DODGERS 2019 MINOR LEAGUE/PROSPECTS THREAD

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by ColoradoKidWitGame, Jan 4, 2019.

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  1. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    - For the second game in a row, Gavin Lux went 4-5 with a HR. Can't see him being there much longer.

    - Will Smith went 3-4 tonight and had his AVG/OPS rise to .291/.964. I have been hearing some good reports about him lately, but there are still questions about his durability (prolonged slumps are still following him). Some GREAT signs are his K rate is down 6% and his power numbers are up. Could see him soon to get some reps at 2B and C. He and Connor Joe seem to be the only guys on the AAA roster that are thriving with the new ball.

    - Dennis Santana continues to struggle, while Mitch White has had a rude welcoming in AAA. With Dustin May slumping and Tony Gonsolin out since his second start, this has been a shitty little stretch for the Dodgers top pitching prospects.

    - New name to keep an eye on in the organization, Niko Hulsizer has been CRUSHING in LoA with the Loons. Dude hit his 6th home run in as many games tonight, giving him 12 on the year. He has an OPS of 1.019 on the year and is getting a decent bit of attention in the early going. Problem is that he also strikes out a lot (31% clip). Guy was a big time power hitter in college and the club plucked him in the 18th round.

    - Robinson Ortiz had his first start of the year and it did not go great. 2 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

    - One more name that is turning heads in the early going, Edwin Uceta has been dominating the Cal League. He's a smaller guy, but he's still striking out dudes at a good clip and has impressed some folks thus far. Has had 2 starts where he gave up 3 ER, then outside of that it's all 1's and 0's.
     
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  2. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Gonna do an impact prospect update.

    - Tony Gonsolin returned to game action on Sunday. He only went 1 IP and matched it with a hit and walk each.

    - Dustin May had another ok start as he is seemingly pulling out of his mini slump. Reports are still fairly positive on him and it may be that he is integrating some of his other pitches more into his repertoire. Sounds like he is really working on his cutter which is now viewed as above average and a change that is now showing above average potential after some so-so remarks. It does look like his chances of being an impact starter this season are fading somewhat.

    - Mitch White's introduction to AAA is still working out the bugs. He had best start in terms of results yesterday, but he only went 4 innings and struck out 3... though it was against an Omaha team that blasted their way through him only 10 days prior. It was a doubleheader, so they may have been wanting an abbreviated start so that the club could get some relievers some work. MiLB doubleheaders are only 7 innings.

    - The OKC Dodgers in general have been unexpectedly awful this season. As much of the top talent in the org is finding it's way in AA and injuries either with the big club or on the roster pulled top spects out of the equation. OKC's bats in general have been hurt by Beaty being up with the big boys and Edwin Rios immersed in an incredibly horrible season. Will Smith is the only other Dodgers prospect to have been enjoying a good season and now he is up with the big club. Connor Joe since returning to the org has been on a tear, but his horrendous showing on a big league roster dampens any excitement. Thanks to the Giants, he is also spending some time in the OF and as a RH bat, this could be useful later in the year.

    - The starting pitching in OKC has also been a horrid mess. Their starters ERA's are a catastrophe and only Gonsolin has shown any sort of promise in the early going. It would be nice to see the org throw Ferguson back into the rotation and maybe we could see a Gonsolin, White, Ferguson, Stewart, Santana rotation of intrigue down there until May potentially gets the next call up. Ferguson needs to work on his tunneling and maybe more on his secondaries as his CB and FB have a visible differential to them. Santana is getting bit by the HR bug, but his K numbers are climbing after his last two starts. There has been no word on his velo and many MiLB parks do not have radar guns due to teams trying to protect their arms.

    - The relievers in AAA have like one positive and that is it. JT Chargois has been impressive in the early going, though his MLB stint was bad. Cingrani had been decent, but he his hurt AGAIN. Stetson Allie and Josh Sborz were both viewed as interesting pieces for this year and both have been very mediocre. Allie in particular has been pretty fucking terrible.

    - Gavin Lux is crushing the ball and though BA seems to be mildly ignoring him(seriously, all the other services are gushing on him). Word is that he will be in AAA VERY soon.

    - Keibert Ruiz got off to a HORRIBLE start and sounds like he was maybe expanding the zone a bit which was resulting in some "meh" contact. Since the calendar flipped to May, he has been on a bit of a tear and his numbers have leapt up. One negative is that he is still hitting for little to no power, but good god his contact skill are incredible as he is k'ing at a 4% clip. He has also improved his walk rate as it stands at 9%. He may be interesting to keep an eye on as if Smith comes up and rakes, they may feel comfortable moving Ruiz to AAA so that they are not splitting time.

    - From a pure numbers standpoint, Andre Scrubb has once again been very impressive. Outside of a rough start in LoA last year, Scrubb has been a solid reliever in his 4 seasons with the org. I am gonna do some sleuthing and see what I can find out.

    - Marshall Kasowski was the sexy name going into the season. He is still racking up monster K numbers at a near 2 per inning clip, but it does sound like it is still all from his incredibly deceptive fastball. He got off on the wrong foot this year, but has bounced back somewhat here and has only really been touched up in two games by the same club(Arkansas Travelers). I would not be shocked if they keep him in AA and try to get him to work on his secondaries a bit more, even with the impressive numbers.

    - After a rough look at as a starter to begin the year, Yordy Cabrera has been converted to a reliever. He is probably not in the cards this season unless something magical happens, but the 28 year old is said to have some absolutely filthy stuff and can be dangerous if he is locating.

    - Adam McCreery has been pushed up to AAA after a solid early run in AA. The big lefty has a decent fastball with a wipeout slider that is said to be pretty lethal when it is on. He got some good reviews early on, so the club pushing the 26 year old with big league experience makes sense. I would not be shocked if the org views him more as LOOGY at this point, which is something that we are in need of. He is also on the 40-man roster.

    - Jordan Sheffield has been having a good year with his reintroduction to the bullpen. The club does not seem ready to have him go B2B days yet and more recently, they have chosen to hold him back to every 3rd day. He dealt with injuries last year, so it does look like they are trying to protect his arm somewhat and I have seen in a few places that belief is that he could be big league ready this year if all goes accordingly. Word is that he has lost a couple ticks on his once triple digit touching fastball, but that could be to fix his mediocre command.

    So AAA is not showing a lot of promise right now, though Gonsolin coming back and both Ferguson and Santana getting right, there is still hope for impact arms. White will need to work on a few things and show that this is just a blip and not a sign that his stuff is not playing up at this time. Tulsa was deemed as the 2nd most intriguing MiLB team in the Texas League and the numbers coming from it is showing why. There have been a healthy amount of faceplants/stumbles by Dodgers top 20 prospects in the early going, but with that there have been some solid/great performers and some other guys looking like they are pulling out of it. We shall see what the rest of the year looks like, but signs are pointing to the Drillers continuing to move some pieces up in the coming weeks.
     
  3. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    Anywhere I can read those gushy reports on Gavin?
     
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  4. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    MLB Pipeline has been riding him the hardest, some of the other services will drop tidbits on him here and there whether it be through chats or other methods, also following the right people on twitter helps. Basically saying that he has tapped into his power potential and is constantly driving the ball. Strikeouts are up a bit, but those numbers are still pretty solid, walks are down which don't help his profile as a leadoff hitter. Belief seems to be that he is another star in waiting.
     
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  5. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Baseball America has updated their top 100
    Verdugo has graduated
    Ruiz has dropped to 21 from 18
    Lux has risen to 30 from 36
    May has shot up to 52 from 76
    Smith is up to 83 from 88
     
  6. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    I really don't pay too close attention to the draft and don't really care until I see some success at the MiLB level, however the Dodgers have been linked to Georgia Prep RHP Daniel Espino on multiple occasions in mock drafts. He is an incredibly high upside arm that may be worth snapping up if he is still available late in the first round. BA had a piece where they said he has "90-grade fastball" with a front of the rotation ceiling, or potentially an elite reliever. Would love to see this kid fall to us.
     
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  7. BigDaddyKaine

    BigDaddyKaine DSP Legend

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    But how does he go about his business?
     
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  8. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    :laff:
     
  9. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Tony Gonsolin went 1IP on the 26th and 1.2 tonight with 2 K's and 2 BB's.... Both were starts which is nothing special, but the days between those starts is what is interesting.
     
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  10. fsudog21

    fsudog21 DSP Legend

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    Interesting or head scratching?
     
  11. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    They're either trying to use bullpen days to get him regular work and quickly build up his innings or they are getting him ready for a bullpen role.
     
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  12. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Dodgers are said to be really focusing on prep players with incredibly high ceilings with the early round picks this year. This makes a good bit of sense as the farm has become very top heavy in good talent, but not what is considered necessarily high impact talent thanks to years of low draft picks trades. After Lux and Ruiz, the farm begins to look incredibly barren in just the starter upside department. May and Gonsolin could be good, and I am higher than most on May, but the depth they have at the upper levels and young talent already impacting the big club could mean that they try to fill the lower ranks now with projectable guys.
     
  13. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Good example of just how top heavy the farm is, 7 of the club's top 9 prospects by MLB Pipeline heading into 2019 are likely to spend time in the bigs this year... maybe 8 if Ruiz gets the Sept callup
     
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  14. ColoradoKidWitGame

    ColoradoKidWitGame DSP Legend Administrator

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    Gonna stick to mostly Top 30 guys or someone that is really turning heads and not on the 2019 MLB roster radar in this update.

    The Good!
    • (#20) Edwin Uceta-RHP- Had a great start to the year in HiA with the Cracka Killas posting a 2.15 ERA over 10 starts. Has K'd 65 over 50 innings and walking 16. He has been bitten a bit by the long ball, but remember this is the Cal League. One service called him the second best player in the league this year, though they felt he is streaky and would likely drop back. He is short for a pitcher and skinny to boot which also plays into the perceived future drop off and some view him as a future reliever. He posted a pic of a Southwest plane from the airport this morning, so the belief is that he has been called up to Tulsa.
    • (#7) Jeter Downs-MIF- One of the two prospects the Dodgers acquired in the Kyle Farmer trade, Downs got off to a really slow start, but turned things around in May. His OPS is inline with his numbers from last year, but he has seen a big dip in OBP, while seeing a boost to his SLG. I think he was trying too hard to impress after the trade and has since settled in a bit as his K:BB numbers are seemingly falling back in line with career norms. With 8 home runs already, he should blow past his career high of 13 from last year.
    • (#17) Josiah Gray- RHP- The other prospect in the Farmer trade, Gray had a dominating start to his Dodgers career with the Lo-A Loons. He was rewarded with a quick promotion and was greeted to the Cal League with a rough first outing. He has since settled in with 2 good starts and great one on Wednesday. Early reviews are incredibly positive and it will honestly be interesting to see if he stays in Rancho much beyond 10 or so starts.
    • (#19) Omar Estevez- IF- Until he got hurt, Estevez had been one of the most impressive players in the system. While not displaying a ton of power in the early going, Estevez was ripping the ball all over field and had turned a lot of heads. Hopefully when he returns, he can get back at where he left off. The dearth of right handed hitting prospects in the system makes Estevez all the more valuable in the near future.
    • (#27) Miguel Vargas- 1B/3B- The Dodgers have 3 prospects in the non-hitter friendly MWL that are turning heads. Vargas has been showing off his 55 Grade hit tool to the tune of a .323/.413/.402 triple slash line. While the power hasn't shown up, the still only 19 year old third baseman could make for an interesting prospect down the line. Doesn't sound like he has the defensive chops for MIF, so he will need to display more power to be viewed as an impact CIF. Would not be shocked to see him stay in LoA for a majority of the year so that the club can try to tap more into his power.
    • (UR) Niko Hulsizer- RF- This 18th round pick has been a nice surprise, but all the power this kid has displayed comes at a significant price. With a rate at 31% in a lower level, Hulsizer will really need to cut that down or he will get destroyed as he moves up that ladder. For the meantime, it feels like when Hulsizer does make contact, he at least makes it count. At 22, he does not have a whole lot of time to make that happen, but this could be a nice find in the 18th round.
    • (UR) Jair Camargo- C- This one is a bit more interesting and I am basing this purely off of numbers since I have not heard much about him, but Camargo has had a really impressive start to his full season stateside career. An .847 OPS at the first week of June in the MWL is nothing to sneeze at. Someone to keep an eye on and would be mildly hilarious to see ANOTHER catching prospect in the system turning some heads.
    Trending? or Ok starts...
    • (#15) Jeren Kendall- OF- Don't get me wrong, this season has still been shitty for the newly built swing of Kendall. After an even more horrific start than expected, Kendall got hurt and missed a month of action. Upon his return, things did not look great at the get-go, but the last couple of games have been.... interesting. While he has still struck out too much, he has hit in 4 of his last 5, including 2 bombs in 3 games with a 3 hit game as well. This by no way means he has turned the corner, but could be worth watching if he is finally showing some comfort with the new swing.
    • (#26) Cristian Santana- 3B- So far, Santana has been really impressing some folks with his defense at the hot corner. His bat has cooled off quite a bit and his tendency to be a free swinger has continued. Santana had a rough May last year as well, so it could be that the teams adjust to him around this time and then he needs to readjust. With that said, it sounds like he has an MLB caliber glove, just needs to learn how to be more selective in his approach.
    • (#10) DJ Peters- OF- Kendall is one of two prominent Dodgers OF prospects to go through major swing changes in the offseason with Peters being the other and he too endured a shitacular April. So far, Peters has struckout at a terrifying 37% clip in his second go around in Tulsa and seen a significant drop in his slugging. His numbers over his last 13 games are showing signs of a turnaround as he has struck out twice in a game only 2 times and has brought up his numbers everywhere else in that time(this is a big deal as 3 K nights were fairly regular before this stretch). There is always an adjustment period when it comes to a new swing, hopefully this is him figuring things out.
    Oh, this is bad...

    • (#16) Yadier Alvarez- RHP- There are murmurs that Alvarez's time with the club could be coming to a close. After two atrocious starts, Alvarez went on the IL with an undisclosed injury and has not been seen since. There are reports that he has not been open to the Dodgers coaching staff teachings and has been a constant issue thanks to his attitude. He was said to be working closely with the club during ST and had been turning some heads on the back fields, but it didn't appear to carry into the season before he got hurt. Time will tell what the real issue is this year, but this was not the start to the season that he needed.
    • (#22) Braydon Fisher- RHP- Out for the season
    • (#28) Zach Willeman- RHP- My offseason crush has not continued his impressive debut from 2018 into the start of 2019. Armed with 3 plus pitches, Willeman garnered Buehler comps after returning from TJ. Command/Control was a question mark and boy oh boy has that been an issue thus far. He is walking close to a batter per inning while giving up more than a hit per inning and not striking anyone out either. If his stuff did not play as a starter, there was a strong belief that the club would quickly transition him to a reliever, so watch for that.
     
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  15. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    Looking forward to reading this later in the evening.
    You're the man
     
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  16. Go Dodgers

    Go Dodgers Well-Known Member

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    Wow that's quite a write-up you put together! Any thoughts on Quackenbush or Sborz helping the big team this season?
     
  17. irish

    irish DSP Staff Member Administrator

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    read it now you selfish ckunt
    who cares if you’re driving?
    racist
     
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  18. Dodgers99

    Dodgers99 DSP Legend

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    I can't remember the last time the Dodgers took college bats with their first 2 picks.
     
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  19. Doughty8

    Doughty8 DSP Legend

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    2016 we chose Gavin Lux and Will Smith in the 1st but I thought the same thing you did initially.
     
  20. Dodgers99

    Dodgers99 DSP Legend

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