Dodgers Prospect Notes: Emil Morales on fire in DSL, Chris Campos & Jackson Ferris dealing, River Ryan building up, Jesus Galiz raking, Hyun-Seok Jang starts ACL no-no, more

Bruce Kuntz 07/09/2024 Prospect Notes Leave A Comment

Top Farm Batter

Emil Morales, the top Dodgers signee in this year’s IFA class, has gotten red hot down in the Dominican Summer League. Over his last 67 plate appearances, the 17-year-old is batting .420 with four homers and more walks than strikeouts.

Morales, a shortstop, was given a hefty $1.9 million bonus when he signed during the offseason. His hot stretch has boosted his numbers to be among the best in the DSL. Morales will almost certainly play out the rest of the DSL season without a promotion, as this is his first year in pro ball, but he may have a chance at being sent to Arizona for fall instructs.

Long-term, the sky is the limit for Morales. Whether he sticks at shortstop or has to move to third base, his bat is the big selling point. He is hitting for big power while also displaying good feel for the strike zone already, and Morales is looking like he could become a top 100 prospect in short order.

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Top Farm Pitcher

Chris Campos has gotten off to a fantastic start since being promoted to Double-A. Across his first two starts with Tulsa, the right-hander tossed 12 innings without allowing a single earned run.

In 57 2/3 total innings this year, Campos has an impressive 2.50 ERA and 5.08 K/BB ratio, although his 3.42 FIP and 82.3 left on base percentage show a little room for regression. It’s been an impressive season for the former Saint Mary’s two-way star overall.

Campos’ quality command makes it easy to imagine him becoming a high-probability back end starter kind of player. The 23-year-old has an analytically good fastball and an overall mix of four usable pitches. Continuing on this trajectory, Campos could reach the Majors in 2025.

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Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club

Since being promoted to Triple-A, Diego Cartaya is batting .290 across 31 at-bats. After a rough 2023 season, Cartaya has a 109 wRC+ in 54 games this year. He is looking closer to the hitter that was considered one of the best prospects in the game following his excellent 2022 campaign.

River Ryan is working his way back towards a normal workload and he has performed excellent. The talented right-hander started the season late due to a shoulder strain, but now that he’s healthy, he has posted a 2.38 ERA and 20.0 K-BB% in his first four Triple-A starts. He reached four innings in his last start, and once he is fully built up, he could be in line to reach the Majors in short order.

Ryan Ward keeps hitting homers, adding three more over his last 11 games. The outfielder’s 23 home runs lead the Pacific Coast League by four, which is even more impressive considering Ward missed a three-week stretch due to injury in May. His .963 OPS this season leads the farm system among full-season clubs.

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Double-A Tulsa Drillers

Ward and Damon Keith were briefly teammates on rehab in Arizona earlier this year, and both of them have been mashing since returning from the IL. Keith has a 1.164 OPS over his last 11 games and has homered three times, including an opposite field walk-off shot. The 24-year-old former Cal Baptist outfielder has a 126 wRC+ so far in his first Double-A campaign.

Yeiner Fernandez struggled to open the season, but he has found his stride of late. Since June 19, Fernandez has batted .389 with seven walks (15.2%) and just one strikeout (2.2%). He has struggled to hit for power over the last two seasons, but Fernandez pairs great bat-to-ball skills with excellent plate discipline to remain a valuable hitter.

Taylor Young has batted .364 over his past 12 games while increasing his stolen base total to 29 (with just three CS). The 2022 eighth rounder is a good defender across the infield and wreaks havoc on the bases.

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High-A Great Lakes Loons

Jackson Ferris made his best start as a pro, tossing seven brilliant innings with no runs, no walks and 11 strikeouts. The left-hander allowed just two hits, and he has completed five innings in seven of his last eight starts with a 2.50 FIP in that span. Ferris has gotten better and better as the season has gone on and is looking like he was an excellent acquisition for the Dodgers.

Josue De Paula was removed from the game in the ninth inning on July 3 and was placed on the injured list the next day. It is unclear what his injury is or how long he will be out. De Paula, arguably the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect, was eight games into his time in High-A after recently being promoted, and he has a 126 wRC+ on the season.

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Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Jesus Galiz is raking for the Quakes, batting .548 with a 1.403 OPS over his last 42 at-bats. In his second Single-A season, Galiz has been splitting catching duties with Carlos Rojas, but he has taken advantage of the opportunities he’s gotten of late. Ranked No. 47 on my preseason prospects list, the Venezuelan catcher has a 136 wRC+ this season.

Cameron Decker has also been hot, posting a 1.178 OPS with three homers in nine games since being promoted from rookie ball. The 2022 18th round pick has homered seven times this season while playing first base and corner outfield.

Wyatt Crowell has had three straight quality outings to begin his time in Single-A, allowing only one run across nine innings. The left-hander has struck out 13, which translates to a 38.2% strikeout rate, and he has allowed only three hits.

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Rookie Ball

Hyun-Seok Jang and the Arizona Complex League Dodgers combined for a seven-inning no-hitter on July 5. Jang was the starter, with Ricardo Montero and Nicolas Cruz each pitching in relief to complete the no-no.

Although he has struggled with walks, Jang has shown positive signs so far this year. The top international signee has a 40.5% strikeout rate and .164 opponent average, and he has touched 99 mph on his fastball. Jang could be promoted to Single-A once the ACL season finishes up at the end of the month.

Joendry Vargas has also shined in the ACL, posting a 1.040 OPS over his last 11 games. The 18-year-old shortstop has four homers and a .926 OPS on the season as well as 10 stolen bases.

Mairoshendrick Martinus has struggled overall since moving stateside, but he has had a successful stretch of late. The 19-year-old utilityman has five extra-base-hits and a 1.003 OPS over his last 12 games, which is the best he has played since 2022 in the DSL. Martinus’ problems have stemmed from the swing and miss, and he carries an abysmal 38.0% strikeout rate to go with a low 6.0% walk rate on the season.

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About Bruce Kuntz

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I'm a Long Beach State journalism student and I've been writing about the Dodgers and their farm system since I was in high school.
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