6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

1. Andy LaRoche
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Scott Elbert
4. James Loney
5. Etanislau Abreu
6. Ivan DeJesus, Jr.
7. Jonathan Meloan
8. Blake DeWitt
9. Josh Bell
10. Preston Mattingly
11. Chin-Lung Hu: ... value lies in his glove, and he struggled to make consistent hard contact in 2006.
12. Bryan Morris: ... huge stuff and a funky delivery ... throws across his body ... delivery might have led to his elbow injury. Erratic command... impact potential ... 93-94 mph and bumped 96 in Ogden.
13. Delwyn Young: ... one of the minors' most consistent offensive threats ... led Dodgers minor leaguers in extra-base hits ... bat speed is among the best in the system ... aggressive hitter who looks to pull the ball early in the count and rarely gets cheated at the plate... plate discipline and willingness to walk aren't pluses ...
14. Justin Orenduff: ... had [shoulder] surgery in August ... 88-92 mph fastball and a hard, 81-83 mph [plus-rated] slider ... fringy changeup ... ceiling is back-of-the-rotation starter.
15. Zach Hammes: ... figured things out last year ... pitches exclusively from the stretch ... was up to 97 in Hawaii Winter Baseball ... sits at 92-94. His slider comes in at 81-84 with three-quarter tilt ... command is below-average ... works deep counts and tends to miss up in the zone ... doesn't have exceptional feel for pitching.
16. Steven Johnson: ... led the Pioneer League with 86 strikeouts ... delivery is clean and efficient ... fastball comes in at 90-91 mph ... slider and curveball ... have potential to be above-average ... has a ceiling as a back-of-the-rotation starter.
17. Greg Miller: ... missed all of 2004 and the first half of 2005 with a shoulder injury that required two surgeries... not the same dominant pitcher and lacks consistency, but shows flashes of the velocity and stuff that made him the minors' best lefthanded pitching prospect before the injury ... fastball sits at 91-92 mph, touching 95 ... 80-86 [slider with] a cutter, curveball and changeup ... durability remains a concern.
18. Brent Leach: ... suffers from hyperhidrosis [excessive sweating in the palms] ... 89-91 mph fastball that can touch 93 and a plus breaking ball at 78-81 [both delivered from the same slot] ... has some feel for a changeup ... below-average command ... could move quickly.
19. Cory Dunlap: ... poor conditioning ... hasn't shown enough drive to stay in shape ... advanced approach at the plate ... controls the strike zone, works counts and uses the entire field ... led the organization with a .435 [OBP] ... shows plus raw power ...
20. Mark Alexander: ... had Tommy John surgery [as a high school senior] ... minor league pitcher of the year in 2006 ... relies heavily on his 74-78 mph slider [with a] short sharp break ... He spots his 88-91 mph fastball to both corners, but it lacks significant life or movement. ... meticulous in preparation.
21. Mike Megrew: ... recurring arm trouble eventually required Tommy John surgery following the 2004 season ... 87-89 mph [fastball], touching 91 ... potentially plus secondary offerings in a circle changeup and a high-70's slider ... changeup has occasional plus sink and fade...
22. Ramon Troncoso: ... didn't allow an earned run in the final 13 innings of the season — six of which came in high class A ... 91-95 mph fastball with sink and occasional bore ... secondary stuff is raw, though he added a changeup during instructional league ... slider is hard and lacks depth ... good control but below-average command ... profiles in a middle-relief role.
23. Carlos Santana: ... athletic but his baseball acumen is limited ... above-average bat speed and good plate coverage ... swing has some length ... lateral quickness, hands and instincts are pluses ... solid-average arm behind the plate ...
24. Cody White: ... flippant attitude [before 2006 but] turned a corner ... 88-92 mph fastball that has occasional plus sink ... curveball has good action down and away from lefthanders, and he has a feel for a changeup, which fades from righties ... his calling could be out of the bullpen as a [LOOGY].
25. Kyle Orr: ... biggest tool is raw power ... swing has length and lots of holes ... pitch recognition and plate discipline are unrefined ... plenty of work to do on defense ... first base might be his eventual destination.
26. Xavier Paul: ... constantly tinkering with his approach at the plate and doesn't trust his hands ... average power ... front side often flies open ... best position is right ... plus, accurate arm.
27. Casey Hoorelbeke: ... son of Peter Rivera ... big, durable frame and an aggressive approach to pitching ... 88-90 mph sinker has average life and movement ... 10-to-4 slider is ... fringe-average, as is his changeup ... has solid-average command and value as a middle reliever down the road...
28. Miguel Sanfler: ... compact, muscular frame ... can hit 97 mph, pitches at 92-93 and flashes a power slider with hard tilt, as well as a promising splitter ... fastball has late life ... a thrower ... speaks little English ...
29. Josh Wall: ... some scouts speculated that his dad's contant critiquing became counterproductive ... curveball sat between 72-75 mph and lacked the depth it once showed ... has the frame and tools to develop into a middle-of-the-rotation starter.
30. Wesley Wright: ... "sneaky-fast" [88-91 fastball] ... spike curveball ... has above-average break, with tight, 12-to-6 rotation ... [slider] is little more than a chase pitch ... rudimentary feel for his changeup ... has average command.

Labels: dodgers, minors

// posted by Rob @ 5:41 AM link  //  2 comments