Dodgers' farm system getting better-than-expected praise from prospectors

Keith Law is the third noted prospector to rank the Dodgers' farm system in the middle-third, joining John Sickels of Minor League Ball and Baseball America.
Law ranked the system 18th, while Sickels and BA ranked it 19th.

This is what Law had to say about the Dodgers' system:

"They are a little underrepresented in the top 100, but with a lot of guys who'd either be in the next 50 or who could jump into the top 50 next year. That group is led by Yasiel Puig, who barely played in 2013 before surgery to address a staph infection kept him out of the Arizona Fall League."

Honestly, this is better than expected. The Dodgers have a lot of impact potential, but not a lot of depth. And since there isn't a lot of tape on guys like Puig and Onelki Garcia, it's safe to assume the system wouldn't rank in the top half in the majors.

The system lacks depth and true 5-star prospects, but that could all change after the 2013 season. Guys like Zach Lee and Chris Reed are what they are. However, the additions of Puig and Corey Seager -- both of whom could be 5-star guys -- coupled with the emergence of Joc Pederson and Matt Magill could lead to a better ranking come 2014. And this doesn't even take into account the myriad of international signings the Dodgers have made in recent months.

I'm extremely high on the Dodgers' 2012 draft class. That's no secret if you've listened to any episodes of "Dugout Blues." There are players with impact potential in that class, and it will be interesting to follow their progression through the minors.

The system's praise isn't that much better than expected, but a low-to-mid-20s ranking is where I thought most would have it.

I'll do an in-depth look at all the notable prospect rankings in a future post.

Sickels also has a brief write-up on Ross Stripling, who is a personal favorite of his. It's encouraging.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue

Podcast: 'Dugout Blues' episode 21 - Dodgers, RSN, signings, prospects

On this episode of "Dugout Blues," Jared Massey (L.A. Dugout) and I discuss -- once again -- the television and regional sports network deal the Dodgers have agreed to with Time Warner Cable. The deal is reportedly for $7 billion over 25 years. Or, if you believe what I said in the podcast (twice), $25 billion for seven years.

This seems like a repeat, but the Dodgers keep signing international prospects. As such, we continue to talk about said signings. This time, it's Michael Medina and Carlos Aquino.

We also analyze Baseball America's Top 10 prospect list, as well as Baseball Prospectus' Top 10.

Finally, we close with listener questions, at which point I shit the bed again (it was a long day). Is Yasiel Puig's character a concern? Why don't the Dodgers give Alex Castellanos a shot at the fourth outfielder job? And my favorite question: Is there any chance of Ross Porter returning to the broadcast booth?

Be sure to tune in next week (episode 22) when we'll have another special guest. Jared asked me to keep this one quiet, but we'll announce it soon.

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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 (@LADugout or @FeelinKindaBlue). You can also "Like" the podcast on Facebook. We always welcome audience participation.

Image credit: Joe Martin

Dodgers sign Dominican SS Carlos Aquino, continue int'l signing spree

The Dodgers' international signing barrage continued over the weekend, as they signed Dominican shortstop Carlos Aquino to a $75,000 deal.

His age is unknown, but it's probably safe to assume he's a teenager.

From the Dominican Prospect League website:

Aquino was eligible in 2012 but lacked the strength and ability he is presently showing. He has smooth fielding actions with solid average arm strength and runs average (6.9 60 yard dash). Aquino is a switch hitting line drive gap hitter with more pop from the left side."

There is also video on the assumed youngster.


Aquino's swing needs a lot of work. His stance is open and his swing looks long in the video. He has a modified toe-tap that I'm sure the Dodger minor-league hitting instructors try to eliminate.

It's hard to scout off one video, but Aquino's swing appears to be really raw and needs lots of refinement.

Aquino appears to be bigger than recent signee Ravel Hernandez, also a shortstop. A move to third base (or another position) could be in his future -- but that's a ways off.

Eric Stephen of True Blue LA did us the courtesy of trying to figure out how much of the allotted $2.9 million to sign international prospects the Dodgers have remaining. His best guess is the team has a less than $1 million rio sign international prospects before the next period begins in July.

Keep the signings coming. This is nothing but good for the farm system.

Dodgers' full-season minor league team preview: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

This is the second in a four-part series projecting the Dodgers' full-season minor league teams. Up now, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

• Part 1 of 4: Great Lakes Loons

Last season's Rancho Cucamonga Quakes squad was set to blow right through the California League competition. The team was headed by top pitching prospects  Garrett Gould, Zach Lee, Chris Reed and Angel Sanchez.

Despite it being a hitters' haven, that quartet was supposed to lead the Quakes to the playoffs -- and it almost did in the first half.

The Quakes were tied with the High-Desert Mavs for the top spot. A one-game playoff between the two on June 25 determined the first-half champion. With Sanchez on the hill, the team jumped out to a 5-2 lead after 4 1/2 innings. The Quakes allowed six runs in the next two innings, giving the Mavs the playoff berth.

Lee pitched well before being promoted to Double-A, Reed pitched sparingly (35 innings) before his promotion to Double-A. The rotation was spearheaded by Gould (5.75 ERA), Sanchez (6.58 ERA) and Jon Michael Redding (4.42 ERA). Andres Santiago threw 96 1/3 quality innings until he was promoted to Chattanooga.

Pericht

While the offense had a nice 1-2-3 of Leon Landry, Joc Pederson and C.J. Retherford, the rest of the squad was inconsistent. Landry was traded at the end of July, Pederson paced the offense in the second half and Retherford was promoted to Double-A. Players like Austin Gallagher, Michael Pericht and Jonathan Garcia just weren't able to hit enough to overcome the lackluster pitching.

The Quakes lost some quality players in 2012 to promotions. With the number of quality players in Chattanooga, I wouldn't expect there to be a lot of up-and-down action between the two squads (injuries notwithstanding).

The 2013 roster doesn't look as good as 2012, but it could surprise some folks.

Projected roster

Catchers (2)
Pratt Maynard
Michael Pericht

Jacobs

Infielders (6)
Jesus Arredondo
Jesse Bosnik
O'Koyea Dickson
Pedro Guerrero
Chris Jacobs
Darnell Sweeney

Outfielders (4)
James Baldwin
Jonathan Garcia
Jeremy Rathjen
Scott Schebler

Starting pitchers (5)
Garrett Gould
Jarret Martin
Angel Sanchez
Duke von Schamann
Ross Stripling

Relief pitchers (8)
James Campbell
Yimi Garcia
Gustavo Gomez
Joel Lima
Brandon Martinez
Arismendy Ozoria
Matt Shelton 
Michael Thomas

The best prospects on this projected roster are Baldwin, Dickson Gould, Sweeney and Rathjen. Guys like Garcia, Gould and Sanchez are slated to repeat High-A because of poor performance and because there's a logjam in Double-A ahead of them.

The bullpen has three guys capable of starting (Gomez, Martinez, Ozoria), but they have to pitch somewhere. Perhaps one of them could unseat Sanchez in the rotation.

I'm not sure Rathjen and Stripling will begin with Rancho, but I'd like to see the Dodgers be aggressive with two of their selections from the 2012 draft.

My lineup
Baldwin CF
Sweeney SS
Dickson 1B/DH
Jacobs DH/1B
Garcia RF/Schebler LF
Bosnik 3B
Rathjen LF/RF
Maynard C
Arredondo 2B

Baldwin didn't hit a lick in Low-A, but he does have decent on-base ability. Maybe a hitter-friendly environment will help him, but it's also likely to hurt him, especially if he hits a few dingers early on. Rathjen could eventually work his way up in the lineup.

The rotation could be strong if Stripling handles the aggressive assignment well enough and Gould and Sanchez pitch to their capabilities. The bullpen has a nice back-end combination of Campbell and Garcia, while Thomas could be a nice sleeper in the group.

Someone who didn't make my projected Loons or Quakes roster is Juan Rodriguez. I have a hunch -- and that's all it is -- that he'll be released prior to the season. If he isn't, he'll likely begin in High-A.

The Cal League is a crap shoot, and this year is no exception.

Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue