A Minor Review of 2013: Dodgers

There is always a bit of a lull between the end of the minor league playoffs in September and the start of the annual top prospects lists in early November. Because of that gap, I’m breathing new life into an old feature that I wrote for the site in FanGraphs’ infancy back in 2008 and 2009.

The series ‘A Minor Review of 2013′ will look back on some of the major happenings in each MLB organization since the beginning of April as a primer for the upcoming FanGraphs Top 10+5 prospects lists. This series will run throughout September and October. I hope you enjoy the series and are eagerly anticipating the start of ‘Prospect List Season.’

The player listed in the sleeper section was featured in a pre-season series that looked at one fringe prospect in each organization that was expected to take a big step forward during 2013, chosen by myself, a scout or a front office talent evaluator.

The Graduate: Yasiel Puig, OF: Puig entered the 2013 season with just 23 games of minor league experience — and none above A-ball — under his belt. It took just 40 games for the Cuba native to convince the Dodgers front office that he could help the big league club try and rebound from a horrible start to the year. He was arguably the Dodgers’ best hitter while flashing his five-tool potential. Listed at just 22 years of age, he has massive potential if he stays on his current development path.

The Riser: Joc Pederson, OF: When the season began, I viewed Pederson as a future fourth outfielder. After another strong campaign, though, I’ve moved over into the “believer category’ and see him as a future big league regular. He has the ability to turn in a few 20-20 campaigns at the big league level while providing a solid batting average, although none of his tools are true ‘plus’ skills.

The Tumbler: Garrett Gould, RHP: The development of impact arms in the Dodgers system has slowed a bit in recent years (Hyun-Jin Ryu doesn’t count). Gould had an absolute nightmare season — his second bad year in a row — and he posted a 6.64 ERA with 131 hits allowed in 118 innings over two minor league levels. He could end up following Chris Withrow’s development path by shifting to the bullpen in hopes of finding success.

The 2013 Draft Pick: Tom Windle, LHP: The southpaw had a solid pro debut and could be a quick mover through the system despite coming from a cold weather state (Minnesota) where baseball development is typically stunted in comparison to areas such as California, Florida and Arizona where the sport can be enjoyed year round. Windle has an above-average fastball for a lefty and a promising slider. If his command holds up and he can develop a reliable third pitch, he could see the Majors in short order.

The Sleeper: Bobby Coyle, OF: When I watched Coyle play in 2012, he was swinging the bat really well at the Double-A level. Things fell apart for him in ’13, though, and he earned a demotion to High-A ball. The left-handed hitter does have a ton of defensive value so he’s going to have to find his swing again if he’s going to reach the Majors but I could see him potentially carving out a decent career as a bench player and pinch hitter.