SB Nation User Blog: CanuckDodger

Dodgers' 16-Year-Old Makes GCL Debut

CanuckDodger — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 23:59:48 -0000

Someone already touched on this in the Community thread for July 4, but I think this warrants a thread of its own.

A 16-year-old Dominican RHP the Dodgers signed on the first day of the international signing period, Jose Dominguez, made his pro debut today, and not in the Dominican Summer League, but the GCL. He struck out 7 in 2.0 innings, gave up one hit, and no walks. It is just two innings, but what if Dominguez continues to excel? 16-year-olds who do well in the GCL at 16, like Elvis Andrus and Jose Tabata, almost instantly gain recognition as ELITE prospects.

Dominguez is 6'0" and 180 lbs. He has a fastball that touches 90 (but his velocity will surely increase with age) and he has a curve. A couple days ago Logan White was quoted as saying that "It is rare to see a kid as polished as he is."

Now as Ross Perot would say, here's the beauty part. Dominguez signed for $50,000. Not the high six figures or even seven figures everybody gets excited about their teams throwing at international players. Baseball America has made it clear that historically the success rate for Latin Americans signed for huge money is NOT good. Most Dominicans who end up doing really well in the majors signed for modest sums, and I tend to think that avoiding the over-priced guys is the best strategy for signing players on the international market.

OTHER Teams' Drafts

CanuckDodger — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 02:06:51 -0000

If someone is really pleased with their favorite team's draft, it is common to discount that person's opinion on the grounds that they are biased. So I am curious, which teams' drafts really impressed you, EXCLUDING the draft of your favorite team?

I am pretty impressed with the Nationals' draft and the Orioles' draft. I liked the job Baltimore did last year, so it doesn't surprise me that they put in a strong effort again, but Washington? Honestly, any time they don't shoot themselves in the foot, I am astonished.

Dodgers MOD II

CanuckDodger — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 17:09:09 -0000

We are about 24 hours before the mock draft, and I thought I would let fellow Dodger fans know what my plans are, which anybody can comment on.

For the #7 overall pick, I would like Clayton Kershaw, but it looks like the Tigers' fans are pressing their scouting director to take him. My second choice is Jeremy Jeffress, and we should be able to get him. But if he is off the board, my next in line preferences are Travis Snider and Bill Rowell.

For picks 26 and 31, my short list is Colton Willems, Chris Parmelee, Jordan Walden, Kyler Burke, Lars Anderson, Max Sapp, horror novelist Stephen King, and Jason Place. I was going to put Kasey Kiker at the top of my list just because the Dodgers are known to have expressed interest in him, but I heard he had poor workouts with the Rangers and Braves, and I just read John Sickels say he knows what Kiker's makeup issues are and to his mind they are more serious than Drabek's. So I am not taking Kiker, and I hope Logan White doesn't either.

MOD: Dodgers

CanuckDodger — Wed, 17 May 2006 02:35:52 -0000

Okay, Dodger fans, with three picks in the top thirty-one, June 6 should be a lot of fun. What do you want the Dodgers to do with their five picks in the first five rounds (we don't have a second or third round pick)? Post your ideas for Dodger draft strategy and your evaluations of draft-eligible amateurs.

Shadow Drafting For Your Favorite Team

CanuckDodger — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:25:42 -0000

In his recent post on Brandon Wood, John talks about his past "shadow drafts" for the Twins, in which every year he would follow the draft in real time and choose the players whom HE would choose as the Twins' picks, if he were the Twins' scouting director. I suppose a lot of us hard-core prospect/draft fans do that on draft day for our favorite teams, don't we? For those of you who have been doing this sort of thing in past years, how about sharing with the rest of us your "shadow pick" for your favorite team's FIRST pick in the draft, going back however long you have been following the draft in real time AND have had a "shadow pick" selected (in your mind) before your team made its real selection?

If you want to do this, please mention your favorite team, the draft year, the round PLUS overall number for the pick, the player you WANTED, and the player your team DID take. Also, and this may be the most interesting part, say if, in hindsight, you believe YOU made a better choice, or your favorite team's scouting director made the better choice.

I'll start. Obviously the Dodgers are my favorite team. I have been following the draft live and shadow drafting (for the first two or three rounds) for the Dodgers since 2002, which coincidentally was Logan White's very first draft as the Dodgers' scouting director.

2002:

The Dodgers' first pick was the 19th overall pick in the 1st round.

My shadow pick was Matt Whitney, a Florida high school 3B.

The Dodgers picked James Loney, a Texas high school LHP/1B whom most scouts preferred as a pitcher, but the Dodgers preferred as a 1B.

In hindsight, everybody would agree with me that the Dodgers' real pick was better than my shadow pick. Whitney ended up being drafted by the Indians 31st overall. Perhaps if Whitney had not broken his leg quite badly before starting his first full season he could have turned out better than Loney, but as things stand, Loney now trumps Whitney by quite a bit.

2003:

The Dodgers' first pick was the 24th overall pick in the 1st round.

My shadow pick was Ryan Sweeney, an Iowa high school OF/LHP whom most scouts preferred as an OF, and I wanted the Dodgers to draft Sweeney as an OF.

The Dodgers drafted Chad Billingsley, an Ohio high school RHP.

In hindsight, everyone would agree that the Dodgers' choice was superior to my pick. Sweeney ended up being drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 2nd round, 52nd overall. While not nearly as well regarded as Billingsley, Sweeney is considered a legitimate prospect, and ironically he somewhat resembles James Loney: he is an ex-lefty pitcher who is now praised for his pure hitting skills as a lefty hitter, but people question whether he has or will ever develop enough power to play in the big leagues at a position where power is usually expected.

2004:

The Dodgers' first pick was the 17th overall pick in the 1st round.

My shadow pick was Scott Elbert, a Missouri high school LHP.

The Dodgers' pick was Scott Elbert.

In hindsight, I am pleased with the Dodgers' and my choice of Elbert, and the only player selected after Elbert with whom I would be EQUALLY pleased is Phil Hughes, selected by the Yankees 23rd overall. I am sure there are many people who would prefer Huston Street, Dustin Pedroia, or Gio Gonzalez over Elbert, but I am not one of them, for various reasons that I won't go into here.

2005:

The Dodgers' first pick was the 40th overall pick in the supplemental 1st round.

My shadow pick was Michael Bowden, an Illinois high school RHP.

The Dodgers' pick was Luke Hochevar, a RHP from the U. of Tennessee who was univerally considered before the draft to be a top 10 talent, but fell to the Dodgers at #40 because of his bonus demands and the fact that Scott Boras was his advisor.

In hindsight, I could KILL Logan White or Paul DePodesta or whoever it was with the Dodgers who wanted Hochevar. This really isn't even strictly about hindsight either. I screamed at my computer the moment the Dodgers picked Hochevar, because I KNEW Hochevar was not going to sign with the Dodgers and the Dodgers would just end up having wasted their first pick in the 2005 draft. Sure, I did not foresee the exact nature of the fiasco the future held in store, but I just knew that Boras was going to hold out for a Jered Weaver-type deal for Hochevar, and I knew that unlike the Angels, the Dodgers were NOT going to knuckle under to Boras. In other words, I foresaw that the Dodgers intended to play a game of "Chicken" with Boras, counting on Boras to lose because they did not think Hochevar would want to go back in the draft in 2006, PLUS I foresaw that Boras would not allow himself to lose a game of Chicken, even if it meant screwing his client, himself and the Dodgers equally. You don't lose a game of Chicken if EVERYBODY dies, right? Michael Bowden ended up being picked by the Red Sox in the first supplemental round, #47 overall, and while he isn't a better talent than Hochevar, the Dodgers would certainly be better off with him right now than with the great big spot of nothingness they have in place of Hochevar.