Here is the next part of my minor league series, and in this post we delve into the top 30 Dodger prospects. While there probably aren't any major surprises in this group, there are some differences to some of the other top 30 that I've seen. I'm a little higher on guys like Landry and Schebler than most, while I'm not as big of a believer in guys like Van Slyke and Castellanos. As always let me know what you think.

Also, with two more post to go in the series it doesn't look like I'll be able to finish my minor league countdown before the start of spring training, but I should still have it done by the end of February.

30. Juan Rodriguez, RHP (76 IP in LoA in 2011, including 59 IP with Red Sox)
Trade with Red Sox for Trayvon Robinson
6’5”, 195 lbs, 23.25 years old
3-5, 4.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2.92 FIP, 12.79 K/9
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A

There’s something about Juan Rodriguez that I like. The hard throwing right hander was acquired by the Dodgers as part of the Trayvon Robinson trade, and what he lacks in control he makes up for with velocity. Signed by the Red Sox as a 19 year old out of the Dominican Republic, Juan dominated the DSL for two seasons before getting promoted to the Red Sox Gulf Coast team in 2010. After a solid US debut Rodriguez was sent to the Sally League in 2011 and had a 5.19 ERA prior to be shipped to the Dodgers. Upon joining the Loons, however, Juan posted a 1.59 ERA over 17 frames and allowed just 6 hits for a .105 batting average against. At the time of the trade, Ned Colletti said “Rodriguez has power stuff and is still very young. He has potential to develop into a solid late-inning reliever." Here is video of him throwing for the Loons. In addition to an upper 90’s fastball, Rodriguez throws a slider and a changeup, but by all accounts his secondary pitches are fringy at best. He has good movement on his fastball, however, which is what allows him to strike out so many batters. Overall I love Rodriguez’s projectable frame, and because he is still just 23 I feel that he’ll be able to improve upon his control and slider with good coaching. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers challenged Rodriguez with an assignment to AA in 2012, and like Ned Coletti I think Juan could eventually be a late inning reliever for the Dodgers.

Why #30: Rodriguez’s performance with the Loons showed that he could be something special, and I especially love his projectable frame. If he can fine tune just one of his secondary pitches then I think he could reach his potential of a late inning reliever. If his secondary pitches remain fringy, however, then it’s unlikely that he’ll succeed at the higher levels of the minor leagues.

29. Josh Wall, RHP (68.2 IP in AA in 2011)
Drafted by Dodgers 2005, 2nd round
6’6”, 220 lbs, 25 years old
4-5, 3.93 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 3.99 FIP, 7.47 K/9
Pre 2011 Rank: 61; Pre 2010 Rank: 57; Pre 2009 Rank: 49

Josh Wall signed with the Dodgers out of high school in 2005 as a 2nd round pick for $500,000 and spent the first 6 professional seasons as a middling starting pitcher. 2011 brought about quite a few changes for Josh, however, because after four years in Class A the Dodgers finally decided to move him to AA, and they also changed his role from starter to reliever. Wall responded with his best season to date, posting an ERA below 4 for the first time since 2005 while providing the Lookouts with a solid bullpen arm. While his overall stats weren’t all that impressive, he did add a few ticks to his fastball and was rumored to be hitting 100 mph in some outings. After the season Wall was sent to the Arizona Fall League where he had even more success as he posted a 2.16 ERA over 8.1 frames against baseball’s best prospects. Here he is throwing for the Salt River Rafters. In addition to his strong fastball, Josh throws a hard slider along with a decent curveball and a fringy changeup. His overall potential as a reliever was too much for the Dodgers to ignore as they added him to the 40 man roster this past November. He was also invited to the Winter Development camp this past January along with several of the organizations other prospects. While there is currently no room for Josh in the big league bullpen, Wall is definitely an option to join the Dodgers at some point during the 2012 season. Given his age and experience the Dodgers probably won’t be afraid to send him to AAA despite the tough pitching conditions.

Why #29: After 7 minor league seasons, Wall has finally become relevant as a prospect thanks to his newfound success as a reliever and a fastball that apparently can reach triple digits. I’ve always liked Wall’s size and draft pedigree, and I’m glad that he’s found a home in the bullpen because that should allow him to eventually make it to the big leagues. He doesn’t seem to the stuff of a closer but I think his ceiling is that of a big league middle reliever.

Follow the jump for #'s 28 - 21

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Alberto Castillo is a testament to perseverance. The left-handed reliever is one of five southpaw non-roster invitees to spring training vying for a spot in the Dodgers bullpen, but Castillo's story is by far the most remarkable. Born in La Habana, Cuba in 1975, Castillo was on the Cuban junior national team at the Junior World Championships in Windsor, Ontario, Canada as an 18-year old in 1993.

With the specter of a mandatory two-year term in the Cuban military looming, Castillo had other ideas, per the Hampton Road (Virginia) Daily Press:

One year later, Castillo found his way to Miami, and was drafted by the San Francisco Giants, as a first baseman. After hitting a combined .207/.291/.314 in 161 games in Class A, Castillo was transitioned to the mound, where he had marginally better success.

After three years on the mound in the Giants and New York Yankees farm systems (he was traded from San Francisco to New York with Chris SIngleton for Charlie Hayes), never advancing past Class A, Castillo began a nine-year odyssey mostly in the Independent Leagues that saw him play in cities like Schamburg, Newark, Atlantic City, and Camden, and played for a year and a half with a barnstorming team in the Atlantic League in Philadelphia called the Road Warriors.

From 1999 to 2007, the only two years Castillo didn't spend in independent ball were 2005 because of an elbow injury, and 2001 when he was a first baseman for Class A Bakersfield in the Tampa Bay Rays' system. Castillo, then 25, hit .274/.329/.415 with 11 home runs while no doubt discussing the Los Angeles freeway system with teammate Matt Diaz.

In 2008, Castillo got an invitation to spring training to pitch for the Baltimore Orioles, and he finally made his major league debut later that year. In the last four seasons he has been back and forth between Triple A and the majors with both the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks.

In the last four years in Triple A, Castillo had a 2.86 ERA with 51 walks and 161 strikeouts in 160 innings.

In the last four years in MLB, Castillo had a 4.33 ERA with 27 walks and 48 strikeouts in 60 innings.

Trivia

Castillo made his major league debut three days after his 33rd birthday, on July 8, 2008, but it was 71 days after picking up his first major league win.

Castillo entered his 19th major league game on August 25, 2008, facing just one batter, Jim Thome, with two outs in the bottom of 13th inning. Castillo got Thome to fly out to deep center field, then Ramon Hernandez hit a home run in the next half inning, which held up to give Baltimore, and Castillo, the win. That game was the resumption of a suspended game from April 28, 2008, which was stopped after 11 innings because of rain. To make things even weirder, the game began in Chicago and was resumed in Baltimore, with the Orioles as the road team at home.

Contract Status

Castillo signed a minor-league contract with an invitation to big league camp in spring training.

Stats

2012 Outlook

In 123 MLB plate appearances against Castillo, left-handed batters have hit .296/.377/.519, and his 2011 Triple A splits (thanks, Minor League Central) don't show any appreciable difference between righties and lefties. Among the left-handed NRIs in camp, Castillo is behind John Grabow at least, and I think right-hander Jamey Wright has as good a chance as any at the one bullpen spot currently open. I don't think Castillo makes the team, and I don't think he pitches for the Dodgers this season.

What's your prediction for Castillo? Give us your prediction for ERA, WHIP, and innings pitched in the comments, and feel free to add strikeouts or any other predictions you have as well.

Catching up on a few Dodgers-related items...

I think this has been posted elsewhere before, but here is a look at the Don Drysdale / Maury Wills bobblehead commemorating the 1962 Cy Young and NL MVP winners, to be given away at Dodger Stadium on April 28:

The Dodgers will hold a FanFest from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, before their game at Dodger Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. From the Dodgers:

Fox released its 2012 MLB schedule, which features four Dodgers Saturday games:

Two years ago the Dodgers signed a good fielding, right-hand hitting utility infielder with a career 83 OPS+ to a guaranteed two-year contract for his age 36 and 37 seasons, for what many observers, including this one, considered a bit too much money and a year more than necessary. But Jamey Carroll silenced his critics by being a league average hitter while accruing far more playing time for the Dodgers than most imagined.

Carroll has moved on to Minnesota, so enter Jerry Hairston, Jr., who begins his Dodgers career with similar baseball skill credentials (86 OPS+, not quite as good an infielder, but a better outfielder, right-handed), with an equal-length, but richer contract (two years, $6M), and while also viewing his age-35 season in the rear-view mirror.

Carrying a lot of gloves in one's baseball bag, and being able to wield them decently can be a profitable exercise, as Hairston has parlayed those skills - he has appeared at every position except pitcher and catcher, and at least 436 innings at all of those spots except first base - into a 14-year career encompassing nearly 4500 plate appearances, and about $15 million in career major-league earnings.

As an offensive player, Hairston's career breaks up into three segments:

Perhaps wisdom of age allowed him to figure something out about his swing and turn him into a league-average hitter, but one might think that betting on that continuing at age 36, and for two seasons, may not be the wisest course of action.

Trivia:

Hairston hails from a multi-generational baseball family. His brother Scott Hairston will open his ninth MLB season this spring in his second year with the New York Mets. They are the sons of Jerry Hairston, longtime White Sox pinch-hitter / outfielder, and nephews of John Hairston, a cup of coffee Chicago Cub of the ill-fated 1969 season. Going back another generation, the father of the elder Jerry Hairston, Sam Hairston, finished his major league career with a whopping .400 / .571 / .600 batting line!

Because Jerry debuted before his brother Scott, he became the first third-generation African-American major-league baseball player.

The Dodgers are Hairston's eighth team. The journeyman has called every division of the major home except for the AL Central.

Ring in a box: he's got one. Hairston was a deadline day acquisition of the 2009 New York Yankees, and has appeared in more playoff series than Matt Kemp despite 2009 being his first post-season appearance, having returned to playoff action last season with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Contract Status:

(Sponsored by Ripley's Believe It Or Not) For his age 36 and 37 seasons, Hairston will earn $6 million guaranteed, or about $1.9 million more than any two-year span in his career. $2.25 million of that backloaded deal is due in 2012.

Previous Dodgers Player Profiles:

2011: Jamey Carroll, Gritty Grinding Gamer

2010: Jamey Carroll, the Multi-Year Man

Stats:

2012 Outlook:

Hairston would appear to be cast in the bench/utility player role for the Dodgers. If he accrues a large number of at-bats in 2012, that would probably indicate that things went south for one of more of Juan Uribe, Mark Ellis, or Dee Gordon. (It is unclear to me if the Dodgers would be willing to go with Hairston as an everyday SS, but the other choices would seem to be Uribe or Justin Sellers, so take your pick.)

If Pecota's playing time projection for Hairston is right, especially with a TSL like that, the soft flesh of my wrists will look mighty tempting to my kitchen knives. Of course they list his "comparables" as "Art Howe, Mike Lowell, (four-time batting champion) Bill Madlock", so take that for what it is worth.

Other than that, the projections generally are in line with my expectations, so I will guess that Hairston bats .251 / .329 / .368 while scrapping up 288 plate appearances.

What is your guess for Hairston in 2012? Be sure to guess BA/OBP/SLG, and anything else you wish to guess.

Thanks to baseball-reference.com and fangraphs.com for the statistics.

Here is the Valentine's Day edition of my minor league countdown. As we move closer to the end of the list you'll see that we are getting into the legitimate Dodger prospects, and this group in particular feature a lot of young talent. This post also brings us right up to the top 30, and in case you want to compare my list to Baseball America's I'll do part of the math for you and let you know that we only differ by 3 players. Our placement of the players in the top 30 is obviously, however, so they are two unique lists. As always feel free to leave feedback, and you can find my other posts from this series in the "Prospect Section" of this site.

40. O'Koyea Dickson, 1B (48 games in Pioneer Rookie Lg in 2011)
Drafted by Dodgers 2011, 12th round
5’11”, 215 lbs, 22 years old, bats right handed
.333 average, 1.005 OPS, 13 HR’s, 38 RBI’s, 1 SB
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A

After leading Sonoma State to a Division II championship in 2011, O’Koyea Dickson was selected by the Dodgers in the 12th round of the 2012 draft. Dickson's 11 homers in were more than double of any college teammates in 2011, and he also hit .341 for the Seawolves. Here is his scouting video from 2011, and here is a music video that was made about him. Dickson signed with the Dodgers for $45,000, and after getting assigned to the Pioneer League he quickly became one of the Raptors best players. His 13 home runs lead the club, as did his 1.005 OPS. He struck out in 20.5% of his plate appearances and walked 8.8% of the time which lead to an OPS of .402. Strictly a 1st baseman, Dickson is going to have to continue to be an offensive force if he wants to make it to the big leagues. He has a wide stance and generates a lot of bat speed with his quick swing, and so far that has worked against younger competition. His raw power only grades out as average, however, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in a less hitter friendly environment. Dickson has definitely earned a promotion for 2012, and he’ll probably move up to LoA where he’ll be the Loons primary 1st baseman.

Why #40: Dickson was an offensive force for Ogden, but college draftees tearing up the Pioneer League are actually pretty common. I’ll have to wait and see what he does in 2012 before I can really judge his prospect status. For now O’Koyea’s ceiling is that of a starting big league 1st baseman with 20 HR to 25 HR’s annually and a .280 average, but I think his probability of realizing that potential are extremely low given the reports on his lack of true power and his small stature. Those low odds of him reaching his potential are why he didn’t rank higher for me.

39. Pratt Maynard, C (25 games in Pioneer Rookie Lg in 2011)
Drafted by Dodgers 2011, 3rd round
6’0”, 215 lbs, 22.25 years old, bats left handed
.239 average, .687 OPS, 2 HR’s, 11 RBI’s, 0 SB’s
Pre 2011 Rank: N/A; Pre 2010 Rank: N/A; Pre 2009 Rank: N/A

Pratt Maynard never caught a game while in high school, but upon arriving at North Carolina State the Wolfpack decided to try him behind the plate. The conversion was obviously a success, and it led to the Dodgers picking Maynard in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft. In an interview right before the draft, Maynard said "It's worked out great for me. I wasn't drafted in high school as a pitcher. I came [to NC State] willing to play where the coaches needed me, but I never thought much about catching till they asked me." Pratt didn’t do much during his freshman year of college, but as a sophomore he socked 11 home runs and set a NC State record with 64 walks (vs just 42 strikeouts). As a junior his power number dropped off a bit thanks to the new bats introduced by the NCAA in 2011, but he managed to hit .323 and led his team with 21 doubles. Here he is smacking a double off Jed Bradley, the #15 overall pick of the 2011 draft. Pratt signed relatively quickly with the Dodgers for $315,000 and was sent to the Pioneer League. An ankle injury limited him to just 25 games with Ogden and he never really got in a groove as he hit just .239 with only 5 extra base hits. The Dodgers weren’t too worried about his offensive struggles, however, because the sample size was very small and they know from his college days that he has good pitch recognition and the ability to hit the ball to all fields. In addition, the Raptors were impressed with his defensive skills, and manager Damon Berryhill said “If you're an athletic kid and you have range and flexibility and a good first step and decent hands, catching is a good spot for you. For a kid that's only been catching for a couple years, [Maynard] is pretty polished, which is a pleasant surprise." Heading into 2012, Pratt will be the Dodgers best catching prospect in the lower minor leagues. He’ll almost certainly spend the season with Great Lakes where he’ll be the Loons primary catcher. While I don’t think he’ll ever be a star, I do believe he has what it takes to one day be a starting catcher at the big league level.

Why #39: Pratt is obviously just starting his professional career, but he seems to have the right combination of offensive skills and defensive abilities to eventually make it to the show. He has a nice swing from the left side with occasional power, and like AJ Ellis he really has a good eye at the plate. As I mentioned above I think he has the ceiling of an average starting catcher in the MLB.

Follow the jump for #'s 38 - 31

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It seems like an eternity ago that we were arguing against the "haters" who doubted that Chad Billingsley was or could be the Dodgers "true ace." In a lesson of re-calibrating expectations (plus, Clayton Kershaw and his Cy Young Award make the question of who is the Dodgers Ace an easy one) the open question for Billingsley is whether he's still a solid SP2 or SP3 for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012. Billingsley posted another pretty disappointing year in 2011 (after a solid 2010) with some very discouraging peripherals. As can happen with young hard-throwing pitchers, Billingsley's K/9 has continued to decline. Worse however is that Billingsley did not manage his declining K rates with increased control (as he had done in 2010.) Instead, Billingsley recorded a BB/9 of 4.02 in 2011 which is the highest since being called up in 2006. Lastly, Billingsley also recorded a career high Line Drive percentage of 20.9%. To sum up, Billingsley is walking more, striking out fewer, and when the ball is put in play, the opponent is hitting it harder. One year does not make a career defining trend, but suffice it to say that Billingsley will need to fundamentally improve (particularly with his command) in order to establish himself as the number 2 starting pitcher behind Clayton Kershaw, because the Dodgers will certainly need it.

Trivia

As this past off-season saw the end of the Jonathan Broxton era in Los Angeles, Chad Billingsley is now the longest tenured Dodger pitcher. Ramon Troncoso signed with the Dodgers one year before Billingsley but didn't make his Dodger debut until 2008 (2 years after Billingsley.) Only James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have been a Dodger (based on Dodger major league debut) longer than Chad.

Contract Status

At the end of spring training last year, the Dodgers worked out a contract extension with Billingsley which bought out his final arbitration season (would have been this year) plus an additional 2 years of free agency with a club option for a third. Billingsley will be paid $9MM in 2012.

Previous Dodgers Player Profiles

2011: Chad Billingsley

2010: Chad Billingsley

Stats

2012 Outlook

As noted above, Billingsley is simply going to have to manage to reverse the recent trends in order to turn in a succcesful season in 2012. Again, I'm not terribly surprised or alarmed by the declining K rates however his command is going to have to improve. The walks must come down and Billingsley must manage to keep hitters guessing a bit better. Can he do it? As an unabashed Billingsley fanboy, I think he can.

I predict an ERA of 3.45, FIP of 3.25 and x-FIP of 3.75 in 210 innings pitched.

What is your prediction? Be sure to guess Billingsley's ERA, number of innings pitched, plus anything else you would like to predict.

We begin our annual series of daily player profiles of the 2012 Dodgers with the man who should have been named the National League Most Valuable Player in 2011. Matt Kemp was due for a comeback year in 2011 after a poor 2010, and he delivered well beyond our wildest expectations.

Kemp hit .324/.399/.586 on the season, the first full-time center fielder since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles to slug .500 in a season. He led the National League in total bases, home runs, runs, and RBI, the only Dodger ever to do that. He led the NL in adjusted OPS+, and Wins Above Replacement by both Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference versions.

Kemp was one home run shy of becoming the fourth member of the 40/40 club, and finished second in the league in stolen bases. He was the first player to finish in the top two in his league in both home runs and stolen bases since Hank Aaron in 1963, and then was honored with the Aaron Award as the top offensive player in the league.

The season had by Kemp in 2011 was why we watch baseball. It was the realization and actualization of a player's full potential. And Kemp was rewarded in November, signing an eight-year contract worth $160 million.

There is risk in giving anyone an eight-year contract but Kemp, especially through his age 27-34 seasons, is one player I would bet on. His 2011 season was the equivalent of Chris Rock's standup special Bring The Pain, a game changer that catapulted Kemp to national prominence. Hopefully Kemp's next eight years produce more performances like Bigger and Blacker than like Down to Earth or Head of State.

Trivia

Kemp has the longest active consecutive games played streak in MLB, playing in 365 straight games dating back to August 2010. Kemp is a mere 742 games shy of Steve Garvey's team record of 1,107 consecutive games played.

Contract Status

Kemp signed the largest contract in National League history, an eight-year, $160 million pact through 2019, his age-34 season. Kemp will receive $10 million in 2012.

Previous Dodgers Player Profiles

2011: Primed For A Rebound

2010: Star

Stats

2012 Outlook

Expecting Kemp to repeat 2011 is unfair, but there is plenty of room for Kemp to slide and still be great. I think Kemp outperforms those projections, hitting .306/.373/.542 with 36 home runs and 31 stolen bases.

What is your guess for Kemp in 2012? Be sure to guess BA/OBP/SLG, and anything else you wish to guess.