MiLB.com will be visiting each Spring Training site in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues this month to report on the most significant stories involving each club's Minor League system as players get ready for the 2008 season. We'll find out who's impressing the organization, who's hot, who's not and sit down for an exclusive Q&A with a top prospect.
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers Burning Question Can Andy LaRoche win the third base job? He'll be given every opportunity. Of course, the same could have been said a year ago and the young third baseman hit .175 while competing for the job. This year seems different, for a couple of reasons. "He's prepared, he's worked hard and he's in the right frame of mind," said Dodgers farm director De Jon Watson, who obviously is not the one who will make the call as to whether LaRoche is indeed ready to be the starting third baseman on Opening Day. "He's swung the bat well and he's shown some first-step quickness on defense. He's playing hard and showing what he brings to the table." LaRoche's natural ability has never been in question. He's hit, and hit for power, at every step in the Dodgers' system. Even his less-than-thrilling big-league debut didn't dissuade people from thinking he had serious potential. It just looks like he's poised to fulfill it for the first time. He is in the best physical shape of his career, largely because his season was extended by playing for the United States at the World Cup last fall in Taiwan. Then he attended the Dodgers' Rookie Program over the winter, another opportunity to work on baseball skills before he had in the past. More than anything else, though, it's LaRoche's mental conditioning that's paying the biggest dividends. "Personally, I'm motivated more," LaRoche said. "Between the lines, I've always played hard, but with practice, I probably didn't always practice as hard as I should have. Now I'm prepared. "In the past, I felt I had to open some eyes to make a team. Now I can just relax and play hard and not worry about things I can't control. That's easier said than done. In the past, I'd say that, but in my head I'd be thinking I had to do something extraordinary." Other News of the Day There were a couple of formerly injured arms in big-league camp and a couple more rehabbing ones on the Minor Legaue side of Dodgertown. LHP Greg Miller is now fairly far removed from the various arm problems he's had. He's healthy but still trying to find his groove. His first spring outing, he's the first to admit, isn't going to help his cause (he gave up three hits, two walks and five runs without retiring a batter), but he scans the clubhouse and says, "If I can pitch the way I'm truly capable of pitching, I've got a shot to make this club as a lefty out of the 'pen. If not, I'll probably go back to Vegas as a starter." Lockering right next to him is Justin Orenduff, who had shoulder surgery in August 2006 and has pitched 159 innings over the past two years. A good stint in the Arizona Fall League helped him and he tossed a scoreless inning against the Mets on Saturday. He's excited to be a starter at Triple-A Las Vegas and perhaps be the first to get the call should the need arise. "I want to be that guy," Orenduff said. #ques_include {width:300px;float:right;margin-left:5px;} #ques_content {border-top:1px solid #000000;border-left:1px solid #000000;padding-left:5px;} .ques_schedule {margin-top:5px;font-size:11px;} .ques_dates {font-size:11px;font-style:italic;color:#999;} 
On the Minor League side, there's encouraging news for Bryan Morris and Scott Elbert. Morris, the Dodgers' supplemental first-round pick in 2006, had Tommy John surgery in October 2006 and missed all of last season. He was pitching off the mound at instructs and has looked very good this spring. With a refined delivery, his velocity is back and the breaking ball has looked very good early on. The Dodgers won't rush things and will stretch him out progressively until he's ready to go, either to Class A Great Lakes or Class A Advanced Inland Empire. Elbert's not quite on that program yet. The talented lefty is still throwing off of flat ground and there's no timetable as to when he'll be up on the mound. The important thing, the Dodgers say, is that he's throwing pain-free. They will move slowly with Elbert to help ensure there aren't any setbacks. Five Questions with Clayton Kershaw MiLB.com: How much confidence did it give you when the Dodgers moved you up to Double-A at the end of last year? CK: Anytime you move up a level, that'll boost up your confidence a little. It shows you're doing something well, that someone is watching and liking what you're doing. Being able to get up there and compete well was great. I didn't have any idea where I was going to get up to. I had a goal at the start of the season to get up to Jacksonville by the end of the year. I guess it was a little bit of a surprise that I went straight there when I did, but it definitely wasn't a bad surprise. I'm looking forward to going back there to start the year. MiLB.com: Last year at this time, you were in your first Spring Training about to begin your first full pro season. With that full year under your belt, how has this spring been different? CK:I think the biggest thing is knowing how to pace myself. Last Spring Training, in my first couple of bullpens, I was going all-out, trying to be 100 percent by my first day. I figured out that's what Spring Training is for, that I need to know when to take it easy. It's hard for me to hold back. It's something you have to get used to, that throwing those couple of extra fastballs just because it's fun isn't always a good idea. Sometimes no throwing is the best thing you can do for yourself. MiLB.com: The Dodgers have had mixed results in terms of developing young pitchers, with Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton making it up and guys like Scott Elbert and Greg Miller getting hurt. Is that something you worry about at all or are you able to just focus on yourself? CK: I think the Dodgers look at it a lot more than I do. They look at how they move their players and how they do health-wise. There's not a lot you can do as players. You pitch when you're supposed to, throw bullpens when you're supposed to, rest when you're supposed to. It's been so far so good for me, and I don't want to jinx it. MiLB.com: If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why? CK: I think I'd like to meet George W. Bush. I'm a big fan of his. He's a Texas guy, like me. I'd like to sit down with him and see what he has to go through every day. MiLB.com: What's been your most memorable moment? CK: It might be when I got to meet John Wooden and had dinner with him last offseason at the Dodgers' Rookie Program out in L.A. I know how great a coach he was, but just to hear him talk -- as old as he is, his mind is as sharp as it ever was. It wasn't just about basketball, but to hear him talk about life, he's an incredible man. Lasting Impression Ever since the Dodgers took Josh Bell in the fourth round of the 2005 draft, he's teased with natural ability. He slugged .544 for Rookie-level Ogden in 2006, with 32 extra-base hits in 64 games. Last year, he had a solid full-season debut, with 17 homers and 23 doubles, almost all with Great Lakes. If the early stages of camp are any indication, Bell is getting serious about taking it to the next level. First and foremost, he dropped a lot of weight, as much as 30 pounds. That's given him more agility than he's had in the past, which should make him an even better third baseman. He's been getting as much early work in as he can find, particularly on making adjustments defensively. In many ways, physically and mentally, he reported to camp a different person. "He came in like he wants to turn people's heads," said Watson, who noted the first indication that it would be a different Bell this year came when he showed up for the Dodgers' Rookie Program in January already 20 pounds slimmer. "He's matured and it's going to be a big year for him. It's been a pleasant surprise to see how he's developing." Parting Shots Strolling around Dodgertown, it's hard not to get a little nostalgic. The vast facility has been open for 60-plus years and it's almost overwhelming to think how much talent has called this place home during Spring Trainings past. Looking at all the young talent this organization has now -- Andy LaRoche, Chin-Lung Hu, Jonathan Meloan trying to open some eyes in big-league camp, guys like Clayton Kershaw on the rise on the Minor League side, the realization quickly comes that this is the last group of Dodgers kids who'll report to Vero Beach. The Dodgers are heading to Arizona next spring to a sparkling new facility, leaving behind six decades of memories. If you have time before this spring is over, make a special trip here to see the Dodgers, big leaguers and the vast array of prospects alike, for one last time. Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
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