Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
We’re back today with No. 9 on the Top 100 countdown. He’s the second 2019 draftee to make the Top 10. He is Kody Hoese.
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Previous Entries
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I’ve included Future Value (FV) grades and risks for the Top 50 prospects. For example, if a guy gets a “50 low,” he has a really good chance to be an average player at his position. If a guy gets a “55/High,” there’s a good chance he won’t reach that ceiling, but the potential is there. The grades are 20-80 (50 is average), and the risks are as follows:
- Low: Players who are usually older, have debuted, are relievers and/or have higher floors than ceilings
- Medium: Players who are a mix of younger and older, usually have higher floors
- High: Players who are usually younger with potential, but also question marks
- Extreme: Players who are generally younger with star potential, but a ton of question marks
This is to show what value a player might provide at the MLB level. The higher the risk, the less likely a player will reach that ceiling.
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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.
Other Notes: “Role” is a realistic future role (slightly optimistic in some cases). Age is the 2020 season age for the player (June 30 is the cutoff date).
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Rating Key
| 80 — Elite |
| 75 — Borderline Elite |
| 70 — Plus-plus |
| 60-65 — Plus |
| 55 — Above-average |
| 50 — Average |
| 45 — Fringe-average |
| 40 — Below-average |
| 30-35 — Poor |
| 20-25 — Very Poor |
9. Kody Hoese
| DOB: 7/13/97 | Age: 22 | Height: 6’4 | Weight: 200 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Position: 3B |
Acquired: First round, No. 25 overall of 2019 MLB Draft, Tulane University, $2,743,000 signing bonus
Physical description: Tall, power-hitter’s frame
Strengths: Plus-power potential, advanced hitter, solid plate discipline
Weaknesses: Not overly athletic, defense questionable, below-average speed
Key statistics: .299/.380/.483, 20.0 10.5 BB%, 14.6 K%, .184 ISO (A/AZL)
Role: Everyday third baseman
Player comparison: Rhys Hoskins
Summary: As one of the more advanced college hitters in last year’s draft, the Dodgers had no issue taking Hoese with their first selection. They wanted Daniel Espino, but he went one pick ahead to Cleveland. Like most draftees, he began with the AZL Dodgers but quickly made his way to the Midwest League. It was a good-not-great showing (.264/.330/.385), but he only had 103 plate appearances there. In his junior season with Tulane, he hit .391/.486/.779 with 23 home runs — 4th-best among Division I NCAA baseball players.
Hoese has a tall stance with slightly bent knees and, on the whole, is relatively quiet. His hands are held up near his ear. He has a small leg kick and uses his quick hands to generate bat speed. He’s able to leverage his swing and his 6-foot-4 frame to produce potential 25-home run power. However, he hit the ball on the ground a hit too much in his pro debut (44.7 GB%), so that’s something he’ll look to improve going forward. He has good pitch recognition and should minimize the strikeouts while drawing a decent amount of walks. He doesn’t have the ceiling of most guys in this Top 10, but his floor is a among the highest. He’s definitely a bat-first guy.
On defense, he could be an average third baseman when all is right. He dealt with a sore elbow late in his debut that limited his work in the field. He doesn’t have a ton of range, but he has good enough hands to field what’s hit his way. If his arm is healthy, he has above-average arm strength. Some think he could move to either first base or left field, if third base proves to be too much for him. His bat will play at all three spots, but it’d be a little more premium at third. He’s a fringy runner, so don’t expect a ton from him on the base paths.
Spray Charts
Video
#Dodgers No. 8 prospect Kody Hoese puts the @greatlakesloons on the board with his 5th 💣 of the year, extending his hit streak to six.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 17, 2019
Keep up with the 2019 #MLBDraft first-rounder & all top @Dodgers prospects here: https://t.co/u9gVsfslyM pic.twitter.com/fD8aZXJ5gi
Video courtesy of MiLB.
| Tool | Present | Future |
| Hit | 40 | 55 |
| Power | 40 | 60 |
| Speed | 45 | 40 |
| Defense | 40 | 50 |
| Arm | 45 | 55 |
| FV/Risk | 55 | High |
2019 Ranking: 8 (Midseason)
2020 Location: Low-A Great Lakes/High-A Rancho Cucamonga
ETA: 2023
Next Up: Prospect No. 8
