Josh Lindblom

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #8 prospect in 2012
  Lindblom turned down a $300,000 offer as the Astros' third-round pick out of high school in 2005, then attended Tennessee and Purdue before landing $663,000 from the Dodgers three years later. He struggled as a starter before settling in as a closer in college, and his pro career has followed a similar pattern. Los Angeles returned him to the bullpen in mid-2010 after his velocity dropped off. While he has a starter's repertoire, Lindblom is more comfortable in the bullpen. Now that he's working in relief again, his fastball operates at 91-95 mph with average sink. His breaking pitches are more crisp, with his mid-80s slider showing tilt and generating some swings and misses. He also has a 73-74 mph curveball with average bite and a usable changeup with some downward movement and deception. As a reliever, Lindblom focuses mainly on his fastball and slider. His body is strong and durable, and he has a solid delivery. He shows more confidence coming out of the bullpen than he did in the rotation. Some scouts still think Lindblom could develop into a useful starter, but Los Angeles plans to keep him as a reliever after he pitched well in the majors in the final two months. He could work in a number of roles, most likely settling in as a set-up man.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #16 prospect in 2011
  Lindblom blossomed as Purdue's closer in the spring of 2008, landing a $663,000 bonus as the Dodgers' second-round pick. Los Angeles believed he had the arsenal to be a starter, and he worked in that role for most of his first two pro seasons. He had shown 94-95 mph fastballs with sink in the past, but his velocity dropped as a starter last spring, sitting in the high 80s. After going 2-1, 7.06 in 10 starts, Lindblom moved back to the bullpen in late May. His velocity recovered in the shorter stints, and he was working in the low 90s by the end of the regular season and flashing 94-95 mph in instructional league. His changeup was his most consistent secondary pitch, featuring late downward action. He also has an average curveball, a slider that looked plus at times and a developing cutter. Lindblom has to tighten his command, but he has a good delivery and a clean arm action, which should help. He could still make for a back-of-the-rotation starter, but his future appears to be in relief. With his velocity back, he'll head to spring training with an outside chance to make the big league bullpen. Otherwise, he'll return to Triple-A.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #5 prospect in 2010
  Lindblom was one of the biggest stories of Dodgers spring training last March. The organization promoted him from minor league camp midway through the exhibition season, and he pitched so well that he nearly made the big league club nine months after signing as a second-round pick. He opened the season as a starter in Double-A and finished it as a reliever in Triple-A Albuquerque. Lindblom blows hitters away with a heavy sinker that breaks bats and sits at 94 mph when he pitches in short stints. He can dial his heater up another notch when he needs a strikeout. His No. 2 pitch is a power curveball. He's aggressive and attacks the strike zone. He has a resilient arm and a strong, durable body. Lindblom has good arm speed on his changeup but doesn't consistently keep it in the strike zone. That shouldn't matter as much now that the Dodgers have decided to develop him as a reliever, which was his college role at Purdue. He also had trouble pacing himself as a starter. The Dodgers resisted the temptation to call up Lindblom in 2009 because they had a deep bullpen. He's a strong candidate to make their Opening Day roster in 2010, however, and is a possible future closer.
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  Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #4 prospect in 2009
  The Dodgers liked Lindblom out of high school in 2005, but the Astros picked him in the third round just as Los Angeles was ready to take him. Lindblom turned down Houston, went to Tennessee and then transferred to Purdue, where he became a closer. He worked just 41 innings as a junior, so scouts didn't see him much, and the Dodgers felt fortunate to get Lindblom with a second-round pick and $663,000 bonus. Lindblom touched 96 mph as a college reliever, and he still pitched with plus velocity (89-94) as a pro starter, with plenty of heavy life on his fastball. His heater bores in on righthanders, his slider has lateral tilt and his splitter is a swing-and-miss pitch. He has a durable body, clean delivery and good mound presence. Hitters can sometimes pick up Lindblom's pitches too easily out of his high arm slot. He tends to favor his splitter over his changeup, which the Dodgers want him to use more often. For now, the Dodgers will leave Lindblom as a starter, knowing he always can go back to relief. He finished his first pro summer in Double-A and will head back there to open 2009. He should be the first member of Los Angeles' 2008 draft class to reach the majors--perhaps sometime this year.

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Lindblom turned down a $300,000 offer as the Astros' third-round pick out of high school in 2005 before landing $663,000 from the Dodgers three years later. He struggled as a starter before settling in as a closer in college, and his pro career has followed a similar pattern. Los Angeles returned him to the bullpen in mid-2010 after his velocity dropped off, and he reached the big leagues a year later. Scouting Report: While he has a starter's repertoire, Lindblom is more comfortable in the bullpen. Now that he's working in relief again, his fastball operates at 91-95 mph with average sink. His breaking pitches are more crisp, with his mid-80s slider showing tilt and generating some swings and misses. He also has a 73-74 mph curveball with average bite and a usable changeup with some downward movement and deception. As a reliever, Lindblom focuses mainly on his fastball and slider. His body is strong and durable, and he has a solid delivery. He shows more confidence than he did in the rotation. The Future: Some scouts still think Lindblom could develop into a useful starter, but Los Angeles plans to keep him as a reliever after he pitched well in the majors in the final two months. He could work in a number of roles, most likely settling in as a setup man.