Down On The Farm: High Offense

Steven Caseres|1B|A+|22-He has been a pleasant surprise, even if his growth has come in the Cal League. His walk rate has almost doubled (12.5%), his strikeout rate has come down at tad (28.2%), and his power has maintained (.207). Given his projection, I expected more of a power uptick in this league, but i'll gladly take baby steps from a guy who wasn't supposed to be fast mover in the first place. I think he'll need another year at either low-A or high-A before he's ready to make the jump to advanced pitching.

Pedro Baez|3B|A+|21-Currently on the disabled list, and he has a lot to work on when he comes back. He is showing horrid plate discipline (4.9 BB%/27.3 K%) and mediocre power (.159 ISO). Worse yet, his batting average is powered by a .364 BABIP. I don't care if he was in the Futures Game or not, it doesn't make him a great prospect. Fact of the matter is that for all of his potential, he's still not putting it together.

Scott Van Slyke|OF|A+|23-The walk rate is solid (10.1%), but the strikeouts are bad (25.7%). Still, Van Slyke is having a power outburst (.245 ISO), and has a line of .297/.370/.542/.911 on the year. You don't want to get too excited because it is the Cal League, but he has earned the right to prove it's for real against advanced pitching next year. I'll do a profile on him at some point, but for now, i'll just say that this type of performance has always been a possibility with his tools.

Trayvon Robinson|OF|A+|21-He's playing in the same league as he was last year, so there's definite growth being had here. He's beginning to walk more (7.0%/9.3%), which could be a huge thing for a speedster like him, and his next step is to make contact more frequently (25.9 K%).

Even though his power is blossoming (.109/.188), I would take that with a grain of salt, as he doesn't project to have a lot of power down the road, but he's strong enough to make the doubles and triples stick. The .306 average is probably not realistic due to his .389 BABIP, but it's not too far off either. He's a line drive and ground ball machine, so his BABIP will always be higher than most.

Alex Garabedian|C|A+|23-Really disappointed in his performance in the Cal League. He struggled for a couple years early on, but I expected real power growth from him once he entered the hitter friendly league, perhaps giving him potential as a backup or something. Unfortunately, his power has regressed in 2009, and his line of .233/.336/.324/.660 is brutal for a 23-year-old in an offense heavy league. His walk rate is up, but that's not enough for me.

Jaime Ortiz|1B|A+|21-Another disappointment for me. He wasn't projected that well coming out of high school, but he showed good pop from the left side for a young player in low-A. Like Garabedian though, his power has faded in a hitters' league, but his walk rate has taken a climb. Given his position, he's going to have to do a lot better.

Preston Mattingly|OF|A+|21-I know he's still just 21-years-old, but where are the results? He moved to a hitters' league and his strikeout rate got worse (34.9%). No, that's not a typo, he actually has 123 strikeouts in 352 at-bats. His line of .244/.307/.369/.677 actually reflects progress in both BB% and ISO, but that's not really anything notable given the context of the league.

The sad thing? He's been lucky with a .356 BABIP. Besides all the statistics, watch the guy play and tell me why the Dodgers drafted him so high. You can't tell the difference between him and a 25th rounder, seriously. Unlike with somebody like Baez or Lambo, where their tools are apparent despite their struggles, Mattingly shows nothing of the sort.

Tim Sexton|RHP|A+|22-He was a disaster in the Cal League last year, but has been much better in 2009. His 3.19 ERA is supported by his 3.40 FIP, and he has done it by lowering his homers allowed (1.08/0.64 HR/9) and walks (2.29/1.56 BB/9). However, my problem is that almost all of it has been done through smoke and mirrors. His strikeout rate is 5.67 K/9, but more than statistics, his stuff is extremely average. I'll do a profile on him eventually, but I just don't trust guys with middling stuff to consistently repeat their success as they move levels. In my opinion, the jury is still out on him.

Kenley Jansen|RHP|A+|21-Name sound familiar? Yes, it's the same defense first catcher that has been in the Dodger system since he was 17, but now he's taking his turn on the mound. He has always had a strong arm behind the plate, and the Dodgers felt it would be worth seeing if he could pitch. This could be an interesting follow as he learns the craft.

Justin Miller|RHP|A+|21-He turned in a decent performance in low-A (4.70 ERA/4.25 FIP), but nothing that struck me as deserving of a promotion or a new challenge. The Dodgers obviously felt it was necessary though, and Miller is now facing more difficulties in the Cal League. He still needs a strikeout pitch to vault himself into the higher level of prospects.