There is no offseason in baseball.
Oh, sure, there is that long stretch without any games being played, but for the men and women in the front office, baseball never really stops.
De Jon Watson, the Dodgers' assistant general manager for player development, is already back in his office in Los Angeles, going over scouting reports in preparation for spring training.
Watson said that while many have projected the Dodgers' roster as being all but set, the battle for Triple-A roster spots, especially among pitchers, will be a fierce one.
“I think it’s going to be extremely competitive," Watson said. "It’s only 25 men (on the final roster). I have over 20 pitchers I’m staring at. I’m going to only carry 12, maybe 13."
So while certain reporters might claim to know the Albuquerque roster months in advance of opening day, Watson said nothing can ever be set in stone at any level of baseball.
There could be surprise performances in spring training that push a player beyond where he was projected to end up, Watson said. Or there could be the dreaded injury bug sweeping through camp, pushing Triple-A players to the majors and Double-A players to Triple-A, and so on.
"Nothing is set this early. You just never know what can happen," Watson said.
In a lengthy phone interview that he was gracious enough to agree to, Watson addressed much of what has gone on for the Dodgers this offseason and how it will impact the Isotopes and the entire minor-league system in 2012.
Baseball 101: The Dodgers just wrapped up their annual Winter Development Program, where some of the organization's top prospects get to spend time in Los Angeles, meeting with and working with the major-league coaching staff and support personnel.
“It’s just really geared to getting the kids acclimated to Los Angeles in a relaxed setting, versus during the season," Watson said. "This is a program geared to Los Angeles, to expose them to our fan base, have them do some charity events, as well as get some baseball work done on the field. It allows us to maximize our time with them."
Watson said the instruction goes beyond how to throw or hit a curveball. Players spend time with the team's strength and conditioning coaches, learning how to get in shape and stay in shape throughout the season and offseason. The prospects are introduced to financial experts who can help them maximize the money they earn. Security experts caution them on how to handle themselves away from the stadium.
"Every day there’s a different guest speaker," Watson said. "We have these guys pretty occupied."
A total of 15 players participated this year, many of whom could suit up for the Isotopes this season, including first baseman-outfielder Scott Van Slyke, catcher Tim Federowicz and starting pitcher Chris Antonini.
Autumn in Arizona: Eight Dodgers farmhands spent the early part of the offseason competing in the Arizona Fall League, an annual "finishing school" for many of baseball's top prospects.
The amount of game-time each player received in the AFL was different.
“Each guy had something different (to work on)," Watson said. "We're trying to get them to compete at a higher level."
All eight of the players spent all or part of their 2011 seasons at Double-A, which is standard for most players in the AFL. Collectively they competed for the Salt River Rafters, who won the league championship.
- Catcher Griff Erickson hit .213 (13-for-61) with one home run in the AFL after batting .293 with 13 homers between Double-A Chattanooga and Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
- Shortstop Jake Lemmerman hit .156 (10-for-64) in the AFL. He hit a combined .283 with 10 homers between Chattanooga and Rancho Cucamonga.
- Outfielder Alex Castellanos hit an eye-popping .379 (11-for-29) with three homers in the AFL. He batted .320 with 23 homers between Chattanooga and Double-A Springfield.
- Outfielder Kyle Russell hit .256 (10-for-39) with two homers in the AFL after batting .255 with 20 homers between Chattanooga and the Isotopes.
- Reliever Steven Ames had a 4.15 ERA in 12 games after going 2-2 with a 2.06 ERA and 14 saves for Chattanooga and Rancho Cucamonga.
- Starter Stephen Fife struggled in the AFL, going 1-6 with an 8.06 ERA in eight starts. He was 14-4 with a 3.74 ERA between Chattanooga and Double-A Portland.
- Lefty reliever Cole St. Clair had a 4.64 ERA in 15 games in the AFL. He had a 3.04 ERA in 42 games at Chattanooga.
- Reliever Josh Wall followed up a good regular season (4-5, 3.93, one save in 51 games at Chattanooga) by going 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and four saves in eight games in the AFL.
"It’s about the learning curve, making some adjustments," Watson said. "When you get to that level, the fall league, you’re looking for production. You want to see these guys step up."
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