Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Here is the first set of rankings in my Top 100 prospect series. There are some names people will recognize, but on the whole, there’s a ton of players many do not know.
Previous entries in the series:
It’s hard to be genuinely excited about guys in the back 25 of a Top 100 list, but if I had to choose one, I’d say to keep an eye on No. 77. Most of the guys listed below are either organizational depth or young guys in the lowest levels of the minors who have yet to truly establish themselves in the system.
Editor’s note: I am not a scout (#notascout). I am an amateur when it comes to evaluating players. I don’t claim to be a pro, I just want to pass along the information to the masses. Notes and comments are based on personal observation, talking to sources, reading scouting reports and watching video. For future entries in this series: All ratings in the charts below are on the standard 20-80 scouting scale, where 50 is roughly average, 80 is elite and nearly unattainable (think Giancarlo Stanton‘s power), and 20 is unacceptably poor. Enjoy.
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100. SS Jefrey Souffront (6’1, 190 pounds, 19 years old)
Souffront was signed on the first day of the 2014 international signing period for $60,000. He made his pro debut in 2015 for the Dominican Summer League Dodgers. He posted a respectable .265/.322/.370 triple slash and played much more shortstop than second base. He’s one of those low-level lottery tickets the Dodgers are hoping cashes in.
Best tool: Hit
2015 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2022
99. CF Frank Sanchez (6’3, 170 pounds, 17 years old)
Sanchez was a $125,000 signing during the 2014 signing period. He was originally signed as a shortstop but has since moved to center field. He struggled, predictably, as a 16-year-old in the DSL, but he has a lot of projection left in his frame. He’s also Juan Uribe‘s nephew.
Best tool: Defense
2015 location: DSL Dodgers
ETA: 2023
98. RHP Isaac Anderson (6’2, 185 pounds, 22 years old)
Anderson was the Dodgers’ final pick (40th round) of the 2015 draft and had a solid debut across three levels. He has a fringy fastball in the 88-91 MPH range, a changeup and curveball. He’s a pitchability guy, as his pure stuff isn’t overwhelming. He posted a 4.7 BB% in his debut, which shows he has excellent command/control of his pitches.
Best tool: Control/Command
2015 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2020
97. 1B/LF Ibandel Isabel (6’4, 185 pounds, 21 years old)
Up three spots from last year, Isabel improved his overall line in his second run through the AZL. He’s old for the level, so the numbers must be taken with a big grain of salt. He has flashed solid bat-to-ball skills in his first 142 professional games and is a fringy defender at first base and left field.
Best tool: Hit
2015 location: Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2021
96. OF Kyle Garlick (6’1, 210 pounds, 24 years old)
A 28th-rounder who signed for $1,000, Garlick was impressive in his debut. He was older for every league he played in, but he was good in every one of those leagues. He struck out a ton in Low-A and benefited from a .516(!) BABIP. He isn’t much more than organizational depth, but it’d be cool to see him succeed..
Best tool: Hit
2015 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2020
95. SS Moises Perez (5’10, 150 pounds, 18 years old)
Perez’s bat took a big step back when moving from the DSL to the AZL, hence the 18-spot drop from last year. He signed for $250,000. He still played mostly shortstop, so that keeps him in the Top 100 — for now. He’ll need to hit to remain in future years.
Best tool: Defense
2015 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2022
94. RHP Lenix Osuna (6’1, 220 pounds, 20 years old)
Osuna came in at No. 78 last year on this list. He had a rough go of it at Ogden, posting a 6.92 ERA in just 13 relief innings. If you’re looking for any silver lining, he struck out 15 and walked just five, as well as not allowing a home run. Small sample size for sure, but the son of Antonio Osuna has some potential, most likely in the bullpen.
Best tool: Fastball
2015 location: Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2021
93. 3B/1B Jimy Perez (6’2, 185 pounds, 22 years old)
Perez was an international signing out of the Dominican in 2013. A corner infielder, Perez has shown a little pop in 2015, hitting 11 home runs and 14 doubles in 288 plate appearances. He’s old for his competition level, but with the Dodgers being wafer-thin at third base, he might be a guy to keep an eye on.
Best tool: Power
2015 location: Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2020
92. OF Federico Celli (6’3, 215 pounds, 21 years old)
Celli was signed out of Italy in April 2014, and he isn’t the first player from Europe the Dodgers have signed. His first taste of full-season professional ball wasn’t great, but he has the size and athleticism that’s easy to dream on.
Best tool: Defense
2015 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2021
91. RHP Gregor Mora (6’2, 190 pounds, 20 years old)
A hard-throwing righty out of Venezuela, Mora posted solid numbers as a 19-year-old in 2015 between Arizona and Ogden. He has a long way to go, but if he can miss more bats going forward, he might jump on this list in future years.
Best tool: Fastball
2015 location: Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2020
90. LHP Max Gooding (5’11, 165 pounds, 20 years old)
In his second run through the DSL, Gooding pitched better. He reduced his walk rate and improved his strikeout rate. He was signed out of Panama in 2013 and was No. 95 on this list last year. He’s been exclusively a reliever and projects as such going forward.
Best tool: Fastball
2015 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2021
89. 3B/1B Paul Hoenecke (6’2, 205 pounds, 25 years old)
Hoenecke isn’t much in the way of a prospect, but he’s left-handed, can play either corner and makes contact. He’s likely an organizational depth guy at this point. A strong 2016 could change that from org depth to Quad-A, but that’s about his ceiling.
Best tool: Hit
2015 location: Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2019
88. RHP Bernardo Reyes (6’0, 175 pounds, 20 years old)
Reyes’ second go ’round in Ogden was worse than the first, hence the drop from No. 70 last year. He has a solid-average fastball in the low-90s, but whatever he was throwing at rookie league hitters wasn’t working. He should be given a test in Great Lakes to determine whether he’s a worthwhile prospect going forward.
Best tool: Fastball
2015 location: Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2020
87. 1B/LF O’Koyea Dickson (5’11, 225 pounds, 26 years old)
Dickson has always been a favorite of mine, but he seems to have reached his ceiling as a Quad-A player. He posted just a .738 OPS in the hitter-friendly PCL and saw his on-base rate dip by 35 points. He should stick around the game as a first baseman/left fielder with a little pop. He’s likely a career minor-leaguer at this point.
Best tool: Hit
2015 location: Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2017
86. C Hendrik Clementina (6’0, 165 pounds, 19 years old)
Clementina moves up three spots from last year after a solid — albeit brief — showing in the AZL. He has a long way to go with the bat, but since he’s already solid defensively, he’s one to watch in future seasons.
Best tool: Defense
2015 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2020
85. RHP Rob Rogers (6’0, 205 pounds, 25 years old)
I overrated Rogers last year (42), but I thought his combination of a low-90s sinking fastball and breaking pitch would play well in the upper levels. He didn’t move up to Double-A until the end of the season and logged just six innings there. Because he’s a sinkerballer with some velocity, he’ll always pique someone’s interest around the game.
Best tool: Sinker
2015 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2018
84. C Spencer Navin (6’1, 185 pounds, 24 years old)
He’s one of the best defensive catchers in the system, which is partially why I ranked him at 53 last year. But Navin has yet to put it together with the bat. As an above-slot 11th-rounder in 2013, I think more was expected from him at this point. Since he can catch, he’ll stick around for awhile. But at some point, he has to hit even a little bit.
Best tool: Defense
2015 location: Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2017
83. RHP Matt Campbell (5’11, 175 pounds, 24 years old)
Campbell was another I expected to take a step forward, not backward (52 last year). He repeated Low-A, threw just 36 2/3 innings and saw his walk and strikeout rates go in opposite directions. He’s a fastball/slider guy who hasn’t moved as quickly as some expected.
Best tool: Slider
2015 location: High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2018
82. OF Romer Cuadrado (6’4, 195 pounds, 18 years old)
Cuadrado just made the Top 100 last year and his numbers wouldn’t lead you to believe he’d jump 17 spots, but the toosly outfielder actually made his professional debut in the DSL and wasn’t awful. Remember to take a lot of the numbers (especially at the lowest levels) with a grain of salt. The Dodgers signed him for $750,000 in July 2014 and played both center- and right field last season. He projects as a right fielder, but if he can handle center field (and hit a little), he could shoot up these rankings in future years.
Best tool: Arm
2015 location: DSL Dodgers/AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2021
81. RHP Tommy Bergjans (6’1, 190 pounds, 23 years old)
The Dodgers’ 8th-round pick in 2015, Bergjans was surprisingly solid in his professional debut. He kept the ball in the yard (two home runs in 53 2/3 innings), didn’t walk a ton of hitters (2.5 BB/9) and missed some bats (23.8 K%). He did most of this pitching at Great Lakes, which is somewhat encouraging. He’ll remain in the rotation as long as he proves he can handle it.
Best tool: Fastball
2015 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2019
80. RHP Lisalverto Bonilla (6’0, 225 pounds, 26 years old)
Picked up from Texas on waivers, Bonilla is recovering from Tommy John surgery and didn’t pitch last season. He has already debuted in the majors by throwing 20 2/3 innings for Texas in 2014. He has a fastball in the 90-92 MPH range, a slider in the low-80s and a low-to-mid-80s changeup. He has a long way to go to get back and is probably just a relief prospect, but he could be a late-bloomer and a nice find for LA.
Best tool: Slider
2015 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2017
79. LHP Michael Johnson (6’1, 185 pounds, 24 years old)
Johnson fell from No. 48 last season because despite a nice season at Rancho Cucamonga because his stuff wasn’t overly impressive. His fastball is fringy and his breaking ball is a bit inconsistent. He has a chance to reach the majors because he’s a left-hander and is still breathing, but Double-A will be a big test for a guy with fringe-average stuff.
Best tool: Slider
2015 location: Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2018
78. 3B Michael Ahmed (6’2, 195 pounds, 24 years old)
His brother Nick Ahmed is the Diamondbacks’ starting shortstop, and while Michael isn’t that good defensively at third base, he’s a solid defender at the hot corner. He has almost no power to speak of, but he has some on-base skills that resemble more of an up-the-middle player. He’s org depth, but at least he plays a premium position.
Best tool: Defense
2015 location: High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2019
77. OF Daniel Padilla (6’2, 175 pounds, 19 years old)
Despite being a tad old for the league, Padilla had a nice showing in the DSL. He doesn’t have a lot of power, but he’s a versatile outfielder with speed and a decent eye at the plate. Perhaps getting him stateside could unlock some of the potential Padilla has shown so far in his brief pro career.
Best tool: Speed
2015 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2021
76. RHP Osiris Ramirez (6’3, 185 pounds, 20 years old)
Ramirez pitched well in the DSL in 2014, which earned him the No. 79 spot on this list last year. He went to the AZL in 2015, pitched poorly, and moved up three spots. Remember, it isn’t all about the stats. Ramirez has a good fastball-curveball-changeup mix. The fact he has three pitches that haven’t been complete train wrecks at this stage of his career is a bit promising. If he can pitch well in the AZL and move up to Ogden in 2016, he could be a sleeper in the system.
Best tool: Fastball
2015 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2021
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Next up: Prospects 75-51
