Los Angeles Dodgers Prospect Watch List
- Updated: February 16, 2015
This list will be similar to the list of Padres sleeper prospects I put together, but it will include the big names, along with a few sleepers. And the Dodgers do have some big name prospects. The top three in this system are as dynamic as any prospects in the game at the moment. After that the Dodgers drops off a little bit, but there are a few guys in their farm system that could rise up prospect rankings over the next couple years. Again like the Padres list I wrote, I am skipping over some talented prospects to focus on the under the radar prospects that I think are the most compelling.
Julio Urias
Position: Pitcher
Age:18
2014 Level: High-A
Signed by the Dodgers in 2012 as an international signing from Mexico at the age of 16, Urias is quickly developing into one of the best young pitchers in baseball. He is the youngest player ever to pitch in the Futures game, and he pitched 87 innings in High-A as a 17-year-old, striking out 109 in High-A. He could very well debut at Chavez Ravine before he turns 20. His fastball reaches the mid 90’s, and he is able to get an almost Yu Darvish-like variety of movement from it. Also in his arsenal is a curveball that scouts expect to be a plus pitch in the future, an at least average fading change-up, and a slider with good action that he throws against lefties and righties. Urias’ advanced ability at a young age is impressive, and he has a realistic chance of reaching his number 2 starter potential. ETA: 2016
Joc Pederson
Position: Center Field
Age:23
2014 Levels: Triple-A, MLB
Power, speed, strikeouts. This guy reminds me of the sleepers in the Padres organization I wrote about, except he’s much closer to realizing his full potential and definitely not a sleeper. In fact, Pederson mashed and dashed his way into the record books by becoming the first player in 80 years to hit at least 30 home runs and steal at least 30 bases in the Pacific Coast League. The PCL is a definite hitters league, so any high expectations based on offensive exploits in that league should be dampened a little bit. He strikes out too much, but the Dodgers won’t care if he’s hitting 20 homers and stealing 20 bases a season in the majors. And since he is a legitimate center fielder defensively, he will provide value to the Dodgers right away, regardless of what he does at the plate. Given his defensive ability and historic hitting exploits in the PCL, feel free to get carried away with your high expectations. ETA Early 2015
Corey Seager
Position SS/3B
Age: 21
2014 Levels: High-A, Double-A
The 18th overall pick in the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft. He broke out 2014, starting hot in High-A and staying hot by handling the transition to Double-A seamlessly. At 6’4’’ even though he is a shortstop now his major league future is probably at third base, and he has the arm and pop to be valuable there. He hits for good contact, ok, he hits for great contact, raking .352 in High-A and .345 in Double-A in 2014. Leading to his great contact numbers so far is his ability to hit to all fields. He probably won’t hit against too many defensive shifts in his career. He also has plus power, and could realistically produce 20 HR 40 double seasons in the majors, while hitting for a .280 average. Don’t expect him to steal a lot of bases though, he only has 16 in 2 season in the low minors. Kyle Seager, the Mariners All-Star 3rd baseman, is Corey’s older brother, and scouts believe Corey is the one with the higher ceiling. My goodness. ETA Mid/Late 201
Jose De Leon
Position Pitcher
Age: 22
2014 Levels: Rookie Ball, Single-A
Drafted by the Dodgers in the 24th round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft, he absolutely annihilated rookie ball and Single-A in 2014, striking out 119 batters in 77 innings pitched. Moving up to Single-A didn’t slow him down a bit, in fact he did better after the promotion, striking out 44 in 22.2 innings pitched and walking 2 batters while giving up 3 earned runs. Losing weight and improved control of his breaking pitches were both integral to De Leon’s eye-opening performances in 2014. His fastball got faster, up to the mid 90’s, and his slurve got slurvier, generating a lot of strikeouts. His change-up is still a work in progres. If he handles the move up to Double-A like he handled the move to Single-A, he’ll certainly be ranked among the Dodgers top prospects next year. ETA: Late 2016/2017
Alex Verdugo
Position OF
Age: 19
2014 Level: Rookie Ball
Alex fell in the 2014 draft because of maturity questions. In high school he was suspended for an “on field incident” also including his father. Eesh. Maturity questions aside, his performances in centerfield and in the batters box so far validate former Dodgers scouting director Logan White comparing him to Joc Pederson. Especially impressive in the modern game is the fact that he walked more than he struck out in 216 at bats in 2014. Additionally, he went 11 for 11 stealing bases. Across the board he seems to be pretty good but not great, but a competent defensive center fielder that can also hold his own at the plate is certainly valuable. Watching his K:BB ratio in 2015 as he starts facing more talented pitchers will be interesting. ETA 2018
Grant Holmes
Position Pitcher
Age: 19
2014 Levels: Rookie Ball
Somehow fell to the Dodgers at 22nd in 2014 draft. In his arsenal is an above average mid 90’s fastball, a well above average slider and a change-up that he’s still developing but has shows flashes of being above average. His athleticism and ability to repeat his delivery help him have above average command, despite the fact that there are some issues with that delivery. All the makings for a prospect with number 2 or number 3 starter potential. One awful start skewed his stats from 18.1 innings pitched at Ogden in rookie ball in 2014. Other than that his stats weren’t eye-popping like Jose De Leon’s were, but scouts like what they see in him, and he probably has a higher ceiling than De Leon. Definitely a name to watch. ETA 2017
Pederson, Seager and Urias give the Dodgers exciting options to work with over the coming years. Additionally, they’ve come up with some steals in recent drafts, with Jose De Leon potentially becoming the ultimate steal of any draft. All told, the Dodgers have several talented youngsters that could very well be an important part of a World Series winning team at some point in the not so distant future.
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