Down On The Farm: Winter Leagues Have Begun

Jamie Hoffmann|OF|25|DWL-A surprise breakout, a suspension, and injuries cemented his spot as a potential reserve outfielder in the system. Hoffmann is playing in the Dominican this winter and went 0-4 in his first game.

Andrew Lambo|OF|21|AFL-Scouts somehow dropped him from a potential middle of the order bat to a potential reserve outfielder this year, and that's why I question the intelligence of just paying attention solely to scouts for opinions on players. Scouts are human, just like you and me, and their opinions can be...flimsy at times.

Anyway, Lambo has a 1.432 OPS with four extra base hits in his first four games at Arizona. Nothing to overreact about, but I just wanted to mention that I didn't see some huge deteroriation in skills this year. The year he had was always a possiblity in his first full exposure to advanced pitching. The underlying skills and tools are still there, the breakout just didn't come. Of course, that breakout may never come, but i'm willing to wait more than one year before dropping him from number one prospect in the system to a Jamie Hoffmann/Xavier Paul type future reserve outfielder.

Lucas May|C|24|AFL-Speaking of scouting overreaction, I had a typical one when evaluting May. I saw him flail away aimlessly against advanced breaking balls last year, and I just figured my worst nightmares about his approach had come true.

This year, he did start swinging the bat much better, but then he broke his wrist, and I had convinced myself he was a future reserve at best. Fortunately, it seems like my initial impression of him was correct, as I noticed he adjusted his game quite well after recovering from the wrist injury. He's currently in Arizona and has a .983 OPS through 3 games.

Trayvon Robinson|OF|22|AFL-He's currently the most hyped Dodger prospect going into Winter League ball, and I can't say it's undeserving after the year he had. As far as current performance, he has a 1.071 OPS through 2 games. Personally, i'm about a good showing in Arizona away from putting him in the top five in the system.

I'm trying to get an interview with him too, so if you have any questions that I may not think of, feel free to share your ideas in the comments.

Javy Guerra|RHP|23|AFL-The power right handed reliever was dominant in low-A, but he struggled a bit after moving up to AA. His main problem is still his command, but he has major league reliever potential.

So far in Arizona, he has allowed 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2 batters in 2 1/3 innings. The walk rate is something i'm going to watch as he continues to adjust to higher levels of competition.

Eric Krebs|RHP|24|AFL-Delwyn Young might not ever be a regular, but he was one of the best pinch hitters in the league this season. And this is who the Dodgers got. I'm thrilled.

None of this is Krebs' fault of course, but it's hard not to be a bit resentful, as i'm not sure he's going to be a contributor. Already 24, and still struggling heavily with command in high-A, he's not doing himself any favors by allowing a 6.75 ERA and 9 baserunners in his first 2 2/3 innings of relief in Arizona.

Aaron Miller|LHP|22|AFL-Quickly becoming one of the Dodgers best prospects after his impressive showing in Great Lakes last year, his AFL results could be more telling since he's now facing more advanced competition. He's doing fine so far, as he has thrown a scoreless 2 1/3 innings.

Travis Schlichting|RHP|24|AFL-2009 marked his major league debut, but it was also a year in which he lost a ton of time to injury. He still has the stuff to be useful to the Dodgers out of the pen as soon as next year, but the most important thing for him this winter is that he rounds back into shape and gets healthy. So far he has struck out 4 in 2 2/3 innings, but he has walked 3.