Dodgers Prospect Notes: Miller pumps gas, McKinstry still relevant, Cartaya’s slam, Lockhart & Henriquez ones to watch

April 12, 2022 Scoreboard

Now, onto the individual standout performers.

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Bobby Miller took the hill for Tulsa and it was a bit of a spectacle — opening night, tons of hype, lighting up the radar gun, and overwhelming the opposition:

Miller, taken 29th overall by the Dodgers out of Louisville in 2020, is best known these days for his heater, but he landed all of his secondaries as well:

High octane, and filling up the zone with a deep repertoire, Miller’s ascendance to the big club is just a matter of time.

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Zach McKinstry kept his hot start going for OKC, hitting his first homer of the season:

McKinstry went into last night’s action with an OPS of 1.333, and a ridiculous line drive rate of 36.8%. He has also spent two-thirds of his time defensively at shortstop, with the other third split between 2B and RF. His likely ceiling is still that of a multi-position utility player whom they try not to over-expose defensively and try to give favorable matchups with the bat.

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Diego Cartaya did this last night.

*Eyes Emoji*

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Lael Lockhart made his 2022 debut for Great Lakes, and he picked up the win after pitching 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings, walking two and striking out four.

Lockhart, who was picked by the Dodgers in the 9th round of the 2021 draft out of Arkansas, has strong command of a four pitch mix, and he has shown the ability to work multiple pitches out of the same release point/tunnel:

Lockhart struck out 43.4% of the hitters he faced in a short stint with Great Lakes last Summer, seeing the proclivity for missing bats immediately displayed is definitely cause for notice.

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Lastly, Edgardo Henriquez debuted for Rancho Cucamonga, and he missed bats as well, striking out four in his 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the Quakes. He’s also another guy with a high-90s fastball. This video is from last August, barely two months after his 19th birthday:

Though Henriquez, who was signed by the Dodgers out of Venezuela back in 2018, appeared in relief today, he is slated to remain in the rotation with Rancho Cucamonga. The relief appearance was solely due to Tommy Kahnle serving as opener as he continues his rehab assignment (he pitched a perfect inning, with one strikeout).

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