Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects 유망주에 선정된 LA 다저스 유망주들

3명의 선수가 선정이 되었군요. 외야수인 조나단 가르시아가 선정되지 않은 것이 아쉽지만 생각보다 올해 5라운드 지명을 받은 제이크 렘머맨에 대한 평가가 좋군요.

채팅에서 거론된 것도 붙입니다.

Kyle (West Plains, MO): #13 RHP Garrett Gould Are there concerns about his low velocity at times? He can top out at 94 according to the reports, but pitches lower. What's a realistic outlook on him?

Matthew Eddy: Kyle, you've hit upon the most divisive prospect on this list. Putting together one of these league lists is a collaborative effort. To get as many viewpoints as possible, each of our lists is scrutinized by Jim Callis and John Manuel, two senior BA editors with more than 35 years of experience when it comes to evaluating prospects. All three of us had a different viewpoint on exactly where Gould should rank in the context of the Pioneer League because of the reason you stated. In the end, the argument for Gould's high position (No. 13) won out for three key reasons. First, he throws a hard curveball now, which argues well for his arm speed and suggests his fastball will develop more oomph. Second, he's a prep pitcher getting used to the pro grind, so it's not unusual for such pitchers to see fluctuating (or even diminished) velocity as they get used to throwing every fifth day for the first time. And finally, the Dodgers have a track record for developing prep pitchers such as Gould. I'm thinking specifically of the likes of Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Jonathan Broxton.

Brandon (Pasadena): How did Jonathan Garcia not make the list? I know his season wasn't quite as good as the Raptors' Landry or Lemmerman, and that he did most of his hitting at home, but Garcia is 18 years old and put up very solid stats

Matthew Eddy: File Ogden RF Jonathan Garcia in the just-missed folder. But keep in mind that just because we don't rank a player in the Top 20 (an arbitrary stopping point), it doesn't mean he's not a prospect. After whiffing last year on Jerry Sands and Brian Cavazos-Galvez, a pair of '09 Raptors who I didn't rank and who had nice '10 seasons, I looked more closely at Ogden players this year. But three factors conspired against Garcia, an eighth-round pick from Puerto Rico in '09. As you mentioned, he did not hit well on the road at all, batting .267/.313/.390 in 105 at-bats. He collected nine of 10 homers at home in cozy Lindquist Field. That wouldn't be enough to torpedo Garcia's Top 20 chances if he got overwhelming support from league observers—but he didn't. One scout wondered if Garcia's hitting approach would continue to work. He has a lot of moving parts, and his hips tend to drift to his front foot, making it almost impossible to hit anything offspeed with authority. Perhaps Garcia could thrive as a classic plays-above-his-tools type, because he throws very well and plays with an excess of energy. But keep in mind that he's a righty-hitting corner outfielder who offers fringy power potential, speed and defensive value.

Dillon (Pasadena, CA): How about the job Lon Joyce has done for the Dodgers? Finding Webster and Sands with Lemmerman looking better than expected.

Matthew Eddy: The Dodgers have gotten terrific value out of the picks you highlighted and others. In the '08 draft, Los Angeles nabbed Dee Gordon in the fourth round and Webster in the 18th. In '09, the Dodgers got Garrett Gould (second), Brett Wallach (third, and subsequently traded for Ted Lilly in July) and Ogden's corner outfield duo of Nick Akins (19th) and Jonathan Garcia (eighth). Also in '09, the Dodgers selected the college trio of Blake Smith (second), Angelo Songco (fourth) and Brian Cavazos-Galvez (12th) went from Pioneer League terrors in '09 to become the backbone of this year's low Class A Great Lakes club, which finished with the best record in the minors.

Dillon (Pasadena, CA): Were there any Dodgers that earned consideration for the list besides Akins? Maybe Carlos Frias?

Matthew Eddy: Ogden's true wild card was Dominican RHP Carlos Frias, who finished with an ugly 7.78 ERA but actually carries good stuff most times out. The 20-year-old struck out virtually 10 batters per nine innings for the Raptors while working first as a starter and then a reliever. At 6-foot-4 and about 170 pounds, Frias has all kinds of projection and runs his fastball up to 96 mph while sitting at 90-92. The problem is that his command completely deserts him frequently, and he walked 21 over 39 innings. Frias will snap off a quality low-80s slider now and then, but like the overall picture, it's all projection at this point. Check back after next season.