Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Here. We. Go.
This is the 2018 version of the Dodgers Digest Top 100 Prospects list. You’ll see some familiar names here, some names that will surprise and some names of players who are in make-or-break seasons.
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).
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Previously
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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 I observe/obtain to the people. 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 and 20 is unacceptably poor. Enjoy.
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100. RHP Jose Rodulfo (6’0, 165 pounds, 17 years old)
The first player born in the 2000s on this list (JFC), Rodulfo was signed as part of the 2016-17 international signing class out of Venezuela. He pitched in the Dominican Summer League at the age of 16 this past season and fared quite well: 3.21 ERA, 3.19 FIP, 18.1 K%. For a 16-year-old, that’s pretty impressive. He’s a guy to keep an eye on in the coming years.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: DSL Dodgers
ETA: 2024
99. C Marco Hernandez (6’2, 196 pounds, 20 years old)
Hernandez signed out of Venezuela in December 2015. After an uneventful debut in 2016, he got things going last season. In 63 games in the Dominican Summer League, he hit .279/.390/.375 and drew more walks than strikeouts. He handled himself well behind the plate that he has a future there. He’ll have to show more going forward, but he should make it stateside this year and the organization can get a good look at him.
Best tool: Hit
2018 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2023
98. SS/2B Moises Perez (5’11, 162 pounds, 20 years old)
Perez was signed out of Venezuela in 2014 as a 16-year-old. He got his first taste of full-season ball with Great Lake but didn’t fare too well (.541 OPS). If he makes it to the majors, it’ll be on the strength of his glove and versatility.
Best tool: Defense
2018 location: Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2022
97. RHP Sven Schueller (6’2, 205 pounds, 22 years old)
The Dodgers signed Schueller out of Germany in June 2013 for less than $100,000. He got to full-season ball for the first time in 2017, pitching for both Great Lakes and Rancho Cucamonga. Schueller throws from a low three-quarters arm slot and has a fastball that sits in the 90-94 MPH range. He backs it up fringy low-80s slider. If he makes it to the majors, it’ll likely be as a right-handed specialist (ala Sergio Romo).
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2021
96. RHP Guillermo Zuniga (6’3, 195 pounds, 19 years old)
Zuniga, a native of Colombia, was one of the Braves’ international signings who was declared a free agent after the scandal orchestrated by John Coppolella. The Dodgers picked him up in December for $205,000 (originally signed with Atlanta for $350,000). He has a projectable frame, a good fastball (88-92, tops out at 93 MPH) and a solid curveball. He might be able to add velo as he matures.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2023
95. OF/1B Frank Sanchez (6’3, 170 pounds, 19 years old)
Sanchez was signed for $125,000 during the 2014 international signing period. He was signed as a shortstop but has since moved to be more of a corner outfielder/first base-type. He has a chance to add some strength to his lanky frame. He showed some offensive improvement in 2017, but he has yet to make it out of the Dominican Summer League. He should get to Arizona this year. Oh, and he’s the nephew of Juan Uribe.
Best tool: Arm
2018 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2023
94. RHP Jeremiah Muhammad (6’3, 225 pounds, 23 years old)
Muhammad was originally a Mariners’ 11th-round draft pick in 2014 and was signed in December 2016 as a minor-league free agent. His first season with the organization had some impressive highlights: 3.13 ERA, 34.6 K% and just one home run allowed in 37 1/3 innings — mostly with Great Lakes. He was a bit wild, though, which is cause for concern. He has a low-to-mid-90s fastball that has some natural cut and a hard curveball. He’s an interesting relief prospect to monitor going forward.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2021
93. C Juan Zabala (5’10, 182 pounds, 18 years old)
The Dodgers signed Zabala out of Colombia in December 2015 as a 16-year-old for an undisclosed amount. Not physically imposing, he has handled his duties behind the plate well thus far and has shown a bit of on-base ability. Of course, it remains to be seen if he continues that ability going forward, but catchers who post a .400+ OBP — no matter what level of competition — is going to open a few eyes.
Best tool: Hit
2018 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2023
92. OF Gorge Heredia (6’3, 200 pounds, 17 years old)
Heredia was signed in July for $300,000 out of the Dominican Republic. The Dodgers were restricted in how much they could spend on a single prospect during this signing period, and they felt it prudent to give Heredia the full amount. He has a projectable frame and a killer name — what more could you ask for? He’s also another 2000s kid, if you want to feel old.
Best tool: Defense
2018 location: DSL Dodgers
ETA: 2024
91. OF Johan Mieses (6’0, 236 pounds, 22 years old)
Mieses placed as high as No. 16 on this list just last year, but Double-A chewed him up and spit him out. He still has considerable power potential (16 home runs in 90 Double-A games), but contact will always be an issue for him. He may have already maxed out as a prospect at this rate.
Best tool: Power
2018 location: Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2020
90. OF Felix Osorio (6’2, 205 pounds, 21 years old)
Osorio was signed on the first day of the 2014 international signing period for $205,000 at age 17. He still hasn’t made it out of complex ball, but he did reach the Arizona Rookie League for the first time in 2017. He has shown some on-base ability, but the raw power he was projected to have hasn’t shown up just yet.
Best tool: Hit
2018 location: AZL Dodgers/Rookie Ogden
ETA: 2022
89. RHP Aneurys Zabala (6’3, 267 pounds, 21 years old)
Zabala (no relation to Juan above) was acquired from the Mariners along with Drew Jackson (who will show up much later in this list) for Chase De Jong last Spring Training. He brought a big fastball (high-90s, touched triple digits), questionable command and offspeed pitches. After one year in the Dodgers’ system, those questions still remain — and he lost some velocity on his fastball. He’s still a decent relief prospect, but he’ll need to rediscover that lost velo and improve his command.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
88. SS/2B Angelo Mora (5’11, 150 pounds, 25 years old)
Mora was drafted in the Minor League phase of the 2017 Rule 5 Draft from the Phillies. Like many of the middle infield prospects on this list, he’s versatile. He played 27 games in Triple-A last season and should spend a majority of his time in 2018 there.
Best tool: Defense
2018 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2019
87. RHP Wills Montgomerie (6’2, 218 pounds, 23 years old)
The Dodgers popped Montgomerie out of the baseball powerhouse that is the University of Connecticut in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft. Despite being a bit older, Montgomerie has some potential as a reliever. He pitched in the 89-93 MPH range as a starter. That could play up out of the bullpen. He also needs to improve his fringy slider to generate more swings and misses.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2020
86. RHP Isaac Anderson (6’0, 191 pounds, 24 years old)
Anderson checked in at No. 50 last year, and it seems that was a bit of a mistake. He had a solid showing in 2016, but Double-A did terrible things to him. He began the season with Tulsa and ended up throwing 45 1/3 innings there. He also posted an 8.74 ERA, allowed eight home runs and struck out just 32. He stopped missing bats, started missing the strike zone (walk rate increased substantially) and gave up dingers. He has fringe-average stuff (88-91 MPH fastball, low-70s curveball, high-70s/low-80s slider and changeup), so his command must be pinpoint. A shift to the bullpen might be in order, but it may not matter.
Best tool: Curveball
2018 location: Double-A Tulsa/Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2020
85. RHP Nathan Witt (6’4, 208 pounds, 22 years old)
Witt was the Dodgers’ 17th-round pick in 2017 out of Michigan State. He has a big frame and has potential as a reliever going forward. He has been up to 96-97 MPH with his fastball, but the secondary offerings are lacking, as is his command/control. If he puts it all together, he could be a fast mover.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2020
84. RHP Osiris Ramirez (6’3, 240 pounds, 22 years old)
Ramirez was signed at 17 for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. Since then, he’s been toiling around in the low minors. He had a second shot at the Pioneer League and while his ERA was ugly (6.65), he kept the ball in the yard (3 HR in 47 1/3 IP) with his sinker and missed a few bats (18.5 K%). If he can improve his command, he might be a solid relief prospect. But, he’s been in this territory for three years now. If he doesn’t take any kind of step forward, he’ll probably not make next year’s Top 100 (oh the humanity!).
Best tool: Fastball (sinker)
2018 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
83. 3B Rylan Bannon (5’9, 172 pounds, 22 years old)
The Dodgers selected Bannon in this eighth round of the 2017 draft out of Xavier. As a college draftee, it was no surprise to see him hit well in his pro debut in the Pioneer League (.336/.425/.591). The production doesn’t match the scouting profile, but his hitting well against age-appropriate competition isn’t all bad. He’s an excellent defender at third base, which could help him progress through the minors more than typical players of his ilk.
Best tool: Defense
2018 location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2021
82. OF/1B Jacob Scavuzzo (6’3, 215 pounds, 24 years old)
Scavuzzo was a 21st-rounder in the 2012 draft out of local Villa Park High School. He once looked like he’d be knocking on the door of the majors after a strong 2015 campaign, but his last two seasons have been injury-filled and less than productive. He has all but stalled out in Double-A after his plate discipline hasn’t improved and his power has stagnated. This might be his last season with the org if he doesn’t perform well. He was No. 40 on this list last year and ranked as high as 14th (2014).
Best tool: Hit
2018 location: Triple-A Oklahoma City
ETA: 2019
81. RHP Zach Pop (6’4, 217 pounds, 21 years old)
Pop was the Dodgers’ 10th-round pick out of the University of Kentucky and signed for an under-slot $147,500 bonus. He’s armed with a 94-96 MPH fastball that can touch 98 MPH. He pairs it with a hard 85-88 MPH slider that isn’t as consistent as it needs to be. He could vault up this list with a strong 2018 season. He’s also a bit younger than your typical college draftee, giving him another leg up on his contemporaries.
Best tool: Fastball
2018 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
80. SS/3B Leonel Valera (6’3, 183 pounds, 18 years old)
Valera signed during the 2015-16 international signing period out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old. After a so-so first year in the DSL (.627 OPS), he took off as a 17-year-old. He hit .317/.405/.462 while playing a competent shortstop. He might continue to grow which could mean a move to third base, but for now, he’ll stick at shortstop.
Best tool: Hit
2018 location: AZL Dodgers
ETA: 2023
79. 2B/3B/OF Marcus Chiu (6’0, 192 pounds, 21 years old)
Chiu was the Dodgers’ 15th-round pick in 2017 out of Marin College. Like Bannon, he’s a college draftee, but he didn’t make it to Ogden. He played in the Arizona Rookie League and hit well: .297/.384/.459 while splitting time between second and third base. He was listed as an outfielder on the Dodgers’ instructional league roster, so he might dabble out there next season. He doesn’t project to have a lot of power, but he has good bat-to-ball skills.
Best tool: Hit
2018 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2022
78. OF Ariel Sandoval (6’0, 200 pounds, 22 years old)
Sandoval is another one of the fallen. He signed for $150,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 and got as high as No. 20 in the Top 100 (last year). He repeated High-A and struggled to the tune of a .214/.281/.375 triple slash. He’s athletic and a great defender in the outfield, but the bat has fallen behind quite substantially.
Best tool: Arm
2018 location: Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2020
77. RHP Jesus Vargas (6’3, 187 pounds, 19 years old)
Vargas was signed out of Venezuela at the age of 16. After two seasons in the DSL, Vargas made it stateside for the 2017 season. He spent most of his time in the AZL, throwing 58 2/3 innings there. He made one appearance with Ogden in the Pioneer League. He exhibited good command/control (3.5 BB%), especially for a teenager. He works in the 90-92 MPH range but has touched 96 in the past. He’s a deep sleeper in this system and might ultimately end up in the bullpen, especially if he has a little reach back velo.
Best tool: Command/Control
2018 location: Rookie Ogden/Low-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2021
76. LHP Michael Boyle (6’2, 211 pounds, 24 years old)
The Dodgers drafted Boyle in 13th round in 2015 and he has yet to make it out of A-ball. But he’s been a starter most of his career, which won’t last. A permanent move to the bullpen should help him progress through the system quicker. He has fringy stuff (high-80s fastball, slurve, changeup), but it’s decent enough to give him a chance at the majors one day. He should be tested at Double-A this season.
Best tool: Command/control
2018 location: Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2020
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Next Up: Prospects 75-51
