Baseball Prospectus on the Dodgers' top 11 prospects

Anyway, I can't cut and paste the whole thing -- these people are trying to earn a living, you know -- but here's a line about each player from Goldstein's writeup (there's much more available for subscribers ... so subscribe!):

Martin: "Has everything one looks for in a young pitching prospect. He has smooth mechanics, and effortlessly pitches at 92-94 mph while touching 96, and many believe there is projection for much more. Unlike most teenagers, he already has solid secondary offerings, with a hard-breaking power curve and a surprisingly deceptive change. He's a fantastic athlete with a strong durable build, and scouts rave about his makeup."

DeJesus: "Understands his offensive abilities, and focuses on what he does well: working the count, lacing line drives to all fields, and occasionally driving one into the gap. He has fantastic defensive instincts, with plus range to both sides, and a solid arm. His basic baseball intelligence raises every aspect of his game ... not especially big or toolsy. He has slightly above-average speed, but there is some concern that he'll play his way off of shortstop if he loses a step or two, which would downgrade his projection dramatically."

McDonald: "He was so good in the bullpen that maybe he should just stay there; he provides a real change of pace when he replaces a power arm."

Elbert: "Elbert's mechanics still have a lot of moving parts, and he has trouble staying in sync and in the strike zone. He never really developed much of a changeup before being hurt, and almost never threw one in 2008, leaving most to think his move to the pen is permanent, though the Dodgers refuse to say so."

Lambo: "The best pure hitter in the Dodgers system, with a beautiful swing and a combination of bat speed and raw strength that projects for at least average power down the road, and possibly more. He showed improved plate discipline throughout the year, and despite it being his full-season debut, he did not seem at all overmatched against far more advanced players."

Lindblom: "A middling college starter who took a giant step forward as a reliever, Lindblom worked his way into the second round and had a sizzling pro debut.... There's some talk within the organization about trying Lindblom as a starter again, but most feel that if it's not broke, don't fix it, and pitching out of the bullpen is what he has done well."

Gordon: "Packs a ton of talent into a small frame.... No player in the system has a greater distance between what he is and his potential. He's far too messy defensively to stay in the infield, and will need to find some secondary offensive skills if he moves to the outfield."

Bell: "Prototypical big-bat third baseman with well-above-average raw power from both sides of the plate. He made solid strides last year in developing a more patient approach, and he also improved his defensive fundamentals, which are supplemented by an outstanding arm."

Baez: "Has two tools that are better than those of anyone else in the system. First, he has incredible raw power, and puts on a show-stopping batting practice. Second, he has an absolute cannon for an arm that some scouts rate as a pure 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale.... He's behind Bell for now on the organizational depth chart, and in terms of development as well. These are two high-risk prospects, so the chances of them both panning out are pretty slim."

Russell: "His power comes at a price. His swing is both long and hitch-heavy, and he struck out once every 2.7 at-bats while posting an utterly unsustainable BABIP of .445 in his pro debut. Some think that he'll never hit for anything close to an acceptable average down the road — it's that big of a concern."

Paul: "He has solid hitting abilities, having consistently hit for good batting averages at the upper levels while adding gap power. His speed is above average, he made great strides defensively in center field, and he has one of the better arms in the system ... is less than the sum of his parts, lacking any one tool that might enable him to project as an everyday player."

BK