Tim Rogers
A few days ago we put the spotlight on the FanGraphs top 47 prospect list for the Dodgers. We’ve had a few days to ponder the list so let’s take a look at some observations.
The Right Handed Pitchers
The Dodgers have quite a few right handed pitching prospects. Of the 47 prospects that FanGraphs lists, 22 of them are right handed pitchers. Of their top 6 prospects on this list 4 of them are righties: Dustin May, Josiah Gray, Tony Gonsolin and Brusdar Graterol. I expect all but Gray to contribute a lot this coming season. Given that there might be a 30 man roster and a 20 man taxi squad, I fully expect Gray to be on the taxi squad. Don’t be surprised if he makes some Major League appearances by the end of the season though. There are some serious flame-throwers on this list.
Some Spring Training Risers
The biggest surprise of Spring Training 2020 was Cody Thomas. FanGraphs has him at number 25 but their list came out after Spring Training so they could adjust to Cody’s improvements. Another one who rose quite a bit compared to other prospect lists is Robinson Ortiz. After last season he’d dropped on quite a few lists but he came into Spring Training looking good. I got my eyes on him a couple of times and he looked good. FanGraphs had him topping out at 97 MPH. Not bad for the 20 year old left-hander.
Hello, @codythomas_12. pic.twitter.com/454On1yzM8
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 26, 2020
Surprisingly Low
FanGraphs had Edwin Rios down at number 29. One the 20-80 scale they had him as a 30 with the hit tool. I honestly think that is way too low as he’s showed, in a small sample size in 2019, that he handled MLB pitching decently. Rios seems to be a guy that can easily be underrated due to his total lack of speed and big swing. What I’ve seen is that he continues to improve. His defense has becoming passable and he keeps showing more at the plate. FanGraphs has his power rated at a well-deserved 70.
Some New Names
There are plenty of names that are new to some of these prospect lists. We’ll cover some of these guys on our Unheralded Prospect Series for sure. We’ll discover more about Juan Morillo, Jose Martinez, Jerming Rosario and Carlos Duran.
Cartaya, Pages, Vargas, De Jesus and Rodriguez
I really like where FanGraphs put the Dodgers future Latin stars. Future catching star Diego Cartaya, is number 7. Look for him to be a consensus top 5 within the next two seasons. Andy Pages was rumored to be in the Joc Pederson/Ross Stripling trade to the Angels and he’s at number 8. Miguel Vargas has moved up fast and has handled each level well. There is a lot more coming from him. Alex De Jesus is only 18 and could be either a shortstop or third baseman. We took a look at Luis Rodriguez recently. Vargas is the oldest of these guys at 20 but look for these guys to be in the lineup together in three to four years.
Where Is Rooney and Crawford?
Two prospects that are vastly underrated by these lists are left handed starters John Rooney and Leo Crawford. We put the spotlight on Crawford recently. Rooney started the season with Great Lakes and earned a mid-season promotion to the Quakes. The 2018 3rd round draftee may not be hot on the prospect lists right now but I believe the Dodgers see a lot in him.
Final Thoughts
In general the Dodgers have top prospects at every position. The extreme depth with the right handed pitching means that the odds are very good that some of them will break through. As always, the Dodgers are loaded for now and for the future. Let’s hope we can enjoy them soon. Thanks to FanGraphs for an excellent list to analyze.
