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One of my new favorite personalities on twitter is Ron Aguirre (@xxldaddyo). Ron was the publisher of the short-lived XXL National Sports Daily in 2006, which was an homage to Frank DeFord’s old “National Sports Daily” from 1990. XXX National Sports Daily was a 150-paged daily PDF which was covered the previous days sporting events. Ron has recently begun www.xxlnational.com as a blog covering baseball. A lifelong Dodger fan, Ron is looking for others who want to cover their favorite teams for the XXLNational blog.

I asked Ron the same five questions that I asked Marc. It’s a great resource to get two knowledgeable opinions on these topics. Enjoy!

1. Hector Luna tore up the Dominican League. Jamie Hoffman fared well in the Arizona Fall League. What players helped their stock the most by fall or winter league participation?

At 28, Hector Luna isn’t much of a prospect. Labeling him as “suspect” might even be a little generous, despite hitting .318 with seven HRs for the Aguilas. When you think about MI Dodger prospects one name comes to mind: Ivan De Jesus Jr.

Jamie Hoffman may have impressed a little more with his .314 for the Surprise Rafters in the AFL. His OBP of .432 shows patience and a willingness to work a count and take a walk. Speed is the name of Hoffman’s game, he had three SBs in ten AFL games to go along with 28 for AA Jacksonville last season. He’ll be one to watch in Albuquerque in 2009, but Andrew Lambo and Xavier Paul seem to be the next big things for the Dodgers OF down on the farm.

2. With Greg Maddux retiring, the Dodger rotation doesn’t look too set after Billingsley, Kershaw, and Kuroda. Schmidt and Billingsley both are hoping injuries will be healed by Spring Training. How do you see the Dodger rotation shaping up?

The Dodger rotation is still in flux and there is no doubt that Ned Colletti is not done yet. Billingsley’s injury does not appear to be serious and the Dodger’s expect him to be fully recovered by the time that pitchers and catchers report to Glendale, AZ in mid-February.

With the restructuring of Andruw Jones contract, $12 million has been freed up for 2009. While speculation is that the $12 million saved this year would go towards signing Manny, the departure of Kent, Penny, Garciaparra and Derek Lowe has already shaved enough off the 2008 payroll to pay for Manny. The $12 million will best be served fortifying the front end of the rotation. One remote possibility would be for the Dodgers to enter the Jake Peavy sweepstakes. This would undoubtedly cost them Matt Kemp, and if the Dodgers re-sign Manny then they might be able to let Kemp go

It’s more likely however that Ned Colletti will go the Free Agent route with either Ben Sheets or Oliver Perez. Sheets would immediately become the #1 starter and Perez would slot in initially at #4 and would give the Dodgers a R/L/R/L starting four. Both pitchers come with caveats. Sheets health is always a concern, but he made it thru the ‘08 campaign relatively unscathed. If Perez can remember to throw strikes, he could become a #2 for the Dodger rotation. His 3.56 ERA in the second half of last season points to good things. The other “possibility” as far as Free Agent pitchers are concerned would be Andy Pettitte. This would reunite him with Joe Torre and the National League. The Yankees signing of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett, may signal that they will not re-sign Pettitte which would leave him available to tutor the Dodgers young rotation.

The number five starter looks like it will either be Jason Schmidt (if healthy) or James McDonald. Schmidt has been a complete bust since signing before the ‘07 season, but with all the money the Dodgers have given him, you can bet that they will give him every opportunity to make good on some of it. If he can’t, then look for James McDonald to pick up the slack.

3. Are any of the new faces (either free agents, players acquired in trades, or minor leaguers going to make a splash in ‘09?

The only new face that should make a splash in the Dodgers 2009 lineup would be a freshly shaven (and newly signed) Manny Ramirez. The Yankees and Angels have all but delivered Manny to the Dodgers with their off-season moves and announced intentions. Even though the two sides have not come to an agreement yet, remember that the Dodgers had to speak with Scott Boras (Manny’s agent) to restructure Andruw Jones‘ contract. Conversations like that don’t happen in a bubble. Boras knew full well that restructuring one clients (Andruw) contract, would only serve to help another (Manny).

Rafael Furcal played in fewer games for the Dodgers than either Manny Ramirez OR Andruw Jones in 2008. A return to health for Furcal would bring a fresh new re-birth of his Dodger career in 2009. The Dodgers are counting on big things from Furcal at the top of the order in the upcoming season.

4. The Dodger outfield was packed full last season, and as of this writing, still is. Can you talk about some of the positional battles out there? And if you didn’t touch on this in the new faces piece, is Mark Loretta going to be taking lots of at-bats away from Furcal and Dewitt?

The outfield is settling now that Andruw Jones is out of the picture. CF belongs to Matt Kemp, RF to Andre Ethier and LF will be Manny’s (as soon as that contract comes thru). If for some reason, Manny does NOT re-sign with the Dodgers, look for them to sign either Adam Dunn or Bobby Abreu to slot in LF. Juan Pierre is nothing more than a 4th OF and late inning pinch runner.

Mark Loretta = utility infielder. He is this year’s Angel Berroa or Nomar Garciaparra. Unless Blake DeWitt struggles seriously at the plate? Don’t look for Loretta to get too many at bats for the Dodgers.

5. Saito is out. Is Broxton the man to close out games?

Hear me now and believe me for the next 4-5 years. Jonathan Broxton is the REAL deal and is (and will be) the Dodgers Closer from here on out. Everyone talks about his eight blown saves in 08. What most people DON’T realize is that only two of those saves came in his capacity as the Closer for the Dodgers. The other six took place in his role as the Dodgers 8th inning set-up man. Broxton’s ERA in the 2nd half (when he was closing) was only 2.80 with a 1.13 WHIP. He struck out 11.5 batters every nine innings pitched. In short? Broxton is a BEAST and the National League is about to find that out. Still unsure? Take a look at the replay of when he closed out the Cubs in the the NLDS. The beast has been unleashed.

With a 6.39 ERA last season in five starts for the Rockies, Franklin Morales didn’t show too much to support his top pitching prospect billing. The 23-year-old lefty did finish his Venezuelan Winter League stint strongly with a 10 strikeout performance and looks towards Spring Training to improve on his command.

His winter numbers showed that he’s making strides in fixing command issues that plagued him in 2008. In his five starts in 2008, Morales posted 0.53 K/9 and 6.04 BB/9 ratios in 25.1 innings of work. His Venezuelan numbers are much better. In 46.1 innings of winter work he’s working with a 6.45 K/9 and a 2.34 BB/9 ratio. In nine winter starts Morales is 3-3 with a 3.11 ERA. He’s struck out 33 and walked 12.

If Morales can keep this positive trend going in Spring Training, expect him to compete for a rotation spot. He’s still got loads of upside. Fantasy GM’s need to watch him carefully.

White Sox minor league director Buddy Bell feels that 2007 first round draft pick (25th overall) Aaron Poreda will reach the majors in 2009. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times thinks that the pitching prospect will fight for a rotation spot in Spring Training.

From minor-league director Buddy Bell gushing about him last week, to the Sox open to the idea of the 22-year-old lefty battling with Clayton Richard for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.

Now, all Poreda has to do is go and get it.

After one full season in the minors and a lights-out showing at this year’s Arizona Fall League, Poreda — the club’s first pick in the 2007 draft — has put himself into position to at least grab a bullpen spot.

The 6′6″ lefty combined for 27 starts in Advanced-A and Double-A. His record was 8-9 with a 3.13 ERA. In his 161 innings of work, Poreda struck out 118 batters while walking 40. Batters averaged .244 against him.

In the Arizona Fall League, Poreda has only been used in relief work. He’s pitched 8.2 innings in nine games, amassed a 5.19 ERA, and struck out 12 hitters while walking five.

Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Tommy Hanson is only 22-years-old, but he’s showing why it’s going to be tough for the Braves to keep him in their minor league system for the duration of the 2009 season. In Arizona Fall League play Hanson’s made five starts for the Mesa Solar Sox and won three while not losing at all. In 18.2 innings he’s struck out (pay attention here!!!) 30 batters while only walking four. He’s only given up six hits and one earned run to sport a 0.48 ERA.

These numbers aren’t completely unfounded either. In 25 combined Single-A and Double-A starts in 2008, Hanson went 11-5. He struck out 163 batters in 138 innings and walked 52. He had an ERA of 2.41. Batters seemed dumbfounded as they only managed a measly .175 batting average against him.

Most people familiar with the Braves farm system feel that Hanson has an anticipated Major League promotion date some time in August of 2009. But, if Hanson finishes AFL play strong and continues to shine in Spring Training, couldn’t the Braves find a spot for him in April?

Fantasy leaguers who utilize a minor league system should already have Hanson on their radar. It’s also time for NL-only owners to keep an eye on the young, rising star.

One of the Phillies top hitting prospects is currently tearing up the Arizona Fall League. Shortstop Jason Donald, through 18 games, is batting .459/.522/.803 with eight doubles, two triples, and three home runs. He’s leading the AFL in doubles, is fourth in base hits, third in batting average, and sixth in runs scored. Donald is following up a very successful 2008 season in Double-A Reading where he batted .307/.391/.497 with 19 doubles and 14 home runs. But, is this enough to become a blip on your fantasy radar?

Another impressive note regarding Donald’s Double-A season is the fact that he improved upon his batting average from 2007, his RBI total, and his home run total. To see a 23-year-old (he’s actually 24 now) kid do this says a lot about his willingness to learn and his ability to grow as a hitter.

Now, let’s look at some of the negative aspects keeping Donald from reaching any level of fantasy baseball production.

First off, he strikes out more than a guy with a .300-plus batting average should. At Double-A he struck out 86 times in 362 at-bats. That shakes out to a 76.2% contact rate, which not too many guys who hit .307 have. In the AFL he’s struck out 12 times in 61 at-bats. At least that brings his contact rate up to 80.3%, but it’s still not ideal for a guy who’s most likely gonna make the big club because of his batting average and not his power potential.

Another big issue keeping Donald out of Philadelphia is the position he plays. At shortstop, he’s not getting calle dup any time soon to displace Jimmy Rollins from his throne. And a switch over to the other middle infield spot is laughable due to Chase Utley. About the quickest way that I can see Donald making the Phillies 25-man roster is as a replacement to Pedro Feliz at third base. Folks have hinted at a possible switch for Donald in the past, but it hasn’t happened yet. And Feliz isn’t giving up his position to Donald just yet. You could ask for a higher batting average out of Feliz, but his glove and power potential are a bit better than Donald’s at this point. Donald did have 14 home runs and 19 doubles in Double-A in 2008. So, the power potential is there, but it hasn’t surfaced as it has in Feliz, yet.

If Donald keeps hitting like this for the duration of the AFL and he shows up at Spring Training still lighting it up, you may see talk of him making the club and joining the backup or utility infield committee of Iguchi, Dobbs, Cervenak, and Harman. But that’s not terribly likely. What’s more liekly is that the Phillies will want to get Donald as many at-bats as possible in the minors to aid in his development.

Down the road, Donald could become relevant in fantasy baseball. It, most likely, won’t be in the first half of 2009. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep an eye on him for the next little while. Those of you in fantasy leagues that use players from the minors should pay a little extra attention as he has deep keeper status.

Second base prospect Drew Sutton spent the entire 2008 season in Double-A Corpus Christi for the Astros hitting fairly well. His slash stats were .317/.408/.523 and he hit 39 doubles, 20 home runs, and knocked in 69 in 520 at-bats. But, it’s his sick 41 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League that are causing folks to think about Sutton as an addition to the Astros big club in 2009.

In 41 at-bats at the AFL, Sutton is batting .463/.579/.927 (read:1.506 OPS), has five doubles, four home runs and 14 RBI. He’s impressing Astros brass with his plate discipline and glove work, and his AFL manager feels he’s hitting himself onto the Astros club in 2009.

Said Scottsdale manager Shane Turner, “He’s shown more power that you’d think would come out of that body. He has a pretty good idea of the strike zone.”

Turner said Sutton also has impressed on defense. Because Astros outfielder Brian Bogusevic missed time early in the season because of a tweaked hamstring, Sutton was asked to play in the outfield. He played four games in center, four at third and three at short.

“It’s a hard thing when you move around as much as he does,” Turner said. “But his bat is going to find a position for him. When you make a mistake to him, he’s not going to miss it.”

Sutton is a natural second baseman, but he did play shortstop and third base in 2008. If he continues on this torrid pace, the Astros could give him a chance to win the third base job in Spring Training. These are all big ifs, but Sutton should be on your radar from this point forward.

Here are two notes about catching prospects from Arizona Fall League action.

• Baltimore’s top prospect Matt Wieters is following up a 2008 minor league season, where he hit a combined 27 home runs and batted .355 in Advanced-A and Double-A, with a good showing in the Arizona Fall League. In 33 at-bats he’s .333/.463/.455 with two doubles, a triple, and five RBI. He’s also throwing out catchers at a pleasing rate and started at catcher for the National Rising Stars in the recent Rising Stars Showcase.
• Atlanta prospect Tyler Flowers had Braves fans whispering his name last Spring Training as he previewed his power potential. He didn’t make the big club, but he did belt 17 home runs for Advanced-A Myrtle Beach. He’s showing off again this off-season in the AFL as he’s hit five home runs in nine games and is batting .467/.543/1.100.