Dodgers' Low-A affiliate Great Lakes Loons playoff-bound after slow start

Coming into the 2013 season, the Great Lakes Loons looked like the fourth-best team of the four full-season Dodger minor-league affiliates. Well, they could be the only one to make the postseason.

The Loons clinched a playoff berth with a win on Thursday night behind the right arms of Chris Anderson (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K) and Brandon Martinez (3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K). It’s the third playoff berth in the club’s history.

The team got off to a rough start, losing four of their first six games and went 11-13 in April. Things got even worse in May, as they went 7-23 and any hopes of the postseason looked bleak.

Loons’ record by month

April: 11-13

May: 7-23 (18-36)

June: 18-9 (36-45)

July: 14-14 (50-59)

August: 16-10 (66-69)

Luckily, playoff participants are broken down into first half and second half records. The Loons went 26-43 in the first half. They’ve gone 40-26 thus far in the second half, with three more games.

When the season started, the Loons had Corey Seager and a bunch of young guys or guys repeating the level. Tyle Ogle, Jharel Cotton and Carlos Frias were Midwest League All-Stars. Cotton and Frias were promoted before the game, so Ogle was the team’s only representative.

The team got a huge boost from the arrival of then-16-year-old Julio Urias. I did a double-take when I heard he was making his professional debut with the Loons. But Urias, despite (rightly) being on a strict innings limit (75), has pitched like a player well beyond his years.

Urias’ 2013 statistics

18 starts

2-0 W-L

2.48 ERA

1.10 WHIP

7.3 H/9

2.7 BB/9

11.1 K/9

4.19 K/BB

2.87 FIP

These numbers would be impressive for a 20-year-old, but this is a 16-year-old (turned 17 a few weeks ago) doing this against hitters about six years older than him on average. Amazing.

The Loons also got a boost from the 2013 MLB Draft class. The Dodgers’ top three picks began their pro careers with the club -- Anderson, Tom Windle and Brandon Dixon.

Anderson has a 1.96 ERA in 46 innings while Windle has a 2.77 ERA in 48 2/3 innings. Dixon, unfortunately, hasn’t found his stroke, hitting just .169/.215/.246 in his first 55 professional games.

Other 2013 draftees to play for the Loons include CraytonBare, Rob Rogers, Thomas Taylor and Brandon Trinkwon.

The pitching has been the story for the Loons, as the Midwest League isn’t particularly hitter-friendly.

Miguel Sulbaran was having a fantastic season before the Dodgers (foolishly) traded him to acquire Drew Butera earlier this month. Even with the loss, the Loons can roll out a rotation of Urias, Anderson and Windle as their 1-3. However, each pitcher is on an innings limit. Anderson and Windle were reportedly going to throw only 50 innings in their debut. Both are close to that limit. With the playoffs near, I wonder if the Dodger brass would let Anderson and Windle go a few more innings if it means giving the Loons the best chance to win.

Outside of that trio, the Loons can also throw guys like Zachary Bird (reigning MWL Pitcher of the Week), Ralston Cash, Brandon Martinez and Jonathan Martinez for a few innings. The bullpen has been solid this season, too. Scott Griggs won a Pitcher of the Week honor while Craig Stem was the team’s closer before being promoted to Rancho Cucamonga.

Pitching wins, but runs also have to be scored. There’s enough raw talent for the Loons to score, but it remains to be seen if they can put it all together. James Baldwin has improved as the season progressed. He may not reach his ultimate ceiling, but he’s a better player now than he was last year. Aaron Miller has been surprisingly productive making the conversion from the mound to the batter’s box. Jeremy Rathjen is a lot like Baldwin. He started out slow but has picked it up as the season moved along.

Outside of Seager’s .309/.389/.529 triple slash, there aren’t many pretty slash lines on the Loons’ team. And the team will be without the supremely talented 19-year-old. But guys like those mentioned above and Ogle need to step up if the Loons want to go far in the MWL playoffs.

The Loons went from a floundering team with not a lot of talent to the most exciting team with loads of talent in the Dodgers’ farm system. They nearly did a 180-degree turn, not unlike the parent club. We'll see how they do in the playoffs starting next week.

Photo credits

Urias: Courtesy of the Great Lakes Loons

Anderson: Ali Messick, courtesy of Great Lakes Loons

Great Lakes Loons announce 2013 roster, led by prospect Corey Seager

Seager

In the coming days, all the Dodger full-season minor-league affiliates will announce their opening day rosters. First up, the Low-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League.

There are a few surprises, but nothing earth-shattering.

The squad is led by 2012 first-round pick Corey Seager, one of the Dodgers' best prospects. The team also boasts 2012 draftees Zachary Bird, Lindsey Caughel, Jharel Cotton, Scott Griggs, Paul Hoenecke, Jeremy Rathjen and Eric Smith.

My predictions were decent. I hit on 14 of 25 players. Normally, 56 percent is nothing to really brag about. But, I do write about baseball and a .560 batting, on-base or slugging percentage is video-game like.

Roster

Catchers
Jose Capellan
Tyle Ogle
Eric Smith

Infielders
Alexis Aguilar
Bladimir Franco
Paul Hoenecke
Malcolm Holland
Corey Seager
Jesus Valdez

Outfielders
James Baldwin
Jeremy Rathjen
Devin Shines

Martinez

Starting pitchers
Zachary Bird
Ralston Cash
Lindsey Caughel
Jonathan Martinez
Angel Sanchez
Miguel Sulbaran

Relief pitchers
Daniel Carela
Jharel Cotton
Carlos Frias
Sawil Gonzalez
Scott Griggs
Luis Meza
Arismendy Ozoria

The biggest surprise is probably Sanchez being demoted. He's 23 years old and, despite a terrible season at Rancho Cucamonga, I didn't see that coming. The last time he pitched in Midland was his first professional season and it put him on the prospect map. He'll need to re-establish himself at Low-A -- potentially as a reliever.

This team is filled with pretty solid prospects. Bird, Cotton and Martinez are some of the more intriguing pitching prospects to make this squad. Rathjen, who I thought should have begun the season in Rancho, should form a nice middle of the order with Seager and Valdez.

Valdez

My best guess at a lineup

Baldwin CF
Shines RF
Seager SS
Valdez 1B
Rathjen LF
Smith C
Franco 3B
Hoenecke DH
Holland 2B

There's definitely some potential in the lineup. In a league where hitters don't usually fare well, the Loons could surprise some teams with their offense.

If they can get some decent pitching from some of the youngsters, they could compete for a playoff spot.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

First day at Dodgers' spring training was basically heaven on earth

Aside from seeing every player I absolutely wanted to, my first day at Dodgers' spring training couldn't have gone better.

After acquiring the media credential the Dodgers were so gracious to grant me, the first stop was the back field. Seemingly every player in camp was present, as the team was working on rundown drills.

Dee Gordon was the loudest, which is no surprise, but he seemed to be enjoying himself well enough. This included an interesting gesture after completing one leg of the drill.

It was just cool to be so close to the players.

Some ESPN guys were there, including Jim Bowden, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk and Buster Olney. Aside from Hershiser, "meh."

I saw guys like Zack Greinke, Clayton Kerhsaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu up close. I also saw Yasiel Puig, who is as physically impressive as advertised. And I somehow snapped what could be my favorite Puig photo to date.

That's Scott Wingo he's hugging. It was a nice moment between 2012 teammates, even if Puig is questioning why I'm snapping a photo of a "bro" moment.

As I was about to make my way to the back fields when I heard, "Eric. Hey, how was the Dr Pepper burger?"

Yes, I had been mistaken for Eric Stephen (True Blue LA). I told Ryan Denton and his father Harold who I was -- and he knew. Oh my God, I felt like a celebrity (can't think of a better word), even if I was the farthest thing from it. It was just awesome to get positive feedback from a fan of "Dugout Blues" in person. I was flattered.

Oh, and a heads-up: Stephen had some choice words about the burger and his experience at the Metro Sportz Grill. Here's a preview from Twitter last night:

I would like to cordially invite everyone at the Metro Sportz Grill to take a trip to the Grand Canyon, and then jump
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) March 14, 2013

He'll explain in the next episode of the TBLA podcast.

After the players broke and went to different sections of the facility, it was off to the minor-league fields -- specifically to see Carl Crawford make his in-game Dodger debut. I wrote about it for the Yahoo! Sports Contributor Network.

"Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder was the designated hitter for six plate appearances in an exhibition minor-league game on March 14 -- the first time he's faced live, in-game pitching since being acquired by the team in August.

Crawford had three plate appearance against Meiji University -- a Japanese university -- and three against Dodger minor-league pitchers.

Crawford struck out swinging in his first at-bat. He would double in his next against Dodger right-hander Sean White. The Meiji University bench erupted, playfully, with cheers after the double. He would follow those first two plate appearances with back-to-back singles. He would fly out in the following plate appearance before drawing a walk in his last against Dodgers' prospect Jonathan Martinez."

As soon as I nail down some decent video editing software, I'll post video of his first at-bat.

Three interesting Dodger prospects also played in the game -- 2012 No. 1 pick Corey Seager, Jeremy Rathjen and Martinez.

In the two at-bats I saw, Seager struck out looking and grounded out second base. No big deal. What is a big deal is his size.

Damn.

When Jared Massey and I had Ross Stripling on the podcast, Stripling said Seager was 6'5, 220 lbs. People tend to exaggerate -- not just baseball players -- which is what I thought happened here. Well, I think I owe Stripling an apology because Seager is every bit of 6'5/220. He's only 18 years old and is probably already too big for shortstop, but he's going to keep playing there until the Dodgers move him to third base.

Rathjen, playing left field, also made an appearance and struck out swinging on a high fastball.

Martinez, who is just 18 years old, made an appearance. I ranked him at No. 49 in my Top 50 prospects, but couldn't find much information about him. After seeing him today, I still don't know a whole lot about him, but he definitely has potential -- even if he had a poor outing (allowed a 3-run homer).

Then it was off to the actual game. I know Arizona is hot, but it was obscenely hot having to sit in the sun for any extended period of time. Suffice it to say, I spent most of my time in the press box.

Puig got in the game and flew out to right field in his only at-bat. Word is, he'll be starting on Friday and Sunday at Camelback Ranch, so that should be fun.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Hit tool: Examining the best hitters in the Dodgers' farm system

When I think of batting average, guys like Wade Boggs, Rod Carew and Tony Gwynn come to mind. When I think of a keen eye at the plate, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams are tops. When talking about the hit tool, these players encompass the best of both worlds.

Many players make it to the majors based on the strength of their hit tool, even if defense isn't their specialty.

The Dodgers probably don't have any of those kind of players in their system, as those Hall of Fame players aren't the norm. But there are some quality bats in the system -- something that couldn't be said even a year or two ago.

Yasiel Puig could be on this list, but his hit tool is just average at this point. But he sure is impressing in Spring Training so far.


Previous entries in this series

• Power
• Fastball
• Speed
• Slider

These are some of the prospects who have an above-average or better hit tool.

Alex Castellanos
- Castellanos isn't much of a defender, but he's hit the cover off the ball since being acquired by the Dodgers. He posted some ridiculous numbers in Triple-A last season: .328/.420/.590 with 17 home runs in 94 games. While Pacific Coast League numbers aren't to be trusted, Castellanos' bat appears to be the real deal. His improved walk rate helps him make this list. The video below gives me hope for Castellanos' long-term potential. He might not be a regular, but he's going to be a major leaguer based on the strength of his hit tool.




Joc Pederson
- I tabbed Pederson as the system's best hitter in my Top 50, and rightfully so. Pederson hit .313 with a .396 on-base percentage in 2012, which earned him Dodger Minor League Player of the Year honors. His smooth stroke from the left side and bat speed to be a regular, and his plate discipline is quite good for a player of his age. Chattanooga will be a nice test for the soon-to-be-21-year-old.

Jeremy Rathjen
- Rathjen fell to the 11th round after a knee injury, but he proved he could handle the bat well in his debut season. He hit .324 for Ogden with a team-leading 48 walks and .443 on-base percentage. He'll need to prove his debut season wasn't just a product of being an older prospect in rookie league ball. He has enough bat speed for that to happen.

Corey Seager
- Baseball America rated Seager as the system's best hitter for average, and it's hard to disagree. His debut season in Ogden was pretty impressive: .309/.383/.520. His walk rate is surprisingly advanced for an 18-year-old in his first professional season. Keith Law fancies Seager as a potential All-Star third baseman, and that doesn't come without a top-flight bat.



Jesus Valdez
- Valdez is a prospect who hasn't received much acclaim in his career, but he possesses a good hit tool. He posted a .400-plus on-base percentage as a 20-year-old in the Pioneer League -- no easy feat. He also hit for some pop (30 extra base hits) and drew a fair amount of walks (31 in 322 plate appearances). He isn't as good as guys like Seager and Castellanos, but he could take a big step forward in 2013 and establish himself as having one of the better bats in the system.

Dodgers' full-season minor league team preview: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

This is the second in a four-part series projecting the Dodgers' full-season minor league teams. Up now, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

• Part 1 of 4: Great Lakes Loons

Last season's Rancho Cucamonga Quakes squad was set to blow right through the California League competition. The team was headed by top pitching prospects  Garrett Gould, Zach Lee, Chris Reed and Angel Sanchez.

Despite it being a hitters' haven, that quartet was supposed to lead the Quakes to the playoffs -- and it almost did in the first half.

The Quakes were tied with the High-Desert Mavs for the top spot. A one-game playoff between the two on June 25 determined the first-half champion. With Sanchez on the hill, the team jumped out to a 5-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings. The Quakes allowed six runs in the next two innings, giving the Mavs the playoff berth.

Lee pitched well before being promoted to Double-A, Reed pitched sparingly (35 innings) before his promotion to Double-A. The rotation was spearheaded by Gould (5.75 ERA), Sanchez (6.58 ERA) and Jon Michael Redding (4.42 ERA). Andres Santiago threw 96 1/3 quality innings until he was promoted to Chattanooga.

Pericht

While the offense had a nice 1-2-3 of Leon Landry, Joc Pederson and C.J. Retherford, the rest of the squad was inconsistent. Landry was traded at the end of July, Pederson paced the offense in the second half and Retherford was promoted to Double-A. Players like Austin Gallagher, Michael Pericht and Jonathan Garcia just weren't able to hit enough to overcome the lackluster pitching.

The Quakes lost some quality players in 2012 to promotions. With the number of quality players in Chattanooga, I wouldn't expect there to be a lot of up-and-down action between the two squads (injuries notwithstanding).

The 2013 roster doesn't look as good as 2012, but it could surprise some folks.

Projected roster

Catchers (2)
Pratt Maynard
Michael Pericht

Jacobs

Infielders (6)
Jesus Arredondo
Jesse Bosnik
O'Koyea Dickson
Pedro Guerrero
Chris Jacobs
Darnell Sweeney

Outfielders (4)
James Baldwin
Jonathan Garcia
Jeremy Rathjen
Scott Schebler

Starting pitchers (5)
Garrett Gould
Jarret Martin
Angel Sanchez
Duke von Schamann
Ross Stripling

Relief pitchers (8)
James Campbell
Yimi Garcia
Gustavo Gomez
Joel Lima
Brandon Martinez
Arismendy Ozoria
Matt Shelton 
Michael Thomas

The best prospects on this projected roster are Baldwin, Dickson Gould, Sweeney and Rathjen. Guys like Garcia, Gould and Sanchez are slated to repeat High-A because of poor performance and because there's a logjam in Double-A ahead of them.

The bullpen has three guys capable of starting (Gomez, Martinez, Ozoria), but they have to pitch somewhere. Perhaps one of them could unseat Sanchez in the rotation.

I'm not sure Rathjen and Stripling will begin with Rancho, but I'd like to see the Dodgers be aggressive with two of their selections from the 2012 draft.

My lineup
Baldwin CF
Sweeney SS
Dickson 1B/DH
Jacobs DH/1B
Garcia RF/Schebler LF
Bosnik 3B
Rathjen LF/RF
Maynard C
Arredondo 2B

Baldwin didn't hit a lick in Low-A, but he does have decent on-base ability. Maybe a hitter-friendly environment will help him, but it's also likely to hurt him, especially if he hits a few dingers early on. Rathjen could eventually work his way up in the lineup.

The rotation could be strong if Stripling handles the aggressive assignment well enough and Gould and Sanchez pitch to their capabilities. The bullpen has a nice back-end combination of Campbell and Garcia, while Thomas could be a nice sleeper in the group.

Someone who didn't make my projected Loons or Quakes roster is Juan Rodriguez. I have a hunch -- and that's all it is -- that he'll be released prior to the season. If he isn't, he'll likely begin in High-A.

The Cal League is a crap shoot, and this year is no exception.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Two Dodgers' draftees make Pioneer League's best prospects list

Dodgers' 2012 first-round pick Corey Seager on Thursday was named the fourth-best prospect in the Pioneer League by Baseball America.

Seager had a nice showing in the league after a somewhat slow start. He posted a .304/.383/.520 triple slash with eight home runs, nine doubles, a surprising eight stolen bases and a 10.4 percent walk rate.

The 18-year-old played shortstop in 44 of his 46 games (two games as the designated hitter), but struggled defensively, as he committed 17 errors. The Dodgers could give him one more shot at shortstop, but he's the team's future at third base.

Joining him in the Top 20 was fifth-round pick Ross Stripling. Because he pitched a lot of innings for Texas A&M prior to being drafted, his innings were limited in his debit. He made 14 appearances (12 starts) and threw just 36 1/3 innings.

But Stripling showed the ability to get strikeouts (9.5 K/9) while not walking hitters (1.5 BB/9). That's always good to see, especially in a hitters' league.

He doesn't have elite stuff, but Stripling has a good feel for pitching early in his career.

I was a little surprised to see the 22-year-old on the list, but I was even more surprised not to see another 22-year-old on the list.

Jeremy Rathjen, the Dodgers' 11th-round pick, posted better numbers than Seager (despite being four years older), but didn't make it.

Rathjen had a .323/443/.500 triple slash with nine home runs, 17 doubles, 16 stolen bases and a 14.8 percent walk rate.

The Corey Hart clone fell to the 11th round because of a knee injury. Otherwise, he easily would have been a Top-10 round selection. He's definitely a sleeper in the organization and it will be interesting to see him in full-season ball.

I also thought shortstop Darnell Sweeney was possibly an omission. The 13th-rounder wasn't expected to hit much when he was drafted, but he's adjusted quite well to professional ball. He could be a big mover next season, as he's already reached Low-A and could conceivably reach Double-A with a fantastic 2013.

There's a reason Assistant General Manager Logan White is excited about the Dodgers' 2012 draft class. I'm not as excited, but its definitely growing on me. I need to see the prospects at the higher levels of the minors, but so far, so good.

Pederson and Ely earn top honors

Outfield prospect Joc Pederson and pitcher John Ely were named the Dodgers' Minor League Players of the Year on Thursday.

As you'll recall, I also named Pederson my player of the year last week. But I think I overlooked Ely, who had a fantastic year with Albuquerque. I focused on prospects, which is why I went with Matt Magill as the pitcher of the year. Despite the oversight, I stand by my selection.

But congratulations to Pederson and Ely. They both had amazing years.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 9 -- Dodgers, Soler, Quakes, draft recap

In this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey and I discuss the Dodgers' recent road trip success. In the previous episode, we thought a 5-5 record on the 10-game trip would suffice. But the Dodgers went 7-3, which is awesome.

I had been on the "sign Jorge Soler" bandwagon for months and the Dodgers were reportedly one of the final teams in the bidding. Alas, they lost out to the Chicago Cubs, which signed him to a 9-year, $30 million contract.

We also discuss the return of Juan Uribe -- briefly, Alex Castellanos getting demoted, my trip to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in action last week and our recap of the Dodgers' 2012 MLB Draft.

Libsyn link
Direct link
iTunes link

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My latest piece is up at Chad Moriyama. Here's an excerpt:

"Someone break up the Quakes. Rancho Cucamonga went 7-0 this week, thanks largely in part to my attendance on Tuesday and Wednesday. All kidding aside, the Quakes got some great pitching and some timely hitting to catapult them into a first place tie in their division with the Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres) at 34-30. With six games left in the first half, the Quakes are in a good position to win the division. They have the Lancaster Jethawks (Houston Astros) and High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners) this week."

The Quakes won another game before losing last night. They're tied for first place with four games remaining in the first half.

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The Dodgers signed 15th-round draft pick Dalton "Duke" Schamann today, according to an article in the  Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.