My 2015 Top 100 Dodgers prospects

Oh, hi there. It's been awhile. I just concluded my Top 100 Dodgers' prospect series over at Dodgers Digest. Here's a link to every entry in the series.

• Introduction
• 100-76
• 75-51
• 50-41
• 40-31
• 30-21
• 20-11
• Top 10

I have also updated the sidebar with the new Top 10 (it links to the post at Dodgers Digest until we get the prospects page updated).

The Dodgers' farm system is as strong as it has been in years. It's considered a Top 10 system by most publications, as it has a lot of top-end talent and improved depth. So, head over to Dodgers Digest to check it out (and the supplemental pieces to follow).

Also, it'd be swell if the Dodgers signed Yoan Moncada so I could add him to the list.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Dodgers Digest

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 85 - Kershaw, Puig, Hanley, prospects

On these episodes of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodgers Nation) and I talk about Clayton Kershaw's no-hitter and the suddenly relevant (again) Dodgers.

Kershaw threw the first no-hitter of his career, and Jared tried his best to keep it in his pants. Spoiler alert: he didn't.

Yasiel Puig and Hanley Ramirez are battling injuries, and one or both of them might need to be placed on the disabled list.

Corey Seager and Julio Urias were named to the Futures Game, while Joc Pederson is hurt.

Grant Holmes signed his deal, and we talk about other prospect news.

Per usual, we close with the Q&A. Some good ones this week, including one where I'm called out for being, for lack of a better term, "lazy."

Libsyn link
Direct link
iTunes link

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

Alex Guerrero, Joc Pederson might force Dodgers' hand for promotion

Los Angeles Dodger history is littered with the dried-out husks of never-beens who dominated Albuquerque, but in principle you get to the bigs by putting up video game numbers in Triple-A. If you're a AAA all-star, that's nice. You've got a solid little .900 OPS in AAA, good for you. Unless your team has a need at your spot, that doesn't get you anywhere.

Well, the Dodgers have a couple guys off to a screaming hot start in AAA. Furthermore they're not Cinderella stories where you're not sure if the performance is a mirage. These are guys you expected to see this from at some point, who are just saying "The time is now."

One is Alex Guerrero. After nine games in AAA, he's just got a triple slash line of .467/.568/.900. He has struck out ONCE in 37 plate appearances. Not only is that incredibly impressive in and of itself, it indicates that the top line results are not BABIP-driven or lucky. I haven't seen his fielding or heard detailed reports, but the numbers look good; just one error, and he's getting a lot of chances.

The Dodgers are already paying the guy major league money, have him signed for four years, and his arbitration clock is not an issue at all, so there is no financial reason to keep him down. Chone Figgins has already been demoted and Justin Turner is not hitting, so the time very much seems ripe to let Guerrero at least get the starts against lefties, be a frequent pinch-hitter, and maybe even get some time at shortstop when Turner is needed elsewhere. Sure, it's just nine  games, but he had a pretty solid spring and has years of experience in Cuba. He was expected to just need a little time to acclimate, but it looks to me like that job is done.

Dee Gordon is doing great, and a lot of it is legit improvement. But his performance is pretty luck driven. Yes, he's at .355/.397/.468 but that's with a .404 BABIP. Even giving him a ton of credit for being able to leg out some grounders and choppers, you can't expect more than maybe a .330 BABIP from him. Just to be simple about it, take away .075 from each of his numbers and you get a more realistic .280/.324/.393. Doing that and stealing a base every other game and playing halfway-competent defense (which is all he's doing) makes you a pretty OK player; a borderline regular. Guerrero looks like he might be more than that, and start to take the job back against most right-handed starters too. 

The Dodgers sent Figgins down and called up Jose Dominguez since they had worked the bullpen a bit harder than they'd like and needed an extra arm short-term. When the bullpen is rested again, and a position player can be brought back in, look for the callup to be Guerrero, not Figgins.

The word on Guerrero is that his defense "looks stiff." I don't really care how it looks; he's making a good number of the plays. Gordon, on the other hand, is not.  He was a terrible shortstop and now he is a bad second baseman. He's made a couple tough plays but on the other hand he's botched more than a couple easy ones. Net-Net, he's not doing that well in the field compared to other major-league second basemen. Guerrero shouldn't need to be perfect to get the job, he should just need to be the best option. Right now (or really in a week or two from right now if he keeps it up) it looks to me like he should at least get a chance at the major league level to show that he is.

The other farmhand demanding attention is Joc Pederson, who after 19 games in AAA at age-22, is slashing .417/.522/.736 with six steals. Joc's case for immediate promotion is much harder to make. In his case, a promotion does start the arbitration clock, plus there is no real place for him to play even though Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford are both off to lousy starts, and Matt Kemp and Yasiel Puig are off to mediocre starts. If Ned could work a trade of an outfielder for a catcher, say Nick Hundley, that might be what it takes for Joc to get a chance.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Dodgers Digest

Attempting to project Alex Guerrero's statisitics for his rookie season

It is notoriously difficult to translate performance in the Cuban league to the major leagues. The competition level is similar to A-ball in the minors. There's only about a dozen people who have any kind of record in both places, so that's not much to go on.

Nevertheless, some have made now their best attempt to guess at what our own Alex Guerrero might offer in 2014.

In the field, people expect him to be maybe average at second baseman once he gets used to it. On the bases, he might be about average as well, or a little below. He was signed for his bat though, so let's look at that.

His last few years in Cuba he was hitting something like .310/.400/.600, with a 14 percent walk- and strikeout rate. That sounds good, but it might only be equivalent to .225/.285/.400 (according to the foremost Cuba stats guy, Clay Davenport)

Some have taken a stab at projecting his 2014 hitting line, and they mostly see him doing better than that in the batting average department.

Projector	AVG / OBP / SLG	BB% / K% / ISO
ZiPS	.259/.324/.386	8 / 14 / .128
Steamer	.250/.309 /.418	7 / 16 / .168
Davenport	.215 /.277 /.389	8 / 28 / .174
Pecota	.240 /.298 /.405	? / ??  / .165
My Own Crazy Ideas	.256/.316/.421	8 / 18 / .165

I don't have the Pecota details, but to get to that line, it'd have to be around an 8 percent walk rate and 25-26 percent strikeout rate.

My crazy ideas are based roughly on the idea of treating Cuba stats like A-ball, but also based on translating traditional scouting reports into Major League performance. If a guy has a 45 hit tool and 55 power tool, that's pretty much the line I'm giving you since 50 is average by definition. And that's what they say he has.

These five projections are not saying terribly different things. He looks to be about an average hitter, and if he's capable of playing something close to a major-league average second base, that's really good. His hitting projection is not average for a second baseman, it's average for all hitters. That makes him a solid regular approximately worth his salary ($28 million / 4 years = $7M AAV). This winter, free agents expected to give about that level of performance (call it ~2 Wins Above Replacement) got right around that same dollar figure give or take. That's guys like David Murphy at $6M, James Loney at $7M, Chris Young at $7.25M and Marlon Byrd at $8M.

And critically, it's a comparable or higher level of performance than can be expected from Mark Ellis next year, so the Dodgers are likely to have improved their team overall and paid a fair price to do it.

Where have all the Dodgers' prospects gone?

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I cover prospects religiously. Normally by this time, I've already posted my Top 50 prospects list here and any subsequent material.

Well, now that I'm writing primarily at Dodgers Digest, that's where my prospect coverage is. I just finished up my Top 50 scouting reports, and I have some more prospect content coming before spring training begins.

Head over to Dodgers Digest to check it out. Let me know what you think about the list, the write-ups, etc., on here, on Twitter or via email. I'd say let me know on the Dodgers Digest comments section, but that is a pretty fluid section of the website.

Top 50 List
Prospects 1-10
Prospects 11-20
Prospects 21-30
Prospects 31-40
Prospects 41-50

I should have my "Best Tools" feature up sometime this week. It'll be a little more in-depth (candidates, short write-ups) than what I used to do (tacked onto the end, Baseball America style).

Graphic credit: EephusBlue, Paint the Corners

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 66 - HOF, Puig, Tanaka, Stripling interview

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) and I talk Hall of Fame (unfortunately), Alex Rodriguez (thanks, Jared) and, oh yeah, the Dodgers.

Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas were inducted to the Hall of Fame: good. Craig Biggio and Mike Piazza weren't: fail.

Next, Jared forces us to listen to more A-Rod talk. You can probably fast forward for a couple minutes if you want to avoid it.

We neglected to talk about Yasiel Puig's arrest not because we were condoning his actions or trying to give him a pass, but simply because we forgot.

Masahiro Tanaka and Clayton Kershaw were hot topics, and both could be long- and longer-term Dodgers in the not-too-distant-near-future.

Jared went to the Winter Development Program at Dodger Stadium and caught up with real friend of the show Ross Stripling. This is kid great.

Episode dedications
Jared: Yasiel Puig
Dustin: Norihiro Nakamura

Finally, we close with Q&A. The questions were good and plentiful. We love it, even if we couldn't understand a few of them.

We'll probably continue to record every other week, or as news warrants (Tanaka signs), during the winter.

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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

Seth Rosin's chances of remaining with Dodgers better than some expect

When the Dodgers acquired right-hander Seth Rosin from the Mets, following New York selecting him in the 2013 Rule 5 Draft, not much was made about it at the time.

Rosin, 25, has never pitched above Double-A, and was just mediocre at the level in 2013 (4.33 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, 6.8 K/9). But that was as a starting pitcher. He'll shift back to the bullpen, where he has spent a majority of his minor-league innings.

At 6'6, 250 pounds, it's hard to miss him on the field. With a low-90s fastball that touches 94 MPH, he has the velocity to succeed in the majors. He also seems to have the command to do so. His career walks per nine innings rate is 2.7. Sure, it'd probably tick up a bit in the majors, but he's adept at throwing strikes.

If Rosin were able to miss more bats consistently, he could find himself in a Major League bullpen. To make the Dodgers' bullpen, a lot of things are going to have to go in his favor.

Dodger relievers with MLB deals
J.P. Howell
Kenley Jansen
Brandon League
Chris Perez
Brian Wilson
Jamey Wright

Dodger relievers with MiLB options
Jose Dominguez
Paco Rodriguez
Chris Withrow

Barring anything unforeseen, all six of the pitchers from the first list are going to make the team in some fashion. The only conceivable way one doesn't is if League is designated for assignment.

Of the three on the second list, Rodriguez is a sure bet to be in the Dodgers' bullpen come opening day. If he weren't, that means Howell would be the team's only left-handed reliever.

Eric Stephen wrote a piece about Rosin earlier this week. He got an interesting quote from General Manager Ned Colletti.

"'I'm very interested in seeing what he can bring. Great arm, very competitive, very sharp,' (Colletti) said. 'He may be a power arm out of the pen, he may be somebody who could pitch multiple innings out of the pen, he could be a spot starter.'"

That versatility is an attractive feature to have, especially to the Dodgers, which lack a true long-reliever right now.

Colletti also had good things to say about him in Bill Plunkett's article on Baseball America on Sunday.

"'We had good reports on him,' (Colletti said). 'He's a big guy with a live arm and he's a smart kid. The day we traded for him, he finished his last final to get his degree from the University of Minnesota.

'That doesn’t speak to the baseball side but it says something about the kid.'"

This probably means absolutely nothing, but the Dodgers' 2013 first-round pick Chris Anderson is from the Minnesota area and second-rounder Tom Windle went to the University of Minnesota. Just interesting to note.

Rosin was invited to the Dodgers' Winter Development Program, the Dodgers' annual symposium-type even for prospects and young players close to the majors. If the Dodgers didn't really think Rosin had a chance to make the club, he would not have been invited.

As a Rule 5 draftee, Rosin would have to be on the active roster when the seasons start -- either on the 25-man roster or on the disabled list. If the Dodgers do not retain him, he'd be placed on waivers for any team to claim. If he goes unclaimed, he'd have to be offered back to the Phillies for $25,000. If they refuse, the Dodgers could then send him to the minor leagues. The Dodgers could also negotiate a trade with Philadelphia to keep him around. I don't see him making it that far. If he throws well in spring, the Dodgers could find a way to keep him. If he is waived, he'd surely be claimed.

As a flyball pitcher, his profile fits well in Dodger Stadium. I put a 70 percent chance he'd be cut to make room on the 40-man roster. After hearing the good things about him from the Dodgers, I'm not so certain.

A team can never have too much pitching. That adage usually holds true, unless one of those pitchers is a Rule 5 draftee.

It's a tough road ahead for Rosin, but he has a better chance of remaining in Los Angeles than it may seem. I'll say this: I'd take Rosin over league in a heartbeat.

Photo credit: woolenium, Flickr

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 65 - Hall of Fame, Mattingly, prospects

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) and I ring in the new year with fresh Dodger content.

First, we touch on today's Hall of Fame results by revealing out hypothetical ballots. Jared was unusually excited about his.

The Dodgers and Don Mattingly finally agreed to a contract extension. It's reportedly a 2-year extension, with the first year of the deal beginning in 2014. Basically, the contract option that vested after last season was torn up and replaced with a new deal. I like the deal, Jared is "so-so" on it.

The Dodgers announced stadium upgrades, which Jared details.

They also announced the signing of five more international prospects, four of whom have somewhat difficult names to pronounce.

Jared is attending the Dodgers' Winter Development Program today, and he hopes to get some good audio of some of the Dodger prospects in preparation for spring training.

Episode dedications
Jared: Jose Parra
Dustin: 1965 world-champion Dodgers

Finally, we close with Q&A. The questions were light this week, but we'll chock it up to a holiday hangover.

We'll probably continue to record every other week, or as news warrants, during the winter.

Libsyn link
Direct link
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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

Grading the Dodgers' five most recent international signees, in a fun way

The Dodgers announced on Tuesday the signing of five international prospects. I'm here to grade the signings.

No, I'm not grading them on the strength of their baseball talents -- I've never heard of any of these guys before Tuesday. I'm grading them on the strength of their names.

We can easily say there's no "80" name here like Pratt Maynard or Osiris Ramirez, but there are a couple of plus-plus names.

Shakir Albert, 16, outfielder, Curacao

Grade (present/future): 70/70

- Albert would have graded higher if he had a, shall we say, better last name tool. It starts off so strongly with "Shakir," but it falls off a bit with "Albert." He's reached his maximum potential, but his floor is much higher than everyone else's.

Hendrik Clementina, 16, catcher, Curacao

Grade (present/future): 65/70

- Clementina gave Albert a run for his money, but comes up just a tad short. The hockey-style first name grades out as "plus," but don't sleep on the last name -- it's a bit underrated.

Julio Lugo, 16, outfielder, Dominican Republic

Grade (present/future): 50/55

- Lugo is hurt by the fact there's already been a Julio Lugo in the majors. That isn't the younger Lugo's fault, just unfortunate for him. Now, if a middle name or suffix emerges, that could boost his grade.

Gersel Pitre, 17, catcher, Venezuela

Grade (present/future): 65/70

- File this under combinations of letters I have never seen. I read "Pitre" as "Petrie," the last name of former Sacramento Kings' general manager Geoff Petrie. It's probably wrong, but that's what I'm going with. Gersel is quite the unique first name. He definitely challenges Albert for highest grade of this quintet, and has the upside of Albert's name.

Misja Harcksen, 18, right-handed pitcher, Netherlands

Grade (present/future): 65/75

- I don't even know where to begin here. Both names are fantastic on their own, but together they lack a little projection. Still, Harcksen can thrive with his last name alone. I might be underrating the name a bit at present, but it has the most upside of any on this list.

Here's a video of Harcksen throwing in a bullpen.


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I'm not sure what to make of these guys, really. I just thought this would be a fun take on looking at some international prospects the Dodgers signed. I wouldn't expect to hear much from these guys next season, but when you see a unique name pop up in a box score, you can say, "Oh yeah!" (but not like the Kool-Aid Man).

Dodgers invite top prospects to 7th annual Winter Development Program

As they've done for seven straight years, the Dodgers are holding their Winter Development Program at Dodger Stadium, beginning Sunday.

The main goals of the program are to help Dodger minor-leaguers not only prepare for the majors, but also to prepare themselves for the off-the-field aspect of being a Major League Baseball player.

From the Dodgers' official press release:

"Fifteen of the club’s top minor league prospects will be in Los Angeles for the event, which includes seminars with Dodger staffers and workouts that focus on fundamentals, strength training and conditioning. Throughout the week, Dodger prospects will familiarize themselves with the greater Los Angeles area through social events and a community service visit to A Place Called Home, a youth center in South Los Angeles. The program is highlighted by sessions with Don Mattingly, Tommy Lasorda, Don Newcombe, Maury Wills, Eric Karros, Shawn Green, Stan Kasten and Ned Colletti and the annual Legends Dinner with Dodger alumni."

The attendees are as follows:

Pedro Baez
Chili Buss
Jose Dominguez
Yimi Garcia
Zach Lee
Matt Magill
Jarret Martin
Pratt Maynard
Chris O'Brien
Joc Pederson
Chris Reed
Miguel Rojas
Seth Rosin
Scott Schebler
Ross Stripling

Lee, Magill, Pederson and Reed all attended the 2013 Winter Development Program.

Baez, Garcia and Martin were added to the 40-man roster in November, so they were locks to be there. Lee and Schebeler were the Dodgers (and my) minor-league pitcher and player of the year, respectively.

Rosin was acquired from the Mets after they selected him from the Phillies in December's Rule 5 Draft. Stripling is the best prospect of the first-timers.

Magill threw a handful of games with the Dodgers, while Dominguez pitched briefly with them last season before suffering a quad injury. Buss had the smallest cup of coffee of any of the minor-leaguers invited to the program.

O'Brien

The two catchers -- Maynard and O'Brien -- both played in the Arizona Fall League (as did Garcia and Martin).

The most interesting -- and I use that term loosely -- is the inclusion of Rojas. General Manager Ned Colletti mentioned Rojas by name in a radio interview a couple weeks ago as someone who could be in the second base mix if Alexander Guerrero isn't ready to go. I blew off the thought, as did others. But the invitation to the program leads me to believe there's at least been some talk about him either being a utility infielder or the team's second baseman come March in Australia.

The Dodgers are really doing this just to spite me. I still maintain there's no way Rojas is on the Dodgers' roster come opening day. His glove may be really good (though, it probably isn't even a 65 or 70), but one has to at least hit a little to be a major leaguer. Rojas has displayed minimal ability to hit at the minor-league level. If I can say something nice about his offense, it's the fact he's walks a little (7.6 percent) and doesn't strikeout a whole lot (11.4 percent).

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 64 - Uribe, Howell, scouts, top prospects

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) and I recap the uneventful Winter Meetings and other happenings in Dodger land.

The Dodgers didn't do anything at the meetings, but they re-signed Juan Uribe and J.P. Howell in the last four days -- both of which were solid deals.

The Dodgers also bolsted their scouting department by adding six new scouts, while elevating two guys -- Josh Bard and Aaron Sele -- to professional scouts. Two of the new hires include Peter Bergeron and Ron Mahay.

Jared released his Top 55 prospects list for 2014. I grill him a little, but not as much as I could have. Joc Pederson tops his list. I'll be releasing my Top 50 prospects in January.

Episode dedications
Jared and Dustin: Paul Lo Duca

As usual, we close with Q&A. They were a little lighter than in episodes past, but it's the holiday season after all.

We'll probably continue to record every other week, or as news warrants, during the winter.

Libsyn link
Direct link
iTunes link

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

Winter Meetings Day 3 - Kemp not going anywhere, Rule 5 Draft preview

Not a damn thing happened today for the Dodgers during the last full day of the Winter Meetings.

Sure, Dave Stewart may or may not have shat the bed by telling reporters Ned Colletti told him there are no plans to trade Matt Kemp (thank God), but that was really it.

• Juan Uribe didn't sign anywhere
• The Dodgers didn't trade for David Price (though, I'm starting to talk myself into it -- more on that tomorrow)
• Masahiro Tanaka still hasn't been posted
• Andre Ethier is still a Dodger

Yeah, basically nothing. It isn't bad news, but I really want something to happen soon (but not just for the sake of happening).

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The Rule 5 Draft is Thursday, and the Dodgers have five free roster spots. However, they're not really expected to choose anyone.

A primer: If a team chooses a player during the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, said player must remain on the active roster for the entire season. There is also a $50,000 price tag on selecting a player. If the player wants to be sent to the minor leagues, the drafting team must first offer the player back to the original team for half of the original fee ($25,000).

J.J. Cooper of Baseball America previewed some of the available players. He singled out Hector Nelo from the Dodgers. Nelo was chosen in the minor-league phase of the Rule 5 last year. He pitched at Double-A in 2013 and posted a 2.67 ERA, 3.56 FIP and a 7.4 K/9. He re-signed with the Dodgers after the season and was not protected on the 40-man roster.

Nelo possesses a near-100 MPH fastball, but controlling the pitch has been a big issue for the 26-year-old righty. If not, he'd have been in the majors a long time ago.

The Dodgers hold the 25th pick, and most teams decline to select a player. This draft goes fast.

A lot of relievers are chosen in the Rule 5. Jose Dominguez was left unprotected last year, but no team took him. He had a 25-game suspension looming and not a lot of experience. The Dodgers could go that route, but I'm not expecting it.

More likely, the Dodgers take a player or two in the minor-league phase, as they did last year. And since they protected Pedro Baez, Yimi Garcia and Jarret Martin, there's not much chance they lose a player in the Major League phase. If anyone gets popped, it'll be Red Patterson.

Photo credit: SD Dirk, Flickr

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 63 - Haren, Kemp/Ethier rumors, prospects

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (Dodger Diamond) and I drone on endlessly about rumors... for 88 minutes.

The Hot Stove might literally be on fire, as baseball saw a myriad of moves on Tuesday -- none of which were made by the Dodgers. They're just lying in wait.

News did break of Brian Wilson's potential re-signing with the Dodgers. We both like it.

Matt Kemp's name keeps coming up in trade rumors -- most prominently with the Mariners. We discuss some potential trade scenarios, though, neither of us want the Dodgers to move Kemp. Andre Ethier trade scenarios are also discussed.

Dan Haren signed with the Dodgers since we last record, something I wanted to happen and something we both liked.

Ronald Belisario was non-tendered, something I wanted to happen while Jared seemed a little hesitant to get on board with.

Baseball America released its Top 10 Dodger prospects for 2014, and we talk at length about the rankings.

Episode dedications
Jared: Angel Pena
Dustin: Jon Meloan

As usual, we close with Q&A. We had a ton of them, which we really appreciate.

We'll probably continue to record every other week, or as news warrants, during the winter.

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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

Analyzing Baseball America's Dodgers' Top 10 prospects list for 2014

Baseball America is in full prospect-ranking season, and the Dodgers' Top 10 list officially drops online Monday.

However, the print publication (yes, print media still exist) came out on Tuesday to give us an early look at the list.

Big thanks to silverwidow99 for making the list public.

1. OF Joc Pederson

2. SS Corey Seager

3. LHP Julio Urias

4. RHP Zach Lee

5. RHP Chris Anderson

6. RHP Chris Withrow

7. 2B Alexander Guerrero

8. LHP Chris Reed

9. LHP Onelki Garcia

10. RHP Ross Stripling

I had originally planned to write a quick piece predicting the list, but I waited to long.

After a strong 2013 and winter ball season, Pederson lands at No. 1 -- and I like it. He's now established as a Top 50 prospect, and probably closer to Top 30.

Seager has the most potential of anyone on this list, especially if he's able to stick at shortstop (which he probably won't).

Yes, even more potential than Urias, but that's no knock on the 17-year-old. He was great in his professional debut.

Baseball America doesn't factor in service time into its prospect status, hence the inclusion of Withrow.

No. 8-10 are pretty interchangeable, although, I think Stripling deserves to be a bit higher.

The only ranking I question is Guerrero at No. 7. I get it, BA isn't particularly high on Guerrero. But one would think a potentially plus bat at a traditionally glove-first position has to be a Top 5 ranking in this system. Remember, they ranked Hyun-Jin Ryu at No. 1 heading into 2013, so they aren't averse to ranking older, international prospects high on their lists.

The ranking says a little about Guerrero and more about BA's intel, which is usually pretty good. I have a better feeling about Guerrero's future and am inclined to trust the Dodgers' scouting department (and yes, my opinion is obviously biased). After all, they've hit on their last three big international signings -- Hiroki Kuroda, Yasiel Puig and Ryu.

The Dodgers' system is pretty top-heavy, as evidenced by this list. I'm shooting for sometime in the next six weeks to unveil my Top 50 Dodger prospects. Admittedly, I'm waiting to see how the Masahiro Tanaka situation plays out. If he gets posted and the Dodgers sign him, he's the clear No. 1 prospect in the system.

We'll see what happens.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue