PROSPECTS Meanwhile, Down on the Farm

just a gut feeling, but i think he’s homesick
understandable considering a new country, culture, etc
and i’m not sure how much shohei and yoshi help, since they’re both older and obviously more mature/secure
from the videos before we signed him, he seemed like a different pitcher — aggressive and self assured
seems anything but that now
not sure how any/all that can be remedied other than with time

 

and urias would recommend slapping dem hoes around… in public of course

 

Perhaps so, but I can't deny the thought that crossed my mind is that Ohtani, who seems to do best at the plate in low-pressure ABs, needs to figure out how to relax in the high pressure ones, so maybe management should arrange for a conjugal visit in the clubhouse during close games when he's going to be up the next half-inning. Why not, as DH he's just sitting there anyway?

 

For the win!

 

The hot stay hot. The cold stay cold.

Davalan - 4 for 5, 3 doubles. Now 15 for 24, 1.612 OPS.
Morales - 3 for 4, walk
George - 3 for 3, 2 SBs

Ko - 0 for 5, 3 K's
De Paula - 0 for 4, 2 K's
Sasaki - 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2BB, 3 ER

 

sasaki is going to need some time

 

I’ve started doing this thing here on Mondays where I put together a brief one-week performance summary of key minor leaguers. Mondays are significant because there are never minor league games played. Unfortunately, it’s a bit late in the season… each of the four levels has only 1-3 weeks remaining. But FWIW, here’s this week’s:



Single-A Rancho Cucumonga (one week left)

Morales (prospect #7) cooled slightly, but for him “cooling” looks like 6 for 20 with a couple doubles. He’s still hitting .330 with a .975 OPS in the 25 games since getting bumped up.

Ko (#10) continued to show that he’s getting used to this league. His week finished at 5 for 17 with 2 doubles and a triple, but his OPS at Rancho inched up to only .623. Still, this week shows promise for next year.

Davalan (#15) – The 2025 #41 overall pick kept his hot start going, with a 6 for 15 week, and after 34 total AB’s he’s at .500/1.276. The start that dreams are made of!

Harlan (#19) – Not a bad week for the third baseman, going 6 for 17. August was right about at .800 on OPS, so that’s got to be encouraging for him. Like Morales and Ko, the 2024 third rounder got the call up from the rookie leagues and is showing that he belongs.

Jang (#22) – I remember the Dodgers signing of him out of Korea two years ago caused a bit of a stir on DSP. Unfortunately, since then he’s spent a lot of time on the IL and the Development List. Well, yesterday the pitcher took the mound for the first time since June 1. As one might expect, there was rust – 2 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, hit batter, one HR, and two runs scored, but good to see him back nevertheless.

Vidourek (2025 3rd round, not in top prospects ranking) – Unlike Davalan, he started slow, but the week ended with him on an eight game hitting streak and a 9 for 26 week (.346 average). Nice numbers going into the final week!



High-A Great Lakes (one week left)

De Paula (#1) – As you know he had an ugly return from the IL – hitless in his first 18 ABs. Since then, though, he went 6 for 16, a double, three walks, and a couple steals. Good to see.

Hope (#2) – 20 ABs, 6 hits. No HRs for either De Paula or Hope in August and only a .481 OPS for Zyhir in the month… not sure why, perhaps the long season has worn him down.

Quintero (#4) – 5 for 16, a double and a HR. Another with a slow start after getting promoted, he has settled in nicely this past week.

Serwinowski (#13) – I’m still loving that for Feduccia, we got a prospect that slots in at #13. The lefty had a great game this week, striking out 12 over 7 innings and get this… zero walks. How refreshing. In his five starts for Great Lakes since the acquisition, he’s 4-0, 1.55 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio. And he’s only 21. Looks like a winning trade so far.

Zazueta (#16) - On 8/15 he was put on the Development List and I assumed they had shut him down for the year. Not so. He got bumped up one level and pitched yesterday – just one inning – but no hits no walks (one hit batter). He’s had a really good year and I’m looking forward to him and Serwinowski at Great Lakes and beyond next year.

Martin (#21) didn’t pitch, 7-day IL.

George (#25) – 7 hits in 22 ABs (.318 average) plus 7 walks (.483 OBP). 9 more steals and is up to 92 on the season. Can he get to 100?

Elijah Hainline – SS – I figured I’d highlight this kid just for the hell of it. He’s a 7th round pick in ’24 and not a top-ranked prospect in the organization, but in the 34 games since getting moved up from Rancho, he actually leads this team in OPS with .879 (more than DePaula, Hope, and Quintero). He’s still just 22 and it’ll be interesting to see if he can make more waves in ’26.



Double A Tulsa (two weeks left)

Ferris (#6) had a nice bounce-back week, allowing only one earned over 6.2 innings in his lone start. Just two hits with 8 strikeouts. The only negative is 6 BBs, but he obviously was able to pitch around them. Needs to get them under control. Still, a great July (1.53 ERA) plus August (2.55 ERA) really have turned his season around.

Tibbs (#8) – A 3 for 22 week and the excitement from the trade deadline has vanished. Batting average for Tulsa is .228, OPS is .744.

Copen (#18) – From a 2.25 ERA in July to a 6.63 in August, it’s not looking good. Just way too many walks. Is it related to his vision handicap? I’ve heard nothing, but as I’ve said before, I just don’t know how one could have accurate depth perception with vision in just one eye, and without depth perception, how can the strike zone be controlled? Just a shame really, because his pitches have good movement. I hope he can find a way to make it all work.



Triple A OKC (three weeks left)

Kopech – 2 games, 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 3 walks, 1 HBP, 3 ER

Kim – 6 for 18, double, triple, SB.

 

Brace yourself, this is mostly NOT a positive update out of Tulsa...

Patrick Copen pitched yesterday and if anything, he just accelerated his free-fall. He walked six in 2.1 innings, and with a couple hits surrendered 6 runs. I don't understand why they don't just shut him down at this point. August and now September have been atrocious, particularly with walks, and they MUST be destroying his psyche. In any event, unless there's something else going on beyond his vision limitations, I fear this feel-good story may just be experiencing a tragic ending.

And sticking with that theme, James Tibbs III went 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts. After that hot start following the deal that sent May to Boston, he has fully reverted to his pre-trade mean. It's a shame, I was really hoping that we scored a double-whammy - being able to rub salt in wounds of both Boston and SF (drafted him in first round).

The only really good thing in Tulsa right now (other then Ferris) is the second piece we got in the May trade. Zach Ehrhard was drafted by Boston last year in the 4th round. He picked up another couple of hits yesterday and at age 22 is putting up some good numbers for the Drillers. In 25 games, he's 26 for 96 (.271 avg) plus with 17 walks (vs just 14 K's) his OBP is .395. 6 doubles, a triple, and 2 HRs push his OPS to .812. Also 11 steals vs no times caught. Seems like a fundamentally sound player who could be the Dodgers fourth OF'er at some point or return some value via trade. Here's his scouting notes if you're interested:

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 45

After turning down the Red Sox as a 13th-rounder out of a Florida high school in 2021, Ehrhard signed with them last July as a fourth-rounder after three seasons at Oklahoma State. He slugged just .385 in his first two years with the Cowboys before jumping to .627 last spring. He tore up High-A in the first six weeks of his first full pro season, earning a swift promotion to Double-A , then went to the Dodgers along with fellow outfield prospect James Tibbs in a Trade Deadline deal for Dustin May.

Ehrhard's best attribute is his on-base ability, the product of advanced swing decisions and consistent contact to all fields. A right-handed hitter, he has good feel for the barrel and rarely gets fooled at the plate. He began driving the ball in the air to his pull side more often in 2024 and could produce 12-15 homers with 30 or more doubles on an annual basis.

Ehrhard has solid speed and basestealing savvy, and he has been more aggressive on the bases in pro ball than he was in college. He has the quickness and instincts to handle center field, his primary position at Oklahoma State, though he has spent the majority of his time on the corners in the Minors. He has average arm strength and profiles more as a good fourth outfielder than a regular.

 

^ well at least the may-for-tibbs part appears to be balancing out

 

Yeah, May blows. I thought I had him at best pegged as a 4.50 ERA, .500 pitcher. Boston can only wish he was that at this point. May should've taken the Dodger bullpen route when it was offered to him, but TBH I'm glad he didn't. If Ehrhard pans out, we'll be better off.

 

Last week on the Dodgers farm:



Single A Rancho – season ended, they’re in the playoffs and lost the first game yesterday.

SS Emil Morales (prospect #7). Stayed as hot as he’d been. 8 for 25 (.320) for the week. His AVG/OPS in 59 rookie ball games this year was .300/.881, then got promoted to single-A where he hit even better in 30 games… .339/.968. High hopes for this guy. Currently plays SS, but big for the position – maybe a replacement for Max in a couple years?

OF Ching-Hsien Ko (#10). Unfortunately didn’t immediately bring his rookie ball success to single-A like Morales did, but picked up a scattering of hits over the final couple weeks. Last week: 3 for 14 (.214). .367/1.026 in rookie ball, .219/.636 at Rancho.

OF Charles Davalan (#15). Didn’t play in final week, on IL, but made the most of his 34 ABs after being drafted 41st overall this season. .500/1.276.

3B Chase Harlan (#19). One big game in final week where he got all his hits (3) and RBIs (4), then went hitless the rest of the week. Finished 2025 at .288/.856 in Arizona rookie league, .240/.714 in single-A. Over two seasons, his numbers are in that gray area. Bump them up a little next year and show promise. Or regress more as he climbs and start to fade away.

P Hyun-Seok Jang (#22). In his second start back he pitched 3 innings. 2 hits, 1 ER on a HR, 2 BBs, 6 K’s. Mixed numbers over a broken season (IL and development list), but hopefully he’s put whatever caused that behind him and can stay on the mound for all of 2026. Assigned to the Arizona Fall League.

OF Landyn Vidourek (not ranked). The ’25 draftee hit 9 for 24 (.375) for the week, with a double and HR. Finishes at .313/.841 over 67 ABs since the draft, and between Davalan and him (among others), there’s a lot of room for optimism for the class.



High-A Great Lakes – season ended, no playoffs.

OF Josue De Paula (#1) – After his very slow return from the IL, he blew up in his final week at Great Lakes: 11 for 24 (.458), 3 doubles, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs. Finished his High-A season at .263/.827, 12 HRs, 32 steals. Then the organization moved him to double-A Tulsa, along with Hope, as that league has another week left. De Paula went 0-10 over two games and has been reassigned to the Arizona Fall League.

OF Zyhir Hope (#2) – While he was raking during most of the season, Hope really faded down the stretch. His final week followed a lackluster August, going 2 for 21 with 8 strikeouts. His year ended at .264/.805, 13 HRs, 26 SBs. As mentioned, he went with De Paula to Tulsa this week, currently 0-4 and still there. I’m guessing he’ll end up in the fall league too, but I’m wondering if he just needs a break.

OF Eduardo Quintero (#4) – Glad to say that his bat picked up down the stretch, after starting slow post-promotion. His final week was at 6 for 24 (.250) but with 3 HRs. This got his high-A numbers up to .259/.824 in 32 games, following .306/.959 in 81 single-A games.

OF Mike Sirota (#5) – Even though he didn’t play past the beginning of June due to injury, I can’t help but wonder if his Great Lakes numbers (.316/1.068) would’ve held up better than De Paula and Hope’s (wow, racist?), or would he have also faded due to the strain of a long season?

P Adam Serwinowski (#13) – In his final start, he tossed 5.1 innings, 5H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 7 K’s. After the Dodgers acquired him, he went 4-0, 1.83 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 44 strikeouts with only 14 walks in 34.1 innings. I’d think he should start in Tulsa next season.

P Christian Zazueta (#16) – He got bumped up from Rancho for his final start, just one inning, no ERs. Overall for the year, 7-2, 2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 80 K’s vs 16 BBs in 67.1 IP.

P Payton Martin (#21) – Also just one IP in his final start, no ERs. 5.21 ERA over 67.1 IP for Great Lakes, obviously not good. But assigned to Arizona Fall League.

OF Kendall George (#25) – Can’t rave enough about how he turned his season around. Playing in the shadows of De Paula and Hope most of the year, he saved his best for the stretch run, going on a torrid hits tear. He finished with an 8 for 16 week, 4 walks, and snatched 11 bags to end at an even 100! His full year numbers: .297/.765, 9 doubles, 7 triples, 3 HRs, scoring 93. He’s going to be playing in the fall league.



Double-A Tulsa – currently in final week

P Jackson Ferris (#6) – His start last week: 5.1 IP, 8 H, 2 BBs, 3 ER, 7 K’s. Not the best stats but good enough for a win.

OF James Tibbs (#8) – Last I reported that the bottom fell out of the euphoria surrounding his acquisition. But last week he made a bit of a recovery: 7-25 (.280), 2 HRs, 9 RBIs.

P Patrick Copen (#18) – Two starts last week, and the wheels have fallen completely off. I feel guilty even looking and wish they had just shut him down for the season. 6.1 total IP, 6 hits, 8 walks, 10 ERs, only 5 K’s. Just feel bad for the kid.



AAA OKC – one more week after the current one

Only thing I want to report here is that Kyle Hurt is back off his long IL stint. He’s relieved in three games, 4.2 IP, 4 H, 3 walks, 7 K’s, 1 ER.

 

@msalas24
#Dodgers Andrew Heaney is done for the day. Plan was to get him through the lineup. Heaney retired 9 out of 10 batters. FB 90-92 / Slider 78-79 / curveball 79. His line- 46 P / 33 S / 3 IP / 1 H / 0 ER / 0 BB / 8 K