Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2012 (23) | 2011 (12) | 2010 (21) | 2009 (23) | 2008 (6)

2012 Affiliate Records
MLB: [86-76] NL West
AAA: [80-64] Pacific Coast League – Albuquerque
AA: [73-65] Southern League – Chattanooga
A+: [68-72] California League – Rancho Cucamonga
A: [67-73] Midwest League – Great Lakes

Arizona Fall League PlayersMesa Solar Sox
Eric Eadington (LHP); Onelki Garcia (LHP); Red Patterson (RHP); Chris Reed (LHP); Andres Santiago (RHP); Gorman Erickson (C)

Graduated Prospects of Note
Nathan Eovaldi (RHP); Shawn Tolleson (RHP); Josh Lindblom (RHP)

The Run Down
The Dodgers entered the 2012 season with a deep farm system, flush with solid pitching prospects.  It was also a system that was virtually void of high-impact talent.  Almost a year later, though, the system has a different look.  Thanks to blockbuster trades with Boston and Miami, the pitching depth has shrunk considerably — Nate Eovaldi and Allen Webser were top three arms in the organization.  The high-impact outlook has only improved, however, after signing the touted Cuban outfielder, Yasiel Puig.  The aforementioned blockbuster trades have given LA an experienced and pricey MLB roster, but they’ve also clogged any prospect throughways that previously existed.  Barring injury in the outfield or the rotation (which certainly is a possibility), I don’t foresee much prospect turnover in 2013.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

On Wednesday, Jon Lester gave a line of 6 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 10 baserunners, 7 Ks and I said he found the sweet spot between yawn and ho-hum.  Some runs, bunch of hits and not at all dominating.  It was just another run-of-the-mill start for Lester.  Larry Johnson’s Grandmama could throw that line.  Perhapizzle, I say, speaking like a hip-hop Yoda.  “There is no try, there is only do-izzle and do not-fizzle.”  Yo, Yoda, why you wear your Jedi robe so low?  “Easy access, I like.”  Maybe there was something else to that Lester start.  Maybe, Columbo, things aren’t how they seem.  Maybe I’m holding a container of Colombo yogurt and talking to it.  Don’t judge me, but let’s judge Lester.  That start was also his highest K-rate in one game this year, and he issued no walks.  Some people are talking about how he’s got a new approach.  He’s peacocking without the flair of Ks.  He’s about the pitch-to-contact approach that Charley Lau would’ve enjoyed.  Yeah, let’s take what makes us great and instead pitch so people can hit the ball against The Green Monster.  You don’t need to hit every branch coming down the Rocket Scientist tree to think that makes no sense.  If you have strikeout stuff, you strike people out.  On Wednesday, he did that.  I think that was a corner turned.  June is always his best month, but he usually stays hot in the summer because he likes to keep things appropriate.  I wouldn’t trade a top bat for him, but I think his owners are concerned and I’d definitely buy him for the right price.  Anyway, here’s some more players to buy or sell this week in fantasy baseball:

BUY

Andrelton Simmons – Speaking of Star Wars, this guy’s first name sounds like a planet in one of those made up galaxies that Lucas sold at auction for $150,000.  “Now up for bid, an imaginary planet in the Arkanis sector of the Outer Rim Territories.  Do I hear one hundred thousand?  We have a bid from the forty-something year old man with acne.  No, not you, sir, the man next to you.”  Simmons had 26 steals last year in High-A and 10 steals this year in Double-A through 43 games.  He doesn’t look like he has burner speed, but in shallower leagues and very deep leagues I’d take a chance on him.  I say those two types of leagues because in one options are so abundant that it’s good to take a flyer on someone for a week.  If they take off, great!  If they don’t, there’s other options and what did you miss?  A week of EverCab?  Big whoop.  In very deep leagues, you take him because your other options are Daniel Descalso.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Alex Castellanos was called up by the Dodgers to replace the DL’d Kemp, so what’s this guy’s story?  He was found in an orphanage in Crete.  He grew up eating ambrosia, feta and olives.  He spent all of his waking hours either playing baseball or pooping because of his diet.  Oh, you mean what’s his story as in what’s his stats like?  He looks like a product of the PCL, which is more glamorous than a product of Greek economists, but just as dangerous.  As we know, hitting in the PCL is like hitting on the moon with an aluminum bat.  So far in Triple-A this year (21 games), he has 4 homers, 7 steals and a .361 average.  That’s being wholly supported by an inflated BABIP because his K-rate isn’t pretty.  He’s closer to a .270 hitter with 10-ish homer power and 15-ish steal speed.  That’s solid enough in NL-Only leagues for a placeholder, but I’d hold off in mixed leagues for now.  In keepers, I’d pursue slightly more aggressively, but he is already 25 and from his picture it looks like it’s a Latin 25.  Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:

Matt Kemp – Won’t return for at least 4 weeks with a strain in two different places.  One place is his hamstring, the other place is his ears from the high-pitched screeches of his fantasy owners.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

I don’t think I saw an organizational ranking all off-season that didn’t have the White Sox dead last.  Not that they deserve to be ranked higher – the Sox simply refuse to spend big money in the draft, and their presence in the Latin markets has been lacking of recent.  The first month of the 2012 baseball season, however, has brought a bit of good news to the Southsiders, as former top prospect Jared Mitchell has reemerged as an elite outfielder in Double-A.  Mitchell, who had a rough go at High-A in 2011 after missing all of 2010 with an ankle injury, has posted a .962 OPS through 28 games with Birmingham.  He’s gathered 13 XBH and 6 SB within 120 PA.  Mitchell’s hot start is greatly encouraging for a system in need of a boost.

Please, blog, may I have some more?