The Dodgers have no switch-hitters for the first time since 1986

I was looking at the Dodgers' Opening Day lineup and noticed there were no switch-hitters in it. Then I looked at the roster and didn't see any. That got me thinking: when was the last time the Dodgers...

a) had no switch-hitters start Opening Day?
and
b) had no switch-hitters on the roster, period?

The answer to a) is 1996. The answer to b) is 1986 (courtesy of Baseball-Reference).

The only switch-hitter on the 2012 Dodgers' 25-man roster is Mike MacDougal. But does that really count? Barely, I suppose.

In recent years, the switch-hitting role has been filled by Rafael Furcal (right). Before him (pre-2006), guys like Jose Cruz, Jose Valentin and Milton Bradley filled that role. The Dodgers had a glut of switch-hitters.

We get back to the early part of the century and guys like Cesar Izturis, Todd Hundley and Chad Kreuter were the some of the switch-hitters. Devon White, Jose Vizcaino and Wilton Guerrero (Corky!) filled the role in the late 1990s.

We come to 1996. The Dodgers opened the season in the Astrodome against the Houston Astros. Ramon Martinez was on the bump for the Dodgers taking on Shane Reynolds. The Dodgers' starting lineup looked like this:

Delino DeShields 2B
Brett Butler CF
Mike Piazza C
Eric Karros 1B
Raul Mondesi RF
Mike Blowers 3B
Todd Hollandsworth LF
Greg Gagne SS
Martinez P

Roger Cedeno, Chad Fonville and Guerrero were the only switch-hitters on the club the entire season, and Guerrero wasn't on the team until September.

Fonville pinch-ran for DeShields in the sixth ining and Cedeno, a 21-year-old top prospect at the time, came in as part of a double-switch in the seventh inning.

That kept the streak of switch-hitters playing for the Dodgers alive. You then have to go all the way back to 1986 to find the Dodgers a switch-hitterless team.

I just thought it was an interesting tidbit.

Will the Dodgers have any switch-hitters this season? That remains to be seen.

Gorman Erickson (right) is the Dodger closest switch-hitting prospect to the majors, but he's not the closest player to the majors.

Fellow catcher Josh Bard is playing for the Isotopes and could see time if there are significant injuries. Infielder Elian Herrera, who had all of six at-bats this spring, is also with the 'Topes.

Infielder Lance Zawadzki is another switch-hitter and got 15 at-bats in Spring Training, but he's not even on a Dodger minor-league roster.

So, unless there's a trade acquisition, it's going to take some doing for a "real" switch-hitter to crack the Dodgers' roster this season.

Photo credits
Furcal: SD Dirk, Flickr
Erickson: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Former Dodgers in the World Series

As I watching Game 4 of the World Series between the Cardinals and Rangers, I can't help but notice the number of key players on each team who used to be Dodgers.

Cardinals
Octavio Dotel (does he really count?)
Rafael Furcal
Edwin Jackson
Ryan Theriot (same as Dotel)

Rangers
Adrian Beltre

OK, so Dotel and Theriot were barely Dodgers and aren't doing much in the Series. However, Furcal, Jackson and Beltre are all key components for each team.

Furcal is the Cardinals' leadoff man and, much like he was with the Dodgers -- or was supposed to be -- he's the catalyst of the squad. But with a 3-4-5 of Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, Furcal doesn't have to be on base all the time for the Cardinals to be successful.

Jackson is the key guy the Cardinals acquired in the Colby Rasmus trade. He was solid after the trade, despite a 10.5 H/9 rate. It's probably my Dodger bias, but I'd like to see him back in L.A., as he's a free agent after the season (only if Hiroki Kuroda decides to retire or go back to Japan). Jackson's postseason hasn't been stellar and he doesn't get the most out of his stuff, but he's still a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Beltre is quite possibly the best third baseman in the game -- defensively. Like he was with the Dodgers, he's a vacuum at the hot corner and has one of the best arms in the game at the position. He also followed up last season's impressive offensive output -- .321/.365/.553, 28 HR, 102 RBI, 49 2B, 5.5 bWAR, 7.0 fWAR -- with another impressive season: .296/.331/.561, 32 HR, 105 RBI, 3.9 bWAR, 5.7 fWAR. He's hitting .467 in the World Series.

I honestly don't care which team wins this series. Beltre was always one of my favorite Dodgers and Jackson was traded when his value was virtually nothing. Furcal had a nice career with the Dodgers, despite the injuries. It'd just be nice to write a World Series post involving current Dodgers. Unfortunately, that is more of a pipe dream at this juncture.

Furcal officially going to Cardinals for Double-A outfielder

The Cardinals have sent Double-A outfielder Alex Castellanos to the Dodgers for Furcal and cash today. The deal saves the Dodgers roughly $1.4 million this season.

Castellanos has some nice numbers in the Texas League this season -- .319/.379/.562 with 19 home runs, 62 RBI, 21 2B and 72 runs scored. However, he's playing above his talent level this season.

Here's a brief scouting report from Jim Callis of Baseball America:

"Castellanos was having a career year in Double-A (he ranks eighth in the Texas League in hitting, fifth in homers and fourth in runs scored), but he'll turn 25 on Thursday and his tools don't live up to his performance. He has some pop but he has a long swing and chases too many pitches out of the strike zone. His speed and defensive tools are fringy, and the former Belmont Abbey (N.C.) second baseman fits best in right field. Despite his 2011 numbers, he doesn't have the bat to profile as a big league regular there. He signed for $70,000 as a 10th-round pick in 2008."

So, not a lot to get excited about. Not only from the report but also because the Dodgers have a glut of minor league outfield prospects: Jerry Sands, Trayvon Robinson, Scott Van Slyke, Alfredo Silverio, Brian Cavazos-Galvez, Angelo Songco, Blake Smith, Jonathan Garcia, James Baldwin, Scott Schebler, Joc Pederson and Noel Cuevas. All these guys have more upside than Castellanos and despite glaring holes at third base and catcher, Ned Colletti went and got himself another outfielder.

I understand we don't know how the negotiations went, but why in the world did the Dodgers need another OF? There are guys who should have been promoted a month ago who can't because of the logjam. Hopefully this is the last trade Colletti makes as the Dodgers' general manager.

#####

I was surprised at some of the negative reaction about Hiroki Kuroda not waiving his no-trade clause.

Yes, trading him would have likely brought back a quality prospect. But how can one be mad at a guy for exercising his right to stay? I understand being disappointed -- I was. But mad? I just don't get it.

Hiroki Kuroda intends to stay with Dodgers

Hiroki Kuroda announced today (reported by Dylan Hernandez) he isn't likely to waive his no-trade clause before tomorrow's 1 p.m. deadline.

I like the fact Kuroda is loyal and wants to stay with the Dodgers. There isn't enough of that these days in sports. However, with the likelihood of him re-signing with the Dodgers in the off-season, he missed an opportunity to potentially improve them team for 2012.

Kuroda is a Type-B free agent and if he was to be traded, the acquiring team would be eligible for a supplemental first-round pick by offering him arbitration after the season. That only increased his trade value. Not only that, the Dodgers could have acquired a significant piece for the future.

It's hard to be mad at Kuroda for not wanting to waive his no-trade clause. So I'm not. I'm mad at Ned Colletti for giving him that no-trade clause (he also gave one to Ted Lilly). But that's far from the worst thing he's ever done.

Kuroda was the Dodgers' best chance to salvage anything at this trade deadline. With Rafael Furcal headed to St. Louis by tomorrow, the Dodgers don't appear to be shopping anyone else, which is a mistake.

Jamey Carroll, who isn't a Type-B free agent, could bring back anything in trade and it'd be a good thing. Yet, the Dodgers are unwilling to trade him after agreeing to trade Furcal.

Andre Ethier should have been made available, especially after seeing what Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence brought in return. But Colletti never gave any indication he was available.

It's too bad Hong-Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton have been bad and hurt all season. Those two could have brought some decent pieces in return. Then again, if they were healthy, the Dodgers would be in better shape (record-wise), so who knows about that?

I had visions of the Yankees caving and dealing Jesus Montero straight-up for Kuroda just so the Red Sox wouldn't get him. Then I had visions of the Red Sox dealing Will Middlebrooks and Ryan Lavarnway so the Yankees wouldn't have a bonafide No. 2 starter behind CC Sabathia. While those scenarios were highly unlikely, at least the chance existed. Now, there's no chance.

We'll see if the Dodgers do anything else in the next 21 hours. I'm betting they won't.

Report: Furcal going to Cardinals

Twitter is ablaze with the news of Rafael Furcal going to the Cardinals. There's no word on who the Dodgers will get in return, but they'll have to send money in the deal to account for some of the $3.9 million left on his contract for this season.

Best of all, this means Dee Gordon will subsequently be recalled and start at shortstop for the rest of the season.

A couple of guys who would be good returns are 3B Matt Carpenter and C Bryan Anderson (local product). The Dodgers have massive holes at those positions and both are not top prospects by any means.

This also likely means Jamey Carroll is likely to stay (for some reason). If he does stay, the Dodgers need to play him enough to have the possibility of him reaching Type-B free agent status. As it is right now, he's on the cusp of it, but will need more playing time in order to reach it.

This post will be updated when the trade is official and we know who's coming to Los Angeles.

Rafael Furcal drawing interest on trade market

Dodgers' shortstop Rafael Furcal is drawing interest from the Brewers and the Giants. Ken Rosenthal reported the Brewers are doing "background work" on Furcal.

Rosenthal also reported Furcal is owed roughly $4 million for the rest of the season and the Dodgers would include "significant" money to get a deal done.

One thing that bothers me, though, is the fact that the Dodgers will only trade Furcal or Jamey Carroll -- not both. This makes zero sense.

Carroll's signing has been unsung, but he has no value to a team that's currently 13 games out of first place. If the Dodgers can get anything of value from a guy who is a free agent next year and a borderline Type-B free agent, they need to do it. There's no guarantee that he'll re-sign in Los Angeles or that he'll earn that Type-B status.

Furcal is often injured and has a 2012 club option that will not be exercised. He's also on the border of being a Type-B free agent, but it'd be shocking if he made the cut.

Not only that, but the Dodgers have two guys ready to come up and take their spots. Dee Gordon would slide right in at shortstop and Ivan DeJesus would take over second base duties because Juan Uribe has been downright awful, as we all expected. Not to mention Aaron Miles, who is drawing no interest on the trade market -- he'd get a lot of playing time at second and third, too.

The Brewers would be an ideal landing spot for both Carroll and Furcal. With Rickie Weeks going on the disabled list, there is a glaring need at 2B for the short term. Coupled with the fact that Yuniesky Betancourt is the worst shortstop in baseball and Casey McGehee has regressed mightily this season and there's no better fit for Carroll and Furcal.

If the Brewers acquire both, Carroll takes some time at 3B and 2B, Furcal starts at SS and Beatancourt and McGehee are relegated to part-time duty.

I looked at the Brewers' blog, Brewer Fan, which has an often-updated Top 50. Now, the Milwaukee system is depleted from trades in recent years (CC Sabathia, Zack Greinke) and was ranked as the worst in baseball by Baseball America. That's not to say there isn't talent o be had.

Three guys who stood out when I looked were RHP Austin Ross, 3B Taylor Green and 1B Hunter Morris. If the Dodgers could get two of the three for Furcal and Carroll, that'd be a nice get. Milwaukee doesn't have much in the way of catching prospects, but Green could see some time in the Majors in September.

And without fail, as I'm writing this, the Brewers just acquired Felipe Lopez from the Rays.

This might make things easier for the Dodgers, if they don't want to trade both. Perhaps the Brewers would be interested in just Furcal, while the Indians could sweep in and snag Carroll. We'll see what happens.

One thing is for sure: one of the two middle infielders will not be Dodgers in 48 1/2 hours. It just remains to be seen which one is dealt.

Trade Deadline looms with lots of interest in Kuroda, others

We're one week away from the Trade Deadline and Hiroki Kuroda is one of the hottest commodities available.

As many as six teams have reportedly called the Dodgers about him: Diamondbacks, Indians, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers and Yankees.

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweeted earlier the Indians are increasingly interested in the right-hander's services.

"#Indians have talked to Dodgers about Kuroda. Don't know if it has reached stage where Kuroda has been asked to lift no-trade."

On Tuesday, I looked at what the Dodgers might be able to get for two months of Kuroda. The Indians' deal included Jason Kipnis, whom the Tribe just recalled from Triple-A. He's an offensive-minded 2B and fills a need in Cleveland right now. I'm not sure the Indians would be willing to include him in a Kuroda deal (or a Kuroda/Carroll deal).

The Red Sox are "keeping tabs" on Kuroda, while the Rangers had an observer at Friday night's game.

Danny Knobler of CBS said the Brewers are a team to add to the interested list.

"Dodgers think Kuroda may agree to go somewhere for 2 months, but if he pitches in US in '12, would be in LA. DET, MIL, others interested."

The most interesting part is he said he thinks if Kuroda plays state-side in 2012, it'd be in Los Angeles. This could end up being the best of both worlds for the Dodgers. They acquire some young talent in exchange for Kuroda and Kuroda re-ups in L.A. in the winter. It makes too much sense not to happen.

We'll see what happens, but it's looking more and more like Kuroda will get dealt, as long as it's where he wants to go.

Speaking of the Brewers, they are the team that's been most interested in Jamey Carroll. Carrol, a free agent after the season, signed a two year deal before last season. I was not a fan of the deal when it first went down, but it's actually been a great signing. The Dodgers could hope to get a C-level prospect in return for Carroll. Just someone -- anyone -- with any upside would be fine in my books.

Rafael Furcal could draw some interest in the next week, as the shortstop market is wafer-thin. Despite his injury concerns and struggles this season (.176/.240/.218), teams could still be interested in him.

A trio of NL Central teams could be in on him: Brewers, Cardinals, Reds. The Brewers probably wouldn't acquire both he and Carroll, while the Cardinals would prefer to move former Cub and Dodger Ryan Theroit to second base. The Reds would just like to replace the lackluster combo of Paul Janish and Edgar Renteria.

Jim Bowden of ESPN said Furcal still has the bat speed and teams are hoping he can get on track for a playoff run.

At least GM Ned Colletti finally came to the realization the Dodgers are sellers and certainly not buyers.

2011 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Preview: Middle Infield

In the sixth of a nine-part series, I preview the Dodgers' middle infield for the 2011 season.

Second Base

Juan Uribe
- If you've read this blog at all, you know my thoughts on the Uribe signing (it was horrible!). I could have stomached a 1- or 2-year deal at maybe $5 million per season, but GM Ned Colletti was really careless with this contract. Anyway... Uribe had two big postseason hits which helped him to land this deal and will be the Dodgers' every day second baseman. He brings pop and solid defense, but not much else. One of his best seasons (2008) came as a part-time player. There's a reason for that: he's just a part-time player. Unfortunately, we'll have to see this guy at second base for the next nearly 500 games (sounds scary, no?).

Backups: Jamey Carroll, Ivan DeJesus, Aaron Miles

Shortstop

Rafael Furcal
- This is the wild card. As goes Furcal, so goes the Dodgers. It's been that way since he was signed in 2006. If he's healthy, he will perform. If he isn't, he won't and he'll be no better than a replacement player. He had a 4.1 WAR last season in 97 games. If Furcal had kept up that pace, he would have been a 6.5+ WAR player -- putting him in such company with Evan Longoria, Matt Holliday and Carl Crawford. Furcal did steal his most bases in a season (22) since 2007 (25), so that is reason to be optimistic. If he's healthy, he will be the key to the Dodgers' attack.

Backups: Carroll, Juan Castro, Miles, Justin Sellers, Uribe

The backups have been profiled in my preview of the Dodgers' bench.

Analysis

Furcal's health is of the utmost importance. He and Uribe should make for a nice double play combination. I'm not expecting much from Uribe -- and my hatred of all things Giants plays into that. It doesn't change the fact that he's a career .300 OBP player and had no business getting the type of contract he did. But the Dodgers are stuck with him for the next three seasons, so there isn't much sense in belaboring the point any further. The duo should provide the Dodgers with at least league-average offense, as well as above-average defense. If Furcal plays 130 games and Uribe doesn't perform under his career averages, the offense from the middle infield would be acceptable.

Next up: Left Field

2011 Los Angeles Dodgers Season Preview: Corner Infield

In the fifth of a nine-part series, I preview the Dodgers' corner infielders for 2011.

Questions about guys reaching expectations and age lead this preview.

First Base

James Loney
- I'll make no bones about it: I'm a Loney fan. I love what he does with the glove and his potential at the plate. However, this is a make-or-break season for Loney. His performance this season will determine whether he remains a Dodger, is traded or is non-tendered next winter. Loney is coming off the worst season of his career, thanks to a dreadful second-half slump (.211/.285/.331). The sad thing is, Loney's first half was quite promising, as he had an .803 OPS at the break. Much like almost every other Dodger hitter, Loney fell flat on his face after the break. If he doesn't have a breakout season, the Dodgers could consider other options for first base come 2012.

Loney's batting average on balls in play has been relatively consistent with the league average for the last three years, so his 2010 slump wasn't the product of bad luck -- he just didn't perform.

(Click to enlarge)

Backups: Blake, Jay Gibbons, Marcus Thames

Third Base

Casey Blake
- Blake surprised many by being as valuable as he was in 2009, posting an .832 OPS and 4.6 WAR. However, things went terribly wrong for him at the plate in 2010, posting a .727 OPS and a 27.1 percent strikeout rate (up from 23.9 in 2009). He has plated surprisingly good defense in his time as a Dodger, but that isn't guaranteed to continue. He is in the final year of his contract ($1.25 million buyout for 2012), and the quicker he can be pushed into a utility role, the better. Failing to sign a left-handed counterpart for him could come back to hurt the Dodgers come midseason when Blake will likely being showing his age. As of now, there is no acceptable platoon partner for Blake with the Dodgers.

Backups: Aaron Miles, Russ Mitchell

Analysis

Loney is a personal favorite of mine and I want to see him succeed. He gets a lot of crap from some, but he hasn't been nearly as bad as some have made him out to be. The Dodgers know what kind of player he is and it's their fault for not bringing in players to counter. Then when the offense struggles, people need someone to blame. Loney did have a horrific second half, but I'm willing to bet he performs closer to his first-half numbers than his second-half numbers in 2011. Blake is an aging vet who is about ready to slide into a utility role. There's just no one to platoon with him. That could change if Blake struggles mightily early in the season.

The Dodgers aren't going to get league-average offensive production from the corners, but the defense should be solid.

Next up: Middle Infield

Rafael Furcal misses MLB Network's Top 10 shortstops

Like most baseball fans, MLB Network has been a Godsend. It isn't perfect, but it certainly isn't ESPN.

I enjoy the series, "Top 10 Right Now," the network is running. While I don't agree with all the rankings, a lot of them are accurate.

I happened to turn on the TV on my day off to find the Top 10 shortstops. I tuned in at No. 4, which was Jose Reyes. I thought he was ranked a bit high but wasn't too up in arms about it.

I was wondering where the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal had placed. When the show recapped numbers 10 through two, Furcal was absent. Guys like Starlin Castro (whom I actually like) and Marcos Scutaro ranked ahead of Furcal.

Let's break this down.

Furcal's Wins Above Replacement (player), a cumulative statistic, mark in 2010 was 4.1. That was good for fourth-best in baseball. Oh yeah: he did it in 97 games!

Shortstop WAR in 2010
(click for larger view)

Now, WAR isn't the be-all, end-all, but it it's a rather significant statistic. By the looks of it, MLB Network got it really wrong in this case.

The show even had a "Just Missed" list that didn't feature Furcal.

I know he isn't the most durable guy, but Furcal is valuable and definitely a Top 10 shortstop right now.

#####

Keith Law recently ranked the 30 farm systems in baseball. The Dodgers checked in at No. 22. He also released his Top 100, which featured three Dodgers: Dee Gordon (70), Zach Lee (91) and Rubby De La Rosa (94). They ranked No. 2, 4 and 5, respectively, on my Dodgers' Top 30 list.

Gordon also checked in on MLB.com's Top 50 list, as ranked by Jonathan Mayo, at No. 44.

Eric Chavez a real possibility for the Dodgers?

Yes, that Eric Chavez. Chavez is the man who has played 154 games in the last four years, combined.

Susan Slusser, who covers the Oakland Athletics for the San Francisco Chronicle, passed along some information on her blog about Chavez's recent workout with the Dodgers.

"I heard from a scout who works for another NL team that the Dodgers were raving about Eric Chavez's tryout today; he swung the bat well and apparently looked healthy after being put through his paces."

and

"...I know that Chavez is really excited about the Dodgers, so I hope that's where he lands."

While the Dodgers haven't come out and said anything formally, they did bring him in for the workout, so there's obviously some interest.

Color me skeptical. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be opposed to a deal because he wouldn't cost a lot of money and would make the Dodgers use Casey Blake in his more effective role: as a part-time/utility player.

However, this is a guy who last played more than 90 games in 2006 (when he played 137).

Chavez was a good hitter in his prime and a great defender, but his last four seasons have been plagued by a multitude of injuries.

His career splits against right-handed pitchers is promising, though.



Still, it's hard to overlook the injuries. Can the Dodgers really expect Chavez to remain healthy, even in a platoon role? We'll see. It's worth the risk to bring him in on a cheap contract, but that also leaves the Dodgers in a quandary.

A few days ago, I predicted and made my case for Justin Sellers to make the team out of Spring Training. Because if Rafael Furcal goes down, Jamey Carroll and Juan Uribe are the only other players on the roster capable of playing shortstop effectively.

So, do the Dodgers bring in the veteran and hope to strike lightning in a bottle, leaving only one true reserve shortstop? Or do they give the young guy a chance and save the money they'd spend on Chavez?

We shall see.

Most surprising Dodger players and prospects

This is the Yin to Monday's Yang. With the Dodgers playing a little better of late and giving us false hope, I present to you my three most surprising Dodger major leaguers and prospects.

MLB Players

LHP Hong-Chih Kuo
- Kuo is as dominant as he's ever been. The Taiwanese lefty has a 0.93 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 11.2 K/9, 3.69 K/BB ratio and an ERA+ of 420 (league-average is 100). He's been especially dominant against left-handed hitters, as he's allowed two hits to them all season. Two! That's good for a .049 average. He's allowed five lefties to reach base in 45 plate appearances. The most surprising part is he's been healthy the entire season. Here's hoping he keeps it up.

SS Rafael Furcal
- After a dismal 2009 in which he played through injury, Furcal has been one of the team's most valuable players. His slash line is .316/.380/.492/.872 -- all career highs (not counting his 36-game 2008 season). However, he has been on the disabled list once and was just placed on the DL again after last night's game. I'm betting Furcal doesn't play a game for the rest of the season.

INF Jamey Carroll
- I was upset at this signing when it first came down, as I didn't think spending nearly $4 million for two years of a utility player was the smartest thing, considering the Dodgers' financial woes. But this signing has been terrific. While he's hitting an empty .276, he has a .3734 OBP and has the highest walk percentage of any Dodger (min. 250 PA) at 13.6 percent. He's played solid defense and has done everything asked of him (even play left field). He'll be getting the bulk of playing time at shortstop for the injured Furcal.

Just missed: Vicente Padilla

Prospects

OF Trayvon Robinson
- After a breakout 2009, Robinson valuted himself into many top 10 Dodger prospect lists, including my own. Some we skeptical that he could continue to improve, especially against advanced competiton (Double-A). So far, Robinson has not disappointed. He has a .312/.409/.456./.856 line with 32 stolen bases. His walk rate is up (from 10 percent to 13.2 percent). His power has gone down, but only a little. He profiles as a solid center fielder. At worse, he's a serviceable fourth outfielder.

RHP (Carl) Allen Webster
- Webster came from out of nowhere last season to establish himself as one of the Dodgers' top RHP prospects. He is proving his 2009 was no fluke. He has a 2.50 ERA and 1.31 WHIP as a 20-year-old in Class-A ball. His K/9 is down from last year (10.1 to 7.9), but that's to be expected. He can still get a strikeout when he needs it. Webster has yet to be promoted, but I wouldn't be shocked if he gets promoted to High-A or Double-A before season's end.

RHP Matt Magill
- Magill is quickly becoming one of my favorite Dodger prospects. He's paired with Webster in the Great Lakes rotation and, like Webster, Magill is just 20 years old. He has a 3.36 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 and a low 6.7 H/9 ratio. If he has a good or great 2011, he could head a Dodger prospect list in 2012. He was in my midseason top 20 and barring a major meltdown or acquisition via trade, Magill is a lock for my top 10.

Just missed: RHP Rubby De La Rosa

Dodger All-Star recap

The National League finally snapped a 13-year winless drought against the American League on Tuesday, defeating the Junior Circuit 3-1.

The Dodgers had four representatives, all of whom had some impact (positive and negative) on the game.

Andre Ethier: He started in right field. He struck out in his first at-bat against Yankees' LHP Andy Pettitte. He singled sharply to right field in his second at-bat against RHP Justin Verlander with a runner on second and one out. The runner was unable to score, though. He was lifted for pinch-hitter Chris Young in the seventh inning against White Sox LHP Matt Thornton. He made one putout in center field.

Hong-Chih Kuo: He started the fifth inning by walking Rays' 3B Evan Longoria after getting ahead 0-2. He then made the game's only error on a comebacker by Twins' catcher Joe Mauer. He grabbed the ball and threw it over Adrian Gonzalez's head, giving the AL runners on second and third with one out. Yankees' 2B Robinson Cano hit a sacrifice fly to give the AL a 1-0 lead. Kuo got Rays' LF Carl Crawford to ground into a fielder's choice, which ended Hunchy's night.

Rafael Furcal: Entered in the sixth inning as a defensive replacement. He walked in the seventh inning in his only plate appearance after Braves' catcher Brian McCann's game-winning 3-run double. He made a nice stretch on the pop fly fielder's choice by Blue Jays' catcher John Buck, which was the second out of the ninth inning.

Jonathan Broxton: He was asked to close the game by the NL. Broxton's first pitch was ripped to right field by Red Sox DH David Ortiz. Broxton prompted to strike out Red Sox 3B Adrian Beltre on four pitches. Then he battled Buck to a full count. Buck swung at ball four and hit a blooper to right field. Cubs' OF Marlon Byrd let the ball drop instead of diving for it, which allowed him to throw out Ortiz at second in perhaps the biggest play of the game (save McCann's double). He then got Rangers' 2B Ian Kinsler to fly out to center field on the first pitch, earning the save.

It was nice to see The Blue represented at the Midsummer Classic. Here's hoping to many more appearances for this quartet and their teammates.

Go Blue!