PROSPECTS Meanwhile, Down on the Farm

Posting this mostly just for the sake of it being interesting... not expecting it to have any impact on the Dodgers.

Ryan Ward of OKC had a great week and was named PCL player of the league. Currently, he leads the league in hits, HRs, RBIs, extra-base hits, and total bases. He's second in slugging percentage and runs. Last year he also led the PCL with 33 HRs.

Problem is, he's a first baseman and corner outfielder and offers no defensive versatility beyond that (although an argument could be made for him being an improvement over Conforto, at least at the plate). At 27, he hasn't made it to the major leagues yet. The Dodgers are not likely to protect him and there's a good chance another team will take him this winter via the Rule 5 Draft. Actually, some expected him to get drafted last year which didn't happen, but it's even more likely following the numbers he's putting up this year. I hope he gets his shot - must suck being in an organization where you know you're blocked from advancing.

 

No doubt, but those are some big "ifs" and PCL success doesn't always translate to MLB - just ask Outman. I doubt Ward is the next Michael Busch... if he was, the Dodgers would have him on the 40-man. I think he's earned a call up for a team in need, and he should be able to stick once there. That said, Freeman just carried the Dodgers through the WS. He's not done yet, just going through a rough patch.

 

Snell and Treinen pitched yesterday in the Arizona Complex (rookie) League, because the four leagues above it are also off for a few days.

Snell: 3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K's
Treinen: 1 IP, 1 H (a HR), 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

no data on amount of pitches

 

By the way, I hope after the break we see a wholesale promotion of outfielders in the system. Outman and Ruiz moving up created vacancies in AAA (currently the team has only three listed OF'ers on the roster, and one is first baseman Ryan Ward). I know neither is expected to stay for long at the big league level, but I still believe it's in the Dodgers best interest to trade one of them before the end of the month, preferably Outman, which keeps a vacancy open in OKC.

Unfortunately, there's no outfielder in AA that merits a promotion. About the best statistically is Kole Myers, a 9th round pick last year, but he's only hitting .251 with a .751 OPS. Kyle Nevin (Phil's son) plays some OF and was bumped up from high-A 12 days ago, but he's listed at 1B on the roster. Besides, he's already had two promotions this season.

Possibly the answer is to have one of De Paula, Hope, or Sirota leapfrog Tulsa and go straight to AAA, and then move one or two others to Tulsa. Sirota is the oldest, but he's already had one promotion so he may be the odd man out.

Once that is done, an obvious corresponding move is #5 prospect Quintero from Rancho up to Great Lakes. I'd also love to see #13 prospect Ching-Hsien Ko move up one or two levels. He had another couple of hits yesterday in the Arizona League and is at .370 over 165 ABs. Seems like he should be tested against tougher competition.

Those are my thoughts based solely on numbers and a few things I've read. Of course, there are other factors in player development to account for, so I may be off on some or all of these guys.

 

Yeah, sometimes Treinen's stuff looks downright filthy on TV. Imagine the kid who took him deep. Depending on how far he advances, that could be the highlight of his career.

 

i really hope to see hope

what i did there… do you see it?

 

I was busy yesterday but wanted to note that Ferris was dealing on Friday. 7 scoreless innings, 3 hits, one walk, 7 strikeouts. Back-to-back 7-strikeout games where he allowed only one run over 13 innings. Could he have turned a corner?

https://www.milb.com/video/jackson-ferris-strikes-out-seven-batters-in-outing?t=playerid-701328

 

Two completely nutty stats about Patrick Copen:

1. He hasn't made it onto the Dodgers top 25 prospects list, despite pitching better this year than he did with two working eyes last year.

2. He doesn't have a win for Tulsa yet this year, despite giving up only two runs three times and one run in three games. The most he's allowed is the two runs yet is 0-2. Tulsa doesn't have much of an offense.

Overall between Great Lakes and Tulsa this season, he's at a 2.30 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. His Tulsa ERA is 2.36, and unfortunately doesn't have enough innings to qualify, otherwise this would lead the Texas League. His K/BB ratio is 2:1... he needs to get that higher, but he's only issued two walks in each of his last two starts, so hopefully trending in the right direction.

I'm still amazed by what he's done considering his handicap. He's on the mound tonight... hopefully can add to this resume.


Correction: On the mound tomorrow. Mondays are off days in the minors.

 

A tale of two cities yesterday:

Copen: 5 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 2 BBs, 7 K's. ERA down to 2.29.

Miller: 4.2 IP, 8 hits, 6 ER, 4 BBs, 5 K's, ERA up to 5.58.

 

Adding this to my last update on Ferris...

He pitched again today. 5.2 innings, 8 hits which is kinda ugly, but only 2 walks and one run vs. 6 strikeouts. So now that's in his last 19 innings allowing just 2 earned, and in those 19 innings he struck out 20 and walked only four. Hoping this turnaround is the real thing.

And in OKC Treinen pitched on back-to-back nights, and in his last four appearances for the Comets he's recorded 4 perfect innings. Hopefully he's on a plane headed to Logan International Airport tonight.

 

Bad news, good news. Let's start with the bad. Mike Sirota's season is over with a knee injury.

Dodgers Move Mike Sirota To 60-Day IL https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/prospect-reports/dodgers-move-mike-sirota-to-60-day-il/

To fill the vacancy at Great Lakes, Eduardo Quintero was moved from Rancho Cucamonga. He hit .306 with a .959 OPS in single-A.

Also, Ching-Hsien Ko was moved from the Arizona Complex League to A-ball, effectively to take Quintero's spot. Went 1 for 3 today in his first game with Rancho. He finished his time in the rookie league with a .367 batting average/ 1.026 OPS, so this makes sense.

 

Snell tonight:

4.2 IP
0 hits
0 runs
4 walks
7 strikeouts