A Fresh Start
I'm looking forward to a new season and hopefully a new beginning for this page. I'm going to do my best to keep this thing updated as often as possible, so if you're reading, be sure to drop me a line and add any questions or comments.
With exhibition games on the way, I thought I'd share a few thoughts before the season starts to take shape.
The Minors
While rosters havent been released yet, it's a safe bet that Las Vegas will field a strong team this upcoming season. A surprise note came from the official site, stating that Scott Elbert will forego a return to Jacksonville and start the year in Triple A, despite a less than stellar showing during the '06 season. While his ERA was 3.61 and he struck out 76 batters in 62.1 IP, he also walked 44 batters (a staggering 6.35 per 9 innings) and surrendered 1 HR per start. What does this mean? Well, Scott needs to do a much better job of keeping the ball down in the zone and establishing his fastball early in counts. He has the natural velocity to miss bats at any level, so getting him to locate his heater will be a key to future success.
Also expected to see plenty of time in Sin City is Matt Kemp, whose exciting tools are only curbed by his inexperience. The Juan Pierre signing is pretty much a guarantee that Kemp's future lies in RF, where his arm is more than adequate. However, his offensive ceiling takes a hit given how much production is expected from a corner outfielder. I admire his work ethic, playing in the Dominican Winter League in order to further his plate discipline, but I think his problem is more simple. He needs to think better. When he came up to the majors, he was looking dead fastball early in counts. After pitchers gave him a steady diet of offspeed pitches, he did a 180 and became far too passive, often falling behind and flailing at breaking pitches out of the zone with 2 strikes. He needs to think more about the at bat and realize when he's getting junk and when he can expect a fastball. Drawing a few more walks wouldnt hurt either.
Of course, there's the double play tandem of Chin Lung Hu and Tony Abreu, who are sure to wow crowds with their awesome defensive prowess. Hu really took a step backwards developmentally last year. Although he participated in the Futures Games, he really struggled with the bat, hitting just .254 with little power. In the Arizona Fall League, Hu couldnt even manage to break the Mendoza line. Hopefully the friendly confines of Cashman Field will allow him to regain some hitting ability. Abreu was another story. After winning the FSL hitting title, Tony put up a very respectable .287 average while playing his home games in the pitcher friendly Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. He followed that up with a very impressive showing in the Dominican Winter League, batting .365 over a 15 game period. His speed and defense are also above average. Consider Abreu a darkhorse to take over for Jeff Kent in 2008.
And let us not forget Andy La Roche. A strong offensive season in 2006 was marred with injuries to both shoulders, though Andy says he's fully recovered and almost totally pain free entering spring training. While Grady Little has given Wilson Betemit his vote of confidence, La Roche still has a chance to win the starting 3B job outright this March. He could be the power source the Dodgers need.
I'll share my thoughts about the rest of the Dodgers' minor league teams over the next few days.
With exhibition games on the way, I thought I'd share a few thoughts before the season starts to take shape.
The Minors
While rosters havent been released yet, it's a safe bet that Las Vegas will field a strong team this upcoming season. A surprise note came from the official site, stating that Scott Elbert will forego a return to Jacksonville and start the year in Triple A, despite a less than stellar showing during the '06 season. While his ERA was 3.61 and he struck out 76 batters in 62.1 IP, he also walked 44 batters (a staggering 6.35 per 9 innings) and surrendered 1 HR per start. What does this mean? Well, Scott needs to do a much better job of keeping the ball down in the zone and establishing his fastball early in counts. He has the natural velocity to miss bats at any level, so getting him to locate his heater will be a key to future success.
Also expected to see plenty of time in Sin City is Matt Kemp, whose exciting tools are only curbed by his inexperience. The Juan Pierre signing is pretty much a guarantee that Kemp's future lies in RF, where his arm is more than adequate. However, his offensive ceiling takes a hit given how much production is expected from a corner outfielder. I admire his work ethic, playing in the Dominican Winter League in order to further his plate discipline, but I think his problem is more simple. He needs to think better. When he came up to the majors, he was looking dead fastball early in counts. After pitchers gave him a steady diet of offspeed pitches, he did a 180 and became far too passive, often falling behind and flailing at breaking pitches out of the zone with 2 strikes. He needs to think more about the at bat and realize when he's getting junk and when he can expect a fastball. Drawing a few more walks wouldnt hurt either.
Of course, there's the double play tandem of Chin Lung Hu and Tony Abreu, who are sure to wow crowds with their awesome defensive prowess. Hu really took a step backwards developmentally last year. Although he participated in the Futures Games, he really struggled with the bat, hitting just .254 with little power. In the Arizona Fall League, Hu couldnt even manage to break the Mendoza line. Hopefully the friendly confines of Cashman Field will allow him to regain some hitting ability. Abreu was another story. After winning the FSL hitting title, Tony put up a very respectable .287 average while playing his home games in the pitcher friendly Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. He followed that up with a very impressive showing in the Dominican Winter League, batting .365 over a 15 game period. His speed and defense are also above average. Consider Abreu a darkhorse to take over for Jeff Kent in 2008.
And let us not forget Andy La Roche. A strong offensive season in 2006 was marred with injuries to both shoulders, though Andy says he's fully recovered and almost totally pain free entering spring training. While Grady Little has given Wilson Betemit his vote of confidence, La Roche still has a chance to win the starting 3B job outright this March. He could be the power source the Dodgers need.
I'll share my thoughts about the rest of the Dodgers' minor league teams over the next few days.
posted by Jared @ 11:51 PM
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