Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Here is the first true installment of my prospect rankings. There are 25 players listed below. Odds are, you haven’t heard of most of them, and the ones you have heard of are ranked this low because they’ve regressed and aren’t great prospects anymore.
Previous entries in the series:
I’ve identified a couple of these guys as sleepers. Other players here are low-level guys who could go either way in the future (depending on performance).
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. RHP Jose Chacin (6’4, 168 pounds, 20 years old)
Chacin was signed out of Venezuela in September of 2015. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League and posted some good numbers: 1.71 ERA, 20.3 K%, 4.0 BB%, 2.27 FIP. That’s not hard to do in a pitcher-friendly “league” for a kid 2-3 years older than a lot of his competition. If you’re looking for positives, he missed bats and actually threw more than five innings per start. He also has some projectability in his wiry frame, meaning there could be some added fastball velocity with professional instruction. If he doesn’t make it stateside this season, though, he probably isn’t much of a prospect. He should at least get to the Arizona Rookie League, though.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2021
99. RHP Elio Serrano (5’11, 160 pounds, 18 years old)
Signed out of Venezuela, Serrano had a nice pro debut at age 17 in the DSL. He allowed just one extra base hit and struck out more than a quarter of the hitters he faced. He’s a long way from the majors, but might end up as an interesting relief prospect.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: DSL Dodgers/AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2022
98. OF Christopher Arias (6’2, 175 pounds, 18 years old)
The Dodgers signed Arias for $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He projects to get bigger as he ages, so he’ll likely be a corner outfielder with plus-raw power. He has yet to make his professional debut.
Best tool: Power
2017 location: DSL Dodgers
ETA: 2023
97. 1B/LF O’Koyea Dickson (5’11, 220 pounds, 27 years old)
At one point, Dickson looked like he might be a 24th- or 25th-man type with some right-handed pop. Now heading into his age-27 season, he’s likely a career minor-league who might — at some point — get a shot in the majors. His bat will be his calling card, if he ever gets there.
Best tool: Hit
2017 location: Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2017
96. LHP Wes Helsabeck (6’0, 195 pounds, 24 years old)
An undrafted free agent in 2015, Helsabeck has performed well in his 92 innings of professional ball. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff (average fastball velocity, decent slider), but he’s left-handed and has a pulse, so there’s a chance he could be more than just organizational depth.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: High-A Rancho Cucamonga/Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2019
95. C Julian Leon (5’11, 200 pounds, 21 years old)
Once a Top 15 prospect for me, Leon has taken a dramatic tumble down the rankings. He hit well in rookie ball in 2014. But in 2015 and ’16, his approach was exposed and his defense hasn’t great behind the plate. He’s still young, so he has that going for him, but he’ll need to have a massive turnaround to recapture any kind of prospect glory.
Best tool: Power
2017 location: High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2019
94. RHP Kevin Malisheski (6’3, 200 pounds, 19 years old)
The Dodgers’ 38th-round pick in 2016 suffered a torn ACL that caused him to fall down draft boards. They were able to sign him for $251,000 to keep him from his Illinois State commitment. His fastball is in the high-80s, but the Dodgers popped him in part because he’s projected to add some velocity down the road.
Best tool: Breaking ball
2017 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2023
93. RHP Miguel Urena (6’8, 210 pounds, 22 years old)
Urena made his season debut, surprisingly, with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had never pitched above rookie ball before this. It was just a one-time deal, as Urena went to Rookie Ogden and got shelled in Ogden. He has a fringe-average fastball velocity and an average curveball.
Best tool: Delivery
2017 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
92. LHP Jairo Pacheco (6’0, 165 pounds, 20 years old)
I had Pacheco in the Top 50 last year, but he took a step back because he went back to Ogden for a third consecutive season and, this time, got lit up. He was demoted to the Arizona Rookie League and faired better, but he should be progressing at this rate. He’s still just 20 and has a solid changeup, but it’s a little concerning he struggled so much in 2016.
Best tool: Changeup
2017 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2022
91. SS Albert Suarez (5’11, 150 pounds, 17 years old)
Suarez was the Dodgers’ first signing of the July 2 period. They nabbed him for $300,000. The middle infielder is lauded for his baseball smarts and instincts rather than an offensive profile. Sometimes, those guys make it farther than players with more natural talent.
Best tool: Defense
2017 location: DSL Dodgers 1/2
ETA: 2023
90. C/1B Hendrik Clementina (6’0, 185 pounds, 20 years old)
Clementina has been ranked in the 80s the last two years. He falls to 91 this year after spending more time at first base than behind the plate. He has a long way to go offensively and his bat doesn’t profile well at all at first base.
Best tool: Defense
2017 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2021
89. OF Jhoan Calderon (6’3, 200 pounds, 19 years old)
Calderon has yet to take off at the plate in his first 288 plate appearances, but he projects well physically and has plus-speed. The Dodgers signed him for $130,000 in July 2014 out of the Dominican.
Best tool: Speed
2017 location: DSL Dodgers/AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2022
88. OF Andres Ayon (6’1, 180 pounds, 22 years old)
Ayon was signed out of Mexico in 2015 and made it all the way to Great Lakes. Granted, it was for just eight plate appearances, but he still made it. He showed decent bat control in his debut season.
Best tool: Hit
2017 location: Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
87. RHP Anthony Gonsolin (6’2, 180 pounds, 23 years old)
Gonsolin was the Dodgers’ 9th-round draft pick in 2016 out of St. Marys College. He profiles as a reliever, as his fastball has been up to 95 MPH and has at least an average curveball. He’ll need to miss more bats if he wants to be more than a middle relief-type.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2021
86. 2B/SS Tim Locastro (6’1, 200 pounds, 24 years old)
Acquired from the Blue Jays for international spending money in 2015, Locastro is the classic “scrappy” middle infielder-type. He did show a little offensive ability in 2016, but he won’t be a player known for his bat. He has above-average speed and a decent glove that could help him get to the majors one day.
Best tool: Defense
2017 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2018
85. RHP Scott Griggs (6’4, 215 pounds, 26 years old)
Griggs has been up and down since being drafted in the eighth round in 2012. He missed the entire 2014 season due to an injury. He always had swing-and-miss stuff, but that stuff backed up a bit in 2016. He saw his walk rate go down, as did his strikeout rate. He also struggled a bit in Double-A, which isn’t a good sign for him going forward.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2018
84. 2B/SS Moises Perez (6’0, 160 pounds, 19 years old)
The Dodgers signed Perez out of Venezuela in 2014. While he isn’t an offensive dynamo, he did hit a career-high five home runs in 2016. That could be thanks to the friendly hitting environment that is the Pioneer League. He’s better with the glove at second base than at shortstop, which prompted a move off short during the season.
Best tool: Defense
2017 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
83. OF Felix Osorio (6’4, 195 pounds, 20 years old)
Osorio was signed out of the Dominican for $205,000 in 2014. Through his third professional season, he still hasn’t made it out of the Dominican Summer League. But he did show a much better eye at the plate in 2016. With his frame, though, he still might hit for some power in the future.
Best tool: Hit
2017 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2021
82. RHP Gregorio Sequera (6’1, 165 pounds, 19 years old)
Signed in February 2015, Sequera started seven (of 12) games in his first season before pitching exclusively out of the bullpen this past season. He only has 52 innings of professional work, but has struck out 58, walked 21 and has yet to allow a home run. That’s a good profile going forward.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2021
81. CF Saige Jenco (5’10, 175 pounds, 22 years old)
The Dodgers popped Jenco in the 24th round of the 2016 draft out of Virgina Tech. While he doesn’t have much in the way of power, he profiles as a “traditional” leadoff hitter — lots of speed, no pop, decent on-base abilities. He’ll need to perform well against advanced pitching to move up in the prospect rankings.
Best tool: Speed
2017 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2020
80. RHP Chris Anderson (6’3, 245 pounds, 24 years old)
A prospect hasn’t fallen this hard since, well, Julian Leon, I guess. Anderson was the Dodgers’ first-rounder in 2013. Armed with a plus-fastball, Anderson was primed to break out and be the No. 2/3 starter he was expected to be. But two seasons of regressing command/control and stuff and now, he’s maybe a middle relief prospect. He was left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, which should show what other teams think about him. He’s basically a non-prospect at this point.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2018
79. OF Michael Medina (6’4, 210 pounds, 20 years old)
Medina was signed for $275,000 out of the Dominican in 2013. He always had tremendous power potential, but it also came with a lot of swing-and-miss. In 2016, he played just 18 games and managed to strike out 36 times (50.7 K%). He also hit just three home runs. He has youth on his side, but after an awful season, his prospect star has dimmed considerably.
Best tool: Power
2017 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
78. RHP Dean Kremer (6’3, 180 pounds, 21 years old)
Kremer was the Dodgers’ 14th-rounder in 2016 out of UNLV. He has a sinking fastball in the low-90s, a curveball, slider and changeup — the classic starter’s repertoire. He didn’t allow a home run in 31 2/3 innings, struck out 35 and walked just seven. He’s a sleeper for me and could move quickly if he handles A-ball well.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2020
77. 1B Erick Meza (6’1, 245 pounds, 19 years old)
The Dodgers signed Meza out of Mexico in November of 2014. He didn’t make his pro debut until 2016 for Great Lakes, which was a little aggressive. For an 18-year-old, he held his own in the Midwest League. He projects to be a power/on-base-type of hitter with a solid contact rate. That is, if he handles the upper levels of the minors well enough. He’s the hitting sleeper in the org for me.
Best tool: Power
2017 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2020
76. RHP Osiris Ramirez (6’3, 185 pounds, 21 years old)
Checking in at the same spot as last season, Ramirez saw an uptick in his strikeout rate in 2016, but he also got hit quite hard in the AZL. His future is out of the bullpen with a fastball that should play up, a curve and a changeup. He’ll need to get better with his command/control if he wants to be a viable prospects in the future.
Best tool: Fastball
2017 location: Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2021
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Next up: Prospects 75-51
