Dodgers Minor League Baseball Blog

Michael Redding tied for the team lead with eleven wins and he struck out a team high 130 batters in 137 2/3 innings.  Walks were a concern with 52 but he missed enough bats and kept the ball down enough to where he didn’t get burned too much because of the free passes.

Allen Webster was one of the team’s more reliable startes in his limited time before he was promoted to Double-A.  He struck out 62 and walked only 21 in 54 innings and he was 5-2 with a 2.33 ERA in nine starts.

Steven Ames only threw in 15 1/3 innings but he struck out 28 and walked only two batters while being virtually unhittable. He was promoted early to Double-A where he had more success but this guy was fun to watch in the short time he was with the Quakes.

The Quakes won their division in the second half and part of the reason was, they had some nice hitters.  Here’s a look at the top guys at the plate for the Quakes in 2011.

Angelo Songco led the team in just about everything in 2011.  He hit 29 home runs, drove in 114 and he scored 110 runs.  He also had 48 doubles and this all resulted in a team high OPS of .948.

Nick Buss was second on the team with 86 runs and he led the Quakes with 28 stolen bases.  He showed some pop with 30 doubles, eight triples and fourteen home runs and his .328 batting average was solid.

J.T. Wise was second on the team with seventeen home runs and he was also second in RBIs with 73.  He also had a very nice 53 walks and only 90 strikeouts and this guy could be the Dodgers catcher of the future.

This is a hitters league but the Lookouts did have some standouts on the mound.  Here’s a look at some of the better hurlers in 2011.

Chris Withrow – He only went 6-6 but he had one of the better strikeout rates amongst starters with 130 strikeouts in 128 2/3 innings.  Walks are a concern (75) but he only gave up eight home runs in 128 2/3 innings.  One nice thing about this is 22 year old is he doesn’t have much of a platoon split so while he’s not death on righties, he’s better then usual against lefties.

Nathan Eovaldi – Eovaldi had a solid 2.62 ERA and a batting average against  of .203 in 103 innings.  He finished 6-5 with a 99/46 strikeout to walk ratio and this earned him a big league call up where he logged 34 2/3 innings.

Scott Rice – With a 1.95 ERA, it’s hard to argue Rice’s effectiveness.  He had a 4/1 ground ball to fly ball ratio and that definitely helped but he still struck out 42 and walked 17 in 50 2/3 innings.  He’s 30 so he’s hardly a prospect but this big left hander definitely got it done this season.

The Lookouts won their division and with that, they had their share of hitting stars.  Here are the best players on the team this past season.

Scott Van Slyke – Van Slyke led the team in home runs (20), RBIs (92), walks (65) and OPS (1.022).  He’s struggling in the Venezuelan Summer League though and he’s now 25 so his prospect status isn’t quite clear. Still, he had an awesome season and if he can replicate it in 2012, he might see some time with the Dodgers next year.

Alfredo Silverio – Silverio was an extra base machine and he finished with 42 doubles, 18 triples and 16 home runs.  He hit .306 and he finished with a team high 90 runs.  He only walked 30 times though and that suppressed his .883 OPS. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a good number but it could be better if he works on his plate discipline.

Kyle Russell – Russell was second in home runs with 19 but he hit only .259 so his OPS was .840.  He had a decent enough showing in the Arizona Fall League but he’s already 25 so we’ll see how much more time Russell has.

John Sickels penned his list of the top 20 Dodgers prospects and it’s been a while since the Dodgers had a top notch farm system.  Ther’e some talent at the top but no longer any blue chip guys.  Topping the list is right handed pitcher Zach Lee.  He had a solid season for the Loons but Sickels still thinks he could be a future number two starter.  Number two is another right hander, Nate Eovaldi.  Sickels thinks he’d be better coming out of the pen so we’ll see what the Dodgers end up doing with him.

Number three is another right hander, Allen Webster.  Webster had a tough time in Double-A but Sickels thinks he could be a middle of the rotation guy.  Rounding out the top five are Garrett Gould (RHP) and Alfredo Silverio (OF).

Baseball America put out their top ten Dodgers prospect lists.  Here’s the players that made the cut.

1)  Zach Lee  RHP
2)  Allen Webster  RHP
3)  Nate Eovaldi  RHP
4)  Alfredo Silverio  OF
5)  Chris Reed  LHP
6)  Garrett Gould  RHP
7)  Chris Winthrow  RHP
8)  Josh Lindblom  RHP
9)  Joc Pederson  OF
10)  Tim Federowicz  C

The ‘Topes had some mashers and while not many players were around for more then 100 games, three guys stand out in the hitting friendly PCL.

Jerry Sands – Despite playing only 94 games, Sands led the team in home runs with 29 and RBIs with 88.  His OPS was .931 and while he “only” hit .278, he made up for that with a slugging percentage of .586.

Trayvon Robinson – Right behind Sands was Robinson with a .926 OPS.  He had 26 home runs and he was a couple walks short of the team lead with 48.  Robinson did play in nine more games then Sands though so keep that in mind.

Jamie Hoffman – Hoffman led the team in games (133), and runs (91).  He was also third in home runs with 22 and he finished with an .853 OPS.  His 141 hits were also the best on the team.

It’s tough being a pitcher in the PCL so sometime looking at ERA and even WHIP aren’t always indicative of a quality season. Still, here were some of the ‘Topes best pitchers in 2011

Dana Eveland – Eveland led the team in innings (154), Wins (12), strikeouts (107) and walks (61).  Still, there’s a lot of good here.  HE did have a 4.38 ERA but keep the PCL in mind.  He also only gave up just eleven home runs in his 25 starts.  Eveland was the workhorse on the team and this did translate into some success with the Dodgers where he had five solid starts.

Merkin Valdez – Valdez was on of the ‘Topes better relievers.  He struck out 43 in 50 1/3 innings for the Topes and he finished with four saves and four wins.  He gave up only one home run all season and oddly, his groundball ratio wasn’t that extreme.  His 3.58 ERA was one of the best on the team.

The Dodgers start their season tonight but their minor league affiliates have about a week before they play.  Here’s the where and the when:

Alburquerque Isotopes – at home against Omaha on April 7
Chattanooga Lookouts – at home against Tennessee on April 7
Rancho Cucamungo Quakes – at Inland Empire on April 7
Great Lakes Loons – at home against Lake County on April 7

I also have my Dodgers tickets already for this year.  I’m really looking forward to this season.

The Albuquerque Isotopes will be the first team that’s not in Oklahoma City to host the Triple-A Championship.  Formerly the Bricktown classic that pitted the winner of the IL and the PCL, the Triple-A Championship will be played on September 20, 2011.  This year, Versus will be televising the event and it also marks the finality of the minor league season.

Single game Dodgers tickets go on sale soon.  There’s some interesting interleague matchups and of course it would be nice to see them go up against their long time rival, the Giants.  I’m just glad baseball is here.