By Alan Matthews
February 20, 2007

Baseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2007.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Andy LaRoche, 3b 2. Clayton Kershaw, lhp 3. Scott Elbert, lhp 4. James Loney, 1b/of 5. Etanislao Abreu, 2b 6. Ivan DeJesus Jr., ss 7. Jonathan Meloan, rhp 8. Blake DeWitt, 2b/3b 9. Josh Bell, 3b 10. Preston Mattingly, ss

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average James Loney Best Power Hitter Andy LaRoche Best Strike-Zone Discipline Cory Dunlap Fastest Baserunner Trayvon Robinson Best Athlete Preston Mattingly Best Fastball Clayton Kershaw Best Curveball Scott Elbert Best Slider Jonathan Meloan Best Changeup Carlos Alvarez Best Control Clayton Kershaw Best Defensive Catcher Gabriel Gutierrez Best Defensive Infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. Best Infield Arm Andy LaRoche Best Defensive Outfielder Jamie Hoffman Best Outfield Arm Xavier Paul

PROJECTED 2010 LINEUP

Catcher Russ Martin First Base James Loney Second Base Etanislao Abreu Third Base Andy LaRoche Shortstop Rafael Furcal Left Field Andre Ethier Center Field Juan Pierre Right Field Matt Kemp No. 1 Starter Chad Billingsley No. 2 Starter Jason Schmidt No. 3 Starter Clayton Kershaw No. 4 Starter Scott Elbert No. 5 Starter Brad Penny Closer Jonathan Broxton

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2006 1997 Paul Konerko, 3b White Sox 1998 Paul Konerko, 1b White Sox 1999 Angel Pena, c Tabasco (Mexican) 2000 Chin-Feng Chen, of La New Bear (Taiwan) 2001 Ben Diggins, rhp Windy City (Frontier) 2002 Ricardo Rodriguez, rhp Cardinals 2003 James Loney, 1b Dodgers 2004 Edwin Jackson, rhp Devil Rays 2005 Joel Guzman, ss/of Devil Rays 2006 Chad Billingsley, rhp Dodgers

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2006 1997 Glenn Davis, 1b Out of baseball 1998 Bubba Crosby, of Yankees 1999 Jason Repko, ss/of Dodgers 2000 Ben Diggins, rhp Windy City (Frontier) 2001 Brian Pilkington, rhp (2nd round) Out of baseball 2002 James Loney, 1b Dodgers 2003 Chad Billingsley, rhp Dodgers 2004 Scott Elbert, lhp Dodgers 2005 *Luke Hochevar, rhp Royals 2006 Clayton Kershaw, lhp Dodgers * Did not sign

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Clayton Kershaw, 2006 $2,300,000 Joel Guzman, 2001 $2,250,000 Ben Diggins, 2001 $2,200,000 Hideo Nomo, 1995 $2,000,000 Scott Elbert, 2004 $1,575,000

DODGERS LINKS

Dodgers' Team Page Dodgers Top 10 Scouting Reports  Last Year's Dodgers Top 10 Prospects 2006 Draft: Dodgers (Basic Database) 2006 Draft: Dodgers  (Advanced Database) 2006 Draft Report Cards: NL West  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2007 Prospect Handbook

The Mets may have swept the Dodgers in the National League Division Series, but Los Angeles shouldn't be singing the blues. The previous year, the franchise suffered through its second-worst showing since moving from Brooklyn in 1958 and the faces on the roster were as random as those at a cabstand. Fans' groans grew louder than traffic on the 5 when owner Frank McCourt fired Paul DePodesta and replaced him with Ned Colletti—who had been an assistant GM with the archrival Giants—the club's third general manager in four years.

They weren't groaning after 2006, as most of Colletti's moves worked. He signed veterans, spun trades, promoted rookies and saw the Dodgers move from mediocrity to prosperity. In winning Baseball America's Organization of the Year award, Los Angeles found its way back to the playoffs as a wild card and has the foundation to contend for years to come.

The Dodgers brought several youngsters into the mix last season. Russell Martin seized the catching job earlier than expected and shined both offensively and defensively. Andre Ethier, acquired from the Athletics for volatile outfielder Milton Bradley before the season, carried the club for a stretch at midseason with clutch hitting and power few predicted. Matt Kemp scorched the ball at the outset of a brief big league stint. When James Loney wasn't leading the minors in hitting at Triple-A Las Vegas, he was filling in admirably for the injured Nomar Garciaparra and reasserted himself as a frontline prospect.

On the mound, Chad Billingsley and Jonathan Broxton assumed important roles and showed why they're projected as Los Angeles' No. 1 starter and closer of the future. Enigmatic Hong-Chih Kuo resurfaced as the force the Dodgers expected when they acquired when they signed him in 1999. Takashi Saito, a 36-year-old former Japanese big leaguer in his first year in the United States, took over as closer when Eric Gagne got hurt again and amassed 24 saves.

In addition to reinforcements, the farm system also provided lots of trade fodder. Six players among last year's Dodgers top 30 prospects were sent packing, allowing the club to acquire such players as Marlon Anderson, Danys Baez, Wilson Betemit, Mark Hendrickson and Julio Lugo.

The Dodgers graduated or traded nine of their top 17 prospects from a year ago, so the system naturally lost some depth. But it's far from barren. Andy LaRoche and Loney are close to taking over the club's corner-infield jobs, while 2006 first-round pick Clayton Kershaw and 2004 first-rounder Scott Elbert are two of the best lefty pitching prospects in the game.

All four of those players were taken in the five drafts Logan White ran as scouting director. He was promoted to assistant GM for scouting in the offseason, with Tim Hallgren ascending from national crosschecker to replace White. DeJon Watson, formerly a Reds scouting director and most recently an Indians major league scout, takes over as farm director from Terry Collins, who left to manage Japan's Orix Buffaloes.

The Dodgers also made significant changes to their farm system during the reaffiliation process. They moved their high Class A affiliate from Vero Beach (Florida State) to Inland Empire (California), severing a 27-season relationship and signaling a future spring training move out of Dodgertown, and switched their low Class A affiliate from Columbus (South Atlantic) to Great Lakes (Midwest).

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