MINOR LEAGUE/PROSPECTS Thread

Is this all covered in Molly Knight's book? I haven't gotten around to reading it but I have the week off work so perhaps I will go pick up a copy.

 

It was covered, but I ended up just getting to basically the cliff notes on the matter. I started reading it, but literally right when I got to it, she started getting all weird on the twitter and it caused me to put it down. She went on some weird multi day tirade and it caused me to think far less of her.

 

Here is a very positive review of Verdugo. 2017 should be a very interesting year for the kid. There are some that believe that the Dodgers are not dangling Verdugo as a trade chip, which would make sense with his skill-set compared to other players in the system and on the club. Like I have said in the past, if this kid develops the way he is going, you could see potentially a .300+/.360+/.450+ bat with a low strikeout total and high doubles #'s. Players like that are getting harder to find and as we are seeing, those guys are infinitely more valuable in October. Would really like to see Verdugo and Bellinger make it to OKC together this season with a deal for Dozier still getting done.

http://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/pleskoff-scouting-report-alex-verdugo/

 

Nice write up on Trevor Oaks. He is the sleeper in the system for me. It is hard to do what he has done and that shows he could be a valuable asset in the event we have arms falling off again. Someone that we could potentially plug in to get us 6+ innings in the 5 spot would be a great with so many other young arms that we need to protect. Hoping the hold on to him, and I am very interested to see what they could do with his secondary pitches to maybe get him a little more swing and miss.
http://www.truebluela.com/2016/12/23/14069564/trevor-oaks-2017-dodgers-prospects

 

Wouldn't mind if Verdugo only hit 10-15HRs a year as a right fielder..not if Joc keeps doing what he's doing, slugging in CF with 25+HR a year, solid fit
Gurnick did a piece on Verdugo as well today, Duquette gives his assessment
http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/212037138/alex-verdugo-hopes-to-be-with-dodgers-soon/

 

I'd like for him to get to where he hits like 17+ HR's a year, but yeah I would hate if he started striking out more and getting on base less due to that. Where we need Verdugo to be as a player kind of depends on the years of Joc, Puig, Thompson, Toles and Bellinger as they all have different types of impacts to what use he is.
This year is a big one for Joc and will give the org and idea of where they can go on the corners most going forward. If he is second half Joc or even better than that, then they have the superstar CF'er they though they were getting when he was coming up. He also needs to show that he can stay in there against LHP and be useful. His swing towards the end of the season was very much in line with a guy who should be able to hit LHP. It is just a matter of if he can get his lower body together every AB and stay on the ball. If he gets those swing mechanics finally on repeat, he is a dangerous CF'er with 30+ HR potential and a .900+ OPS.

 

He did begin to give more of a fuck against LHP at the end of the season..they probably dangled the opportunity to not sit in the post VS LHP if he showed he could at the very least make lefties work for the out.
There was a point in the reg-season where he just looked like he checked out in his ABs VS LHP.
It's cliche to an extent, but Joc showed a lot of competitiveness down the stretch, he was fiery as hell and seemed to spur the team some.
Overall, I'd say he was better coming in on the ball defensively this year w/some hiccups now and then, but going back on the ball - I don't know if there's anybody better or tougher/more willing to make a play VS the wall.

 

I think what we saw early in the season was a kid who was frustrated with his numbers as he was not liking the results he was getting and it leaked into his attitude on the field. That is what happens when they tinker with mechanics, guys look at the current picture and don't see the results so they sulk, get frustrated and look back at what worked for them. You knew in his first AB if he was going to have a bad game just based on the PA. As the season progressed, those good AB's came more and more often. Honestly, Puig returning to form and Joc putting together consistent AB's with his much more fluid mechanics are the two things I want most going into next season. Joc has the ability to be .270/.380/.520 guy if he could just get that muscle memory going and those mechanics locked in.

 

.270/.380/.520 ? That's some intense production. I'm down.

 

Nobody cares but us

 

Last 84 games of 2016 season after hitting rock bottom was .264/.372/.533 with a respectable .314 BABIP and 17 HR
First 56 games of 2015 season before pitchers adjusted was .262/.385/.586 with a similar .311 BABIP and 17 HR

These are results that show that this guy has the skillset to be a legit star in CF and it is why scouting services rated him so highly. It is all on him on whether or not he can put it together for a 162 game season, but if he gets his mechanics in line, his bat speed will more than allow him to be a legit all around hitter.

 

^Not turning 21 until May 2017!!

 

They came damn close to losing Joc to the dreaded shoulder injury..dodged that bullet because he probably wouldn't have regained form until after 2017 if he'd had that procedure and maybe something like that would've hurt his progression in general

 

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/212479282/pipeline-inbox-comparing-swanson-to-jeter/?topicid=151437456

They are starting to piece together the Top 100 for January release, Jim Callis talked about his personal Top 50, 51st is Yadier Alvarez. Imagine the Dodgers could have as many as 7 (assuming no trade happens) in the Top 100 in January. Bellinger, JDL, Verdugo, Calhoun, Alvarez, Diaz and Buehler.

 

He also mentioned on twitter that Bellinger is #6 in his Top 50, doesn't mean he'll be their in the official Top 100, but 10-15 probably reasonable.

https://twitter.com/jimcallisMLB

We also need to remember, that not all of these guys will pan out, it's their job to figure out who will, and who won't (or who they can afford to live without).