Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
We’ve reached the Top 10, and we’re starting it off with a prospect who has among the highest ceilings in the system.
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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). “Comps” are usually the best-case scenario based off stature and production. They in no way guarantee the player will mirror the career of the comp.
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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 |
10. Andy Pages
| DOB: 12/8/00 | Age: 20 | Height: 6’1 | Weight: 220 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Position: RF/CF |
Acquired: International amateur free agent (Cuba), July 2018 $300,000 signing bonus
Strengths: Big-time power potential, plus-plus arm, good athlete
Weaknesses: Lack of experience against advanced pitching, swing-and-miss concerns
Key statistics: .298/.398/.651, .353 ISO, 165 wRC+ (2019 Rookie Ogden)
Role: Profile right fielder
Player comparison: J.D. Martinez (but he can field)
Summary: Thanks to Angels’ owner Arte Moreno, Pages is still a Dodger prospect. He was rumored to be heading to Anaheim with Joc Pederson and Ross Stripling last offseason before Moreno nixed the deal. Now, Pages is one of the highest ceiling prospects in the system and one who might have the most helium.
Pages is advanced as a hitter despite being just 20 years old. He’s strong with his hands and uses a big leg kick to generate big-time bat speed. As such, he has massive power potential because he’s able to leverage his swing, stay balanced and get some natural loft on his batted balls. Despite that, there’s still a decent amount of swing-and-miss in his game that he’ll need to keep under control if he’s to reach his offensive ceiling. The fact that he hasn’t been able to play above rookie ball makes this evaluation a bit risky, but he has all the tools and makings of an everyday right fielder.
Defensively, Pages has almost an even split between center- and right field in the minors. He’s not the speediest outfielder, so right field is probably in his future. But if he has to, he can play center field in more than a pinch. As a right fielder, he’ll have one of the best arms in the league, not dissimilar from Yasiel Puig. On the bases, he’s an average runner who won’t make a ton of noise on the paths but won’t be a detriment out there, either.
Pages missed out on his full-season debut last year because of the pandemic. He’s still just 20 years old, so an initial stop in Low-A Rancho Cucamonga on the way to High-A Great Lakes seems likely. His ceiling is as a an All-Star right fielder with massive power. His floor is a strong fourth outfielder. If he shows he can handle advanced pitching, he has a chance to move quicker than most players his age.
Video
Video courtesy of 2080 Baseball.
| Tool | Present | Future |
| Hit | 35 | 55 |
| Power | 40 | 70 |
| Speed | 50 | 50 |
| Defense | 40 | 50 |
| Arm | 70 | 70 |
| FV/Risk | 60 | Extreme |
2020 Ranking: 21
2021 Location: Low-A Rancho Cucamonga/High-A Great Lakes
ETA: 2023
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Next Up: Prospect No. 9
