LA Dodgers: The Top 13 Minor-Leaguers in Their Farm System

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been very successful at developing prospects in recent years if you look at the likes of Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw. However, they still do have some talent down on the farm that should be coming to Los Angeles in the next few years.

Therefore, let's take a look at the top 13 prospects in the Los Angeles Dodgers system.

13. Jake Lemmerman

Jake Lemmerman is one of only a few position players you're going to see on this list even though it starts out with a few of them. However, this shortstop has been able to advance relatively quickly through the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and topped out at AA in only his second professional season.

He spent most of the season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (single-A) where he hit .293 with eight home runs and 54 RBI. This is definitely solid production for a shortstop, and it earned him a promotion to the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA). While there, he held his own with a .234 batting average and still managed to drive in 11 runs over 21 games.

12. Joc Pederson

Joc Pederson got promoted out of rookie ball near the end of this season, so that is why I did not rank him higher. It is hard to judge how well a player will turn out from that far away. However, he showed enough in rookie ball to convince me that there's a lot of talent here.

In 68 games he hit .353 with 11 home runs, 64 RBI, and 24 stolen bases. He seems to have a well-rounded set of abilities. Players that can hit the ball hard and run are sometimes hard to come by, so it will definitely be interesting to see how Pederson continues to develop.

11. Leon Landry

Leon Landry just played his first full season of professional baseball with the Great Lakes Loons (single-A) and there were definite signs of potential in the outfielder. He showed good doubles power, drove in a fair amount of runs, and demonstrated fantastic speed by hitting 11 triples and stealing 28 bases.

I do realize that his batting average dropped approximately 100 points from 2010 to 2011, but I also know that the ratio of on-base percentage to batting average barely changed over these two seasons. This tells me that he didn't entirely lose his plate discipline when he was promoted. Even though he wasn't as effective, he seems to be keeping his mind about him, and he seems to have quite a bit of potential.

10. Aaron Miller

Aaron Miller seems to be very effective when he's healthy. He appeared in 10 games with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (single-A) and posted a 3-2 record with a 3.97 ERA. He did seem to have a bit of a problem with runners getting on base as opponents were able to hit .282 against him.

It definitely seems that he can be very effective, and he has advanced as high as AA in his career. Despite a bit of an injury setback, he should be able to advance again. Also, he is a left-handed pitcher that will make advancement probably a little bit easier.

9. Garrett Gould

Garrett Gould is still young. He is just over 20 years old, but he tore up the Midwest League with the Great Lakes Loons this past summer. He went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA in his first season of full season ball. He was also able to keep runners off the bases with a pretty nice 1.12 WHIP.

He definitely has plenty of time to develop his talent. His arm seemed to hold up well this past season, so that does speak well for his future. Hopefully he will be able to keep up this success as I assume he will move up in the organization next year.

8. Ethan Martin

Ethan Martin has benefited largely from shifting to a relief pitcher. He had been a highly valued starting pitching prospect, but he struggled early this season was the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (single-A). However, a shift to the bullpen saw progress.

Once he moved to the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA), he was able to post a 5-3 record with a 4.02 ERA. He still averaged over a strikeout per inning though, so it is evident that he has live pitches. Perhaps he will be able to regain some of that power that made him such a highly valued prospect a few years ago.

7. Scott Van Slyke

The Dodgers farm system is very pitching heavy. However, Scott Van Slyke will finally give us a position player. He is 25 years old, so he is a little bit old for a prospect, but he is very close to joining the major-league Dodgers after a phenomenal year with the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA).

He finally seemed to come into his own as a hitter this season. In 130 games, he hit .348 with 20 home runs and 92 RBI. That is quite a bit of production, and has earned him a spot on the Dodgers major-league roster right now. It will be interesting to see what type of playing time he gets and what happens to his production.

6. Angel Sanchez

Angel Sanchez made his debut this season in the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system. He started with the Great Lakes Loons (single-A) and seemed to demonstrate quite a bit of skill. He went 8-4 with a 2.82 ERA. It was also very impressive that he held opponents to a .198 batting average against him.

Although this was his first season in the minor leagues, he did not have a lot of trouble pitching at this level, and it seems that he could move quickly up the organizational ladder. However, it is very early to call this because he does not have a lot of experience, but all signs look good so far.

5. Shawn Tolleson

Shawn Tolleson could very well be the closer of the future for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In only his second season in professional baseball, he has ascended all the way to the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA). He basically has dominated everywhere he has gone.

He has appeared in 83 games over the past two seasons, and he still has a 1.01 ERA. He has 144 strikeouts and just about 98 innings. At this rate, it will not be very long until the Dodgers bring him up to the majors, and he becomes the closer of the future.

4. Chris Withrow

Chris Withrow had a somewhat difficult year with the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA) this season. He posted a 6-6 record with a 4.20 ERA. However, this is a definite improvement over last year where he really struggled in AA.

 He has shown that he has some powerful stuff throughout his minor league career, and that is why I rated him higher. He has 395 career strikeouts in 385 career innings. Although it might appear that he has stalled a little bit in AA. However, if he is able to control that power, he will definitely be something special.

3. Nathan Eovaldi

Nathan Eovaldi spent the entire 2011 season with the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA). He definitely was impressive as a 21-year-old with a 6-5 record and 2.62 ERA. His durability has been a concern throughout his minor league career, but he finally was able to get over 100 innings this season which could be a step in the right direction.

All of this success earned him a call up to the big club, but he still has his rookie eligibility. He had a fabulous year, and I think he will be up from here on out.

2. Allen Webster

Allen Webster started in the California League (single-A) with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes this season, but he quickly earned a promotion to the Chattanooga Lookouts (AA). In nine starts in the California League, he went 5-2 with a 2.33 ERA. He also tallied up 62 strikeouts in 54 innings.

 He got rocked up a little bit once he moved up to Chattanooga with only a 5.04 ERA. However, he was able to grab some wins as he went 6-3 though. This is a positive sign, and the danger that he is moving up the farm system relatively quickly. It shouldn't be too long until we see him in Los Angeles.

1. Zach Lee

Zach Lee had an interesting track to becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers number one overall prospect. According to a story from ESPN, many teams were afraid of him because he has signed on to be the quarterback at LSU. The Dodgers selected him at the 28th position, but he still went to LSU and was participating in preseason drills. In a surprising twist however, he signed with the Dodgers for a $5.25 million signing bonus.

Nevertheless, this pick has worked out very well. He started in the Midwest League (single-A) and put up a 9-6 record with a 3.47 ERA. He is obviously very athletic, and he seems to have a very high ceiling. He will be a very good option for the Dodgers in a few years since he is only 19 right now.