Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 47 - Puig, Nolasco, Kemp, Ramirez, Urias

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) talk about Yasiel Puig and his All-Star aspirations. I make veiled (and not so veiled) references to this piece I wrote for Yahoo! Sports. Needless to say, every single Atlanta Braves fan -- past, present and future -- is pissed at me.

The Dodgers acquired Ricky Nolasco in a surprisingly good deal. They gave up Steve Ames, Angel Sanchez and Josh Wall for Nolasco and nearly $200,000 in international spending money.

Matt Kemp is on the disabled list again. I fear this could be a lost season for the Dodgers' former slugger. Stephen Fife joined him on the DL on the same day. He had a poor outing in 'Frisco on Saturday, but he had been pitching well leading up to that start.

Hanley Ramirez is on fire. He should probably be in the All-Star game, but he's in the same boat as Puig by not playing enough games (so say the masses).

Joc Pederson cracked Baseball America's Top 50 prospect list at a respectable 35. One omission was Corey Seager. Jared contends Julio Urias should have made it, too. Speaking of Urias, he had the best outing of his young career (6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K). He threw just one inning tonight.

Scott Schebler and Justin Chigbogu are having nice seasons in their respective leagues.

Finally, we answer listener questions, which were really strong this week.

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Look for new episodes of "Dugout Blues" every Wednesday. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we're always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.

If you have questions you'd like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us (ladugout@gmail.com or feelinkindablue@gmail.com) or send us messages on Twitter (@Dodger_Diamond or @FeelinKindaBlue). You can also "Like" the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

Image credit: Joe Martin

Dodgers acquire Ricky Nolasco and int'l money from Marlins for Steve Ames, Angel Sanchez and Josh Wall

In what shouldn't be surprising news to anyone at this rate, the Dodgers acquired Ricky Nolasco on Saturday from the Marlins for Steve Ames, Angel Sanchez and Josh Wall.

Ken Rosenthal first reported this afternoon the trade was "close," and that was obviously true.

The Dodgers are paying all of the approximately $5.5 million remaining on Nolasco's contract.

Nolasco is a free agent after the season and a Southern California native, so it's conceivable he could be retained (probably on a 3-year deal, per Ned Colletti's norm).

I wrote for Yahoo! Sports the Dodgers should stay away from him, as there are better options available. Since that time, I've lightened up a bit to the idea of acquiring him, but he'd still not be first on my list.

Also since that time, Nolasco has increased his strikeout rate by nearly one full strikeout per nine innings (from 6.3 to 7.2). That's encouraging. His hits per nine rate isn't great (9.0), but he doesn't walk a lot of hitters (2.0 BB/9).

Nolasco is a rare pitcher these days, boasting a split-finger fastball that he throws 12.7 percent of the time this season. But FanGraphs values it as a negative pitch (-1.2). His best pitch, according to the data, is his slider (8.3). He throws it 24.3 percent of the time.

His fastball sits in the 88-92 MPH range and averages 90.1 MPH this season. He also has a curveball that he relies on.

He's much more of a junk-baller than previously expected.Once a Cubs' top prospect, Nolasco was traded to Florida in December 2005 with Sergio Mitre and Renyel Pinto for old friend Juan Pierre.

The best part of this deal isn't acquiring a decent No. 4 or 5 starter the rest of the season, it's acquiring the international spending money from the Marlins. The Dodgers did this with the Cubs in the Carlos Marmol deal and, since they've already spent $1.4 million of their $2,322,600 limit, this will help immensely. The amount added to the cap is unknown at this time.

Update (6:31 p.m.): The Dodgers acquired the No. 96 slot value, which is $197,000, raising their international spending limit to $2,519,600.

The Dodgers actually did really well with this trade.

Ames was added to the 40-man roster this winter and is strictly a reliever. He has a fastball that sits in the 88-92 MPH range that can touch 94-95 at times. He also has a slider that's allowed him to compile an 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings rate in 207 career minor-league innings. That number is down to 7.6 this season and he's spent some time on the disabled list.

Sanchez

Sanchez was a Top 10 prospect in the system before a disastrous 2012 campaign with the Quakes. He began 2013 with the Great Lakes Loons and was recently promoted to High-A Rancho. Sanchez has a low-90s fastball, a potentially average to solid-average changeup and a slider. He probably won't last in the rotation long.

Wall is a flamethrowing reliever who was drafted as a starter in 2005. He's touched triple-digits in the minors, but his average velocity in the majors is 92.4 MPH. His slider sits in the low-80s and helps him to get strikeouts.

All in all, this is a really good deal for the Dodgers, even if the international spending money is unknown. The Dodgers traded three relievers for a quality back-of-the-rotation starter and some lottery money. Really hard to complain about that.

Photo credit: ScottRAnselmo, Wikimedia Commons

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 37 - Dodgers' injuries, Ellis, prospects

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) and I record discuss the myriad of injury issues with the Dodgers and how the club is handling them.

It took the team 10 days to place Mark Ellis on the disabled list, which makes no sense. Jerry Hairston was swapped out for Elian Herrera and Chris Capuano was mishandled, as was Josh Wall.

I recap my trip to see the Quakes play in Stockton. Some good things from the three-game series, and a few not-so-good things. Such is baseball, though.

Ross Stripling was promoted to Double-A, which I wrote about last night. Jarret Martin impressed me and there's more talent offensively than first suspected.

To close, we answer listener questions. A lot of good ones again this week. Please, please, please keep them coming. It's my favorite part of the show.

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Look for new episodes of "Dugout Blues" every Wednesday. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and review us on iTunes. We want to make this the best podcast we can so we're always looking for suggestions and ways to improve.

If you have questions you'd like us to answer or certain topics/players you want to hear more about, feel free to email us (ladugout@gmail.com or feelinkindablue@gmail.com) or send us messages on Twitter (@Dodger_Diamond or @FeelinKindaBlue). You can also "Like" the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

Image credit: Joe Martin

Dodgers place Shawn Tolleson on DL, recall Josh Wall, Zach Lee is awesome

Remember that time Shawn Tolleson was put in a 1-0 game in Arizona and attempted not to pour gasoline all over the mound? Well, perhaps he shat the bed for a reason.

Tolleson was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Monday and Josh Wall was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Tolleson came in and promptly walked two batters, both of which allowed runs to score -- and both charged to Clayton Kershaw.

It's not an easy situation to be thrown into, that's for sure. But as a reliever, walking the runs in is about the worst that can be done.

At least the Dodgers replaced him with a guy who brings it. Wall has a nasty fastball-slider combination that, unfortunately, he has trouble controlling at times.

With the Dodgers' deep bullpen, Wall shouldn't be thrust into too many high-leverage situations. If he is, then something has gone terrible wrong.

Hopefully Tolleson can show why he was once a Top 10 prospect in the system (by most accounts). Tolleson has exhibited pretty good control in the minors (2.1 BB/9 in 125 2/3 innings), but hasn't done been able to match it in the majors (5.3 BB/9 in 37 2/3 innings).

Lee impresses early on

A little self back-patting here: Zach Lee is off to a fantastic start this season. My No. 1 Dodger prospect heading into the season, Lee has a 1.06 ERA, given up just two earned runs and 24 baserunners in 23 innings.

Lee is using a nice four-pitch mix, including a newly incorporated two-seam fastball. Lee has a 2.18 groundout-to-flyout rate this season, easily the best of his young career. That's important for him because one criticism of Lee is he lacks a true out pitch.

Lee is never going to be a strikeout-per-inning guy, but he can find a way to get a strikeout when he needs it (7.7 K/9 in his career).

So much was made of his $5.25 million signing bonus and the expectations that came along with it. The fact is, Lee is not the next Clayton Kershaw or Zack Greinke. He might not even be the next Chad Billingsley. But if he's anything close, he'll have a long and prosperous Major League career.

Photo credits

Tolleson (illustration): Epic Memories by Ron, Flickr

Lee: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Video of Yasiel Puig's first Double-A home run, plus other prospect news

Yasiel Puig drew his first walk of 2013 on Friday night during the first Chattanooga Lookouts' game. Puig failed to draw a walk in 60 spring training plate-appearances. It wasn't cause for much concern because he hit .517.

On Saturday night, he hit his first Double-A home run in a 5-4 Lookouts' loss. It's been too long since we've seen this beautiful sight.

Per usual, it was a no-doubter. And Puig certainly does have that bat-flip down pat. I'm not a fan of it, but when he does it, you know he's done something well on the field.



One of the Dodgers' top prospects, Puig is 3-for-7 (.429) with a home run, two singles, two runs scored, a stolen base, a walk and three strikeouts in his first two games. It's only a matter of time before he's doing this at the Major League level.

The Lookouts play a doubleheader on Sunday because Thursday night's season-opener was postponed due to rain

Cotton, Cash roughed up in debuts

Jharel Cotton, making his first appearance above rookie ball, got roughed up a bit: 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 2 HR.

At least Cotton was missing bats, thanks to his changeup. There was a nice piece about him on MLive by Loons' beat writer Hugh Bernretuer. It's worth a read.

Ralston Cash, who pitched with the Loons in 2012, was equally roughed up: 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 K, 2 HR.

Luckily for him, none of the runs were earned. Cash struck out eight of the 11 batters he retired -- an impressive feat.

Both pitchers showed the ability to miss bats, which is a testament to their stuff and to the inexperience of the hitters.

They probably won't be pitchers who strikeout a hitter every inning, but having good secondary offerings is important.

Cuevas the hero in Rancho

Noel Cuevas was the hero in Rancho Cucamonga's comeback 8-7 win on Saturday night. The outfielder drove in the eventual game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning with an RBI single. He went 3-for-5  with a double and two stolen bases.

O'Koyea Dickson hit his first California League home run in the first inning -- a 2-run shot to right field. The Quakes' cleanup man could be in store for a big season.

Pratt Maynard made his season debut and went 3-for-4 with a double. He's one of my favorite Dodger catching prospects and it'd be great to see him do well in 2013.

Garrett Gould was cruising through three innings, having allowed just a run on one hit and one walk, while striking out four. His final line wasn't pretty: 5 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. At least he kept his walk total down.

Van Slyke, bullpen, have big night in New Mexico

Scott Van Slyke went 4-for-5 with a double and five RBI to help lead the Isotopes to an 8-3 win. The 'Topes are 3-0 on the season so far, thanks in large part to the bullpen.

Chris Withrow made his Triple-A debut by tossing two scoreless frames. He walked one and struck out three. Red Patterson followed him up with two scoreless innings of his own (one walk, two strikeouts). After Geison Aguasviva got in trouble, Josh Wall was called upon to get a four-out save -- which he did.

The bullpen should be a strength for the Isotopes this season. It's filled with players who know how to get strikeouts, which is invaluable in the thin air of the Pacific Coast League.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Albuquerque Isotopes announce 2013 roster, led by Alex Castellanos, Matt Magill and some flamethrowers

The final Dodger full-season minor-league affiliate to announce its roster is the Albuquerque Isotopes of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Generally an offensive powerhouse, the 'Topes are lacking in hitting talent this season. That, coupled with the humidor, could lead to fewer runs scored than expected.

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

Castellanos

The offense is led by returning 'Topes Alex Castellanos and Scott Van Slyke. After that, it gets pretty thin.

Dee Gordon will be the team's starting shortstop, while Elian Herrera should start at second base. Either spring-training-sensation-not-named Yasiel Puig Brian Barden or Rusty Ryal should start at third base. The outfield will boast a couple rangy players in Matt Angle and Nick Buss.

I hit on just 13 of 25 players from my February prediction -- the worst of any minor-league level.

Roster

Catchers
Steve Cilladi (DL)
Jesus Flores
Matt Wallach

Gordon

Infielders
Alfredo Amezaga
Brian Barden
Dee Gordon
Elian Herrera
Osvaldo Martinez (DL)
Rusty Ryal
Scott Van Slyke

Outfielders
Matt Angle
Nick Buss
Alex Castellanos
Tony Gwynn

Fife

Starting pitchers
Stephen Fife
Javy Guerra
Blake Johnson
Matt Magill
Sean White

Relief pitchers
Geison Aguasviva
Steve Ames
Angel Castro
Peter Moylan
Red Patterson
Shawn Tolleson
Josh Wall
Chris Withrow

For the first time in a long time, there is actually some pitching talent on this squad.

Magill is the best pitcher in town, while Fife has actually proven to be a potentially serviceable pitcher. Guerra is in the rotation to get stretch into a long-reliever.

The bullpen has some hard-throwing youngsters and a cagey Aussie veteran in Moylan. Ames, Tolleson, Wall and Withrow could be a potent and lethal 'pen, provided the starters pitch well enough so the quartet isn't burned out. Either Tolleson or Wall should close with Ames and Withrow setting up. And Feelin' Kinda Blue favorite Patterson should be the team's other long reliever.

There are some players missing. Jeremy Moore, who was expected to be on the roster, is back in Arizona at extended spring training. Nick Evans, Dallas McPherson and Michael Antonini were are released prior to the season. And Kevin Gregg, who didn't have an out clause in his contract, was released on Wednesday after Paco Rodriguez was chosen to begin the season with the Dodgers instead of him, something I wrote about over at Yahoo! Sports.

My best guess at a lineup

Gordon SS
Gwynn CF
Castellanos RF/LF
Van Slyke 1B/DH
Barden 3B
Herrera 2B
Flores C
Ryal DH/1B
Angle/Buss LF/RF

Wall

Really, not a whole lot to be excited about. Guys like Blake Smith or, gulp, Puig could get the call to Triple-A, but that wouldn't come until midseason. They could get some reinforcements in the form of Moore and Brian Cavazos-Galvez, if there are enough injuries.

Here's hoping Magill doesn't get shelled, Castellanos continues to hit and the power relievers post a lot of strikeouts. It's the PCL, so anything can happen. The 'Topes could challenge for a playoff spot, but there are a lot of good prospects in the league, making other teams stronger.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Dodgers have some tough decisions to make about opening day roster

The Dodgers have 38 players remaining in Major League camp after releasing reliever Mark Lowe on Sunday. The number has to be down to 25 by the time the Dodgers open the season on April 1 at Dodger Stadium against the Giants.

There are clearly locks for the roster (Kemp, Kershaw, et al), and some who weren't locks just as recently as a couple weeks ago (Uribe).

There are still some decisions to make regarding the first 25 -- the biggest of which being Yasiel Puig.

There are also decisions to be made about the bullpen and the Dodgers' excess starting pitchers.

The locks

Catcher (2/2)
A.J. Ellis
Tim Federowicz

Infield (5/5)
Luis Cruz
Mark Ellis
Adrian Gonzalez
Nick Punto 
Hanley Ramirez (DL)
Juan Uribe

Outfield (4/6)
Andre Ethier
Jerry Hairston
Matt Kemp
Skip Schumaker

Starting pitcher (5/5)
Josh Beckett
Chad Billingsley
Zack Greinke
Clayton Kershaw
Ted Lilly (DL)
Hyun-Jin Ryu

Relief pitcher (5/7)
Ronald Belisario
Chris Capuano
J.P. Howell
Kenley Jansen
Brandon League

There are only a few spots still up for contention. A couple spots in the bullpen and a couple spots on the bench.

With Ramirez's injury, Uribe (unfortunately) becomes a lock, as Cruz will move to shortstop from third base. My preference is for Dee Gordon to get a shot at shortstop and to keep Cruz at third while Ramirez is out. That doesn't appear too likely at this point.

The big question comes in the outfield. While all signs point to Carl Crawford being ready for April 1, I'm still not convinced. Oh, and there's the Puig question. When spring training started, there was virtually no chance of Puig breaking camp with the team. Now, it's a legitimate question, even if folks in the know think he's destined for Double-A.

Also, Alex Castellanos was vying for the 25th-man spot before Puig took off. He could still get a shot, especially if Crawford is ready on time.

My guess: Crawford and Castellanos make the team.

In the bullpen, the Dodgers have a couple spots to fill. At this point, I have Capuano making the 'pen as a long reliever, making Howell the only situational lefty available. That gives Paco Rodriguez a better chance to make the club. Scott Elbert isn't fully recovered from his two winter surgeries, also giving Rodriguez a good shot of making the club.

As for non-roster invitees, Kevin Gregg and Peter Moylan are the only two remaining. The Dodgers seem to have a non-roster invitee -- usually a reliever -- make the squad.

• Gregg's line: 9 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 HR 0 BB, 4 K
• Moylan's line: 7 1/3 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 3 HR, 4 BB, 8 K

If we're going off spring training stats (which we shouldn't), Gregg is the clear winner. However, Moylan has better numbers in the regular season. But Moylan has thrown just 13 1/3 innings in the last two season -- combined. I don't think both pitchers make the squad, though.

The Dodgers could do something surprising and go with Josh Wall, who has struck out 12 batters in 10 1/3 spring innings. But that probably won't happen.

My guess: Rodriguez and Moylan get the nod to fill out the bullpen.

As for Aaron Harang, I really think he's traded or designated for assignment by opening day. He seems like the worst fit of the Dodgers' surplus of starters to pitch out of the bullpen.

Here's hoping a team steps up and makes a play for Harang. even a fringy reliever prospect would be just fine.

Portion of Ramirez's salary to be paid by WBC

Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal reported Sunday the World Baseball Classic will be responsible for Hanley Ramirez's salary while he's on the disabled list.

Once player misses 30 days, salary for missed time covered in full. Also, he can be covered if injured during WBC, then suffers re-injury.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 25, 2013

For the pre-2012 Dodgers, this would have been great. For a team projected to have a $230-plus million payroll, it doesn't really matter much. It's at least a "nice" consolation for losing Ramirez for two months.

First mock draft of 2013

John Sickels at Minor League Ball posted his first 2013 mock draft on Saturday. Sickels alternated picks with Matt Garrioch, a writer fro the site. Garrioch had the Dodgers' pick and mocked RHP Dustin Driver from Wenatchee High School (Wash.) at No. 19.

"The Dodgers have went a different direction under their new ownership but due to the new basic agreement spending restrictions, I don't see it changing their philosophy in the draft. Jon Crawford could join his Florida teammate quickly if they would go that direction. Ryan Boldt is a name worth considering here as is currently injured Austin Wilson. Reese McGuire could be an intriguing pick here, as they really have no catching depth but that could actually hinder him if they would rush him just because they lack depth and that urge would be there. I think I will go with a local high school arm in Dustin Driver, RHP, California HS"

Driver is 6'2, 210 pounds with a solid fastball for a prep pitcher (91-93 MPH, touches 94). Some view him as a relief prospect because he lacks consistent secondary offerings. But he fits the Logan White profile: high schooler with projectable frame and a quality fastball. Here's a video of him at a high school showcase in San Diego.

The draft is less than three months away. Looking forward to it.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Yakkers: Examining the best sliders in the Dodgers' farm system

The slider is associated with power. Most times, it's a power pitch thrown by a power pitcher. There are few exceptions to this rule.

Clayton Kershaw came up as a fastball-curveball-changeup pitcher. Some, in the back of their mind, wondered if the three-pitch repertoire would work. Well, Kershaw added a slider to his arsenal, and he took off.

Not surprisingly, pitchers who throw sliders tend to rack up the strikeouts. The Dodgers traded a couple of pitchers last year who would have qualified for this list: Logan Bawcom and Ethan Martin. Both have at least average sliders, while Martin's can be an above-average pitch at times.

Previous entries in this series

• Power
• Fastball
• Speed

Starters

Matt Magill
- Magill's slider is quickly becoming one of the best in the system. He's racked up an 8.9 strikeouts per nin innings in his minor league career thanks in part to a knockout slider. It profiles as an average pitch right now, but it could easily be an above-average offering going forward. It sits in the low-80s.

Aaron Miller
- Miller gets an obligatory mention here as average or better sliders among Dodger starting pitching prospects are few and far between. Miller broke in as a fastball/slider guy, which could ultimately mean he's destined for the bullpen. His slider is a 79-82 MPH pitch and could be a solid weapon out of the 'pen.



Chris Reed
- I tabbed Reed as having the best slider in the system, just a tick better than Magill's. Reed complements his low-90s fastball with a hard mid-80s slider that is especially effective against left-handed hitters. Like Miller, Reed could end up in the bullpen where his slider would play up.

Relievers

Steve Ames
- Ames might be an exception to the slider rule. He doesn't overpower hitters with his 90-93 MPH fastball, thus he doesn't overpower them with his low-80s slider. But it has enough bite to it that it keeps hitters off-balance. Ames has a career 12.3 K/9, and it isn't because he's throwing 95-plus MPH.



Yimi Garcia
- Garcia's slider has helped him immensely since graduating from the two lowest levels of the minor leagues in 2011. Before that, he had a pedestrian 7.7 K/9. Since then, he's been a strikeout machine, averaging 13.1 strikeouts per nine -- thanks in large part to his low-to-mid-80s slider. He looks to be a classic fastball-slider strikeout pitcher going forward, if he can command his pitches well enough.

Paco Rodriguez
- Rodriguez is one of only two pitchers on this list (Wall) to show off his slider at the Major League level. It helped him be the Dodgers' second-round draft pick in last year's draft. It's effective against lefties and righties and sits in the low-80s with good bite.


Josh Wall
- Wall pairs his mid-to-upper-90s fastball with a mid-80s slider that, when it's on, is a tough pitch to square up. Wall dealt with the rarefied air in Albuquerque last year, but still posted the second-best strikeout rate of his career (8.7). He's a longshot to make the Dodgers' bullpen out of Spring Training, but he'd likely be among the first recalled when the Dodgers need a power reliever.

Flamethrowers: Examining the best fastballs in the Dodgers' farm system

Sticking with the power theme, I'm going to look at the best fastballs in the in the Dodgers' farm system. I'll separate the starters and relievers.

The Dodgers have a lot of power arms in the system -- something every team should want. It remains to be seen if these guys, especially the starters, make it to the majors in some capacity. One thing's for sure: arm talent cannot be taught. Every pitcher on this list has arm talent that needs to be harnessed and controlled.

Starters

Scott Barlow
- When Barlow was drafted, he wasn't much of a flamethrower. He checked in at 89-91 MPH on his fastball with a projectable frame. In the Instructional League that year, he was sitting in the low-90s consistently and even touched the mid-90s. As a starter, that qualifies as a plus fastball. The only thing when placing Barlow on this list is he's thrown just 1 2/3 innings since turning pro.

Onelki Garcia
- Garcia has one of the more interesting fastballs in the system. He's heater has natural arm-side run and he can also sink it. But when he has to, he can pump his four-seamer up to 95 MPH. It sits in the 90-93 range and he can control it pretty well.



Jarret Martin
- Martin's fastball is a lot like Garcia's, but he doesn't control or sink it as well. Like most left-handers, there is some arm-side run with his fastball. Martin's biggest determent is his inability to control his fastball. The velocity is there, but the command and control aren't. For now, he's a starter. If he can't make it as a starter, his fastball could get a 1-2 MPH bump, making it that much better.



Chris Reed
- Reed isn't one of my favorites, but his fastball is a legitimate pitch. Like Garcia and Martin before him, he can run it up to 95 MPH from the left side but works better in the low-90s. His biggest obstacle is going to be keeping his velocity up as a starter. As a reliever, he'd have little issue hitting the low-to-mid-90s consistently. As a starter, if he can work at 90-93 MPH, he should be golden.



Relievers

Pedro Baez
- A recent addition to the pitching staff, Baez was once clocked at 94 MPH across the diamond (from third to first). That's an impressive feat unto itself. Dodger minor-league pitching instructors are going to have their work cut out for them. They'll need to harness Baez's undeniable arm talent if they expect him to be a valuable reliever at any point.

Jose Dominguez
- Dominguez has the best fastball in the system that sits in the high-90s and regularly touches triple digits. He has a little trouble controlling the pitch, but the velocity cannot be denied. There was some buzz he could be popped in the Rule 5 Draft in December, mostly due to his great fastball.

Eric Eadington
- Eadington routinely works in the low-90s from the left side and even touched 95 MPH a couple times when I saw him in person in June. There isn't much else he does with it, but a consistent low-to-mid-90s fastball from a southpaw qualifies as a plus pitch.

Scott Griggs
- Griggs profiles as a power reliever out of the bullpen and boasts a consistent mid-90s fastball. He even runs it up to 98 MPH when needed. Control is a big issue for Griggs going forward as he walked 21 batters in his first 22 2/3 innings.


Juan Rodriguez
- Rodriguez is similar to Dominguez with his fastball, as it sits in the mid-to-high-90s and touches 100 MPH on occasion. But unlike Dominguez, Rodriguez has even more trouble controlling the pitch. He walked 41 batters in 38 1/3 last season. He can strike batters out, but that won't matter if he walks hitters at an historic rate.


Josh Wall
- Wall is the most accomplished of the relievers on this list, as he made his Major League debut last season while spending the rest of his time with the Isotopes. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and he can reach back for a little more if he needs it.


Chris Withrow
- Withrow routinely hit the low-to-mid-90s as a starting pitcher. Now, he profiles as a late-inning, power reliever out of the bullpen who can dial up his heater to the upper-90s. Like some of the other flamethrowers on this list, Withrow has trouble commanding the pitch, leading to an uncertain future. But his velocity isn't going anywhere.

Dodgers promote Tolleson to AAA, Bawcom to AA, Eadington to A+

The Dodgers made a number of connected minor-league moves on Thursday -- all involving good relief prospects.

Shawn Tolleson was promoted from Double-A Chattanooga to Triple-A Albuquerque. The Dodgers tend to not send their good pitching prospects to the launching pad that is the Pacific Coast League, but relievers are at less "risk" of being knocked around rather than a starting pitcher.

Tolleson, 24, had a 1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 13.1 K/9 (up from 11.2 with Chattanooga last season) and a ridiculous 5.5 H/9 rate. He was flat-out dominating Southern League hitters and has been dominant his entire career (1.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 13.3 K/9). The move to Triple-A is a good one in my eyes. Josh Wall will likely still get the ball in the ninth (and he's been good), but Tolleson will help to form a great 1-2 punch. Plus, he's one step closer to being in the Dodgers' bullpen, which is a really good thing.

In the resulting move, the Dodgers promoted Logan Bawcom to Chattanooga from High-A Rancho Cucamonga. The 23-year-old Bawcom, underrated by many who look at prospects (in my eyes), posted a 0.64 ERA (gave up his first run of the season on Tuesday), 0.71 WHIP, 15.4 K/9, a .087 batting average against and an even-more-ridiculous-than-Tolleson 2.6 H/9.

It's nice to see the Dodgers being a little aggressive with these guys. Of all the prospects out there, right-handed relievers tend to move quickest. It'll be interesting to see how Bawcom fares against advanced competition. Steve Ames figures to get the ball late in the game, and much like the Wall-Tolleson duo in Triple-A, Ames and Bawcom figure to be a formidable duo for the Lookouts.

To take Bawcom's spot, the Dodgers promoted Eric Eadington from Low-A Great Lakes. Eadington, Baseball America's No. 31 Dodger prospect, was throwing well for the Loons before his promotion: 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 13.8 K/9 and a 27.00 K/BB ratio. That's not a typo; Eadington has struck out 27 batters and walked just one. Even in Low-A, that's rather eye-opening.

Eadington, 24, will also help fill the role of left-handed reliever as the Quakes' Jordan Roberts went on the disabled list this week. Roberts has a 1.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 18 innings. He's not great (20 hits allowed, six walks, eight strikeouts), but he was decent for the Quakes.

Scott McGough has already taken over closing duties for the Quakes. Eadington had been splitting time with Yimi Garcia in Midland as the Loons' closer, so he can be a fall-back option if McGough struggles.

The guy who has the most to gain is Bawcom. He can prove he belongs in the same company as Tolleson -- his numbers are better this year, albeit against inferior competition. Plus, it'd give the Dodgers yet another right-handed reliever to turn to down the road.

We'll see if these guys adapt to their new environments well. I'm not too concerned.

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Look for the newest episode of "Dugout Blues," the podcast I do with LA Dugout's Jared Massey. It should go live sometime today.

Castellanos, others reassigned to Dodgers' minor-league camp

The Dodgers reassigned nine players to their minor-league camp today in the first of many moves to come in the next few weeks.

Michael Antonini, Alex Castellanos, Stephen Fife, Shane Lindsay, Russ Mitchell, Alfredo Silverio, Scott Van Slyke, Josh Wall and Chris Withrow were all optioned. A lot of them are unsurprising, especially Silverio, who's still out because of his January car accident.

Van Slyke hit a home run in his first Spring Training game, but that wasn't enough to keep him around. He'll get some valuable playing time in Triple-A. All the pitchers optioned are no surprise, as is Mitchell.

However, I'm a little surprised Castellanos was cut loose so quickly. I know he wasn't going to make the squad out of Spring Training, but he had been swinging a hot bat, going 6-for-16 with two home runs, four RBI, a double, triple and five runs scored. He's a work in progress at second base, but he could be a viable option there down the road.

I looked at what the Dodgers have in Castellanos in November.

"Scouts say Castellanos is playing above his skill level. Looking at his career numbers, I'm inclined to agree. Before 2010, the only times he had an OPS better than .800 was in his first two seasons in Rookie ball and Low-A ball.

Bottom line, it's not exactly known what the Dodgers have in Castellanos. They could have a utility player, they could have a starting corner position player, they could have a second baseman or they could have a Four-A player.

This season will determine whether his late-2011 performance was a sign of him turning a corner or just a fluke."

That basically remains unchanged. However, when Roberto Baly of Vin Scully is Homeboy posted a video of Castellanos taking batting practice at the Winter Development Camp, I was immediately drawn to the video of Castellanos. I know it was just BP, but the sound of the ball jumping off his bat just sounded great.

Jared Massey of LA Dugout was at last night's Dodger-Red game and commented on Castellanos' bat.

"My God, Castellanos has a quick bat. #Dodgers"

Baly's video, Castellanos' strong spring showing and Massey's comment gives me legitimate hope for Castellanos' future. Perhaps 2011 wasn't a fluke.



I just thought he'd hang around a little longer. At least he'll get to hone his abilities at second without having compete with Mark Ellis, Ivan De Jesus and Justin Sellers for playing time in major-league camp.

Andre Ethier homered off a lefty and yes, it's news

Dodgers' outfielder Andre Ethier hit a solo home run in the second inning of today's Giant-Dodger Spring Training game. Normally, that isn't lede-worthy. But he hit it off a lefty.

OK, he hit it off Barry Zito, but it's still newsworthy.

Ethier hit just one home run last season against left-handed pitching in 141 at-bats. And it isn't that he doesn't hit for power against lefties, it's the fact he doesn't hit lefties well at all. He hit .220/.258/.305 against lefties last year and has a career line of .242/.302/.359 against left-handed pitching.

Then again, maybe Ethier just got lucky and ran into one. It was Barry Zito after all.

Here's hoping he can improve his splits because there's a push in the blogger community to have Ethier platoon. I'm still of the mindset he needs to play everyday, (with the occasional day off against lefties), but I could change my tune if Ethier doesn't improve.

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Ted Lilly was in midseason form, giving up six hits, five runs and two home runs in two innings.

Josh Fields collected his third hit of the spring -- a double (his second). He's wearing No. 37, a number worn by old friend Darren Dreifort. If he could hit as well as Dreifort, he might have a shot at making the team.

Ronald Belisario made his first appearance for the Dodgers since the Oct. 1, 2010, and Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. has the proof. He's wearing Jonathan Broxton's old No. 51. He gave up two hits in a scoreless inning of work.

Josh Lindblom and Josh Wall made their spring debuts, each tossing scoreless frames and each picking up a strikeout.

Photo credits: brendan-c (Flickr)

Erickson, Martin, St. Clair among prospects unprotected for Rule 5 Draft

The Dodgers added five players to the 40-man roster on Friday night ahead of the deadline.

The players protected from Dec. 8's Rule 5 Draft are LHP Michael Antonini, OF Alex Castellanos, RHP Stephen Fife, RHP Josh Wall and RHP Chris Withrow.

Outfielders Alfredo Silverio and Scott Van Slyke were added on Nov. 3.

Castellanos, Wall and Withrow are no-brainers. All of them would have been appealing to other MLB teams.

Fife could have gone either way. He enjoyed decent success in Double-A, though he pitched better for the Red Sox's Double-A affiliate than he did for the Dodgers'.

Antonini, acquired last winter from the Mets for Chin-lung Hu, is a head-scratcher, especially in place of someone left off the list (see below).

He is left-handed and is technically a starter. But any success he has in the majors would come out of the bullpen.

His numbers weren't great, but they were in line with his career averages. His WHIP and K/9 were the only peripherals that were significantly different. Still, I don't see him a better lefty than Cole St. Clair.

More surprising are a couple of the names left unprotected.

Gorman Erickson, the Dodgers' best catching prospect in my book, could be selected, but it's unlikely. He played less than half his games with Chattanooga (41 games), but he did enjoy some success (.275/.329/.479). Catchers with a little pop are rare and hot commodities, so Erickson could get a look. Despite that, it'd still be surprising to see a team use a pick on him.

Former first-round pick Ethan Martin is among the unprotected. His omission isn't entirely surprising, as he cannot throw strikes in the minor leagues and a team isn't going to waste a 25-man roster spot on a guy like that.

The most likely player to be selected is the aforementioned St. Clair. He's a lefty who's had a solid Minor League career. He has a 3.42 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and 2.88 BB/K ratio in 176 1/3 career innings. With the Lookouts in 2011, he posted a 3.04 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 7.7 H/9, 8.2 K/9 and a 3.54 K/BB ratio. The 25-year-old could be appealing to a team.

Some other Dodgers left unprotected are Tony Delmonico, Jon Michael Redding and Kyle Russell. It's highly unlikely any of them -- or other eligible players -- are selected in the Major League portion of the draft.

Here's the rest of unprotecteds, courtesy of True Blue L.A.:

Geison Aguasviva, Pedro Baez, Joe Becker, Robert Boothe, Nick Buss, Jose Dominguez, Bladimir Franco, Carlos Frias, Austin Gallagher, Pedro Guerrero, Elian Herrera, Chris Jacobs, Ramon Jean, Justin Miller, Charlie Mirabal, Jaime Pedroza, Jordan Roberts, Andres Santiago, Tim Sexton, Steve Smith, Daniel Tamares, Matt Wallach, Josh Walter, Rafael Ynoa

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Reminder: I'll be posting my 2012 Top 50 prospects tomorrow.