Baseball America: Top 10 Dodgers Prospects
The top 10 list for the Dodgers is behind a paywall (I do pay for it) but the list has already been exposed all over the internet. Here is the Baseball America top 10 Dodgers prospects:
- Keibert Ruiz – C
- Alex Verdugo – OF
- Gavin Lux – SS/2B
- Dustin May – RHP
- Will Smith – C
- Caleb Ferguson – LHP
- Dennis Santana – RHP
- Tony Gonsolin – RHP
- Mitchell White – RHP
- D.J. Peters – OF
As a comparison here is the list from last off-season:
- Walker Buehler – RHP
- Alex Verdugo – OF
- Keibert Ruiz – C
- Mitchell White – RHP
- Yadier Alvarez – RHP
- Yusniel Diaz – OF
- Jeren Kendall – OF
- D.J. Peters – OF
- Will Smith – C
- Dennis Santana – RHP
Chat Highlights
The chat session was hosted by Kyle Glaser with Baseball America on Friday, January 4. I’ll go over some of the notable players that Kyle spoke about.
The New Guys
There were a few questions about the guys acquired from the Reds in the Kyle Farmer trade; Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray.
First, some quotes from Kyle Glaser regarding Downs:
Downs has talent, but he’s primarily about the bat and he didn’t exactly set the Midwest League on fire in his first full season. His future will likely be at third base, although second base is possible.
To follow up on Downs a little more, the range of discussion for him was 9-14. He is the Dodgers clear-cut No. 2 middle infield prospect behind Lux, and a fine player, but keep in mind the Dodgers had very little middle infield depth beyond Lux
Where Glaser ranks both Downs and Gray:
Downs would be the Dodgers No. 13 prospect, Gray No. 18 if they had made it into the Handbook
The Big International Signing
Diego Cartaya was the big international signing and he is someone I am very high on. It seems like I’m not the only one excited about him:
He’s a really mature player for his age, which will only help him as he moves up. Great feel and understanding for the game, both behind the plate and in the box. He’s more of a contact and high OBP bat than a masher, but he’s got plenty of time to grow into his power.
The 2015 Big International Signing
Yadier Alvarez was a big major signing for the Dodgers in 2015 but things have gone sideways. He is no longer in the top 10 and is beginning to fall out of various top 20 lists.
If he gets his head on straight enough to make it, it will be as a reliever only. He doesn’t throw enough strikes or compete consistently enough to close. It’s going to be 7th inning unless he fixes those two issues, and he hasn’t for two-plus seasons now.
The 2016 First Round Pick
Gavin Lux had a breakout 2018 season and Glaser had some great things to say about him.
You’re looking more at 35+ doubles, 15ish home runs, 15ish stolen bases. Maybe he gets to 20-homers in his best years. But he’ll do all that hitting .280 or better, with an OBP of .360 or better. That’s a darn, darn good player.
Lux is a better long-term solution at 2B than anyone on the market currently.
The 2017 First Round Pick
Jeren Kendall got smacked around a bit by Glaser regarding his stock going down:
It has gone down for everyone across the entire baseball world.
It wasn’t just the fact he was striking out – it’s how many of his swings were just utterly non-competitive. The “victory” the Dodgers were excited about by the end was that his swings and misses were actually more on time.
Take a look at Kendall’s swing for yourself. Here is some video provided by my friend Steven Douglas of one of Kendall’s home runs I saw in person.
What About the Guys in the Machado trade?
Glaser spoke about Yusniel Diaz, Rylan Bannon, Dean Kramer and Zach Pop:
Diaz would check in between 3-5, Kremer would probably be early teens, Bannon and Pop somewhere in the 18-22 range.
Ouch!
Positive Review on a Local Guy
Jacob Amaya was a 2017 draft pick that is rising through the ranks and is a favorite of mine. Glaser had some good things to say about him.
Amaya probably generated the most excitement of any position player in the Dodgers front office in 2018, just in terms of what the organization’s expectations were vs. what he showed.
And yes, he is the more likely to stay at SS than Lux or Downs.
Chat Summary
I highly recommend reading the whole chat. Kyle Glaser saw a lot of these players at the instructional league in Arizona this off-season so he’s seen their latest progress.
Best Tools of the Dodgers Prospects
The loudest tools in the Dodgers system https://t.co/CI0HgX6euk pic.twitter.com/rVRYU5MhrI
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 4, 2019
Final Thoughts
Baseball America is a fantastic resource for #ProspectHuggers and they didn’t disappoint this year. My only real issue is that I don’t think Caleb Ferguson is a rookie anymore. According to Baseball Reference he lost his rookie status in 2018. Other than that, Baseball America has provided us with a lot of excellent information about the Dodgers prospects.
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Realmuto would be great but they are simply asking too much–I would stay in the talks but doubt anything will happen–Harper still might come to LA its maybe 50/50–everyone knows why–Kluber is a good possibilty if we give them some good players–I noticed Toles isnt anywher
Toles is no longer a prospect. He has too much experience. Personally, I’m a big Toles fan.
I would love to see Toles as our starting left fielder. Verdugo in right and Joc traded. With CB and CT. Verdugo and Toles are about the only guys on the team that hit for avg, besides a hopeful healthy Seager. We need some table setters for the middle of the line up.