Chattanooga, Great Lakes rosters out

Happy holidays, folks! Great Lakes and Chattanooga have released their rosters and there are some surprises.

Chattanooga Lookouts

-The big surprise for me here is SS Dee Gordon jumping past High A Inland Empire and heading straight to Double A. Given how raw he still is, this is a controversial move that could pay big dividends or have LA officials kicking themselves. I really hope Flash Jr succeeds.

-The rotation is headlined by RHPs Chris Withrow and Tim Sexton. Withrow, who resurrected his career in 2009, made 6 starts with the Lookouts after a late season promotion. After getting pounded in his debut, Chris allowed just 6 earned runs in his last 5 appearances. Sexton's season went the other way. He dominated the Cal league most of the year but suffered down the stretch. While Sexton attempts to regain last season's early dominance, Withrow hopes to continue striding toward the major leagues.

-A few familiar faces return to the bullpen in RHPs Javy Guerra and Matthew Sartor. After moving to the pen, Guerra was extremely successful in High A last year, posting a 1.54 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 41 innings. After a promotion to Chattanooga, Javy struggled a bit but continued striking out batters at an impressive clip. Sartor's season wasn't as successful, though he posted solid peripherals and was named a mid-season All Star. They give the Lookouts two solid options to close out games this season.

-While Gordon spearheads the offense, the outfield is chock full of prospects. LF Andrew Lambo is joined by CF Trayvon Robinson and RF Scott Van Slyke. This will be the third year in which Lambo appears in Double A. He came up briefly in 2008 and had some success, though 2009 wasn't as beneficial. Still just 21, Andrew looks to improve on last season and make a case for a spot on the big club in 2011. Robinson and Van Slyke both broke out in the Inland Empire last year. With only 12 home runs in his pro career that began in 2005, Tray clubbed 17 longballs in 2009 and added 47 stolen bases to establish himself as one of the minors' most exciting prospects. Van Slyke, son of Andy, crushed 23 home runs and added 42 doubles with the 66ers. The trio will give Lookouts and Dodgers fans alike much to cheer about this season.

Great Lakes

-While the Loons don't have the same star power as they had in 2009, there's plenty of prospects to watch. My two favorite players on the squad are OF/1B Jerry Sands and RHP Allen Webster. Both were late round picks in 2008 who had big 2009 campaigns. Sands, a 25th round pick out of Catawba College, started the year with the Loons but went 2 for 17 with 7 K's and was demoted to rookie ball. When in Ogden, Sands exploded, hitting .350 with 14 HR in 41 games. After being recalled to Great Lakes, Jerry hit 5 HR and raised his Low A OPS to an impressive .870. If he keeps showing that type of patience and power, he'll fly thru the minors. Webster, a converted shortstop, was understandably raw in his debut, walking 17 batters in 18.1 innings. In 2009, after working on his mechanics, Allen dominated in two of the most hitter friendly leagues in the minors. Overall, he posted a 2.36 ERA with 77 strikeouts against just 18 walks in 68.2 innings. Webster has the potential for 3 plus pitches, but he still has some developing to do. He's another guy who, despite his rawness, could move pretty quickly.

-A number of 2009 draft picks will make their full season debuts with Great Lakes. OF Brian Cavazos-Galvez is coming off of an MVP performance in Ogden, while OF Blake Smith struggled in his debut. RHP Brett Wallach, son of former player and current Albuquerque manager Tim, struggled with command but struck out more than a batter an inning with the Raptors. C JT Wise hit .338 with 8 HR in 39 games with Ogden.

More notes coming once the other two rosters are posted.