By Alan Matthews
December 3, 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, 2008.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Clayton, Kershaw, lhp 2. Andy LaRoche, 3b 3. Chin-Lung Hu, ss 4. Scott Elbert, lhp 5. Blake DeWitt, 3b 6. Chris Withrow, rhp 7. James McDonald, rhp 8. Jonathan Meloan, rhp 9. Delwyn Young, of 10. Pedro Baez, 3b

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Delwyn Young Best Power Hitter Andy LaRoche Best Strike-Zone Discipline Ivan DeJesus Jr. Fastest Baserunner Jovanny Rosario Best Athlete Scott Elbert Best Fastball Clayton Kershaw Best Curveball James McDonald Best Slider Greg Miller Best Changeup Cody White Best Control James McDonald Best Defensive Catcher A.J. Ellis Best Defensive Infielder Chin-Lung Hu Best Infield Arm Pedro Baez Best Defensive Outfielder Jamie Hoffmann Best Outfield Arm Xavier Paul

PROJECTED 2011 LINEUP

Catcher Russell Martin First Base James Loney Second Base Tony Abreu Third Base Andy LaRoche Shortstop Chin-Lung Hu Left Field Delwyn Young Center Field Matt Kemp Right Field Andre Ethier No. 1 Starter Clayton Kershaw No. 2 Starter Chad Billingsley No. 3 Starter Brad Penny No. 4 Starter Scott Elbert No. 5 Starter Derek Lowe Closer Jonathan Broxton

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2007 1998 Paul Konerko, 1b White Sox 1999 Angel Pena, c Camden (Atlantic Lg.) 2000 Chin-Feng Chen, of La New (Taiwan) 2001 Ben Diggins, rhp Out of baseball 2002 Ricardo Rodriguez, rhp Pirates 2003 James Loney, 1b Dodgers 2004 Edwin Jackson, rhp Devil Rays 2005 Joel Guzman, ss/3b Devil Rays 2006 Chad Billingsley, rhp Dodgers 2007 Andy LaRoche, 3b Dodgers

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2007 1998 Bubba Crosby, of Reds 1999 Jason Repko, ss/of Dodgers 2000 Ben Diggins, rhp Out of baseball 2001 Brian Pilkington, rhp (2nd) 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 2007 Chris Withrow, rhp Dodgers * Did not sign

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Clayton Kershaw, 2006 $2,300,000 Joel Guzman, 2001 $2,250,000 Ben Diggins, 2000 $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 2007 Draft: Dodgers (Basic Database) 2007 Draft: Dodgers  (Advanced Database) 2007 Draft Report Cards: National League  Complete Index of Top 10 Prospects Pre-Order the 2008 Prospect Handbook

If the Rockies proved anything during the 2007 season, it was that timing is everything. On Sept. 18, the Dodgers were fresh off series wins against the Padres and Diamondbacks and sat just 2 1⁄2 games back in the National League wild card race. But when Todd Helton hit a two-out, two-strike, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning off Takashi Saito, Colorado had completed a doubleheader sweep of Los Angeles.

The wins were the second and third of 11 straight for the Rockies, who went on to win the NL pennant. They also marked the beginning of the end for the Dodgers, who lost eight of their next 11 games and finished fourth in the NL West.

As Colorado's blend of youth and experience peaked at the perfect time, Los Angeles' was spoiling like month-old milk. Jeff Kent was outspoken about a clubhouse rift between disgruntled veterans and hungry up-and-comers, such as Matt Kemp and Russell Martin.

Second-year general manager Ned Colletti chose in the 2006 offseason to re-sign Nomar Garciaparra and bring in free agents Luis Gonzalez, Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf at a total cost of $124.85 million. What resulted was a punchless lineup that finished 10th in the NL in runs and a patchwork pitching staff that wound up with David Wells and Esteban Loaiza taking the ball every fifth day in September.

Though he officially resigned, manager Grady Little was shown the door following the season and replaced by Joe Torre. A cohesive clubhouse was an underpinning of Torre's time with the Yankees, and creating the same serenity in Los Angeles is at the top of his to-do list.

During his introductory press conference, Torre waxed about the continuity of the great Dodgers teams he watched growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s and '50s. Los Angeles could have a similar homegrown nucleus, as it's evident that the future of the franchise lies with its youth.

Martin won the first of what figure to be multiple Gold Gloves and made the NL all-star team. Kemp recovered from an early-season wrist injury to hit .342/.373/.521 while showing improvement almost daily. After James Loney was left off the Opening Day roster, he eventually pushed Garciaparra to third base and hit .331/.381/.538.

When Schmidt registered only one win before requiring season-ending shoulder surgery, Chad Billingsley entered the rotation and went 8-5, 3.38 in 20 starts.

The next batch of prospects is ready to contribute. Tony Abreu, Chin-Lung Hu and Andy LaRoche all have gotten a taste of the majors and could give the Dodgers a fully homegrown infield, though it may be 2009 before that transition is complete. Lefthander Clayton Kershaw, who ascended to Double-A in his first full pro season, could join the rotation late in 2008.

Stability was a reason the Dodgers were named Baseball America's Organization of the Year in 2006, but they have gone through massive changes since, naming a new manager, scouting director (Tim Hallgren succeeded Logan White, who was promoted to assistant GM) and farm director (DeJon Watson took over for Terry Collins, who left to manage in Japan).

The margin for error in the division has suddenly shrunk, but the Dodgers have the pieces in place to be a part of the party in the future.

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