Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The final 10 picks of the Dodgers draft saw them pop four outfielders. They’ve also already signed four of the 10, but one has said he isn’t going to sign. Read below to find out who.
Round 31, No. 941 overall – SS Kayler Yates, Dixie HS (Utah)
The Dodgers dipped into the high school ranks again to nab Yates (6’0, 165 pounds, age 18) out of a Utah high school. He wasn’t ranked in any of the publications as a draft prospect.
He is listed as “Kayle Yates,” but when you search that name, you get a lot of results for a girls high school basketball player. Throw “Kayler” into Google and you get what little dope there is.
Perfect Game named him the best defensive infielder in its Southwest High School Regional preview.
“Yates has earned rave reviews from scouts in the four corners area of the country, and they speak glowingly about his defensive prowess in the middle infield. A Utah signee, Yates is very light on his feet and agile with plenty of range, his athleticism is on display in a big way via consistent wow-type plays, and he has the arm to potentially stay at shortstop long term as well.”
He was also named a preseason 3rd Team Senior All-American by Perfect Game.
Here’s about the only video I could find of him.
All this is probably for naught because:
Odds are, the kid honors his commitment to Utah and becomes eligible for the 2022 draft.
Round 32, No. 971 overall – OF Danny Sinatro, Washington State University
The Dodgers grabbed their fourth Pac-12 player in former Cougar Sinatro (6’0, 180 pounds, age 21). The athletic center fielder has already agreed to a contract with the Dodgers.
He had a career .265/.340/.327 batting line with the Cougars and was known much more for his glove than his bat.
Here’s a little video of him, courtesy of him.
He can really go get it in center field. I’m assuming he’ll get to Ogden at some point — perhaps even begin the season there. If he doesn’t, he’ll probably start in the Arizona Rookie League before moving up.
Round 33, No. 1,001 overall – 3B Julio Carrion, Chipola College
Carrion (6’2, 185 pounds, age 21) was the second Dodger draft pick from the Florida junior college (Andrew Baker, round 16). He was ranked as the 81st-best junior college prospect by Perfect Game. He also seems to fit the Dodgers’ MO when it comes to draftees — big, raw power.
He also rates as a quality defensive third baseman with a chance to stick there in the pros.
Here’s a little more video of him.
Like Sinatro before him, Carrion has already signed with the Dodgers. He should be on the same kind of path as Sintaro (AZL to Ogden). We’ll see how he progresses.
Round 34, No. 1,031 overall – LHP Francisco Martinez, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
One of the youngest players drafted by the Dodgers, Martinez (6’1, 180 pounds, age 18) was named a preseason All-Amercian in Canada/Puerto Rico by Perfect Game.
This is what Perfect Game said about him during the 2018 National Showcase.
“Francisco Eliel Martinez is a 2019 LHP with a 6-0 180 lb. frame from Gurabo, PR who attends Puerto Rico BB Academy. Medium athletic build, plenty of room to get stronger. Works from the stretch with a very high leg lift start, long front leg swing, full arm action through the back, shows the ball to the hitters, extended 3/4’s arm slot, cross body release, creates angle to the plate. Fastball topped out at 87 mph, occasional late diving life, maintained velocity well. Tends to slow delivery and arm on his curveball but has good feel for the pitch with a sweeping shape. straight change up. Mixes up his pitches and throws strikes. Good student.”
PG also has his fastball in the 85-88 range, a mid-70s curveball and low-80s slider. It’s a nice profile and if the Dodgers can get this kid to sign, perhaps player dev can work its magic with him. He’s committed to Florida Southwestern State College.
There’s video, but it’s behind the Perfect Game paywall, and I don’t think they’d like me uploading here. Let’s just say, the report above is accurate with what’s in the video.
Round 35, No. 1,061 overall – OF Justin Washington, Savannah State University
The Dodgers dipped back into the athletic outfielder pool with the selection of Washington (6’4, 190 pounds, age 21). The only bit of scouting information I could find on him was from almost four years ago.
That last bit — “looks the part” — is accurate. He has a projectable frame and moved to the field full-time in 2019. Before that, he was a pitching prospect and even missed the 2018 season — presumably due to injury.
There’s no video of this chap, but there should be soon since he has already signed. My guess is he’ll spend a lot of time in the AZL the rest of the season.
Round 36, No. 1,091 overall – OF Matthew Kafner, Pepperdine University
The Dodgers made Pepperdine senior outfielder Kafner (6’2, 185 pounds, age 21) their 36th-rounder. There’s not a ton of scouting information on him, but he has a good frame and a little raw pop.
Here’s a little video from last year’s West Coast Conference tournament (won’t let me embed it).
As a senior, Kanfer should be an easy sign and looks to be organizational depth.
Round 37, No. 1,121 overall – OF Tres Gonzalez, Mount Vernon Presbyterian School
The penultimate prep player taken by the Dodgers in this draft, Gonzalez (6’0, 170 pounds, age 18) is an athletic outfielder from the state of Georgia. Here’s what Baseball America and Perfect Game have said about him.
Baseball America (Rank: 245)
“Gonzalez is a plus runner who’s other tools are closer to average. He’s a sound player with good makeup, a line drive swing and good route-running in center field. With solid athleticism and impressive makeup, many area scouts are fond of Gonzalez, though some wonder if he has enough tools to buy out of high school with his current physicality and lack of impact. He does have good contact ability and you could dream on his power potential in the future with increased muscle gains, but he’s a player who could make it to campus, play well and improve his stock in three years.”
Perfect Game (Rank: 423)
“He is a 60 runner with really nice bat-to-ball skills and the ability to spray the ball to all parts of the field. The Georgia Tech signee attended the East Coast Pro last August and really showed well with his route running in the outfield and his clean stroke at the plate. His arm plays in the outfield, and while it is below average currently, he has pitched on the summer circuit reaching the upper-80s with his fastball making there potential room for improvement with that particular tool. “
And some video (courtesy of Perfect Game).
Sounds like a pretty good prospect to land in the 37th round, eh? Well, don’t get too excited.
Circumstances could change before the July 15 signing deadline, but it’s safe to say Gonzalez is going to be a Yellow Jacket.
Round 38, No. 1,151 overall – C Tyler Ryan, University of the Pacific
UOP! And a real catcher! It took awhile, but the Dodgers finally drafted a backstop — and he’s local to yours truly. There’s not a ton of info on this Ward (6’1, 210 pounds, 23), but he hit .254/.342/.448 for the Tigers this season. He’s coached by former MLBer and Tulsa Driller manager Ryan Garko (a former catcher in his own right).
He has already signed and will probably see the AZL and Ogden before season’s end.
Round 39, No. 1,181 overall – LHP Caden MacDonald, Pantego Christian Academy (Texas)
The final prep draftee by the Dodgers in this draft, MacDonald (6’1, 175 pounds, age 18) is a shorter lefty who probably isn’t going to sign as a 39th-rounder.
There’s a video of him (I think) on YouTube, but it’s all of him hitting and it has a ridiculously awful song under it. I’m not going to subject any of you to that.
Round 40, No. 1,211 overall – C Ty Haselman, UCLA
A switch-hitting catcher! But I’ve buried the lede. Haselman (6’2, 201 pounds, age 21) is the son of former OKC manager and current Dodgers’ roving instructor Bill Haselman. Ty was one of 12 UCLA Bruins taken in the 2019 draft.
He’s a redshirt sophomore and didn’t play in 2019, so he doesn’t have to sign. Because he has two more years of eligibility, it wouldn’t be terribly surprising if he went back to school. Maybe his dad will have a hand in the decision one way or the other.
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That’ll do it for this year’s draft coverage. Hope you enjoyed it. We’ll follow up with signing posts in the near future.
