Today: LAD Prospect Scott Elbert
Scott Elbert is a top-tier lefthanded pitching prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers system. Until the anointing of Clayton Kershaw, he was widely seen as the top pitching prospect in the organization. The Dodgers thought so highly of Elbert that they bypassed Phil Hughes in order to select him as a high-schooler in the 2004 draft, taking the 18-year-old with their first round pick (17th overall).
After a quick look in rookie Ogden, Elbert put in his first full pro season at A-level Columbus in 2005. Elbert dominated the Sally League as a 19-year-old, posting a 2.66 ERA across 24 starts. He struck out 128 batters while walking only 57, just over two per game.
Elbert had a similar season, with even better numbers, when moved up to high-A Vero Beach in 2006, and didn't really get challenged until he was promoted again, this time to AA Jacksonville at midseason.
| Yr | Tm | Age | Lvl | W | L | ERA | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | K/9 | WHIP |
| 2004 | Ogden | 18 | R | 2 | 3 | 5.26 | 12 | 12 | 49.2 | 47 | 33 | 29 | 5 | 30 | 45 | 8.16 | 1.55 |
| 2005 | Columbus | 19 | A | 8 | 5 | 2.66 | 25 | 24 | 115.0 | 83 | 37 | 34 | 8 | 57 | 128 | 10.02 | 1.22 |
| 2006 | Vero Beach | 20 | A+ | 5 | 5 | 2.37 | 17 | 15 | 83.2 | 57 | 27 | 22 | 4 | 41 | 97 | 10.44 | 1.17 |
| 2006 | Jacksonville | 20 | AA | 6 | 4 | 3.61 | 11 | 11 | 62.1 | 40 | 26 | 25 | 11 | 44 | 76 | 10.97 | 1.35 |
| 2007 | Jacksonville | 21 | AA | 0 | 1 | 3.86 | 3 | 3 | 14.0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 15.43 | 1.14 |
| 2008 | Jcksnvlle | 22 | AA | 1 | 1 | 2.79 | 15 | 1 | 29.0 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 26 | 8.07 | 1.10 |
Elbert entered 2007 as the Dodgers' top pitching prospect, and made three strong starts in AA before being shut down for shoulder soreness. He was lucky enough to have no serious problems, and needed only minor arthroscopic 'clean up' surgery. Still, he lost the rest of the season recovering and the start of 2008 rebuilding strength, watching Clay Kershaw supplant him as the phenom Dodger lefty in the mean time.
And that strength is substantial. A true power lefty, Elbert works with a 94mph, late-sinking fastball that comes from a coiled, deceptive delivery that can drive batters batty. He mixes in a workable change, but his best pitches are his slider and curve. The slider, in particular, is nearly unhittable by lefties, and it bores in so quickly on righthanders that he'll probably set some records for broken bats once he reaches the maple-league NL West.
His makeup is good, from all reports, and he spent a large chunk of his downtime studying video and learning the National League's hitters. With the Dodger rotation staggering and many question marks around the team entering 2009, Elbert looks like a strong candidate to break out, and break big, next season. His combination of skills, talent and smarts is top-notch. Once they find their feet, the young trio of Billingsley, Elbert and Kershaw could give the Dodgers a potent rotation for the next decade.
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