Dodgers Prospect Notes: Chris Newell & Andre Lipcius have power outbusts, Jared Karros & Jackson Ferris impressive on the mound, River Ryan rehab, DSL underway, more

Bruce Kuntz 06/11/2024 Prospect Notes Leave A Comment

(Photo: Cody Bashore)

Top Farm Batter

Chris Newell has been incredible for High-A Great Lakes this season, and he may have just had his best single-series performance yet. The powerful outfielder homered three times and went 8-for-21 in six games. He had a 1.424 OPS on the week, and he added five stolen bases as well.

Newell won Midwest Player of the Week and has retaken the system lead in home runs with 18. His contact quality this year has been nothing short of excellent, and he’s done a good job reaching base despite only batting .232.

A physically imposing left-handed batter standing 6-foot-3 in the box, Newell just turned 23 in April. He moves well despite his size, which shows through on defense and on the bases. Generating high exit velocities with ease, Newell is a power hitting prospect to keep a close eye on.

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Top Farm Pitcher

Jared Karros dazzled on the mound this week for Double-A Tulsa, making two starts for a combined 2.53 ERA and 15 strikeouts. The second start may have been Karros’ best as a pro, going five one-hit innings with nine strikeouts and 16 swings and misses.

It’s been a very good year for Karros. He made his first seven starts in High-A and posted a 1.59 ERA. Since being promoted to Double-A, he’s made five starts with a 4.21 ERA that has had a bit of bad luck involved.

This last start of his shows what Karros is made of, and the 6-foot-7 right-hander should move his way up prospect lists when they’re updated around the deadline this year.

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Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club

Andre Lipcius continues to rake down in Triple-A. He slashed .364/.440/.864 last week and is now up to 17 home runs this season. He has bounced around the infield defensively, playing mostly at the corners with some second base mixed in.

His lack of defensive variability is likely the reason Lipcius remains in Triple-A even after Max Muncy‘s injury. Lipcius also does not occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. At this point, I would guess that James Outman is the more likely bat to get called up if the Dodgers decide it’s time to move on from Chris Taylor.

Former first round pick Kody Hoese has had his best season as a pro in his first Triple-A campaign. The third baseman is batting .293 with a .790 OPS. This was probably a make-or-break year for Hoese’s future in the organization, as he is turning 27 in July.

Kyle Hurt began a rehab assignment with OKC. He had been on the shelf with shoulder inflammation since late April but is now working his way back towards the Los Angeles bullpen.

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Double-A Tulsa Drillers

Austin Beck has been fantastic in his first year as a Dodger. The sixth overall pick to Oakland back in 2017, Beck, 25, has bounced back from a major knee injury that held him out for all of 2023’s regular season. Beck had two homers and nine RBI last week, raising his numbers on the year to a .273 AVG and .880 OPS.

Brandon Lewis has had a rebound similar to Hoese’s, although Lewis remains in Double-A. He had a 1.367 OPS in five games last week and owns a 102 wRC+ on the season. Lewis, whose calling card is power, is still striking out a lot but should get his first taste of Triple-A at some point down the stretch.

Justin Wrobleski made another excellent start to continue his streak of quality outings. He allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. The left-hander has allowed less than two runs in four straight starts. His 2.82 FIP is the lowest in the system.

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High-A Great Lakes Loons

Jackson Ferris showed off his strikeout stuff in his start last week. He went five innings, allowed only two hits and struck out a career-high 12. The young left-hander has a 4.94 ERA this year that is much higher than his 3.58 FIP.

Sam Mongelli, a 2023 draftee, has gotten very hot at the plate lately. He had a .998 OPS across six games last week and he drove in 11 runs. Since May 23, has posted a 150 wRC+ and .900 OPS.

Payton Martin was promoted to High-A from Single-A. He didn’t dominate with the Quakes this year the way he did in 2023, but it was time for him to move up the ladder a run.

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Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

River Ryan made a rehab start in Single-A and looked excellent. Ryan has now made two rehab starts as he works his way back from injury. He’ll get to Triple-A once his pitch count is rebuilt and it would not be surprising to see Ryan in Los Angeles down the stretch.

Samuel Munoz had a big week at the plate, posting a 1.046 OPS in five games. Munoz has struggled overall since being moved up to Single-A, so it is good to see him have a good week of production.

Kendall George reached base at a .462 clip and stole three bases this week. He has a .381 OBP and 18 stolen bases this season.

Christian Zazueta, 19, was promoted and made his first Single-A start. Zazueta, who was aquired from the Yankees in the offseason, had a 1.93 ERA in the Arizona Complex League before moving up to Rancho Cucamonga.

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Rookie Ball

A pair of ACL infielders in Alexander Albertus and Nicolas Perez have been on hot streaks of late. This is especially true for Albertus, who has a 1.006 OPS on the season and should be moving up to Single-A as soon as the Quakes can make room for him.

Top 18-year-old pitching prospect Jesus Tillero made his stateside debut. It is very rare for a player, especially a pitcher, to make it to Arizona at his age. Tillero is special and should be watched closely.

The Dominican Summer League had its opening day last week. Two returning sluggers to the circuit, Yorfran Medina and Arnaldo Lantigua, got their seasons off to good starts. All eyes will be on Emil Morales during this DSL season, as he was the top IFA signing of this year’s class.

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The Dodgers have carried much more leftover IFA bonus money than usual this year, with many speculating a connection to the possible posting of Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki in the offseason. Los Angeles has reportedly dipped into their IFA stash to sign teenage Taiwanese outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko.

This signing should not change anything about the Dodgers’ pursuit of Sasaki if he becomes available this offseason, as there is still plenty of bonus money left to be spent.

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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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