Mound Talk

1. Clayton Kershaw, LHSP, AA. Kershaw, 19, started the year in Low-A and dominated. In 97.1 innings he struck out 134 batters before being promoted for his final five games. He threw 24.2 innings and struck out 29. Kershaw is the best left handed pitching prospect in baseball.
2. Andy LaRoche, 3B, MLB. The power hitting brother of Adam LaRoche, Andy came up this year and in 120 plate apperances hit a meager .226/.365/.312. His Triple-A line this year was .309/.399/.589. LaRoche should start 2008 as the Dodgers third baseman, unless they are able to win the Alex Rodriguez or Miguel Cabrera Sweepstakes.
3. Jon Meloan, RHRP, MLB. Spending time in Double- and Triple-A this year, Meloan dominated his competition. He struck out 91 batters in 66.2 minor league innings this year while walking 27. Meloan is destined to be a bullpen star with big time strikeout potential. With Takashi Saito and Jonathan Broxton already in the mix, Meloan will add great depth to an already loaded bullpen.
4. Scott Elbert, LHSP, AA. Elbert only threw in three games (14 innings) this year due to arthroscopic surgery on his pitching shoulder. He is on schedule to return in Spring Training. Shoulder surgery is never a good thing, but Elbert gets the benefit of the doubt because of his talent.
5. James McDonald, RHSP, AA. McDonald threw 82 innings in High-A and 52.2 in Double-A this year. Combined, he struck out 168 batters while walking just 37. He works off a basic fastball, changeup, curveball repetoire. McDonald is a pitcher-turned-outfielder-turned-pitcher so expect to hear a lot about him when he makes the big leagues.
6. Chin-Lung Hu, 2B/SS, MLB. Hu spent most of th season in Double-A where he hit .329/.376/.508 before earning a promotion to Triple-A where he hit .319/.337/.508. Power hitting second basemen are few and far between and Hu could be an All-Star with his offensive ability. Hu will be in the big leagues in 2008.
7. Josh Bell, 3B, A+. Bell spent most of 2007 with the Low-A Great Lakes Loons hitting .290/.353/.470 in the Midwest League with 15 home runs and 21 doubles. He struck out in nearly a quarter of his plate appearances and walked in less than 10%. He’s currently playing in the HWL and doing fairly well.
8. Delwyn Young, RF, MLB. Young is limited defensively but offensively he’s always shown great power. He had a great season this year in Triple-A, his second full-season there, and will be given the opportunity to compete for a job in Los Angeles this year. Young should be a serviceable outfielder, but shouldn’t be a star.
9. Xavier Paul, RF, AA. Paul hit .291/.362/.429 this year in Double-A, Jacksonville with 34 extra base hits. He doesn’t have particularly good tools and will likely be a fourth outfielder at best, but is a very interesting prospect to watch in 2008.
10. Chris Withrow, RHSP, GCL. Though he struggled in his pro debut, the Dodgers 20th overall pick in the 2007 draft out of high school could climb this chart very quickly next year. He has great mechanics and good stuff. He’s not terribly flashy but he’s solid all around.
FLIER. Andrew Lambo, 1B/OF, GCL. Taken in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, Lambo is a very skilled player with power and discipline. He had one of the better pro debuts among high school position players and is set for success next year. He handles the bat well and controls the strikezone. He projects to have adequate power. Defense is going to be his biggest drawback.

The Dodgers system has long been stocked with some of the best prospects in the game. From Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton to Matt Kemp and Russell Martin, the Dodgers have graduated plenty of young talent to their big league club. The system is noticeably weaker now than it has been in some time but with LaRoche and Kershaw, they are certainly not short on star talent and with guys like Josh Bell and Delwyn Young in the bottom half, this is far from a system in peril. Through consistently good drafts and good player development, the Dodgers have been able to fill their system with talented prospects. Naturally, Andrew Lambo and Chris Withrow will be players to watch in 2008 as will Scott Elbert but keep an eye on James McDonald who could be in line for a summer call-up if the Dodgers need help on the mound.