Both the Hawaii Winter League and Arizona Fall League have completed their seasons, so I wanted to take a little time to post the Dodger Prospects final stats, along with a little analysis.
Hawaii Winter League Hitters:
Josh Bell – 94 AB’s, 3 HR’s, 17 RBI’s, .213 average
Jamie Hoffmann – 97 AB’s, 0 HR’s, 7 RBI’s, .278 average
Russell Mitchell – 111 AB’s, 3 HR’s, 19 RBI’s, .270 average
Ryan Rogowski – 93 AB’s, 3 HR’s, 18 RBI’s, .237 average
Kenley Jansen – 63 AB’s, 0 HR’s, 2 RBI’s, .206 average
Well, the final hitting stats for the Dodger prospects were not impressive at all. Kenley Jansen, Jamie Hoffmann, and Ryan Rogowski have never really been on the Dodgers radar as they have not had great minor league numbers, so their poor seasons didn’t really matter. For Josh Bell and Russell Mitchell, however, I’m sure the Dodgers were hoping for a little more out of them. Josh Bell is one of the Dodgers more highly rated prospects. Although he was sent to the Hawaii League to mainly work on his defense at 3rd base, a .213 average is no excuse. He is only 21, however, so let’s just hope this doesn’t hinder his growth next season where he will probably play for the Dodgers High A team (Inland Empire 66ers). Russell Mitchell, who plays 1B, hit 22 HR’s last season for the Dodgers High A team, so the Dodgers were hoping he would continue to show some power. With only 3 HR’s, however, they are probably a little disappointed, but he did lead the team with 11 doubles. Look for him to start the year at AA Jacksonville next season where he will hopefully continue to develop his power.
Hawaii Winter League Pitchers:
Steve Johnson – 30.2 innings, 23 K’s, 2.05 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
Kyle Wilson – 20.2 innings, 26 K’s, 7.84 ERA, 1.89 WHIP
Garrett White – 8 innings, 9 K’s, 7.88 ERA, 3.13 WHIP
So one great season, and two bad ones. Let’s start with the good. From what I’ve heard, Steve Johnson has been described as an average pitcher, but he showed otherwise in the Winter League. He had the 2nd best ERA on the team, and demonstrated that the had good control as he only walked 7 batters. In four of his seven starts, he did not allow a run, and was one of the bright spots on the team. While his season last year for the Dodgers low A team was nothing to brag about, he’s only 20 years old, and he’ll look to carry over his dominance from the Hawaiian league into next season, which will most likely be at High A. For the other two pitchers, Garrett White and Kyle Wilson, it looks like they just never got things going in Hawaii. They both had great minor league seasons last year, but they just couldn’t get the job done for their new team. Neither of them pitched very many innings, so hopefully they’ll forget about Winter Ball and go into 2008 with a fresh start.
Arizona Fall League Hitters:
Xavier Paul – 105 AB’s, 0 HR’s, 8 RBI’s, .248 average
Blake Dewitt – 57 AB’s, 0 HR’s, 6 RBI’s, .281 average
Chin-Lung Hu – 33 AB’s, 1 HR, 2 RBI’s, .273 average
Delwyn Young – 21 AB’s, 1 HR, 4 RBI’s, .524 average
Andy LaRoache – 18 AB’s, 1 HR, 4 RBI’s, .333 average
This is a disappointing set of hitting statistics for some of the Dodger prospects, but other did very well. Xavier Paul is supposed to be one of the Dodgers top outfield prospects (not including those who have already debuted at the MLB level), but that did not seem to be the case this Fall. He followed up an average 2007 minor league season by showing no sign of power, and at this point the Dodgers may wonder if it will ever develop. Blake Dewitt was hitting over .300 for most of the Fall season, but slowed down at the end. He didn’t get enough playing time to really display his talent, and I think he’ll do well at either AA or AAA next season. Chin-Lung Hu had his season cut short due to a hamstring injury, but he should be ready to compete for a spot on the Major League Roster this Spring. Andy LaRoache and Delwyn Young got to play with Team USA, and did well in limited action. These stats do not include the tournament that they played over seas where they both did very well, especially LaRoache. Barring a trade, both of these guys should be on the Dodgers roster next season.
Arizona Fall League Pitchers:
Greg Miller – 12.2 innings, 15 K’s, 12.79 ERA, 3.08 WHIP
Wesley Wright – 21.1 innings, 18 K’s, 5.06 ERA, 1.78 WHIP
Justin Orenduff – 16.1 innings, 14 K’s, 4.41 ERA, 1.71 WHIP
Zach Hammes – 14 innings, 7 K’s, 6.43 ERA, 1.64 WHIP
Cory Wade – 10.1 innings, 10 K’s, 1.74 ERA, 0.97 WHIP
Greg Miller just can’t seem to find his control. For the season, Miller ended up walking 16 guys and hitting 2 others. This Fall season was not only bad for his stats, but for his confidence as well. He still has the makeup to be a great pitcher, and showed that he can strike guys out, but until he finds the strike zone, he will continue to pitch in the minor leagues. Both Zach Hammes and Wesley Wright struggled this season as well, and it’s starting to look like they may never amount to anything at the big league level. Justin Orenduff and Cory Wade, however, are a different story. Both were recently added to the Dodgers 40 man roster, and looks like the Dodgers will give them a look this next year at AAA. Wade pitched very well, and only walked 1 guy in his 10 innings. Orenduff had a tough outing to end his season, which is why his stats don’t look so great, but besides that he looked very good. Also, at 6’4" and 205 lbs, he has the makeup to be a big league pitcher.
Overall, the Dodger prospects had both ups and downs over the Fall and Winter Leagues. It’ll be fun to see how these guys respond in 2008, especially the guys that played well. Now, we have to sit back and wait for spring training.