05/11/2002 - Updated 07:44 PM ET

      Los Angeles Dodgers

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Dodgers 2002 prospect report

By Josh Goldfine, SportsTicker

The Los Angeles Dodgers do not have the same powerful organization that they
featured a decade ago, but there is some talent remaining which could help
the big club.

Chief among the prospects is a hitter from the Far East and a pitcher from
the Dominican Republic.

Outfielder-turned-first baseman Chin-Feng Chen rebounded from an
injury-plagued 2000 season to put together a nice campaign between two levels
in 2001. Ricardo Rodriguez looks to be the organization's best hope on the
mound, as he compiled a second straight impressive season to inch one step
closer to Los Angeles.

The hitting ranks as a whole are pretty thin.

Bubba Crosby and Joe Thurston have been highly regarded for several years,
and each will be looked towards for big seasons in 2002.

Shortstop Cesar Izturis came over from the Blue Jays in a deal last winter
and is a fine defender who may have a shot at taking the big league job this
spring. Willy Aybar and Victor Diaz, last summer's rookie-level Gulf Coast
League batting champion, are both solid young hitting prospects.

On the mound, former first-rounder Ben Diggins got his feet wet in his first
professional season, but he did not pitch particularly well in the first half
and was sidelined by injuries. Diggins did pick it up down the stretch and
finished respectably. Righty Steve Langone pitched well but is not highly
regarded despite solid success as a professional.

Setbacks: Jason Repko, a shortstop who was taken in the supplemental first
round of the 1999 draft, continued his regression. After appearing in just
eight games in short-season ball in 2000, Repko was hindered by a back injury
and played in just 88 games last season. He hit just .220 at the low Class A
level.

Maximo Regalado, a hard-throwing righthander who had a terrific 2000 season
in his first campaign spent solely in the bullpen, posted a 6.35 ERA in Class
AA last year and was released.

Organizational Record: 371-319 (.538) -- 8th

HITTERS

Chin-Feng Chen -- 1B -- Major League Regular: One year removed from an
injury-plagued season which nearly bumped him off the prospect charts, Chen
atoned with a terrific campaign between Class A and AA and proved that he is
the Dodgers' best position prospect.

Chen, now 24, had a smashing debut season in the United States in 1999, when
he became the first player in the history of the Class A California League to
hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in one season and was honored as that
league's top prospect. But, with a sore shoulder limiting his play in 2000,
Chen struggled at Class AA and finished at just .277 with six homers and 67
RBI and 131 strikeouts.

The 2001 season was a different story entirely. Chen, healthy for the first
time in two years, ranked among the organization's Top 10 in all three Triple
Crown categories (.290, 22 HR, 91 RBI). Chen, who began the season with Class
A Vero Beach, improved as the weather warmed. He batted .268 with a .359
on-base percentage in Class A and .313 with a lofty .422 on-base percentage
after he was promoted to Class AA Jacksonville in June.

Chen has good speed and showed improved command of the strike zone last
season. His arm is only average after the shoulder surgery two years ago.

Bubba Crosby -- OF -- Platoon/Backup: After three consecutive and oftentimes
injury-plagued seasons at the Class A level, Crosby more than held his won
last season in his introduction to Class AA.

Crosby, now 25 years of age, was selected with the 23rd overall selection in
the 1998 draft after a star-studded career at Rice University that included
25 home runs in his final season as a collegian.

Batting mostly in the third slot in the order in 2001, Crosby batted .302 for
Jacksonville in the Southern League. He hit just six homers in 443 plate
appearances despite playing his home games in one of the league's most
hitter-friendly parks.

Crosby does the little things very well. He posted a .369 on-base percentage
last season and compiled a respectable 37/60 BB/SO ratio. Crosby's 27 infield
hits ranked third-best on the club, and he used that above-average speed to
steal 22 bases. The 5-11, 185-pound lefthanded batter actually hit fellow
lefthanders better (.333) than he did righties (.295).

A line-drive hitter who uses all fields and shows good command of the strike
zone, Crosby could have a future in the Los Angeles outfield. A center
fielder in college, Crosby has played mostly left field as a pro.

Koyie Hill -- C -- Platoon/Backup: In his first full season behind the plate,
Hill shined both offensively and defensively and gives the Dodgers their best
hope in terms of catching prospects.

Hill was drafted by Los Angeles as a third baseman out of Wichita State
University in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He was moved behind the
plate last season and responded by ranking among the top half of all catchers
in the low Class A South Atlantic League by gunning down 32 percent of
would-be basestealers.

Hill was no slouch at the plate either, where the 6-foot, 190-pound
switch-hitter batted .301 with eight homers and 79 RBI. A league All-Star, he
also stole 21 bases and posted an impressive .368 on-base percentage.

Behind the plate, Hill makes up for just average arm strength with a quick
release and solid footwork.

Cesar Izturis -- SS -- Platoon/Backup: Izturis came over from the Toronto
organization in a deal made over the Winter Meetings and should get every
opportunity to win a big league job this spring.

Izturis, now 22, got his chance at a legitimate shot in the big leagues when
Toronto General Manager J.P. Ricciardi decided that top Blue Jay prospect
Felipe Lopez would be that organization's future at shortstop, meaning that
Izturis was the odd man out. On December 12, Izturis and reliever Paul
Quantrill were shipped west in the deal that sent righthander Luke Prokopec
to the Blue Jays.

After batting just .218 for Class AAA Syracuse in 2000, Izturis hit .292
there last season and .269 over 46 games with Toronto.

A native of Venezuela, Izturis has terrific speed which he used to swipe 32
bases between Class AAA and the big leagues last season. However, his lack of
plate discipline -- Izturis walked just 12 times in 502 plate appearances --
limit him to a spot near the bottom of the order.

The 5-9, 175-pound Izturis will get to and stay in the big leagues on the
strength of one of the finest gloves of any young middle infielder in the
game. One source who watched Izturis all season claimed that the young
shortstop saved 10 runs per week with his glove alone. Izturis has terrific
range and a very strong arm.

Joe Thurston -- 2B -- Platoon/Backup: Despite a disappointing season at the
Class AA level, Thurston is still young enough and has the requisite tools to
be in the big leagues someday.

Following a 2000 season in which he hit .303 and led the Class A California
League in hits, Thurston encountered a bit of a road block at Class AA
Jacksonville in 2001. The now 22-year-old Thurston batted just .267 with
seven homers and 46 RBI last season. However, he did rank third in the league
with seven triples and was the circuit' third-toughest batter to strike out,
fanning just once every 9.48 plate appearances.

 Thurston can be a thorn in the side for pitchers, with his ability to put the
ball in play. He has ranked as one of his league's toughest batters to fan in
each of his three seasons. Batting leadoff last season, Thurston reached base
at just a .338 clip and was caught stealing on 18 of his 38 stolen base
attempts. The 5-11, 175-pound lefthanded hitter struggled against fellow
southpaws, against whom he hit just .218.

Drafted as a shortstop, Thurston was moved to second base last season. He has
terrific quickness and excellent range.

PITCHERS

Ben Diggins -- RHP -- Swing Man: A first-rounder from the 2000 draft, Diggins
had a successful first season as a professional despite battling a lingering
injury.

A former University of Arizona star who signed too late to pitch in 2000,
Diggins endured a slow start for low Class A Wilmington last season. He won
just two of his first 15 professional starts and missed a month of action
with a strained right groin.

The now 22-year-old righthander turned it on down the stretch, however. He
yielded one hit over seven shutout innings in a no-decision on August 1 and
followed that by tossing the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter five
nights later in which he fanned a career-best 10 batters. Diggins finished
the season 7-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 21 starts, holding opposing hitters to a
.224 average.

Diggins typifies the big power pitcher that organizations love to see. He is
6-7, 230 pounds and complements a mid-90s fastball with a slider.

Shane Nance -- LHP -- Setup Man: There is never a surplus of lefthanders who
can get outs, and Nance fills that role to near perfection.

Now 24, the diminutive southpaw put together a terrific season in 2001, when
he went 13-3 and led the Dodger organization with a 2.12 ERA over 49
appearances between Class A Vero Beach and Class AA Jacksonville.

Nance, who was 6-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 21 games for Vero Beach, was even
better once he was promoted at mid-season. The 5-8 southpaw went 7-0 with a
1.59 ERA in 28 games for Jacksonville, leading the club to a share of the
Southern Division crown. Nance held opposing hitters to just a .179 average
over 93 1/3 total innings last season. He yielded just 59 hits and 38 walks
and fanned 107 batters.

Ricardo Rodriguez -- RHP -- Middle of the Rotation Starter: The Dodgers
signed Rodriguez out his native Dominican Republic back in 1996. Six years
later, America is on the cusp of finding out about one of the top
up-and-coming arms in the game.

Last season, Rodriguez put together a second straight terrific campaign, as
he led the advanced Class A Florida State League in wins (14) and strikeouts
(156), was honored as a member of the league's All-Star Team and was named
the Dodgers' Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Rodriguez was also selected as
the FSL's Most Valuable Pitcher after he went 14-6 with a 3.21 ERA.

Rodriguez, who selected to participate as a member of the World Team in the
Future's Game, was at his best in the final month, when he went 3-1 with a
stingy 0.88 ERA.

Rodriguez, who dominated the rookie-level Pioneer League to the tune of a
10-3 record and a league-best 1.88 ERA in 2000, has terrific raw stuff and
should improve as he advances and gains experience. Rodriguez, now 22,
features a 93 mph fastball and a biting slider. He has added 30 pounds to his
6-3 frame since he signed and now weighs in at a solid 195 pounds.