Dodgers Minor League Baseball Blog

Baseball America released their list of the top ten Dodgers prospects.  Coming in at number one is shortstop Dee Gordon.  He stole 53 bases at Double-A and he’s going to get a long look at Triple-A in 2011.  Rafael Furcal has him blocked for now but if Furcal gets hurt, Gordon will probably be the fill in.  It’d be nice if he developed some power but he’ll only be 23 in April so he has some time to develop that.

Number two is the team’s first round pick in 2010, Zach Lee.  He didn’t sign early enough to play, but the Dodgers thought enough of him to give him a $5.25 million signing bonus, the biggest in the club’s history.  This guy is worth keeping an eye on when he makes his debut for the Loons.

Another pitcher, Rubby de la Rosa, comes in at number three.  He had eight really nice starts for Double-A but it seems like the club is still deciding whether he should be a starter or a reliever.  It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he gets a cup of coffee in 2011.  Chris Withrow (right handed pitcher, about a year away) and Allen Webster (another pitcher, a couple of years away) round out the top five.

The Dodgers top eleven prospect list was put out yesterday by Kevin Goldstein and while the Dodgers don’t have the blue chip prospects like we’re used to seeing, there is some depth here. Coming in at number one (and one of four different four star prospects) is their 2010 first round pick Zach Lee.  Lee signed too late to play minor league ball this year but he should kick off his career with the Loons in 2011.  Lee looks raw, but he definitely has a ton of upside and Goldstein says the best case is he could be a front line starter.

Number two is Kenley Jansen who saw some time with the Dodgers in 2010.  This guy and throw hard and I mean really hard and if he does what people think he should, we’ll see him in the Dodgers pen in 2011.  This is a guy who struck out 50 batters in 27 innings at Triple A and even with the Dodgers, he struck out 41 in 27 innings.

Number three is their top position player, Dee Gordon.  The shortstop is all speed and no power and he put together a servicable season in Double A despite skipping a level.  This could be an important year for Gordon because if he can put it together at the Triple A level, you could be looking at Rafael Furcal’s replacement in a couple of years.

Number four is Trayvon Robinson and his game is a lot like Gordon (yet he’s an outfield) but he draws more walks.  Robinson is close to a big league job and a lot will depend on what direction the McCourts take. After Robinson, things thin out and rounding out the top five is slugger Jerry Sands (got some time at Double-A in 2010 but still probably about a year away.

Overall, Goldstein says the Dodgers don’t have a lot of immediate help, but there are some long term gems in there.  Should make for an interesting for both the Dodgers and their farm clubs.