Category Archives: Nick Evans

If You’re a Veteran And You’re In the First Round of Spring Cuts, Things May Not Be Going Well

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dallas_mcpherson_springSee that dapper fellow above? That’s Dallas McPherson, and that’s evidence that he ever wore a Dodger uniform.

nick_evans_2013_spring_vertical

Wait, this is fun, let’s continue. Here’s Nick Evans, over at the right, also proving he was once a Dodger. Why are we playing this game? Because they — along with pitcher Kelvin De La Cruz and infielder Osvaldo Martinez, but I’m guessing no one really cares about them — represent the first four players cut from big league camp, the team announced after today’s game against Cleveland.

None was expected to make the team barring total disaster, of course, but considering they both have a decent amount of big league experience and are on a team that has no obvious backup for Adrian Gonzalez, getting sent down this early is not exactly what they call a “good thing,” you know, career-wise. Yet Omar Luna remains!

With Gonzalez, Hanley Ramirez, & Luis Cruz off at the WBC and Evans, Martinez, & McPherson cut, the Dodgers are suddenly down six infielders for the next two weeks or so. Mark Ellis is the only remaining starter, along with big league backups Jerry Hairston, Nick Punto, Skip Schumaker, & Juan Uribe. Non-roster guys Alfredo Amezaga, Brian Barden, & Luna, along with likely minor leaguers Dee Gordon, Elian Herrera, & Justin Sellers, should also see increased time with the big club, at least until the Dominican & Mexican teams have been bounced from the tournament. Get ready for some tasty lineups, especially on split-squad days.

Projecting the Dodgers’ Minor-League Rosters: Double-A & Triple-A

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Editor’s note: Chris Jackson rounds off the minor league roster projections with Chattanooga & Albuquerque. Also, don’t forget to enter the Opening Day roster contest — open through 9pm PT tonight!

Van Slyke is one of nine outfielders who will vie for an Isotopes roster spot this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Isotopes)

Scott Van Slyke is one of nine outfielders who will vie for an Isotopes roster spot this spring. (Photo courtesy of the Isotopes)

Chattanooga Lookouts (Double-A Southern League)

Starting rotation: Onelki Garcia, Zach Lee, Aaron Miller, Rob Rasmussen, Chris Reed

All prospects, all the time, in east Tennessee this year! Garcia has the most pure stuff, but the least experience. Lee and Reed will hope their potential matches the results this season. Miller will have to fight to keep his starting spot after a middling season. Rasmussen will get some attention as the new guy in the organization.

Bulllpen: Geison Aguasviva, Steve Ames, Kelvin De La Cruz, Eric Eadington, Jordan Roberts, Andres Santiago, Chris Withrow

That is a lot of lefties, but it is hard to figure out where else to put them. De la Cruz is not a LOOGY and will give them a second long reliever to go with Santiago, who could start if Miller struggles. Aguasviva could fight his way to Albuquerque. Roberts is 27, so if he can’t stick here, his time with the Dodgers may be done. Ames and Eadington figure to share the closing job, though Withrow could see saves, too, now that the Dodgers have committed to him as a reliever. Just missed: Javier Solano

Catchers: Gorman Erickson, Christopher O’Brien

Erickson will be looking for some redemption after a lousy 2012. O’Brien was decent enough at Rancho to merit the promotion.

Infielders: 1B–J.T. Wise, 2B–Rafael Ynoa, SS–Alexis Aguilar, 3B–C.J. Retherford, UTIL–Joe Becker, Omar Luna

Wise and Ynoa have played well enough to earn promotions, but they are blocked at Albuquerque barring some trades. Aguilar is the pick I am least confident in; it could be a half-dozen other guys. In other words, please, Dodgers, sign some random Cuban defector shortstop to spare the poor fans in Chattanooga watching a guy with a career .662 OPS. Retherford had a big year at Rancho, but struggled with the Lookouts, so he will return here. Luna and Becker didn’t play a lot of shortstop last year, but they sure could this year. Just missed: Chris Jacobs 1B, Elevys Gonzalez 3B/2B, Miguel Rojas 2B/SS

Outfielders: LF–Yasiel Puig, CF–Joc Pederson, RF–Blake Smith, OF–Nick Buss, Bobby Coyle

Puig and Pederson are premium prospects. They both figure to play all three outfield spots here. Smith deserves to move up, and he certainly could, but for now I have him starting with the Lookouts. Buss and the talented but oft-injured Coyle return. Just missed: Kyle Russell

Final analysis: If some of the pitchers can translate their potential into results, then this team could be the favorite to win the Southern League. The rotation is six-deep and strong, while the bullpen is strong from both sides of the mound. The outfield should carry the offense, with shortstop being the only real concern on the infield. The Lookouts should be fun to watch this season.

Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A Pacific Coast League)

Starting rotation: Fabio Castro, Stephen Fife, Matt Magill, Matt Palmer, Mario Santiago

Magill is the legit prospect here. Fife returns and will be the first called up in the event of an injury to a starter in L.A. Palmer can chew up innings, but that is it. Castro was terrible last year with the A’s organization and might not last long in Albuquerque. Santiago is a gamble, with the Dodgers/Isotopes hoping he can carry over the success he found in Korea last year with the SK Wyverns.

Bullpen: Michael Antonini, Blake Johnson, Hector Nelo, Red Patterson, Paco Rodriguez, Cole St. Clair, Shawn Tolleson, Josh Wall

Antonini’s health is in question, so he might not crack this group. Rodriguez and Tolleson both deserve to pitch in the Majors, but I have Javy Guerra and Ted Lilly taking the last two spots. Johnson and St. Clair return in the long relief roles. Wall should close again. Patterson moves up, but it could easily be Ames instead. Nelo, a minor-league Rule 5 pick, gets the nod over the plethora of Triple-A vets signed this off-season. I am also betting that the veteran trio of Kevin Gregg, Mark Lowe, and Peter Moylan will opt out at the end of the spring. Just missed: Juan Abreu, Victor Garate, Gregory Infante, Wilmin Rodriguez, Luis Vasquez

Catchers: Jesus Flores, Matt Wallach

Flores could easily be subbed out for Federowicz if the Dodgers opt to have the prospect play every day and the veteran back up A.J. Ellis. Consider them interchangeable. Wallach has never hit, but he plays good defense and seems like a safe bet to the backup. Just missed: Eliezer Alfonzo, Wilkin Castillo, Ramon Castro

Infielders: 1B–Nick Evans, 2B–Elian Herrera, SS–Dee Gordon, 3B–Dallas McPherson, UTIL–Rusty Ryal, Justin Sellers

Evans always earned rave reviews for his defense, which could be a big help for Gordon’s wild throws (remember how Mark Teixeira made Derek Jeter look better back in 2009?). While it can be speculated that Gordon could or should be in the Majors, until he proves otherwise, I have him here. Sellers is another guy most people are counting out, but the Dodgers have not dumped him yet, even after his arrest in Sacramento. Herrera can, and likely will, play everywhere, but he should play almost every day. McPherson will DH against AL teams, since his back is unlikely to hold up for 144 games. Ryal gets the nod because the Isotopes need the left-handed bat. Just missed: Alfredo Amezaga UTIL, Brian Barden 3B, Ozzie Martinez SS

Outfielders: LF–Scott Van Slyke, CF–Tony Gwynn Jr., RF–Alex Castellanos, OF–Jeremy Moore

Unless Castellanos returns to the infield, this outfield is tough to figure out. Both he, Moore and Van Slyke are all right-handed hitters, so it would make a lot of sense for someone like Smith (who hits left-handed) to move up from Chattanooga. Unless the Isotopes only carry seven relievers (which, fat chance), it won’t happen unless the Dodgers move Van Slyke in a trade. Moore gets that backup spot because he can play all three positions and because the Dodgers obviously think very highly of him as he was the only free agent to participate in their prospect minicamp last month. Just missed: Matt Angle, Brian Cavazos-Galvez

Final analysis: This team does not look as talented as last year’s playoff squad, at least on paper. The rotation looks awfully suspect behind Fife and Magill. The bullpen could be good, at least. The lineup lacks left-handed bats, but should be able to score enough runs to keep games interesting. If the Dodgers can’t find any additional starting pitchers, however, it could be a long summer of 12-10 scores in Albuquerque, which this reporter is not very interested in watching anymore.

Dodgers Depth Chart Analysis: Can Anyone Play Third?

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Editor’s note: Chris Jackson continues his look at the Dodger organizational depth with third base. Lord, I can’t wait until we get to the outfield and actually find some talent.

Recently, the good folks over at ESPN.com have noted how many good third basemen are playing throughout the Majors. While it is true that the Chase Headleys of the world are shining elsewhere, there are just as many teams rolling the dice at the hot corner from Chicago (Jeff Keppinger, Ian Stewart) to Minnesota (Trevor Plouffe) to Oakland (Josh Donaldson) to Atlanta (Juan Francisco) to Miami (the corpse of Placido Polanco) to Colorado (check back in a while on that mess).

For the Dodgers, third base is also a problem, in both present tense (Luis Cruz) and future tense. I won’t get into the whole “Hanley Ramirez should be at third” debate, because that’s been going for a while now and obviously Ned and co. are not going to change their minds until Ramirez is at 25 errors on Memorial Day. And even that might not get him shifted over to his right.

Going into the Dodgers’ stable of minor-league corner infielders, I found a logjam building up at first base between Double-A Chattanooga and Single-A Rancho Cucamonga (see the previous post in this series), while the organization remains pressed to find enough warm bodies to man third base throughout the system.

At third base, the lack of depth at the upper levels was clearly seen when the Dodgers signed two free agents with big-league experience and re-signed one of their own who had become a free agent. The wild card here, and elsewhere on the diamond, is Alex Castellanos, who finished last year at third for the Isotopes. For the purposes of these analyses, I am leaving him in the outfield, but if the Dodgers decide he should be a third baseman again, then throw out most everything you read below.

Barden with Round Rock in 2011. Hope he likes the PCL. (a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madmiked/5760622536/">via)

Barden with Round Rock in 2011. Hope he likes the PCL. (via)

Dallas McPherson, Brian Barden: The two veterans, the former of whom played for the Isotopes in 2008 when they were a Marlins affiliate, will compete for playing time this spring. Both were signed as free agents; either could end up the starter in Albuquerque.

Elevys Gonzalez, Omar Luna: Gonzalez was acquired in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft while Luna was signed as a free agent out of the Rays organization. Both Gonzalez and Luna are more utility players than everyday guys. Gonzalez will compete for a reserve spot with the Isotopes, while Luna will do the same with Chattanooga.

C.J. Retherford: The 27-year-old was originally signed by the White Sox as a non-drafted free agent out of Arizona State back in 2007. He tore through the system until 2010, when he hit a wall at Triple-A and was eventually released. After playing at Double-A for the Braves, Tigers and an independent team, Retherford signed with the Dodgers for 2012. He promptly hit .311/.366/.546 with 23 home runs and 92 RBI, mostly at Rancho and finishing at Chattanooga. Retherford should return to the Lookouts to start the upcoming season.

Pedro Baez: The biggest mystery among third basemen, Baez has underachieved throughout his career and was listed as a pitcher during instructional league this past fall. Always praised for his arm, Baez could move to the mound after batting just .247/.308/.391 for his career. Baez hit just .221/.306/.374 with 11 home runs and 59 RBI combined with Chattanooga and Rancho last season. If he is staying at third base, expect him to start for the Quakes.

Jesse Bosnik: A 13th-round pick back in 2010, the 24-year-old has done little with the bat, while playing two-thirds of his games at third base, the rest at first. Bosnick hit .239/.290/.360 with eight home runs, 44 RBI and 21 stolen bases at Great Lakes last year. He projects, at best, as a utility man, but is more likely just an organizational player who should move up to Rancho as a backup, or a starter if Baez’s days at third base are over.

Jeffrey Hunt: Purely a backup, the 22-year-old hit just .237/.295/.422 with six home runs for Great Lakes last season. He will either repeat the level or see his walking papers in March.

Alex Santana: The Dodgers’ second-round pick in 2011, Santana has yet to live up to expectations. The 19-year-old hit .254/.306/.365 with two home runs and 31 RBI between Ogden and the Arizona League last year. The son of former big-leaguer Rafael, this Santana was just 17 when he signed and very raw, both in terms of hitting and fielding. He should still push his way up the ladder and start for Great Lakes.

Bladimir Franco: He was signed out of the Dominican back in 2007. Now 22, Franco has hit just .233/.321/.381 with 27 home runs in 253 games, none above rookie level. While he put up decent numbers between the AZL and Ogden last summer — .269/.335/.448, 8 HR, 31 RBI — he is low on the depth chart and could return to the Raptors to start this upcoming season.

As anyone can see, the Dodgers are cursed by the same lack of viable third basemen as most teams. While folks tend to focus on catcher and shortstop as being too thin, the Dodgers’ lack of help at the hot corner stands out. It is not a problem unique to the organization, nor one that can be totally attributed to the McCourt era’s financial woes.

So in other words, if you want your kid to have a shot at the pros someday, put the tyke at third base and cross your fingers.

Dodgers Depth Chart Analysis: Who’s On First?

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First base is so thin, the Loon mascot might push past O'Koyea Dickson on the depth chart. (Via the Loons

First base is so thin, the Loon mascot might push past O’Koyea Dickson on the depth chart. (Via the Loons)

Editor’s note: Chris Jackson continues his look at the Dodger organizational depth with first base… if you’re wondering why the Dodgers felt it so important to upgrade the position with the big Boston trade, this might help, because, gross.

The corner infield positions were of great concern to Dodgers fans throughout 2012, at least until Hanley Ramirez and Adrian Gonzalez arrived in separate trades to fill those spots at the big-league level. Though Ramirez is supposed to open at shortstop this year, at the very least the Dodgers have a couple of capable players on their roster at last.

All of this is due to the perceived lack of talent at the corners down on the farm. There is some truth to this, though there are some semi-promising bats lingering around first base. The logjam exists largely due to the likeliness that last year’s Double-A starter might not move up to Albuquerque. Here are the who’s who of who’s on first:

Nick Evans: A veteran free agent, Evans has been mentioned before on this site and on mine. He is what he is, a semi-capable bat with a reputation for good defense. In what essentially amounts to a season’s worth of games spread — 159 to be exact — over four years with the Mets, Evans hit .256/.305/.407 with eight home runs and 46 RBI. He should be the starter at Albuquerque.

J.T. Wise: A fifth-round draft pick back in 2009, Wise made the conversion from catcher to first base last season at Chattanooga. He put up a good slash line (.278/.377/.445) with the Lookouts, though his 125 strikeouts and measly nine home runs have Wise seemingly headed back to Tennessee to start 2013. Wise was actually considered more of a power hitter and less patient coming out of Oklahoma, but he has switched that up in the minors, showing less power and improved walk totals, including 62 last year. The biggest questions going forward for Wise are will he show more power and can he improve defensively?

Austin Gallagher: Once upon a time Gallagher was thought of highly in the Dodgers organization. A third-round pick in 2007 out of a Pennsylvania high school, Gallagher reached the Cal League in his first full season, splitting time between the infield corners. He has been a first baseman ever since, but only in the last two years has he begun to show signs of restoring some of his prospect status. Gallagher hit .283/.383/.481 with 15 home runs and 74 RBI for Rancho Cucamonga last year. He even played some outfield for the first time. Still, his lack of power (for a first baseman) has held him back, and Gallagher’s time is running out as he is already 24 and could be stuck in the Cal League for the fifth year of his seven-year career.

Chris Jacobs: The right-handed yin to Gallagher’s lefty-hitting yang (or is it the other way around?), Jacobs has made a slow trek up the ladder since being drafted in the 17th round in 2007. He spent three years in rookie leagues and all of 2010 and 2011 at Great Lakes. In his first shot at Rancho he hit .273/.353/.493 with 17 home runs and 49 RBI in a part-time role. He is what he is, an organizational player who has stuck around longer than anyone would expect, but not really an everyday player. He could end up squeezed out of the crowded first base picture this spring.

Angelo Songco: A former Loyola Marymount standout, Songco made the Cal League look like child’s play in 2011, batting .313/.367/.581 with 29 home runs and 114 RBI. He played 65 games in left field and 57 at first base that year as the future looked bright. Injury, though, derailed him as he suffered a badly broken leg after the season and missed the start of 2012. When Songco did come back, he was exclusively a first baseman/DH, batting a combined .201/.279/.357 with 12 home runs between Rancho and Great Lakes. The lefty masher will hope that being another year removed from his injury will get his numbers trending upward, but for now he is wedged between Gallagher and Dickson (see below). Songco’s 2013 status is uncertain, making him perhaps the biggest wild card of all when figuring out who will play where.

O’Koyea Dickson: The soon-to-be 23-year-old had a solid showing (.272/.366/.479, 17 HR, 48 RBI) at Great Lakes last season. A bat-first player, Dickson’s future power projection is not all that high, so he will have to continue to prove people wrong. A 12th-round pick in 2011 out of Division II Sonoma State, Dickson grades out as average at first base, but there is some potential in his bat. He might just continue to surprise people as he moves up the ladder, but with Wise, Gallagher, Songco, and Jacobs up ahead, he may have to repeat Great Lakes this year.

Jesus Valdez: A 17th-round pick in 2011, Valdez, 20, spent about two-thirds of his time with Ogden at first base, the rest in the outfield. Valdez hit a robust .385/.421/.657 with nine home runs and 62 RBI against the Pioneer League. He will have to show more power and more walks (just 12 last year) to continue moving up the ladder. With the logjam ahead of him, he might end up more in the outfield at Great Lakes this year.

Tae-Hyeok Nam: A rare Korean-born player in the Dodgers’ system, Nam hit just .252/.316/.417 With Ogden last season. He has yet to show much power or discipline so far, not good for a 21-year-old. At this point he is merely organizational depth and might not crack a full-season roster to start 2013.

Paul Hoenecke: A 24th-round pick last summer, he also saw some time in the outfield while batting a robust .385/.421/.657 with five home runs and 40 RBI, mainly in the Arizona League. The 22-year-old is purely organizational depth and could be a reserve player at Great Lakes.

John Sgromolo: Another organizational player who shined in limited playing time, the 22-year-old hit .310/.375/.430 in the Arizona League. He will be lucky to crack a full-season roster.

Justin Chigbogu: The Dodgers’ fourth-round pick in last summer’s draft, a former football standout who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds. He is very raw for a baseball player and it showed as Chigbogu hit just .200/.282/.313 in the Arizona League. He will open in extended spring training.

Nick Evans Joins the Dodgers, & We Care Because It’s November

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Via slgc on Flickr. The picture isn’t blurry, that’s just how New York looks. If you’re doing it right.

Yep, it’s that time of year; the time when, in the midst of a shortened holiday week and two weeks before things really get into motion at the winter meetings, we’re reporting on a minor league deal with a camp invite as though it’s news. Then again, here we are, so I suppose it is.

Andy Martino, New York Daily News:

Former Met Nick Evans, popular with fans during parts of four seasons spent in New York, has signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his agent, Marc Agar, told the Daily News. The deal includes an invitation to major league camp as a first baseman and third baseman.

Evans, 26, left the Mets to sign with Pittsburgh last year, but played in just 21 minor league games after suffering a broken hand.  Evans is expected to be fully healed in time for spring training.

Evans played essentially a full season for the Mets between 2008-2011, seeing 419 PA over 159 games and hit .256/.314/.403 with 8 homers, playing almost exclusively first base & left field. Evans seemed like he might be something after a .300/.371/.536 line in 2010 (with 24 homers) split between Double-A & Triple-A, but was unable to translate that to the majors, and, as Martino notes, barely played last year due to injury.

Still, Baseball Prospectus liked the idea of the Pirates giving him a shot before the season:

Evans is a nice addition to the Pirates. Consider him the inverse of Garrett Jones, with the ability to play first base or the corner outfield and a bat that’s useful against left-handed pitching. While Evans has hit .295/.360/.489 vs. southpaws, he struggles against righties. That means a heavy-handed platoon or pinch-hitting should be the extent of his playing time. Still, it took little to sign Evans, and he is a major-league quality bench player. The Pirates could—and have—played worse.

I’m not sure where this “as a third baseman” business is coming from, because he’s played just 59 games there in parts of 9 seasons in the minors (and only three innings in the majors) but I suppose a guy like this trying add flexibility is never a bad thing. In a small sample size, the righty hitter has definitely had more success against lefties than righties, which could put him in the mix to be Adrian Gonzalez‘ backup, and…

…and that’s where we stop ourselves. As we need to remember every single year, Evans is just the first of many zero-cost what-the-hell signings. Sure, every year there’s a guy like Jamey Wright or Aaron Miles who finds their way onto the roster due to a hot spring or injuries elsewhere. Many more end up filling out the Triple-A roster, like Josh Fields & Josh Bard. And even more disappear before the end of the spring, because raise your hand if you really remember Cory Sullivan, John Grabow, & Matt Chico being in camp in recent years. Evans is young and briefly showed talent in the minors, so he’s a great guy to have for depth in camp and the system. Do I expect to hear much about him other than pointing out how great his ABQ-inflated stats look after 300 plate appearances for the Isotopes? Probably not. It’s that time of year.

Evans has been added to the depth chart under the heading “camp invites” on the right, where he’ll surely be joined by a dozen others over the winter.