Down On The Farm: Albuquerque Season Review

MVP

Mitch Jones|OF|31

434 PA/.297 AVG/.364 OBP/.651 SLG/1.015 OPS/35 HR/64 XBH/.354 ISO/.426 wOBA/102 K/40 BB

Great stat line, but i'm not sure it even means anything as Albuquerque is a great place to hit. I could see him being right handed pop off the bench, but even that is far fetched for him at this stage in his career.

Cy Young

Giancarlo Alvarado|RHP|31

152.1 IP/3.49 ERA/3.93 FIP/1.25 WHIP/139 K/51 BB

Like I said, Albuquerque is a great place to hit, and Alvarado probably was the best pitcher on the team. Is he a prospect? Not even close, but you have to give credit where credit is due.

Best Hitting Prospect

Xavier Paul|OF|24

129 PA/.328 AVG/.378 OBP/.500 SLG/.878 OPS/.172 ISO/.389 wOBA/2 HR/14 XBH/22 K/10 BB/8 SB/2 CS

I'm a big fan of Paul as a fourth outfielder, as I think he brings a lot to the table off the bench. His combination of speed and a plus arm allows him the ability to play all three positions, and he has a skill set that could step in and spell a starter that goes down to injury (or suspension). His upside would probably be as a starter on a mediocre team, like Delwyn Young with the Pirates.

Best Pitching Prospect

Josh Lindblom|RHP|22

39.0 IP/2.54 ERA/3.51 FIP/1.18 WHIP/36 K/12 BB

I agree with the general consensus that his future is in the bullpen, but if he has the potential to be a starter, I don't see why the Dodgers would rule that out so soon. Fact of the matter is that even a middling starter (Jon Garland type) is worth more than most closers, so that is the root of my general reluctance to pigeonhole potential starters (James McDonald/Scott Elbert) as future relievers.

The sticking point is that Lindblom could probably have an impact as a reliever this year, as he has two pitches that are good enough to get major league hitters out, and he has the mental profile of a closer. His third pitch needs development time, and he'll need it to be a starter, so it's a case of patience versus whether the time lost is worth the potential return.

Notables

Travis Schlichting|RHP|24

12.2 IP/1.42 ERA/4.23 FIP/1.26 WHIP/7 K/8 BB

This is actually it for potential prospects at this level. Really. I could only find three of them.

I still like Schlichting to be a major league reliever, but it sure would be nice if he could stop getting hurt. Not only do the injuries set him back from getting potential call-ups, but they also hinder him from refining his control, which is the main thing hobbling his skill set right now.