On the Cutting Edge

Dodger prospects have been checking out of the major league clubhouse like children leaving home for college, their exuberance, precociousness and potential a mere phone call away.

A recent rash of cuts has General Manager Ned Colletti and Manager Grady Little experiencing empty-nest syndrome. As the roster is whittled in the direction of 25, the immediate future gains clarity. But just thinking about the young players who made strong impressions before being sent to minor league camp elicits smiles.

The opening-day roster provides a measure of excitement. The long-term outlook dazzles.

Because these kids, they’ll be back.

“A whole lot of them have bright futures in this game,” Little said. “I’ve been very impressed with what I’ve seen.”

Calling the prospects the Jacksonville 5 -- a reference to the double-A city where many won a championship last season -- might be catchy, but it is misleading and needlessly restrictive.

The number could as easily be two or 12, three or 10, four or seven. The names are Billingsley, Guzman, Martin and LaRoche ... Kuo, Loney, Broxton and Ethier ... Osoria, Miller, Young and Orenduff ... Kemp, Abreu, Hu and DeWitt.

“They won’t all make it in the big leagues, anybody who has been around baseball knows that,” Dodger veteran pitcher Derek Lowe said. “But some of them will. It only takes a few to make a big difference for a team.”

The intriguing question is when. The answer varies with each prospect. The challenge to get it right with so many players is enormous. When Colletti promotes a prospect, he wants it to be forever. That’s why his overriding philosophy is to err on the side of caution, to avoid tasting the fruit before it ripens.

“Generally speaking, it’s a plus for time to be invested and experience to be gained in the minors,” he said. “We’ve all seen players who come up and don’t succeed right away, then go down, and you run the risk of losing them forever.”

Colletti developed the philosophy during his decade in the San Francisco Giant front office. It often took several years for a promising player to break into the lineup. Shortstop Rich Aurilia and infielder Pedro Feliz are prime examples.

The only Dodger likely to make his major league debut opening day is catcher Russell Martin, and that is only because starter Dioner Navarro is nursing a hamstring injury. When Navarro is healthy, Martin will be sent to triple-A Las Vegas to rejoin the swell of youthful talent.

Joel Guzman or Andre Ethier could break in next because the Dodgers lack depth in the outfield. There is a slim chance that the power-hitting Guzman, who moved to left field from shortstop less than a month ago, could make the opening-day roster and a strong possibility he would be promoted the moment veteran Jose Cruz Jr. falters.

Ethier, acquired from the Oakland Athletics for Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez, is a left-handed hitter whose maturity and plate discipline have impressed the Dodgers.

Although Billingsley is clearly the top pitching prospect, he could spend the season at triple A unless one of the Dodger starters is injured. Colletti is less conservative in promoting relief pitchers because Little can use them judiciously. Hong-Chih Kuo or Franquelis Osoria could make the opening-day roster, with Jonathan Broxton close behind. All three made their debuts last season.

Otherwise, expect an abundance of patience, even in the case of, say, first baseman James Loney, who batted .438 this spring before being optioned to triple A.

“What spring training allows you to do is to take every player and put them in a certain order in your mind,” Colletti said. “So when you get into the season, you have some players who are in the front of your mind when needs arise.”

The roster was built so those needs shouldn’t occur too soon. That’s why the Dodgers signed free agents to play first base, shortstop, third base and center field, why they signed one starting pitcher and traded for another.

Yet the youngsters eventually will get their opportunities, not at once, like a monsoon, more like a persistent drizzle, accumulating over time until Chavez Ravine is awash in young talent.

Owner Frank McCourt asked Colletti about it just the other day, sounding like a kid in the back seat of a car.

When will they get here?

Colletti answered with an analogy involving a child’s toy.

“I told him the season is like a kaleidoscope,” he said. “Every day it changes one degree and the picture is different.

“Eventually a player reaches a stage in his development where he can help us. That’s when we’ll see him in a big league uniform.”