Dodgers Prospect Notes: Monster game for Busch, Grove perseveres, moonshot in Rancho, checking in on old friend Trayce

April 13, 2022 Scoreboard

Triple A Oklahoma City 3, El Paso 4

Double A Tulsa 13, Amarillo 11

High A Great Lakes, Peoria – PPD

Low A Rancho Cucamonga 7, Inland Empire 6

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Michael Busch is heating up for Tulsa, and on Wednesday night he put on a show, going 2/5 at the plate with a pair of homers, and he drove in six. His big flies were both impressive in their own right:

Michael Busch, first homer of the season, an oppo🌮off a lefty! pic.twitter.com/8uswYQOOKg

— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) April 14, 2022

Michael Busch GRAND SLAM! His second homer of the game! pic.twitter.com/AUCCFT6ZMf

— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) April 14, 2022

Busch, a UNC Tarheel whom the Dodgers picked in the 1st round of the draft back in 2019, had a strong 2021 campaign interrupted by a hit by pitch to the wrist that tanked his June (.558 OPS), lowering the profile of his offensive performance in an otherwise standout season (.944 OPS in May, .949 from July thru the rest of the season). Busch possesses one of the more advanced bats and approaches in the system, and is playing exclusively at 2B thus far.

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The other side of the coin in a wild night for runs is that some pitchers had to fight the good fight. Enter: Michael Grove. Grove kept a cool head when things went haywire, and his final line reflected the craziness a bit:

Michael Grove looked good for Tulsa, FB was 94-96, and showed solid command of both of his breakers, doubling up on the slider and expanding off the plate with it, and he made pitches when things went sideways around him. The line:

3.1 IP
4 runs (1 earned)
3 hits
0 BBs
4 Ks⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MYc6BmRUL2

— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) April 14, 2022

It has been a long road back from Tommy John surgery for the 2018 2nd round pick out of West Virginia, but the stuff is there, and as he was added to the 40-man roster last offseason, he has an outside shot to contribute at some point this season.

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Luis Yanel Diaz also hit a grand slam tonight:

Guanare hits two batters at the bottom of the 3rd. Quakes load up the bases and LUIS DIAZ GETS THE GRAND SLAM!!!!! pic.twitter.com/8xiaJsQHrx

— Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (@RCQuakes) April 14, 2022

What a pimp job, and considering it followed a pair of HBPs, why the hell not. It was the second homer of the season for Diaz, whom the Dodgers signed all the way back in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic.

FanGraphs has described him in the past as a toolsy lottery ticket, and as one of the most explosive rotators in the system. At 22, he’s a bit old for Low A, but with tools like that, he’ll get a bit of run.

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Lastly, old friend Trayce Thompson is looking pretty pretty strong down in AAA:

Another loud EV from a healthy-looking Trayce Thomspon – 113.8 mph 👀 pic.twitter.com/yMdR2EzVNJ

— Josh Thomas (@jokeylocomotive) April 14, 2022

Thompson, who is in his 6th organization since he was with the Dodgers, didn’t play in 2020 and was limited to 107 games between Triple A and MLB combined in 2021. Currently in the Padres’ organization, Thompson has posted several 110+ EVs this season, and is currently running an OPS of 1.221.