Dodgers: ESPN Names Los Angeles’ Most Hyped Prospect of All Time
ESPN is trying to find ways to pass the time without baseball, as we all are. This week, the publication took the time to rank the most hyped prospects of all time for every MLB team.
Their pick for the Dodgers might surprise you given the vast pool of talent within the organization’s history.
The ranking system focuses specifically on the time between when a player was drafted and right before they hit the big leagues. So nothing that a player did in the MLB matters for the sake of these rankings.
Meaning that this isn’t about prospect flameouts…
At any rate, for the Dodgers, shortstop Corey Seager took home the honor from ESPN.
Seager Smooth
Drafted in the first round with the 18th overall pick out of high school, the LA front office had high hopes for Corey Seager. And for the most part, he met those expectations at a young age. In his first professional season at rookie ball as an eighteen-year-old, Seager hit .309 in 46 games. As it turns out, the gamble of taking a high school kid early in the draft would pay off.
Seager was hyped from the moment he made his way onto the draft boards. Just take a look at his scouting report from ESPN’s Keith Law.
Seager is the game’s best prospect, a superlative hitter who projects to do everything at the plate. [He] has electric hands at the plate and does everything very easily — his swing, hip rotation and power look effortless — but it’s his approach that makes him the best prospect in baseball. Seager’s pitch recognition is advanced way beyond his years, and you’ll see him make adjustments within at-bats that even veterans don’t make. … He has MVP upside even if he moves to third and would be even more valuable if he beats my expectations and hangs around at short
While the last two years have been physically rough for Seager, the Dodgers know they have something special. He took home Rookie of the Year honors in 2016 and received MVP votes in 2016 and 2017. His road back from Tommy John surgery has been grueling, but Los Angeles is hopeful that he is back to one-hundred percent whenever baseball can start.
Also considered: Bobby Valentine, Mike Marshall, Darren Dreifort, Paul Konerko, Adrian Beltre, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Lux.
Dodger Stadium Renovation: A Recent Comprehensive Aerial View of the Ballpark
Seager was more hyped than Jackie Robinson?
You can add to that list, Billy Ashley and Greg Brock. Both were really hyped but were terribly disappointing, to say the least.
In my experience, Greg Brock then Mike Marshal followed by Don Sutton. Media was different then.
Don Sutton? A Hall of Famer and a 300 game winner was disappointing?
DON SUTTON?????????? YOU MEAN THE DON SUTTON WHO IS IN THE HALL OF FAME AND HAS HIS NUMBER RETIRED BY THE DODGERS? THAT DON SUTTON?????????
Are you saying that he wasn’t hyped? I was barely alive back then, but I’m pretty sure there was a little hype for him… They’re saying hype, not overhype…
Big Billy Ashley’s big swing crushed balls in Albuquerque’s altitude, but just racked up whiffs in the majors (though he did tie the Dodgers record for pinch HRs one year). After getting the Dodgers’ minor league player of the year award twice, his disappointing career definitely puts him on this list. But Brock was underrated. In four full seasons for the Dodgers, hit 70 home runs and was a good first baseman. He was a victim of the Dodgers’ overhyping him to justify letting Steve Garvey go. But neither got as much hype as
Mike Marshall.
Darren Dreifert. Seager isn’t even close. You would have thought he was the second coming of Cy Young.
I would have to agree with Greg Brock. A PCL triple crown winner who like many current Colorado Rockies liked hitting at high altitude Albuquerque but couldn’t come close to matching at sea level. Going back further, how about Willie Crawford.
I would say that Darren Dreifert was the most hyped player in LA Dodgers. I agree with David Rubinow that its not even close. I think A-Rod was the first pick with Dreifert next. He was a power hitter in college also so he could have been an everyday player in some organizations. He was unstoppable until the championship game when he blew his only save i think it was to Cal St Fullerton or Pepperdine but other than that he won every award and in my opinion didn’t live up to the hype but still had a solid career.
The question was HYPED, what Dodger player made people excited to see him play. I say
Manny Ramírez. His arrival put the excitement back into Dodgers Stadium.
Greg Brock by a mile.
Let’s not forget Karim Garcia. He was supposed to be the second coming of Babe Ruth, and he turned out to be the second coming of my 93 year old Aunt Ruth.
I think some of you are confusing hyped with overhyped…
Lol
Not Manny, he wasn’t a prospect. My bad!
Most hyped prospect, Kershaw. It turns out the hype was justified, Hall of Fame.
And thats the truth !