My Top 5 Dodgers' prospects at minor-league every level

In preparation for prospect season, I'm going to rank the Top 5 prospects at every level of the Dodgers' minor-league system.

It won't necessarily reflect a prospect's position on my Top 50 list (as I've yet to complete it), but it should give some sort of idea where I rank these players.

To be eligible, I'm using Baseball America's rules. For hitters, they must average at least one plate appearance per team game. For starting pitchers, they must average at least 1/3 of an inning per team game (no applicable to short-season teams). For relievers, they must have made 20 appearances (10 appearances for short-season leagues).

Here are my top 5 Dodgers' prospects at each level. Player's age-season in parenthesis.

Dominican Summer League Dodgers

1. OF Michael Medina (16)

2. OF Deivy Castillo (17)

3. LHP Jairo Pacheco (16)

4. OF Ariel Sandoval (17)

5. RHP Osiris Ramirez (17)

Arizona League Dodgers

1. 1B Cody Bellinger (17)

2. LHP Victor Gonzalez (17)

3. RHP Victor Arano (18)

4. RHP Bryan Munoz (17)

5. SS Cristian Gomez (17)

Ogden Raptors

1. OF Jacob Scavuzzo (19)

2. 3B/OF Alex Santana (19)

3. 2B/SS Jesmuel Valentin (18)

4. 1B Justin Chigbogu (18)

5. RHP Scott Barlow (20)

Great Lakes Loons

1. SS Corey Seager (19)

2. LHP Julio Urias (16)

3. RHP Chris Anderson (20)

4. LHP Tom Windle (22)

5. RHP Zachary Bird (18)

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

1. OF Scott Schebler (22)

2. RHP Duke von Schamann (22)

3. OF Noel Cuevas (21)

4. 1B O'Koyea Dickson (23)

5. SS/2B Darnell Sweeney (22)

Chattanooga Lookouts

1. OF Yasiel Puig (22)

2. RHP Zach Lee (21)

3. OF Joc Pederson (21)

4. RHP Ross Stripling (23)

5. LHP Chris Reed (23)

Albuquerque Isotopes

1. RHP Matt Magill (23)

2. OF/1B Scott Van Slyke (26)

3. RHP Red Patterson (26)

4. LHP Kelvin De La Cruz (24)

5. No one else qualified

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Hope this gives some insight to how I rank the Dodger prospects. I'd like to hear how you'd rank some of these prospects in the comments section.

I'm shooting for December or January for my Top 50 prospects list. Follow me on Twitter for updates on its status.

Photo credit: Ali Messick, courtesy of the Great Lakes Loons

2013 Dodgers' draft recap: Anderson, Windle, Bellinger, Underwood, Navin

The 2013 Dodgers' draft doesn't look nearly as impressive as the 2012 class, but there are few future contributors in this group.

The Dodgers seemingly changed their approach, opting for college players with nine of their first 10 picks -- a change from the norm. Logan White is known for drafting high schoolers and developing them.

Positional breakdown (round number in parenthesis)
21 pitchers, 19 position players, 31 college, 9 high school

• C: Kyle Farmer (8), Spencer Navin (11), Sam Finfer (29), Ryan Scott (30), Kaleb Holbrook (35), Jake Sidwell (39)
• 1B: Cody Bellinger (4)
• 2B: James McDonald (18), Tyger Pederson (31)
• 3B: Brandon Dixon (3), Adam Law (12), Andrew McWilliam (31)
• SS: Brandon Trinkwon (7), Blake Hennessey (19), Dillon Moyer (38)
• OF: Henry Yates (9), Michael Ahmed (20), James Lynch (36), Matthew Haggerty (40)
• RHP: Chris Anderson (1, pictured), J.D. Underwood (5), Jacob Rhame (6), Nick Kenner (10), Peter Miller (16), Greg Harris (17), James Baune (21), MJ Villegas (23), Jose De Leon (24), Kyle Hooper (25), Thomas Taylor (26), Tanner Kiest (27), Rob Rogers (32), Justin Dunn (35)
• LHP: Tom Windle (2), Ty Damron (13), Michael Johnson (14), Billy Flamion (15), Robert Fisher (22), Crayton Bare (28), Rob Cerfolio (34)

Bloodlines
Bellinger: Clay Bellinger (father)
Underwood: Tom Underwood (father)
Kenner: Stephen Keener (father, president of Little League Baseball)
Law: Vance Law and Vernon Law (father and grandfather)
Harris: Greg Harris (father)
Hennessey: Scott Hennessey (father, Dodgers' area scout)
Ahmed: Nick Ahmed (brother)
Scott: Darryl Scott (father, pitching coach in Rockies' organization)
Pederson: Joc Pederson and Stu Pederson (brother and father)
Moyer: Jamie Moyer (father)
Sidwell: Rob Sidwell (Dodgers' scout)

Signings
Anderson - $2,109,900 (slot recommended)
Windle - $986,500 (slot)
Dixon - $556,500 (slot)
Bellinger - $700,000 (+$291,000 slot)
Underwood - Unknown amount, but more than slot
Rhame - $300,000 (+$70,700 slot)
Trinkwon - $171,900 (slot)
Farmer - Unknown amount
Yates - $5,000 (-$138,500 slot)
Navin - $300,000 (+$200,000 slot)

All bonus amounts after the 10th round are for $100,000 or less unless otherwise reported: Law, Johnson, McDonald, Hennessey, Baune, Fisher, Hooper, Taylor, Moyer.

(These categories are from the Baseball America Prospect Handbook)

Best pure hitter
Dixon. He has an advanced approach, but he doesn't show much power. Bellinger could profile here, too.

Bellinger

Best power hitter
Bellinger. At 6'4, 180, he has some filling out to do. But he's drawn comparisons to Adam LaRoche, who has 207 home runs in 10 MLB seasons. McWilliam could also have big power down the road.

Fastest baserunner
Moyer or McDonald. The Dodgers didn't choose many speedsters in this draft.

Best defensive player
Trinkwon. He has soft hands and good instincts. He might be a second baseman, but he'll stay at shortstop for the time being.

Best fastball
Anderson. He touches 97 MPH in the rotation with some sink. Windle can also touch 94 MPH and should play up out of the bullpen, where he likely ends up. Rhame, like Anderson, can sink his low-to-mid-90s heater.

Best secondary pitch
Anderson. His slider and changeup flash plus potential, but his sliders is his best secondary pitch. Underwood boasts a solid upper-70s curveball.

Best athlete
Farmer. He's not a physically imposing player, but he's moving from the middle infield to behind the dish

Most intriguing background
Anderson. The Minnesota native went to school in Jacksonville and was basically run into the ground. It'll be interesting to see how he handles professional baseball. The Dodgers will limit him to 50 innings in his pro debut, ala Ross Stripling last season. Windle is also on an innings limit.

Closest to the Majors
Windle. He could make it to the majors first before Anderson strictly on the fact he'll likely be a reliever. Don't expect any guys from the 2013 class this season, though.

Best late-round selection (20th round an on)
Scott. The high school backstop could be a nice get for the Dodgers if they can sign him away from his college commitment.


The one who could get away
McWilliam. The prep third baseman could be the toughest sign of the draft for the Dodgers. It's unknown whether he's committed to a college, but with a 6'5, 170-pound frame, there's all kinds of room for projection and improvement on the college level.

Assessment
I don't like this draft as much as last year. There aren't many impact guys here (a theme throughout the entire draft), and the Dodgers went the college route more than I'd like. Anderson is a solid pick and should be a back-end rotation innings-eater at worst (a No. 2 bull at best). I don't like using a second-rounder on a probable reliever and the lack of higher-upside high school talent disappoints me.

Photo credits: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Dodgers could lose 2014 first-round draft pick due to heavy 2013 bonuses

With the new collective bargaining agreement, teams are much more creative in the MLB Draft than ever before. But since new CBA’s inception a couple years ago, no team has ever had to forfeit a draft pick due to overspending.

The Dodgers are dangerously close to doing so. The team inked seventh-rounder Brandon Trinkwon (pictured) this morning for slot, which prompted this post.

Here’s a breakdown of the signing bonuses the Dodgers have given out to the 2013 draft class thus far.

Round	Player	Slot	Bonus	Savings
1	Chris Anderson	$2,109,900	$2,109,900	$0
2	Tom Windle	$986,500	$986,500	$0
3	Brandon Dixon	$566,500	$566,500	$0
4	Cody Bellinger	$409,000	$700,000	($291,000)
5	J.D. Underwood	$306,200	$306,200	$0
6	Jacob Rhame	$229,300	$300,000	($70,700)
7	Brandon Trinkwon	$171,900	$171,900	$0
8	Kyle Farmer	$153,600	unsigned	$0
9	Henry Yates	$143,500	$5,000	$138,500
10	Nick Keener	$135,300	unsigned	$0
11	Spencer Navin	$0	$200,000	($200,000)
Total		$5,211,700	$5,634,900	($423,200)

Notes:

• Farmer has signed, but there’s been no announcement of his bonus just yet.
• Keneer should be a relatively easy sign. I’d be surprised if he got more than the $5,000 Yates received. Last year’s 10th-rounder Zach Babitt got a $2,500 bonus.
• Underwood has reportedly signed and will get more than the $306,200 recommended for his selection.

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Normally, the 11th-rounder’s bonus wouldn’t count toward the spending cap, but since the team spent $300,000 on Navin, $200,000 worth of it counts toward the cap as all picks from the 10th round and on can get up to a $100,000 without it counting toward the cap.

As you can see, the Dodgers went way over slot with Bellinger. As their only high school draftee on this list, that makes a little sense.

The Dodgers can spend 5 percent more than the $5,211,700 allotted to them -- which works out to $260,585 -- without losing a draft pick. The Dodgers need to save a combined $162,615 on Farmer and Keener for them to avoid the penalty.

I trust the front office will figure it out, but this is a bit too close for comfort. The 2014 draft is supposed to be much better than the 2013 draft, and it would be a shame if the Dodgers didn’t have their first-round selection for this reason.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Dodgers' third-round pick Brandon Dixon could have a future at 2B

The Dodgers chose an interesting college prospect in Brandon Dixon during the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft.

Dixon had a poor sophomore season, but he had a resurgent junior season, causing the Dodgers to pop him in the third round.

Dixon, a third baseman at the University of Arizona, worked on his defense to become an adequate defender at the hot corner. But my first impression is the Dodgers chose him to play second base.

Jared Massey of Dodger Diamond had a chance to interview the third-round pick and he alluded to the idea of him at second.

"One of my greatest strengths would be my versatility. I can play just about anywhere on the field ..."

The biggest part of Dixon’s game that is lacking is power, which is something most third basemen need to stay at the position. He's a self-proclaimed contact and speed-type player, which profiles quite well at second base.

Dixon is a Southern California native who could move quickly through the system if he can either hit well enough to stick at third base or defend well enough to play second base. Second base isn't as much a defense-first position as it once was, so if he's just slightly better than a guy like Jeff Kent, he could have a long and distinguished career.

As a college junior, he isn't a 100 percent lock to sign, but I'd be shocked if he and the Dodgers don't come to an agreement.

If/when he signs, he'll likely begin the season with the Ogden Raptors with the chance to move up to Great Lakes rather quickly.

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The Dodgers officially announced on Wednesday the signings of sixth-rounder RHP Jacob Rhame and 26th-rounder RHP Thomas Taylor.

Also, fourth-rounder Cody Bellinger, perhaps my favorite pick in the top 10 rounds outside of Chris Anderson, has a deal in place. Apparently, he's had it in place since about 30 minutes before he was drafted.

RT @kyle_odegard: Cody Bellinger agreed to a deal with the Dodgers a half hour before the pick. Bypassing #Oregon, getting third-round money
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) June 7, 2013

So, that's good to hear. The prep first baseman drawn comparisons to Adam LaRoche and is extremely raw. He's thin as a rail, so he'll have to fill out to justify that comparison. He has good raw power and could have a solid hit tool going forward. His defense should be plus at the position.

Photo credit: Courtesy of University of Arizona Athletics