Dodgers Prospect Notes: Sean McLain, Eriq Swan leading the charge in Arizona Fall League

Bruce Kuntz 11/07/2024 Prospect Notes Leave A Comment

Sean McLain (Photo: Cody Bashore)

The Arizona Fall League is close to wrapping up, so let’s look at the Dodgers prospects in the circuit and how they’ve been performing.

Top Farm Batter

Sean McLain has been the best Dodger hitter in the Fall League. His 1.021 OPS is near the top of the league, and he’s in second place with 10 stolen bases. The former Sun Devil has returned to his college state and thrived while playing alongside his brother, Reds infielder Matt McLain.

McLain was a fifth round pick in 2022, but he played just 122 regular season games over his first 2.5 years in the organization. He reached High-A this year but had a meager .205/.322/.317 career slash line in the pros by year’s end. The Fall League was a chance to launch his career back on track, and that’s exactly what he has done.

Although he’s played more shortstop than anything else with the Dodgers, McLain has mostly been positioned at second base and third base in Arizona. He’s shown an ability to bounce around and play all four infield positions. The 23-year-old will be a bounce-back candidate to keep an eye on next year.

Top Farm Pitcher

None of the Dodger pitchers in the Fall League have posted particularly excellent results, but Eriq Swan‘s performance has been encouraging anyway. He’s thrown 8 2/3 innings, and two homers have translated to five runs and a 5.19 ERA; however, he has allowed just seven hits and one walk while striking out 14.

Swan, a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft, could be a top prospect if his results catch up to his stuff. One side of the coin shows a 5.72 ERA this year as he struggled to stay on the field and hone his command in Single-A. The other side shows a fastball that nears triple digits to go alongside one tighter and one wider slider as well as a decent changeup.

In his junior year at Middle Tennessee, Swan walked 6.6 batters per nine innings. In his 28 1/3 professional innings, he walked 17. His improved command so far in the Fall League, only walking one batter in 8 2/3 frames, could signal a significant step forward in the fireballer’s development. If Swan can stay healthy next year and continue to build upon his progress from this fall, the Georgia native could have an exciting future ahead of him.

The Remaining Cast

Uber-talented teenage outfielder Zyhir Hope started the Fall League on fire, but has cooled off a bit since. Still, in an 18-game sample, he has put up a solid .250/.342/.456 slash line to go along with three homers and 17 RBI. Hope will be flying up prospect lists this spring; he may have already put himself into the upper tier of Dodgers prospects after just one year in the organization.

Corner infielder Jake Gelof had a tough time at the plate after a midseason promotion to High-A, and he’s gotten a little momentum back this fall. The former Virginia Cavalier has reached base at a .370 clip, although he’s still batting only .209 in 14 games. The small sample means none of these numbers are really worth reading into, but Gelof’s patience has allowed him to look closer to the slugger the Dodgers took in the second round last year.

On the pitching side, Jerming Rosario has struggled overall with his strike-throwing, but his last outing was encouraging. He’s walked eight in 10 total innings with a 7.20 ERA, but his most recent appearance saw only two hits and zero walks allowed across three scoreless innings. The Dominican right-hander is Rule 5 Draft eligible and unlikely to be rostered by the Dodgers, so his good performance also serves as a potential advertisement to other clubs heading into the offseason.

The remaining Dodgers prospects in Arizona, pitchers Kelvin Bautista, Kelvin Ramirez and Alex Makarewich, have all walked more than a batter per inning they’ve pitched. All three have good stuff but have historically battled to command it. Makarewich in particular has a fastball with good life to pair with a nasty cutter; he could be a solid relief prospect as he continues to work on command.

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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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