Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
We’re back with No. 8 in the Top 50 countdown. It’s one of the Dodgers’ most recent first-rounders who gets mixed reviews from evaluators, but still has plenty of potential.
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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 |
8. Kody Hoese
| DOB: 7/13/97 | Age: 23 | 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
Strengths: Pure hitter, power potential, good arm
Weaknesses: Wrist injury sapped some power, lack of pro experience
Key statistics: .299/.380/.483, 20.0 10.5 BB%, 14.6 K%, .184 ISO (2019 A/AZL)
Role: Everyday third baseman
Player comparison: Ryhs Hoskins (with a little less power)
Summary: The Dodgers are known to like their college bats in the early rounds, and that delivered on that by grabbing Hoese at No. 25 overall in the 2019 MLB Draft (followed by Michael Busch at 31). They were going to pop Daniel Espino, but he went one spot before to Cleveland. They “settled” for a power-hitting third baseman from Andrew Friedman‘s alma mater of Tulane University.
Hoese is a mature hitter with a good approach. He has a straight up-and-down stance like a lot of taller hitters. He has quick hands that generate above-average bat speed. He has a chance to be a 20-25 HR guy, but he’ll need to improve his swing path to tap into his raw power potential. He hit a lot of grounders in his pro debut despite an athletic swing. He’ll need to focus more on hitting the bottom-half of the ball to elevate. A wrist injury in his pro debut limited him at the plate and in the field. He has a little swing-and-miss in his game, so he’ll have to show he can keep the strikeouts down since he doesn’t have the plate discipline of a guy like Busch.
He was drafted as a third baseman, but the Dodgers tried him a bit at shortstop in the instructional league. The reviews were mixed and he probably doesn’t have much of a future there, but he might be able to play there in a pinch. He’s not overly athletic and speedy, but he has good range and a solid arm for the hot corner. Worst-case scenario is he moves across the diamond to first base, where he should be able to handle himself well enough. On the bases, he’s not much of a running threat, but he’s a bit better underway.
Going into his age-23 season, you’d like to see him further along in his development. Injuries and the pandemic have played a big part in that. We’re still not 100% sure what he’s going to be, but he has 1st-round pedigree and the Dodgers think he has a chance to be at least an average regular. He’ll probably head back to Great Lakes (High-A now) for a refresher, but he should spend most of 2021 in Double-A with the Drillers.
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
| Tool | Present | Future |
| Hit | 40 | 50 |
| Power | 45 | 55 |
| Speed | 45 | 40 |
| Defense | 45 | 50 |
| Arm | 50 | 55 |
| FV/Risk | 55 | High |
2020 Ranking: 9
2021 Location: High-A Great Lakes/Double-A Tulsa
ETA: 2022
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Next Up: Prospect No. 7
