Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' MLB Draft edition - Grant Holmes & Alex Verdugo

On these episodes of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodgers Nation) and I recap the first two rounds of the 2014 MLB Draft -- Dodgers style.

Listen as we debate who might or might not fall to the Dodgers at No. 22. Then, listen as we praise the selection of prep right-hander Grant Holmes.

 For the second round, I actually call the pick before it's made, and it was Arizona high schooler Alex Verdugo. The only thing is, he was drafted as an outfielder and not a left-handed pitcher. That was a surprise.

First round
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Second round
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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 (dugoutbluepodcast@gmail.com) or send us messages on Twitter (@JaredJMassey or @DustinNosler). You can also "Like" the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

Image credit: Joe Martin

Dodgers' MLB Draft and international signing update: Harris, Tirado, Padilla

The Dodgers made another over-slot signing by inking 17th-round pick Greg Harris on Wednesday to a $175,000 bonus. That $75,000 extra counts against the Dodgers' draft spending limit.

Harris was committed to the University of Oregon, so the Dodgers had to kick in the extra $75,000 to get him to forego his commitment.

To date, the team is $6,285 under the team's allotted $5,472,285, which includes the 5 percent overage. Contrary to my last update, fifth-round pick J.D. Underwood signed for $306,200, not $360,000.

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	$40,000	$113,600
9	Henry Yates	$143,500	$5,000	$138,500
10	Nick Keener	$135,300	$5,000	$130,300
11	Spencer Navin	$0	$200,000	($200,000)
17	Greg Harris	$0	$75,000	($75,000)
Total		$5,211,700	$5,466,000	($254,300)

The Dodgers -- provided they don't sign any other guys to over-slot bonuses (because $6,285 is chump change in baseball) -- won't lose their 2014 first-round pick.

Scott

The Dodgers also signed 30th-rounder catcher Ryan Scott (Notre Dame High School, Ariz.). However, 31st-rounder third baseman Andrew McWilliam (Westlake HS, Calif.) decided to attend the University of New Mexico and 13th-rounder left-handed pitcher Ty Damron is all but assured of going to Texas Tech University.

Scott was a nice get for the Dodgers. I didn't think they were going to get him out of his commitment to Arizona Western College -- a junior college that would allow him to re-enter the draft next year. He was also considering UCLA, UNLV, Oregon and the University of San Diego.

Losing out on McWilliam and likely Damron hurt the potential for the Dodgers' 2013 draft. McWilliam was a tall, thin third baseman with big power potential who should provide Chris Jackson (Albuquerque Examiner) with some good content for the next three seasons. Damron has potential as a lefty high schooler who already sits in the upper-80s and should be a low-90s pitcher after some instruction and growth in college.

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The Dodgers also signed three players on the first day of the international signing period (July 2) and one the following day.

July 2
Daniel Padilla
Alvaro Trillo
Sven Schuller

July 3
Lucas Tirado

Padilla and Trillo signed for $200,000 each, while Schuller's signing bonus is unknown. As only the fifth European player the Dodgers have ever had (four international signees, one Rule 4 draftee -- hat tip to 7_marko, via Twitter), the bonus won't be too much. Tirado signed for a cool million bucks, as expected.

Baseball America had this to say about the signees:

Padilla: "Padilla, 16, is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds with good athleticism, excellent speed and a strong arm from center field. With his size and wheels, he offers an intriguing combination of speed and power potential from the right side of the plate. Padilla trained with Dennys Suarez."

Tirado: "Tirado, 16, is 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and shows a short swing from the left side during batting practice, although his game performance has been uneven. He’s a below-average runner and doesn’t have a standout tool, which means a position change is likely in his future."

Trillo: "Trillo, 16, is 6-foot-1, 175 pounds with a loose arm and a fastball up to 91 mph. His curveball already gets up to the high-70s with good break, so he could have two above-average pitches between his fastball and his curveball. He has shown some feel for changeup as well with good pitchability for his age. Trillo trains with Rafael Betancourt."

The Dodgers have spent at least $1.4 million of their $2,322,600 international spending budget. I look forward to seeing who else the Dodgers sign between now and mid-June 2014 on the international market.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 46 - Dodgers, Marmol, Ramirez, Pederson

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) talk about the Dodgers and their new winning ways. It's much more fun to talk and write about this team when things are going well.

The Dodgers swung a trade with the Cubs for Carlos Marmol (using Matt Guerrier), which doesn't sound great on the surface. However, the Dodgers got international spending money in the deal, which does sound great.

Jose Dominguez, despite a rough outing on Wednesday, made an impressive MLB debut on Sunday.

Hanley Ramirez is on fire and is carrying the team as much as Yasiel Puig is. Maybe it's time to start a campaign for him to go to New York for the All-Star Game.

Luis Cruz is now an ex-Dodger and, somehow, landed a 25-man roster spot with the Yankees.

Joc Pederson will represent the Dodgers at the Futures Game. He'll also go to the Southern League All-Star Game along with Yimi Garcia, Zach Lee, Hector Nelo, Ross Stripling, Luis Vazquez and Rafael Ynoa. Rob Rasmussen also got the nod, but he won't play in the game because he's in Triple-A.

Blake Smith is now a pitcher. I'm trying to get an interview with him to give us his reaction. He's struggled at the plate this season.

Plus, there's a draft and international signing update.

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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 won't lose 2014 first-round pick, plus a Julio Urias GIF

The Dodgers won't lose their 2014 first-round pick after J.P. Hoornstra tweeted me some good news.

Respectively: 360K, 40K, 5K. RT @FeelinKindaBlue Any idea the bonuses Underwood (5th round), Farmer (8th) and Keener (10th) received?
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) June 21, 2013

I wrote on Monday the Dodgers were dangerously close to going over their draft spending pool limit. Luckily, the bonuses given to J.D. Underwood (5th-rounder, $360,000), Kyle Farmer (8th, $40,000) and Nick Keener (10th, $5,000) kept the Dodgers in the black.

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	$360,000	($53,800)
6	Jacob Rhame	$229,300	$300,000	($70,700)
7	Brandon Trinkwon	$171,900	$171,900	$0
8	Kyle Farmer	$153,600	$40,000	$113,600
9	Henry Yates	$143,500	$5,000	$138,500
10	Nick Keener	$135,300	$5,000	$130,300
11	Spencer Navin	$0	$200,000	($200,000)
Total		$5,211,700	$5,444,800	($233,100)

The Dodgers were able to go $260,585 over budget (5 percent of their $5.2 million pool) without losing the 2014 pick. The team is now $27,485 in the black and probably won't spend much more of it.

Farmer

The Dodgers will have to pay a 75 percent luxury tax on the overage, which turns out to be $52,863.75 extra. A drop in the bucket for this ownership. The Dodgers also spent more than their allotted amount in 2012.

Despite what I wrote, I really didn't think the Dodgers were going to screw this up, but they sure did make it more "interesting" than it needed to be.

Underwood has some ability, but I'm interested to see how Farmer handles the transition behind the plate. He was a middle infielder and is going to be a catcher in professional ball.

Here's hoping the Dodgers don't make things this interesting next year. At this point, it's going to be a Top-10 pick, which wasn't the way they drew it up back in April.

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For no apparent reason, here's a GIF of Julio Urias' changeup, via theintentionalbalk.

Photo credit: Courtesy of UGA Sports Communications

Dodgers' draft strategy isn't as high school-oriented as it's perceived

Since Logan White took over as scouting director (now vice president of amateur scouting and assistant general manager), the Dodgers have been known for drafting high school players.

White’s first draft pick was James Loney in 2002, a high school first baseman (who some viewed as a pitcher) from Texas.

While White’s crew has selected prep players in the first round (and supplemental first round) 13 of 19 times, it seems the philosophy has changed -- especially in recent years.

Here it is in table form.

Year	College	HS	HS%
2013	31	9	22.5%
2012	26	14	35.0%
2011	36	14	28.0%
2010	32	18	36.0%
2009	30	21	41.2%
2008	26	19	42.2%
2007	19	20	51.3%
2006	21	29	58.0%
2005	25	26	51.0%
2004	30	22	42.3%
2003	14	36	72.0%
2002	22	30	57.7%
Total	312	258	45.3%

As you can see, there has been fluctuation in the types of players drafted by White. But never had he drafted high schoolers less than 40 percent of the time before 2010. That’s been the norm for the last four years, capped with just 22.5 percent high schoolers drafted this year. And the team has drafted more college players than high schooler players since 2002.

Three of White’s last five first-round picks have been college players: 

• High school: Zach Lee, Corey Seager
• College: Aaron Miller, Chris Reed, Chris Anderson

In White’s first draft, he selected 30 high schoolers compared to 22 college players. In 2003, he selected 36 prep players compared to just 14 college players. That would be the highest percentage of high school draftees in any White draft. This year, the Dodgers drafted 31 college players and just nine high schoolers -- a drastic shift.

Some say it could be the new ownership having a say about who to draft (i.e. Stan Kasten), some say the team wants guys who are closer to the majors. While I’m not against drafting players who are closer to the majors, I am against passing on higher-ceiling prospects for lower-floor guys. I know those guys are a must in all farm systems, but it seems the Dodgers took that too much to heart in this year’s draft.

Cody Bellinger was the team’s only high school draftee in the first 10 rounds, and they didn’t select a prep pitcher until the 13th round (Ty Damron). That’s unheard of for White and Co.

The Dodgers had a poor farm system from the late 1990s until White took over. Guys like Chin-Feng Chen, Angel Pena and Ben Diggins were among the team's top prospects. In just three years, White made the Dodgers a Top 5 farm system in baseball for a number of years. Once the draft philosophy shifted from prep to college, the farm system’s overall ranking went down. It could be coincidence or it could be the fact ex-owner Frank McCourt hamstrung the Dodgers’ spending. But the fact is, the Dodgers haven’t been a Top 15 farm system in since graduating Clayton Kershaw during the 2008 season. after being a perennial Top 6 system for four years in a row in the mid-2000s.

There’s nothing wrong with drafting college players, but college players – unless choosing near the top of the draft -- offer less upside than high school players in most cases. Most college guys offer little projection but more present-day value.

I’m partial to high school talent. I wanted the team to take Ian Clarkin (who just signed with the Yankees) instead of Anderson. But I’ve warmed up to Anderson. The team had to go nearly $300,000 more than slot to sign its lone prep draftee in the first 10 rounds in Bellinger. Other than those two, the Dodgers didn’t draft guys with much impact potential. That’s thanks in large part to the poor draft class but also because they didn’t take nearly enough chances.

There’s some maneuvering with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Dodgers landed Ross Stripling in the fifth round last year for nearly $100,000 less than slot. Fast forward a year and Stripling is an easy Top 10 prospect in the system and more likely a Top 5 guy. He’s the exception, not the rule.

Here’s hoping the Dodgers and White get back to their high school-drafting ways. While the 2012 draft looks like it could be one of the best in White's tenure, the 2013 draft could go down as his most lackluster.

Graphic credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 44 - Kershaw, Puig, brawl, Urias, draft

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) talk about Clayton Kershaw's potential extension and whether it's a good or bad thing that the information was leaked. I don't think it was a big deal.

After a mini-tangent by yours truly, we talk about that Yasiel Puig guy and how incredible he's been and will be.

Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford will be out until next month, which is just ducky.

Since we recorded episode 43 on June 11, we didn't get a chance to talk about the brawl with the Diamondbacks. We touch on it a bit.

Three 2012 draftees have all been promoted to Double-A. Duke von Schamann, Jharel Cotton and Ross Stripling are all pitching quite well. It's encouraging and exciting.

Julio Urias did Julio Urias things agian. Jared is trying to temper excitement while I'm all-in. Also, Jose Dominguez gets a couple minutes of notoriety.

Finally, we talk more about the 2013 MLB Draft (and a little about the 2014 draft) and how the Dodgers are dangerously close to losing next year's first-round selection.

Finally, we answer listener questions, which were solid this week. Please, keep them coming. And thank you folks for the reviews and ratings on iTunes. Please feel free to leave one if you haven't yet.

Also, Jared wants to get to 1,000 followers by the next recording. Give him a follow at @Dodger_Diamond.

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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

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