21-year old righty starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi came into this season as the Dodgers’ #17 prospect according to Baseball America and he’s showing why so far in the majors. He has pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 2.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has only given up 16 hits in his first 22 innings pitched, but he has also walked 10 batters so far and that’s way too many. This is Eovaldi’s big chance to cement a spot in the rotation for 2012, if he can finish the season strongly.

The Dodgers have designated 27-year old switch-hitting catcher Dioner Navarro for assignment. Navarro played in 64 games for the Dodgers this year and he was 34 for 176 (.193 avg, .600 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers and 17 RBIs. He played in 139 games in his three seasons with the Dodgers and he was 103 for 427 (.241 avg, .681 OPS) with 39 runs scored, 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Dodgers have called up 30-year old righty swinging catcher A.J. Ellis to replace Navarro on the roster. Ellis played in 16 games earlier this year for the Dodgers and he was 10 for 45 (.222 avg, .586 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers and 5 RBIs. He has now played in 72 games in his first four years with the Dodgers and he was 41 for 166 (.247 avg, .621 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 0 homers and 22 RBIs. Ellis doesn’t have much power but he can play at least as good as Navarro the rest of this year, and probably a lot better.

35-year old righty swinging catcher Rod Barajas and 27-year old switch-hitting Dioner Navarro have provided power and little else for the Dodgers in 2011. Barajas has played in 74 games for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 53 for 234 (.226 avg, .694 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. Barajas has always been the kind of hitter he is right now, so the Dodgers are probably o.k. with his production. Dioner Navarro has played in 64 games for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 34 for 176 (.193 avg, .600 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 5 homers and 17 RBIs. At least Navarro is a pretty good defensive player because he just can’t seem to hit anymore.

26-year old righty swinging CF Matt Kemp continues to rake at the plate despite not having much help in the lineup. He has played in 16 games so far in August for the Dodgers and he is 19 for 56 (.339 avg, .911 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Kemp has now played in 122 games for the Dodgers so far this year and he is 143 for 448 (.319 avg, .967 OPS) with 75 runs scored, 28 homers, 89 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. The most amazing thing to me about Kemp’s season is that he has done a complete turnaround after the 2010 season where he had a down year. It’s too bad that new manager Don Mattingly couldn’t coax more players into playing their absolute best this year.

22-year old lefty swinging outfielder Angelo Songco came into this season as the Dodgers’ #28 ranked prospect according to Baseball America. Songco has played in 116 games in A-ball so far this year and he is 146 for 497 (.311 avg, .921 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 24 homers, 92 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Songco has now played in 320 games in his first three years in the minors and he is 347 for 1,241 (.280 avg, .828 OPS) with 213 runs scored, 49 homers, 208 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The Dodgers need hitting help so look for Songco to be placed on the fast track.