PROSPECTS Meanwhile, Down on the Farm

Root --> good. 5 IP, 1 ER
Serwinowski --> good. 5 IP, 0 ER.
Ferris --> horse manure. 3.2 IP, 3 ER.

Serwinowski has lowered his season ERA in each of his last seven starts.

 

Thanks for posting this BDK. Good stuff. They talk at length on what makes the Dodgers system great, and they touch on a few specifics with regards to each of the big 4 outfielders plus Davalan. The first half is about ATL, but the Dodger section starts at 23:00.

 

Today's OKC game is nearing its end. Here are the developments:

1. After a big game yesterday by Zach Ehrhard, extending his on-base streak with 3 hits - 1 being a HR - and 4 RBIs from the leadoff spot, he went 0-5 today and his streak comes to an end at 29 games.
2. River Ryan didn't have his best stuff but still only surrendered 1 run over 4 innings. 6 hits, 1 walk, 7 K's. 83 pitches.
3. Edman is 0-4 and is hitting .225 with an OPS of .640 in a hitter's league.
4. Kim's numbers are better. .323/.765.
5. Evan Phillips made his third appearance, and so far hasn't been scored on in 2.2 IP.
6. Gervase had a scoreless inning but a 5.29 ERA is pretty ugly.
7. Not much on Tibbs today. A single and 2 walks.

 

So Ehrhard's streak is over but Sirota and Quintero's live on. Sirota had a couple hits. Quintero BARELY escaped with his intact. In the minors, when they play double headers to make up for a rain out, each game is only seven innings, which potentially cheats you out of an AB if you're trying to keep a streak going. In the first game, Eduardo managed a walk in his final at bat. The second game naturally was rained out, so tomorrow he has to do the two 7-inning things again. Maybe they'll give him one of the games off.

 

We talk plenty here about how the Dodgers first four picks of the '25 draft are faring... Root, Davalon, Leiter, and to a lesser extent Vidourek, as they're all Top 30 team prospects. Thought I'd do a brief check-in on the remainder of those taken in the first ten rounds:

Fourth round (No. 135 overall): Aidan West, SS, Long Reach HS (MD)
West has had 52 at bats in the Arizona rookie league. Of his 14 hits (.262 avg), he has 3 doubles, 2 triples, and 3 HRs for an OPS of .954, and apparently has scouts buzzing.

Fifth round (No. 165 overall): Davion Hickson, P, Rice
Hasn't played yet. Currently on the 60-day IL. No further info found.

Sixth round (No. 195 overall): Mason Ligenza, OF, Tamaqua Area HS (PA)
Did not sign.

Seventh round (No. 225 overall): Mason Estrada, P, MIT
Is on Ontario's roster and has an ERA of 7.22 and a 1.90 WHIP so far.

Eighth round (No. 255 overall): Jack O'Connor, P, Virginia
Only 1.2 IP so far in the Arizona rookie league. Off and on the IL.

Ninth round (No. 285 overall): Conner O'Neal, C, Southeastern Louisiana University
At Ontario, .222/.722 with 4 home runs.

Tenth round (No. 315 overall): Jacob Frost, P, Kansas State
Went straight to Great Lakes where he's 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA. 52 K's but 28 walks over 37 innings.


There are a couple of others making some noise:


Sixteenth round (No. 495 overall): AJ Soldra, OF, Seton Hall
In 163 ABs at Ontario, he has 47 hits, including 7 doubles, 4 triples, and 7 home runs. OPS is .866.

Nineteenth round (No. 585 overall): Anson Aroz C, Oregon
He played 23 games in Ontario and then promoted to Great Lakes for his most recent 5. Overall .287/.856.


It's still early, but so far West, Frost, Soldra, and Aroz are showing good potential.

 

I haven't read that much on him either, but the feeling I got on draft day was that he slipped further than expected and kind of fell into the Dodgers lap.

He just got named (by Passan I believe it was) as a possible complementary piece in a Skubal trade... I think Sheehan, Hope and West. He admits that's an "overpay," but he could see them doing it for the three-peat. No thanks.

 

Where's the speed in the farm system? Stolen base leaders. Top 30 prospects in bold.

26 George, OF AA
26 Quintero, OF A+
25 Perez, 2B A+
19 Elkins, OF A
17 De Paula, OF AA
16 Martinus, 2B A
13 Vargas, SS A
12 Davalan, OF A+
11 Newell, OF AA
11 Nevin, 3B AA
11 Guerrero, 3B A+
11 Meza, DH A+
10 Hainline, SS AA
10 Sirota, OF AA/A+
9 Ehrhard, OF AAA
9 Hope, OF AA
9 Izarra, SS A+

Such a shame that George got hurt, he'd probably be in the mid 30's. Quintero's power numbers may be down, but he's showing his value in other ways. I'm hoping when MLB Pipeline reworks their Top 30, Perez gets a spot. He's really stepped up his game this season and still only 21.

 

Pretty cool milestone.

 

Good watch.

He feels Quintero is the most likely to have a big impact in the majors.

He likes De Paula at the plate but feels he'll end up being a bad defensive left fielder or a first baseman or DH.

When asked who his favorite is beyond the top group he talked about Davalan and Morales.

He's really big on River Ryan's stuff but concerned about age and injury history. Not likely to be traded because teams may discount his value for those reasons.

He could see 2-3 top prospects going for Skubal.

 

Here's possibly a new name for you: Easton Shelton. Maybe this is the first and last time you hear of him, maybe not.

Shelton is the 20-year old 6'4" first baseman for the Ontario Tower Buzzers. In 2023 he was not drafted and ended up getting signed by the Dodgers as a free agent. He had a decent first year in rookie ball in '24, playing to an as-average-as-you-can-get wRC+ of 100... which is actually impressive for a player that went undrafted. In '25 he regressed some, with his OPS dropping from .754 the year before to .738.

However, this has been his breakout year. His 18 home runs are not only tied with Tibbs for most in the Dodgers system, they're 7 more than the second highest tally in the California League. He's hitting .274 with an OPS of .978, and has already blown away his personal highs in just about every offensive category. He has a high strikeout rate which he'll need to bring down to continue advancing, but definitely is someone worth watching. At a minimum, he's one more player for @fsudog21 to scout in Visalia, lol.

Here are the system's top HR hitters:

18 Shelton, 1B A
18 Tibbs, OF AAA
15 Suwinski, OF AAA
13 Hope, OF AA
12 Gelof, 2B AA
10 Morales, SS A+/A
10 Sirota, OF AA/A+
10 De Paula AA
9 Meza, DH A+
9 Hainline, SS AA
8 Elkins, OF A
8 Harlan, 3B A
8 Ko, OF A
8 Newell, OF AA
8 Miller, SS AAA
7 Soldra, OF A
7 Davalan, OF A+
7 Perez, 2B A+
7 Wagner, 3B A+
7 Lockwood-Powell AA
7 Ehrhard, OF AAA

 

Quintero's double-header dilemma keeps getting kicked down the road. On Wednesday one game got rained out. Yesterday both did. So two are scheduled for today and both are only 7 innings. If he's going to keep his on-base streak going, and assuming he plays in both, he's going to have to do his damage early.