Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Triple A Oklahoma City
Jake Amaya is coming alive late in the season, and he capped his strong week off with a grand slam:
For the week, the shortstop slashed .471/.571/.765.
Though Amaya struggled in the middle couple of months of his campaign, the last 30 days have seen an uptick in performance, with his very solid slash line of .299/.404/.517 attests. The defense at short is already big league caliber, but if this is in fact a breakthrough with the bat, he should be in the roster mix for the Dodgers rather quickly in 2023.
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Nick Robertson was promoted to Oklahoma City on September 6th, and he was immediately effective:
Robertson made three scoreless appearances throughout the week, as he tossed 4.0 IP, and he struck out five. The former 7th round pick out of James Madison has put together a strong run over the past two months — dating back to July 7th, he has put up an ERA of 2.49, with 32 Ks in 25.1 IP.
As Robertson was over the age of 19 when he was drafted back in 2019, he is Rule 5 eligible this Fall. Given the limitations the Dodgers currently have with their 40-man roster, it would come as little surprise if he is traded prior to the draft or popped by another club and given a shot to stick elsewhere if left exposed.
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Double A Tulsa
Andy Pages led the way offensively for the Drillers:
Pages slashed .368/.409/.684 for the week.
The Cuban outfielder’s 2022 performance has been pedestrian when compared to his lofty 2021 campaign, with his wRC+ sinking from a stellar 152 in High A to just 101 in Double A, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Still just 21 years old, Pages is 3.2 years younger than average for the Texas League
- There are only 15 qualified batters at the Double A level age-21 or younger, so even holding his own here is a plus
That said, he doesn’t appear to have beaten the level, and given that Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch went back to Tulsa to start 2022 after posting wRC+ marks there of 141 and 134 in 2021, there’s a decent chance Pages follows the same game plan.
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On the mound, Lael Lockhart stood out for the Drillers, striking out five in his 4.2 IP of one run ball:
Lockhart, whom the Dodgers drafted in the 9th round out of Arkansas in 2021, has put together a solid three start run at the Double A level, posting an ERA of 3.21, and a K/BB of 13/3 in 14.0 IP.
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High A Great Lakes
For the second week in a row, Adolfo Ramirez put together a dominant outing for the Loons, tossing 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing a pair of singles, walking one, and striking out six:
Ramirez is closing out his season with a bang — in his last five outings, he has an ERA of 2.66, with a stellar K-BB% of 21.1%. He is currently on track to get one last start for Great Lakes in their Midwest League Eastern Division Championship Series vs the Lake County Captains.
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The lone offensive standout for the Loons last week was Eddys Leonard:
Leonard tallied two triples and two doubles, ending up with an OPS for the week of .828. While that doesn’t sound too impressive, it serves to highlight two things:
- The Loons had a really rough week at the plate, as they got shutout twice
- That .828 OPS translated to a solid wRC+ of 121, showing how difficult the Midwest League is as an offensive environment
Leonard finished his regular season at the High A Level with a wRC+ of 119, which should lead to starting 2022 at the Double A level … somewhere.
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Low A Rancho Cucamonga
Dalton Rushing, whom Dodger fans are quickly becoming acquainted with, had another strong week for the Quakes:
For the week, Rushing slashed .308/.444/.538, with twice as many walks (4) as strikeouts (2). Rushing reportedly wrapped up his time the Cal League with a line of .424/.539/.778, and a ridiculous wRC+ of 225.
I say reportedly because the word going around is, with Rancho’s season wrapping up on Sunday, Rushing is rumored to be headed to Great Lakes for their playoff run. The Midwest League Eastern Division Championship series is set begin on Tuesday, September 13th, at Lake County … who does not stream their games, because, of course. Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) will be home affairs for the Loons, and they will be streamed.
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On pitching side, Dominican righty Darlin Pinales, who turned 20 just two weeks ago, was the pitcher of the week for the Quakes, tossing 8.1 IP of 2 run ball, with two walks, and six strikeouts.
The 6’4 Pinales’ repertoire currently consists of a four seam/two seam at 94-96, along with a slider, curve, and a fringy changeup. With that build, and present velo, he’ll be one to watch with Rancho come Spring.
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To wrap up how the rest of the season has or will shake out for the full season affiliates:
- Triple A Oklahoma City – last regular season game is on September 28th, Pacific Coast League division winners plays for the PCL Championship on September 30th (OKC is tied for 1st in the East Division), Triple A Championship is played on October 2nd
- Double A Tulsa – last regular season game is on September 18th, and as the Drillers are the Texas League first half champs, they will play for the league championship, September 20th, 22nd, and if necessary, 23rd
- High A Great Lakes – regular season is over, the Loons will play for the Midwest League Eastern Division title September 13th, 15th, and if necessary, 16th. An overall league championship series is set to follow
- Low A Rancho Cucamonga – season is over
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That’s all for the week that was, have a good Monday, folks.
