Ladies and gentlemen, your newest third baseman for the Dodgers...

Well, the season has begun, and major league squads are going out of their way to depress me. In Cincinnati, the first baseman of the future has been told the future is not quite here, and the center fielder for the next decade has been told to wait until closer to the next decade. We are talking, of course, about Joey Votto and Jay Bruce. Give up on neither, and expect both to be in the lineups as everyday players no later than midseason. Their current replacements, Scott Hatteberg and Corey Patterson, are both mediocre placeholders with absolutely no upside at this point in their careers, and one should not expect either to show enough to hold their respective jobs for long.

In Miami, not only did the Marlins demote Cameron Maybin, but they also found a way to once again injure the ankle of our beloved Alejandro de Aza. Okay, maybe it is not the Marlins’ fault this time, but after their horrific misdiagnosis of his ankle injury last year led to an injury that should have been days on the bench becoming months on the bench. I take nothing for granted with the hapless Fish front office. Instead of either promising young player, the Marlins will now have Cody Ross and Alfredo Amezaga splitting time in center. Feel the excitement!

More depressing prospect news – the Angels cleaned up their roster and sent Brandon Wood, Kendry Morales, and Nick Adenhart to Triple-A. At some point, the Angels will have to give Wood a legitimate chance to make the roster and stick. It worked well with Howie Kendrick, so why do they keep saying the time is now for Wood, only for it not to be? Look for Wood to return to the majors at some point this season, and this time, finally, to stick.

You know, we really opened this column on a down note, and there is one team that is not disappointing the prospect lovers – the Colorado Rockies. Franklin Morales, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Jayson Nix have all made the roster as starters. Morales and Jimenez will anchor the back of the rotation, and neither will be limited to a strict pitch count, while Nix beat out Marcus Giles for the starting spot at second base. Look for Morales and Jimenez to struggle at times, especially Jimenez, but both have significant upside. As for Nix, look for him to hit around .280 with decent power for his position.

Last night might have been a positive for most, as it was the start of the season stateside, but it was a serious negative for Elijah Dukes, who the Nationals placed on the 15-day disabled list after Sunday’s game due to a hamstring injury. He finally had his chance, and now it is gone. Wily Mo Pena likely will not be back until May, so Dukes will have a job when he returns, but he will have a far smaller window to prove himself.

Clayton Kershaw might already be in the minors, but he did get a chance to rough up the Red Sox before heading to Double-A. Pitching four scoreless innings in an exhibition game on Sunday, Kershaw allowed just one hit to the Red Sox. The Dodgers do not want to rush their No. 1 starter of the future, but he will make his debut for them at some point this season, and he should be in the rotation for good by next season.

A prospect that will be sticking with the Dodgers is Blake DeWitt, who will be the third baseman for the Dodgers with just about every third baseman on the Tigers’ roster down with an injury. DeWitt spent most of the 2007 season in High-A, where he hit .298 with eight home runs, 46 RBI, 48 runs, and 29 doubles in 339 at-bats, and he continued to succeed in Double-A, where he hit .281 with six home runs, 20 RBI, 20 runs, and 13 doubles in 178 at-bats. For at least the next four to six weeks, while Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche sit on the disabled list, DeWitt will see regular action as the starter. What happens when they return? He will likely return to the minors, as regular at-bats there rather than rotting on the bench would be far more beneficial for his development.

Next week, we will shift the focus towards what the Farm Report will specialize on for the rest of the season, and that is life down on the farm, with the latest in minor league action.