relief appearance, 41 1/3 innings), he has a sparkling 1.31 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, a .177 BAA and a 2.18 GB/FB ratio. Of his 25 hits allowed, just five have been for extra bases (two home runs, two doubles and one triple). That’s elite-level performance by the 2011 first-round pick.

One of Reed's relief appearances was a five-inning outing because Dodger reliever Scott Elbert got the "start" on May 18.

He’s also throwing more innings than he ever has. In two of Reed’s last three starts, he’s thrown at eight innings and has eight starts of at least six innings in 14 total starts. On the season, he's averaging 5.8 innings per start. That's not great, but it shows he's not totally failing with the conversion from college reliever to pro starter.

I’m not changing my tune on Reed, but his turnaround has been impressive. What's surprising is his strikeout rate. He struck out 8.6 batters per nine innings in 2012 between High-A Rancho Cucamonga and Chattanooga. He only struck out 7.4 per nine with the Lookouts. This season, he only has a 6.0 K/9, which is some cause for concern. However, he has a 2.67 GB/FB ratio on the season, and that has improved every season. Last year, he posted a 2.02 GB/FB rate.

Chris Reed is a ground ball pitcher, which is somewhat surprising because he profiled best as a fastball/power slider guy. But it appears his two-seam fastball is the reason his profile has changed.

He's also walking batters at a career-low rate this season (2.9 BB/9). He was a 4.4 last season, including 5.1 at Chattanooga.

If the better control, more grounders and fewer strikeouts formula works for Reed, that's great. Derek Lowe and Brandon Webb (not comparing Reed to either of them directly) had great careers using the sinker. Starters don't have to strikeout a batter an inning to be successful. Reed could revert to his strikeout ways if he moves to the bullpen, but right now, he looks like a he could have a future in the rotation.

With Reed's name having come up in trade talks (specifically regarding Ricky Nolasco), he couldn't have picked a better time to increase his trade value.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Brandon Lennox, True Blue LA

Dodgers move former pitching prospect Aaron Miller to the outfield

The Dodgers have a propensity for drafting players who are athletic and two-way guys. Darren Dreifort was one of the more notable ones, when the team made him the No. 2 draft pick in the 1993 MLB Draft. While most viewed him as a pitcher, the guy could hit.

James Loney was viewed by many as a pitching prospect in 2002. The Dodgers made him a first baseman. Ethan Martin was looked at as a third baseman, but the Dodgers drafted him as a pitcher in 2008.

And now we come to Aaron Miller. The 2009 supplemental first-round draft pick was a standout two-way player at Baylor University. The Dodgers made him their first pitch that year and, to some surprise, made him a pitcher. In fact, the Dodgers' first two picks that year were good, two-way college players -- the other being Blake Smith.

Miller was moved to the outfield and will get his first shot at being a full-time outfielder with the Great Lakes Loons.

While the Dodgers need pretty much anything but another outfielder, the options are limited for the lefty.

Miller burst onto the scene in 2009 by posting a 2.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 12.0 K/9 in his debut season. The following year, he pitched well with the Inland Empire 66ers before getting promoted to Chattanooga. To say he struggled on the hill with the Lookouts would be an understatement. He posted a 7.04 ERA in six starts.

Fighting through injury for much of the 2011 season, he threw just 36 innings that season. He was decent, but not great.

Last season, he made 25 starts for the Lookouts and was adequate at very best. His control just isn't there and hasn't developed the way the Dodgers had hoped.

However, Miller showed promise with the bat last season. He hit .297/.333/.541 with a home run, two doubles, two triples and struck out just a quarter of his plate appearances. For a pitcher, that's not half-bad.

The 25-year-old pitched almost exclusively out of the bullpen this season (11 games, one start). The options are: make Miller a reliever who might be just a LOOGY or convert him to the outfield.

The Dodgers chose the latter.

Eric Stephen of True Blue LA has some quotes from Vice President, Player Development DeJon Watson.

"'This was something the organization has been talking about for close to a year. His velocity had dropped and he’s had some nagging injuries. He was a two-way player coming out of Baylor when we drafted him and we liked what we saw in his bat when he pitched.'"

and

"We felt this was the right time to make the switch given his age and his desire to continue pursuing his big league dream and help this organization."

Here's hoping the conversion is successful. The Dodgers had success with moving Kenley Jansen from the field to the mound and, as of now, are having limited success doing the same with Pedro Baez. If Miller makes the transition successfully, he'll be the first to make this conversion in quite some time.

The Loons are struggling offensively. Normally, a 25-year-old going to Low-A would help that, but it remains to be seen if Miller can make the transition.

We'll see what happens.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers' Rob Rasmussen establishes himself as legitimate pitching prospect

John Ely burst onto the scene with the Dodgers in 2010. The team had acquired him and Jon Link from the White Sox for Juan Pierre. Elymania spawned and lasted for longer than anyone could have expected. But it ended seemingly as quickly as it began.

Fast forward nearly three years. Ely was coming off of a masterful performance in the Pacific Coast League in 2012. He was named the Dodgers’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year, an honor I never would have thought would go to a guy pitching half his games in Albuquerque. His performance, while great, wasn’t enough to keep him around. The Dodgers traded him to the Houston Astros for left-handed pitcher and Southern California native and former Dodger draftee Rob Rasmussen.

Rasmussen, 24, is making a mark of his own, as he’s been the Chattanooga Lookouts’ second-best pitcher (behind Zach Lee) this season.

Not a physically imposing pitcher, Rasmussen has a 3.12 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 3.27 FIP, 7.1 H/9, 0.6 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9 and an 8.7 K/9 in eight starts with the Lookouts this season. That’s actually a really good line for a guy who had just 11 appearances in Double-A before this season.

Rasmussen has never been a big strikeout pitcher, averaging 7.3 per nine innings coming into the season. But Rasmussen has raised his rate by nearly 1.5 K/9 pitching in one of the more advanced leagues in the minors. That’s impressive. He’s also reduced his walk rate while also reducing his hits per nine innings rate. That’s a recipe for success.

Rasmussen is listed at 5’9, and that might be generous. Short pitchers don’t usually last in the rotation, and they usually do if they have elite arms (see: Martinez, Pedro). But Rasmussen is proving he’s more than just a future reliever.

He’s averaged 145 innings pitched in his first two full seasons. He’s on pace to best that this season. However, he’s only throwing 5.4 innings per start. He’ll need to increase that number going forward.

Being left-handed is an advantage for Rasmussen, as his stuff isn’t elite. He throws in the 89-92 MPH range that plays up due to his being left-handed. His two breaking balls are similarly matched. His curveball has a chance to be solid-average while his slider flashes plus potential. He also has a fringy changeup. Obviously, it’s all working for him in the Southern League so far.

Here’s what I wrote about Rasmussen (No. 22) in my preseason Dodgers’ Top 50 prospects list.

Rasmussen was acquired in December for John Ely, a net gain for the Dodgers and their farm system. Rasmussen was drafted in the 27th round of the 2007 draft by the Dodgers. He didn't sign and ended up attending UCLA. The Astros popped him in the second round of the 2010 draft and was traded in July for Carlos Lee. Despite being a small pitcher, he's started 53 of 60 career games in the minors. He reached Double-A Corpus Christi, where he didn't fare particularly well (4.80 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 4.07 FIP). Rasmussen has a four-pitch arsenal, featuring an 89-92 MPH fastball that touches 94, a slider that flashes plus potential, and a potentially average changeup and curveball. Like many lefties, he throws from a three-quarters arm angle. He also has a compact delivery. While he's likely destined for bullpen duty, there's no reason to pull Rasmussen from the rotation until he proves he can't handle it. He's definitely the exception, not the rule, when it comes to being big-bodied starting pitchers.

If he keeps it up, Rasmussen could be a much more significant prospect than many thought he was before – and after – the Dodgers signed. He’s teaming with Lee to form a nice 1-2 punch for the Lookouts as Chris Reed and Andres Santiago are struggling and Onelki Garcia is on the disabled list (and he wasn’t pitching well anyway).

The Dodgers went from Pierre to Ely (who is out after having Tommy John surgery) to Rasmussen. I’d say that’s a win for the Dodgers and Ned Colletti. The latter part of that sentence is something that is the exception, not the rule.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Chattanooga Lookouts announce 2013 opening day roster, led by Yasiel Puig

Puig

Next up to announce their opening day roster is the Chattanooga Lookouts – easily the most talent team in the Dodgers’ farm system.

• Great Lakes Loons opening day roster
• Rancho Cucamonga Quakes opening day roster

Half of my Top 10 prospects will begin the season with the Lookouts, led by the incomparable Yasiel Puig. Joining Puig in the outfield is Dodgers’ Minor League Player of the Year Joc Pederson, Blake Smith and Bobby Coyle. Four outfielders, three spots: not unlike the Major League situation involving Puig and the Dodgers’ starting outfield. But I digress.

The infield is less impressive, but Arizona Fall League star Rafael Ynoa returns for his second go-round with the Lookouts. C.J. Retherford also returns and Chris Jacobs – with his massive power potential – gets a promotion to Double-A.

I hit on 17 of 25 players from my February prediction.

Roster

Catchers

Gorman Erickson

Dashenko Ricardo

Jan Vazquez (DL)

Infielders

Chris Jacobs

Omar Luna

C.J. Retherford

Miguel Rojas

Rafael Ynoa

J.T. Wise

Smith

Outfielders

Bobby Coyle

Joc Pederson

Yasiel Puig

Blake Smith

Starting pitchers

Onelki Garcia

Zach Lee

Rob Rasmussen

Chris Reed

Andres Santiago

Relief pitchers

Ryan Acosta

Kyle Cofield

Kelvin De La Cruz

Eric Eadington

Yimi Garcia

Gregory Infante

Aaron Miller

Hector Nelo

Eadington

The rotation is stacked. All five of the pitchers could enjoy success in the Southern League, especially Lee and Reed, who are on their second stint in the league. Rasmussen has Double-A experience, but not Southern League experience. Garcia is the big wild card here, as his lone Double-A appearance was electric (3 IP, 7 K in the playoffs). I didn't see him at spring training and didn't hear much about him there, so I’m a little surprised he’s still slated for Chattanooga to start this season.

The bullpen has just one surprise – Yimi Garcia. He threw just more than 10 innings in High-A last year and I fully expected him to go there in 2013. But it’s nice to see the Dodgers challenging one of their better relief prospects.

My best guess at a lineup

Ynoa 2B/SS

Pederson LF

Puig CF

Wise 1B

Smith RF

Retherford 3B

Coyle DH

Erickson C

Rojas SS/2B

Pederson

I do have Puig playing center field so the Dodgers can see if he’s a legitimate option there going forward. Pederson likely ends up in left field long-term anyway, and Smith profiles as a classic right fielder. Overall, it should be a really good defensive outfield. Coyle can handle a corner outfield spot when the other guys need a day off.

This lineup is pretty deep. Ynoa has decent on-base skills and the Lookouts could do worse than guys like Retherford and Coyle hitting 6-7.

The bullpen won’t be as good as it was toward the end of last season, but there are other quality, live arms in Acosta, Eadington, Infante and Miller.

This team should be one of the best in the Southern League (at least until it loses Puig). Chattanooga could get some midseason reinforcements from Rancho Cucamonga, as is customary.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers option Yasiel Puig to Double-A Chattanooga, aka the right choice

The Dodgers optioned spring training sensation Yasiel Puig to Double-A Chattanooga on Tuesday. This was the correct move.

Puig made it a much tougher decision than originally expected with his fantastic play this spring. He'll join many top Dodger prospects in Tennessee like -- at least for a little while.

This also means Carl Crawford, despite my skepticism, should be ready for opening day.

As exciting as it would be for Puig to be in the majors, he needs a little more seasoning in the minors. After Alex Castellanos, who could (should) benefit from the transaction, Puig should be first on the minor-league depth chart.

It's a move that makes all the sense in the world, but it's still a touch disappointing.

The Dodgers haven't had a player create as much buzz as Puig in a long time. Matt Kemp is an exciting player, but even during is shoulda-been-MVP campaign of 2011, he never had the mystique surrounding him Puig does. Manny Ramirez brought a buzz with him until his performance-enhancing drug suspension, but Puig is doing all this as a 22-year-old.

But Puig does have some facets of his game that need refinement, specifically his baserunning and defense. There's no better place to do that than in the Southern League.

Puig's time will be here sooner than originally expected. If Crawford or Andre Ethier struggle immensely, Puig will get the call. If any starting outfielder gets hurt for an extended period of time, Puig will get the call. Hopefully, neither scenario happens.

The Dodgers and the fanbase will soon be inundated with Puig. That will be a great day, especially if he proves his spring was no fluke while in Chattanooga.

Dee Gordon was also optioned to the minors, as he'll begin the 2013 campaign with the Isotopes at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers' full-season minor league team preview: Chattanooga Lookouts

This is the third in a four-part series projecting the Dodgers' full-season minor league teams. Up next, the Chattanooga Lookouts.

• Part 1 of 4: Great Lakes Loons
• Part 2 of 4: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Of all the Dodgers' minor league teams, this one should be the best. Once you see the roster, you'll see what I'm talking about.

The Lookouts were the only full-season Dodger minor league affiliate to make the postseason, thanks to a 41-29 second half.

Pederson

Chattanooga faced off against the Jackson Generals (Mariners), filled with a bevy of prospects (James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Mike Zunino, just to name a few). Jackson took the first two games of the series before an absolutely dominant pitching performance by Chattanooga gave the team its only playoff win. Jackson would take the series with in the next game.

Led by Nick Buss, Blake Smith and J.T. Wise, the Lookouts actually struggled a bit. They received some late-season reinforcements from Rancho Cucamonga in the form of C.J. Retherford and Bobby Coyle, but it wasn't enough to help the offense.

The pitching is where the Lookouts thrived. The team started the season with Nathan Eovaldi, Matt Magill, Ethan Martin and Allen Webster in the rotation. Unfortunately for the Lookouts, only Magill is still with the organization. The team did add Zach Lee, Chris Reed and Andres Santiago to bolster the staff late in the season -- all of whom are expected to be Lookouts for at least a portion of 2012.

The bullpen was great, with Geison Aguasviva, Steve Ames, Logan Bawcom (later traded), Red Patterson and Javier Solano leading the way.

Joc Pederson and Onelki Garcia made cameos in the playoffs and both could be two of the brightest starts on the squad.

The 2013 roster will be filled with all kinds of talent, including the $42-million man: Yasiel Puig.

Projected roster

O'Brien

Catchers (2)
Gorman Erickson
Christopher O'Brien

Infielders (6)
Joe Becker
Casio Grider
C.J. Retherford
Miguel Rojas
Angelo Songco
Scott Wingo

Outfielders (5)
Bobby Coyle
Omar Luna
Joc Pederson
Yasiel Puig
Kyle Russell

Lee

Starting pitchers (5)
Onelki Garcia
Zach Lee
Aaron Miller
Rob Rasmussen
Chris Reed

Relievers (7)
Ryan Acosta
Freddie Cabrera
Kelvin De La Cruz
Jose Dominguez
Eric Eadington
Jordan Roberts
Andres Santiago

Guys like Erickson  and Retherford could see promotions to Albuquerque, but there's a lot of players in line ahead of them. The offense looks like it could be strong, especially if Songco has a bounce-back season. The outfield will likely be formidable with some big-time prospects.

The pitching looks absolutely filthy. The rotation is headed by three of my top eight prospects, while Rasmussen could be a nice fit after his acquisition from Houston.

The bullpen probably won't be as good as it was last season, but Dominguez, after his 25-game suspension, should be the team's closer. Santiago, who has ability as a starter, is forced to the 'pen in favor of former supplemental first-round pick Miller. Those two are interchangeable in my eyes. Cruz could make the roster as a non-roster invite and gives the Lookouts three left-handers (along with Eadington and Roberts).

My lineup
Wingo 2B
Pederson LF
Puig CF
Songco 1B
Retherford 3B
Russell RF
Coyle DH
Erickson/O'Brien C
Grider SS

I don't think it's too likely Wingo leads off (hell, he might start with Rancho Cucamonga), but he has good on-base ability -- second only to Erickson in this lineup -- but there's no way Jody Reed (yes, that Jody Reed) bats his catcher leadoff. The 2-7 spots could be damn good, if everyone is clicking.

The rotation should be the team's bread and butter, as it has six legitimate starters and some highly ranked prospects.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Chattanooga Lookouts boast a nasty bullpen, future Los Angeles Dodgers

The Chattanooga Lookouts are contending for a playoff spot in the Southern League and if they make it, they might be able to thank a filthy bullpen.

Some Major League teams would kill to have the Lookout bullpen. (*cough* Philadephia *cough*)

But this Chattanooga bullpen could be one of the best in recent Dodger minor league memory. includes Steve Ames, Eric Eadington, Red Patterson, Steven Rodriguez and Javier Solano. All five of these guys have solid numbers in Double-A, with Ames and Solano repeating the level.

Any of these five guys could close out a game if necessary, but Ames is the team's closer right now. It isn't far-fetched to say all these guys could eventually see time in a major league bullpen before they hang up their spikes.

Ames, a 17th-round pick in 2009, has a 1.75 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9 and a 9.7 K/9. His stuff isn't overpowering, but those numbers are absolutely nothing to scoff at. He's stepped into the closer's role after Logan Bawcom was traded to the Mariners on July 31. The 24-year-old could be in Los Angeles before too long.

Eadington, a pitcher Baseball America ranked just outside its Dodger top 30 prospect list, has played at three different levels this season and the 24-year-old is having no problem adjusting to advanced hitting. He only has 9 1/3 Double-A innings, but his workload should increase in the coming weeks.

Patterson, 25, is turning into a personal favorite of mine. He's not the most talented or physically gifted guy around, but he gets the job done. He has a 3.22 ERA, 1.41 WHIP (not great) and a nice 9.1 K/9 out of the Lookout 'pen. After posting a 2.08 ERA in the first half, he's struggled in the second half (5.57), but he's still a viable option as a long reliever/sixth- or seventh-inning guy. One thing he does do well is keep the ball in the yard. He's allowed just two home runs in 64 1/3 innings this season.

Rodriguez, the Dodgers' 2012 second-round pick, began his professional career with Great Lakes. He dominated in six innings there (four hits allowed, 10 strikeouts), so the Dodgers promoted him to Chattanooga. He's been nearly as dominant as a Lookout: 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 10 K. When he was drafted, many said he could be the player from the entire 2012 draft class to reach the majors first. He's effectively one step away from that.

And finally a guy who I don't think gets enough credit. Solano, a 22-year-old whose career arc has been somewhat puzzling. In 2008 and 2009, he pitched in Ogden as most teenagers do. In 2010, he pitched at Indland Empire (High-A) and Double-A. So, logic would dictate he'd begin 2011 in Double-A. Well, that didn't happen. He began 2011 with Rancho Cucamonga before earning a promotion to Chattanooga. The funny thing is, his Double-A numbers are the best of any level he's pitched -- and definitely the most challenging level of any level he's pitched. This season, he has a 2.73 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and an 8.6 K/9. He's allowing fewer baserunners than last season and is throwing more strikes. That's always a nice combination.

The aforementioned Logan Bawcom once resided in the Lookout bullpen, but so did Shawn Tolleson, who was promoted to Triple-A then the majors earlier this season. Oh, and I didn't even mention Chris Withrow, who has been relegated to relief duty after struggling with his command -- again -- and battling through injuries. If he ever figures it out, that's just one more feather in the proverbial cap of manager Carlos Subero.

The Lookouts have a three-game lead over the Jackson Generals. If guys like Zach Lee, Matt Magill, Aaron Miller, Andres Santiago, Allen Webster and, to a lesser extent, Chris Reed, can get through five or six innings, it will make it a lot easier on the team and keep the starters fresh for a playoff run.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

The Chattanooga Lookouts will be stacked in 2012

The 2012 Chattanooga Lookouts, the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, looks like it will begin the season as one of the most stacked teams in the organization and maybe in the entire Southern League.

As is often the case in baseball, it starts and ends with the starting rotation, which should be the Lookouts' strength.

The Dodgers tend to avoid sending top-flight pitching prospects to the hitter's haven known as the Pacific Coast League, so the Lookouts will benefit greatly.

RHP Allen Webster
Total: 11-5, 4.03 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 8.4 K/9, 2.37 K/BB
High-A: 5-2, 2.33 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 3.5 BB/9, 10.3 K/9, 2.95 K/BB
Double-A: 6-3, 5.04 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 10.0 H/9, 3.6 BB/9, 7.2 K/9
- One of the Dodgers' best prospects, Webster spent nearly twice as much time with the Lookouts than he did with the Quakes, and he should be back to head the rotation. He was having a solid showing in Double-A before three consecutive terrible starts inflated his numbers. Despite the troubles, his future as a middle-of-the-rotation starter is not jeopardized. It'll be interesting to see how he does with his second go-around in the Southern League.

RHP Red Patterson
Total: 12-5, 3.69 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.9 K/9, 3.82 K/BB
Low-A: 5-4, 3.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.2 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 3.95 K/BB
High-A: 7-1, 3.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 7.6 H/9, 2.4 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 3.72 K/BB
- Patterson was surprisingly consistent in 2011 and could be one of the Lookouts' better starters in 2012. There's no guarantee he'll start with the Lookouts, but with 92 innings in High-A, there's no reason not to push him (other than overcrowding, I suppose). If he starts in Chattanooga, it'll be interesting to see how he does against advanced competition.

RHP Nathan Eovaldi

Total: 12-5, 3.69 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 2.3 BB/9, 8.9 K/9, 3.82 K/B
Double-A: 6-5, 2.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 6.6 H/9, 4.0 BB/9, 8.7 K/9, 2.15 K/BB

Majors: 1-2, 3.63 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 7.3 H/9, 5.2 BB/9, 6.0 K/9, 1.15 K/BB
- Eovaldi's call-up last season was a surprise -- almost as surprising as his return to Double-A would be in 2012. Alas, the Dodgers signed Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang to effectively fill out the rotation. With Ned Collett's desire to add a veteran reliever, there appears to be no room in Los Angeles for Eovaldi. He put up great numbers in Chattanooga and should return there as a starter until his services are needed with the Dodgers.

RHP Chris Withrow
Double-A (total): 6-6, 4.20 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 7.8 H/9, 5.2 BB/9, 9.1 K/9, 1.73 K/BB
- Withrow showed flashes of his former self last season, but also showed flashes of his 2010 self, leading to a decent 2011 season. His stuff is as good as any in the system, but he must learn to throw strikes consistently. He should be a middle-of-the-rotation guy for the Lookouts in his fourth stint with the club.

RHP Matt Magill
High-A (total): 11-5, 4.33 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 10.1 H/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.1 K/9, 2.42 K/BB
- Magill spent all his time with the Quakes last season and is age-appropriate for Double-A. He has fringy stuff, so he'll have to locate all his pitches well if he wants to be successful. But hey, the Lookouts could do a lot worse for a No. 5 starter.

RHP Jon Michael Redding
High-A (total): 11-7, 3.66 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 8.6 H/9, 3.4 BB/9, 8.5 K/9, 2.50 K/BB
- Redding spent his entire age-23 season with the Quakes, so he's a prime candidate to be promoted to Double-A. I like Patterson more as a prospect, but Redding had better success than him at Rancho. Both are junkballers with fringy fastballs, so there might only be room for one of them to start the season.

As you can see, there are six pitchers here for five rotation spots. Unless the Lookouts go with a six-man rotation (not likely), these are some of the options they have:

• Eovaldi begins with the Dodgers, Isotopes or works out of the bullpen
• Withrow or Webster are pushed to Albuquerque
• Patterson is left to start at Rancho
• Redding skips Double-A for Triple-A

Of those four, I'd say Patterson starting in High-A is most likely to happen.

The Lookouts will also have some bullpen talent, including Logan Bawcom, Cole St. Clair, Javier Solano and possibly guys like Shawn Tolleson, Steve Ames and Josh Wall. That's quite the formidable bunch.

Someone who could go either way is former first-round pick Aaron Miller. He's already spent 135 2/3 innings with the High-A affiliate and it's time for him to put up or shut up. With the Dodgers' reluctance to send guys to the PCL, Double-A is going to be jam-packed. Miller could work out of the bullpen or force his way into a rotation spot. With his injury history, though, he could ease his way into Double-A by starting with the Quakes (a team that will also be stacked).

For all the talk about the pitching, the offense doesn't look to be half-bad, either.

Angelo Songco and Blake Smith should both be middle-of-the-order hitters for the Lookouts. Both had fantastic seasons with the Quakes in 2011 and this will be a telling season for both. If they perform well, their prospect stars rise. If they don't, they might be nothing more than bench players in the Majors.

Songco and Smith are joining former Quakes' teammates Gorman Erickson and Jake Lemmerman, both of whom were promoted midseason. I really like Erickson and Lemmerman. While both didn't perform as well with the Lookouts as they did with the Quakes, they both have the potential to do some damage in their second go-around in Double-A.

Some other Quakes primed to make the jump are Travis Denker, Nick Buss, Austin Gallagher and Tony Delmonico.

There could be a few hold overs from the 2011 Lookouts, starting with OF/1B Brian Cavazos-Galvez. He made a name for himself in 2010 with a solid showing with the Quakes. Limited playing time and poor performance dimmed his status significantly in 2011. He should return in 2012 because he could use the seasoning and the Triple-A outfield situation looks as packed as the Double-A rotation.

Pedro Baez could be another hold over, but he can't hit a lick. Jaime Pedroza regressed in 2011, which included a demotion to High-A. And Matt Wallach should be Erickson's backup behind the dish.

My projected batting order (with DH)

Buss CF

Lemmerman SS

Songco 1B

Smith RF

Erickson C

Cavazos-Galvez LF

Gallagher DH

Delmonico 3B

Pedroza 2B

Overall, the Lookouts should be just as competitive in 2012 as they were in 2011. The pitching staff should be just as strong, if not stronger (depending on promotions). The offense might not be as great, as the team is losing Scott Van Slyke and Alfredo Silverio. A lot will depend on the trio of Songco, Smith and Erickson.

The team should also benefit from midseason callups in the form of Zach Lee, Garrett Gould and possibly Angel Sanchez.

Much like 2011, the 2012 minor-league teams could be exciting and fun to watch. It's a make-or-break year for a lot of prospects and it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.

Eovaldi, Russell enjoying nice seasons for Chattanooga

Dodgers' RHP Nathan Eovaldi is enjoying a great season at Double-A Chattanooga after having just a mediocre season in 2010 in three levels of the minors.

Eovaldi, who ranked No. 8 on my 2010 Dodger prospect list and No. 28 in my 2011 list, has proven me wrong. As a 21-year-old in the Southern League, he is mostly facing competition who is older than him, but he's been dominant at times. This is quite encouraging for his progress and could even see some time in L.A. later this season (I mean, who woulda thunk Javy Guerra would be in the Dodger bullpen right now?).

Through 11 games (10 starts, one relief appearance), Eovaldi is 4-4 with a 2.98 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 6.8 H/9, 0.4 HR/9, 10.3 K/9 and a 2.81 K/BB ratio. In his lone relief appearance on Tuesday, he fired one relief inning, striking out one and reportedly hitting 101 MPH on the radar gun.

Eovaldi sits in the low-to-mid-90s as a starter with a decent curveball. He's made a little progress with his changeup, but it's probably what will keep him from being a successful starter in the majors.

However, his two-pitch combination -- especially with an upper-90s fastball -- could play very well out of the bullpen.

Kyle Russell, 24, is also enjoying a nice season at Double-A. The former third-round choice from Texas, Russell has 12 home runs, 20 2B and 38 RBI in 59 games this season -- good enough for a .909 OPS. Last season in 76 Southern League games, he was able to OPS .781 with 10 home runs and 23 2B.

The problem with him -- always has been, always will be -- is his K-rate. Last season, he struck out 37.5 percent of his at-bats. This season, he's actually improved to 35.4 percent. But that's still way too high for a Major League regular. That's actually between the career K-rate of Adam Dunn (33.1 percent) and Mark Reynolds (38 percent). Russell does play excellent defense in right field, so his power/defense combo could be enough for him to be a bench player at worst in the bigs.

One thing that concerns me is he's 24 (25 on June 27) and still in Double-A. It's not the worst thing in the world, but I'd like to see the Dodgers push him to Triple-A (despite the high K-rate) to see if there's any hope for him as a regular. It might be a little hasty on my part, but if he goes to Albuquerque and succeeds, he could be in the mix next season or used as a trade piece.

In all likelihood, though, he'll reach the majors as a part-time player.

The Lookouts' roster has improved with Allen Webster and Shawn Tolleson being promoted and Kenley Jansen returning on a rehab assignment. Some would say Jansen could benefit from some time in the minors to work on his secondary offerings. That isn't the worst idea, especially with Guerra, Scott Elbert and Josh Lindblom (in limited time) holding their own in the Dodgers' bullpen.

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Dee Gordon made his Major League debut this week and so far, so good. He's 3-for-8 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Despite looking like a bat boy, he is the most exciting prospect the Dodgers have and manager Don Mattingly said he's going to play every day (I wish he'd make the same commitment to Jerry Sands). Update 2:37 p.m.: Well, it looks as if Sands will be playing every day... but in Albuquerque. He was optioned to Triple-A with the Dodgers recalling Trent Oeltjen. Sands will be back.

Pure speculation here, but perhaps the Dodgers are not sold on Rafael Furcal's health for the rest of the season. It's nice to see a lot of prospects on the team, though. Six players have made their debut this season: Ivan DeJesus, Rubby De La Rosa, Gordon, Guerra, Lindbolm and Sands. It's entirely possible for guys like Eovaldi, Trayvon Robinson and Russell to make their debuts later this season.

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The Dodgers begin a four-game series in Colorado tonight. Expect a lot of frustration, even with Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley and Rubby De La Rosa pitching three of the four games.