Four Dodgers Set to Play in Arizona Fall League - Check Out some AFL Fantasy Baseball Cards

Winter Ball is fast approaching and so is the opportunity to check out each clubs best and brightest minor league prospects.  For a month and a half, starting in early October, the Arizona Fall League opens its doors, and for those luck enough to participate it usually means that "The Show" is not too far away. 

For the Dodgers four players are slated to go to Arizona and will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs.  They are infielders Corey Seager and Darnell Sweeney, outfielder Scott Schebler and left-handed pitcher Mike Thomas.  They will join a team that will include other top prospects like Devon Travis and Steven Moya of the Tigers, Time Anderson of the White Sox, Zach Davies of the Orioles and Tyrone Taylor of the Brewers. 

In celebration of these players next step in their maturation process I made several fantasy cards for them.  The photos I used are from either Dodgers photographer Jon SooHoo's photog website or photographs grabbed from the Dodger Insider blog.  I also used the vintage 1970 Topps Baseball card design.

The AFL website can be viewed here.

Below is a brief synopsis of each player:

Corey Seager, 20, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 1st Round in 2012 and is now regarded as a Top-20 prospect in all of Baseball.  He was recently named the 2014 California League MVP for his play with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.  He slashed 352/.411/.633with 18 home runs and 70 RBI's before being promoted to AA Chattanooga.  Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:


Scott Schebler, 23, was drafted by the Dodgers in the 26th Round in 2010.  He has had two outstanding consecutive years for the Dodgers in the minor leagues.  In 2013 with the Quakes he slashed .296/.360/.581 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI's.  In 2014 with the AA Lookouts he slashed .281/.367/.558 with 27 home runs and 72 RBI's.  Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:


Darnell Sweeney, 23, was drafted in 2012 in the 13th Round and is from the University of Central Florida.  With the Lookouts he slashed .285/.384/.461 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI's.  Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:


Mike Thomas, 25, was a 35th Round pick in 2011 draft.  He has been Chattanooga's left-handed reliever out of the 'pen.  In 2014 he has gone 4-3 with a 2.75 ERA, with 3 saves and a strike out per nine innings ratio of 11.6.   Unfortunately, he tends to walk far too many batters.  He pitched for the Desert Dogs last year; pitching in 5 games.  Below are his career statistics, via Baseball Reference:

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Blog Kiosk: 9/18/2013 - Dodgers Links - Kemp's Big Return

Matt Kemp sure had a big game in debut in the starting lineup yesterday.  Pic above via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013.  See more of his pics from the day here.

• "Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez rekindle Dodgers fire," via Eric Stephen at True Blue LA.

"I miss baseball, man. I haven't played in a while so it felt good to be in front of the crowd," Kemp said after the game. "It's a good feeling."

• Left Field Pavilion celebrates Kemp's return with a great graphic.  See it here.
• Tony Jackson at Dodger Scribe has some pregame notes for tonight's game.  It's a must watch!
• This whole Alexander Guerrero situation has me thinking that the Dodgers are getting jerked around.  Frankly, I think they should consider just walking away, as a matter of principle. Or, at the very least, stick to your number and don't move from it.  Heck, the guy hasn't played a game in a couple of years, and the risk would solely rest with the Dodgers.  Besides, it's not like they'll just hand him a 2nd base job, he still has to earn it, and he'll be paid handsomely for the opportunity to earn it.  On the other hand, if he decides to not sign with anybody and play a year in another league to show (prove) his worth, then I say pursue him based upon those results.  Via a tweet by @Jesse Sanchez.

Guerrero switched agents. Verbal agreements from past agency are not binding. Wants overall better deal. @mgaax @DodgersNation @AlexRod018
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) September 17, 2013

• Dustin Nosler at Feelin' Kinda Blue shares his 2013 Dodgers all-prospect team.
• The Dodgers add 4 players to the Glendale Desert Dogs, via twitter.

#Dodgers add four pitchers to 2013 AFL Glendale Desert Dogs roster: LH Onelki Garcia & Mike Thomas, RH Yimi Garcia & Shawn Tolleson.
— Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) September 17, 2013

• Jeff Jaffe at Hardball Times shares a great story about a game 20 years ago where a drunken fan caused the Red Sox to lose a game to the Yankees.
• John Thorn at Our Game provides a history lesson on the origin of the batting average.

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Here are April's Dodger Pride Award Winners - Minor League Players of the Month for April

The future of the Dodgers rest with the players in the minor leagues.  So, if you want to get a glimpse at how the Dodgers might perform down the road it's best to look there.  Fortunately, the Dodgers make note of who are the best young studs by awarding their best players every month, called the Dodger Pride Awards.  Here are April's award winners, via a Dodgers press release:

Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes

(credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers)

Pitcher - RHP Chris Withrow did not allow a run in eight relief appearances for the Isotopes in April, going 2-0 while striking out 14 and walking five in 9.2 innings. The 24-year-old limited opponents to a .125 batting average and did not allow a hit in three road appearances (3.1 IP). Overall, the Odessa, Texas, native is holding right-handers to a .160 batting average (4-for-25) and has excelled with runners in scoring position, limiting the opposition to a .188 average (3-for-16). Withrow was selected by the Dodgers in the first round (20^th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft.

(credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers)

Player - 1B/OF Scott Van Slyke's eight homers led the Pacific Coast League during April and he also ranked among the league leaders in nearly every offensive category during the month, including batting average (.419, 3^rd), runs (24, T-3^rd), hits (39, 2^nd), extra-base hits (16, T-1^st), total bases (72, 1^st), RBI (26, 4^th), on-base percentage (.477, 5^th), slugging percentage (.774, 2^nd) and OPS (1.251, 2^nd). To start the month, the slugger strung together a 10-game hitting streak from April 4-13, hitting .559 (19-for-34) during that span and recorded 13 multi-hit performances in April, including six games with three or more hits. Van Slyke made his Major League debut last year after being drafted by the Dodgers in the 14^th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.
UPDATE: BTW, recent rumors suggest that Van Slyke is about to brought up to the Dodgers.  If this is the case it is likely Adrian Gonzalez will go on the DL due to his aggravated neck.

Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts

(credit: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers)

Player - OF Joc Pederson ranked tied for seventh in the Southern League with a .304 batting average while hitting a Southern League-leading six home runs in 24 games in the month of April. Pederson also ranked among the league's best in several other offensive categories, including RBI (16, 6^th), hits (28, T-3^rd), doubles (7, T-5^th) and stolen bases (7, T-6^th) while leading the league in both slugging percentage (.620) and OPS (1.001). The 21-year-old posted a 17-game hitting streak from April 7-24 and hit safely in 19 of 24 April games. Pederson was named the Southern League Offensive Player of the Week for April 15-21, batting .407 (11-for-27) with five RBI in seven games during the stretch. The Palo Alto native was selected by the Dodgers in the 11^th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

(credit: Jon SooHoo0/LA Dodgers)

Pitcher - RHP Zach Lee posted a 2-1 record with 2.42 ERA, striking out 23 against seven walks in five April starts. Lee posted quality starts in three out of five April games, allowing just one earned run or less in four of those starts. On the year, Lee ranks sixth in the Southern League in ERA (2.15), ninth in innings (37.2) and 10^th in strikeouts (30). The 21-year-old was selected 28^th overall by the Dodgers in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

(Ogden Raptors)

Player - 1B O'Koyea Dickson batted .305 (29-for-95) with three home runs and 16 RBI in 25 April games. Dickson ranked among the best in the California League in both doubles (9, T-3^rd) and hits (29, T-5^th) last month. The 23-year-old is in his third professional season after being selected by the Dodgers in the 12^th round the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

Pitcher - LHP Michael Thomas led the California league with eight saves in the month of April, going a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities. The left-handed reliever posted a 0.87 ERA (1 ER/10.1 IP) while limiting opposing batters to a .184 batting average and striking out 15 without surrendering a walk in 10.1 innings. The Maryland native is in his third professional season after being selected in the 35^th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft.

Single-A Great Lakes Loons

Player - C Tyler Ogle batted .338 (22-for-65) with four homers and 15 RBI in 22 April games, leading the Great Lakes Loons in all three categories. Overall, the 22-year-old ranks fifth in the Midwest League with a .463 on-base percentage and is hitting .309 in 30 games, including a .296 mark with runners in scoring position (8-for-27). The Portland, Maine native is in his third professional season after being selected in the ninth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Oklahoma.

Pitcher - RHP Carlos Frias posted a 3-0 record with a 1.14 ERA (3 ER/23.2 IP) and 21 strikeouts in four April starts, tying for the most wins in the Midwest League. Overall, the 23-year-old has posted a 0.91 ERA (1^st, Midwest League) and is limiting opposing hitters to a .210 batting average, having yet to allow a home run in 29.2 innings this season. Frias is in his seventh professional season after signing with the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic on Jan. 3, 2007.

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