Three Dodgers' prospects make BA's Top 20 Pioneer League list

Baseball America is in full postseason Top 20 lists, with the publication releasing its Pioneer League Top 20 prospects on Wednesday. To my surprise, the Dodgers landed three players on the list, including two in the Top 10.

Zachary Bird, Jacob Scavuzzo and Scott Barlow all made the list. Bird checked in at No. 7, Scavuzzo at No. 9 and Barlow at No. 20.

Bird

I’m surprised Bird ranked so highly after he had a rough go at it in the Midwest League to begin the season. Bird didn’t fare much better with the demotion, but he did reduce his walk rate and increased his strikeout rate. It’ll be interesting to see if he can do it in full-season ball next year. Luckily, he’s only entering his age-19 season, so there’s still hope for the young hurler.

Scavuzzo might just be the Dodgers’ breakout prospect at the plate. The 19-year-old clubbed 14 home runs and 18 doubles in 266 plate appearances with the Ogden Raptors. Yes, it was in the friendly confines of the Pioneer League, but he showed marked improvement from his debut season in the Arizona League. In fact, his slugging percentage this season (.578) was nearly better than his OPS in the AZL last year (.598). Also, his walk rate improved this season. He didn’t walk in his first 80 plate appearances. He hit .325 and OPS’d 1.013 in that time. Over his final 43 games, he walked 17 times in 186 plate appearances. He stopped hitting as well (.299), but his on-base percentage was a respectable .360. He should be the Loons’ starting center fielder in 2014.

Barlow, who missed the entire 2012 season after recovering from Tommy John surgery, surprisingly cracked the Top 20. I know it isn’t about results in rookie ball, but that 6.20 ERA is quite ugly. Still, the 20-year-old has a bright future. The scouting reports must be favorable for him to be on this list with those numbers. The true test will come next season when he, likely, will head the Loons’ rotation -- unless Julio Urias returns to Great Lakes to begin the season.

-----

The Midwest League Top 20 list drops on Tuesday. The Dodgers have at least two shoo-ins, but could have as many as four prospects in the league’s top 20.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Perfect Game

Ogden Raptors being Pioneer League play, led by Valentin and Valdez

The Ogden Raptors open their 2013 campaign today and the roster is littered with some good, young talent and some 2013 draftees.

In recent years, players like Joc Pederson, O’Koyea Dickson, Corey Seager and Ross Stripling have cut their proverbial teeth in the league.

The Pioneer League is a hitter-friendly league in the rarefied air of Utah. Not many pitchers have success at the level -- especially young pitchers. It will be interesting to see how some of the young guys handle it.

The prospect on the Ogden roster closest to my Top 10 is Jesmuel Valentin (No. 13), who has already played with the Great Lakes Loons this season. The next-closest player is Jesus Valdez (No. 24), who also spent some time with the Loons this season.

2013 Ogden Raptors roster

Catchers

Austin Cowen

Kyle Farmer*

Infielders

Zach Babitt

Jake Chaplin

Faustino Oguisten

Dillon Moyer*

Alex Santana

Brandon Trinkwon*

Jesus Valdez

Jesmuel Valentin

Outfielders

Joey Curletta

Gerson Nunez

Jacob Scavuzzo

Pat Stover

Hank Yates*

Martinez

Starting pitchers

Scott Barlow

Michael Johnson*

Jonathan Martinez

Jacob Rhame*

J.D. Underwood*

Relief pitchers

Victor Araujo

James Baune*

Luis De Paula

Jose Agusto Diaz

Jake Fisher

Sawil Gonzalez

Kyle Hooper*

Ricky Perez

Thomas Taylor*

Francisco Villa

*- Denotes 2013 draftee

Not a lot of surprises, but I am disappointed to see guys like Valdez and Martinez on this roster. I thought they’d have more success in full-season ball. I haven’t given up hope on them yet, but a guy like Valdez needs to hit enough to get promoted back to Low-A and prove his worth. Martinez is 18 (for another week), so I’m not as concerned about him.

There are some interesting players to keep an eye on with this team. Santana was the Dodgers second-round pick in 2011 and should be the team’s everyday third baseman. I chose him as my breakout prospect for 2013. Valentin should hold down either shortstop or second base. Trinkwon will play whichever position Valentin does not.

In the outfield, Curletta should have a field day in this league. The powerful 2012 sixth-rounder should be the team’s starting right fielder and eventual cleanup hitter. He has legitimate 70-grade power. Stover is another guy who played with the Loons earlier this season. As the team’s 40th-rounder last year, it’s nice to see him actually playing.

In the rotation, this team has guys who have a lot of arm talent. Barlow is recovering from Tommy John surgery last season, but he has an electric arm and a legitimate breaking ball. He also throws a “show me” slider and changeup that could be average with work. Martinez had great success in the Arizona Rookie League last year before struggling as an 18-year-old in the Midwest League. The rest of the rotation should be filled with 2013 draftees. Underwood has a nice sinker/curveball combination, as does Rhame. Johnson is a soft-tossing lefty who could do well as an older pitcher against younger competition.

The bullpen has some good arms as well as guys who can swap spots with the rotation guys if need be.

My best guess at a lineup

Valentin SS

Trinkwon 2B

Stover DH/LF

Valdez 1B

Santana 3B

Curletta RF

Scavuzzo CF

Cowen/Farmer C

Yates LF/DH

I’m sure I missed on just about every spot (guess we’ll see tonight). There aren’t as many exciting prospects this year in Ogden, but there are definitely some guys to keep an eye on throughout the summer.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

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.