Dodgers Youth Movement Better Than Advertised?
- Updated: March 10, 2015
Julio Urias works with Don Mattingly (image via Twitter)
Joc Pederson and Julio Urias have dominated prospect watch lists all winter, and along with Corey Seager, the Dodgers know they are in good shape for the future. But based on early results from Spring Training, the club may be in even better shape than they realized.
Sure, Spring Training stats mean very, very little, as big leaguers are on a short leash and plenty of non-roster invitees are filling out innings across the Cactus League. But when the TV cameras turn on, and thousands of fans turn out, it’s a good sign when young players rise to the occasion in March. And with the Dodgers, they have.
Scott Schebler leads the team in at-bats and doubles, and the left fielder has hit .385/.385/.615 with an OPS of 1.000 very early this spring playing key innings. Outfielder Kyle Jensen has homered twice and driven in five, and first baseman O’Koyea Dickson has added two more homers and a double of his own to slug a 1.222 clip on 4-for-9 hitting very early this spring.
Pederson, who is fighting for the starting center field job in the big leagues this year, has started hot, with five hits and two doubles in just five games. Darnell Sweeney has homered and gone 4-for-8 with a walk in five games. And Seager, perhaps the Dodgers’ best prospect, is 3-for-8 with a double, and he’s walked four times, showing a patient approach to big league pitching by a player only 20 years old.
Urias and intriguing left-hander Daniel Coulombe (who debuted in the big league bullpen in 2014) have both added a pair of scoreless innings on the mound thus far this spring, striking out three while combining to allow just one hit. Urias’ history is well-documented and dominant, and Coulombe has a dominant repertoire, striking out 12.2 batters per nine innings across his minor leaugue career
Taken together, the six hitters (Pederson, Seager, Jensen, Dickson, Schebler, Sweeney) have a little over 60 plate appearances, and Coulombe and Urias have thrown a whopping four scoreless innings against big leaguers this spring. Obviously, no conclusions can be drawn about their futures in Dodger Stadium from that. But, Dodger fans are lying to themselves if they aren’t excited about these eight (and a few others) coming quickly through the minor leagues.
Kyle Jensen waves to a future with the Dodgers (image via Twitter)
Pederson figures to get to the big leagues the fastest, since he’ll likely be there on Opening Day (and he already debuted last year), and Seager may follow soon after. Don Mattingly has already said he believes Seager is ready for the big league grind.
Jensen came to the Dodgers in the Dee Gordon deal with Miami, and has 128 career minor league home runs and 138 doubles in 2,866 PAs, reaching as high as AAA New Orleans in 2014. He’s an outfielder logging time at right and left field as well as first base during his minor league career.
Dickson, a 12th round draft pick in 2011 out of northern California, had a decent year in AA Chattanooga in 2014, slashing .269/.340/.471 with 17 home runs and 36 doubles in 520 PAs, and should start in AAA Oklahoma City, but his path to first base in Dodger Stadium is blocked by Adrian Gonzalez.
Schebler, an outfielder, was a 26th round pick in 2010 out of a community college in Iowa, and has hit at every minor league stop. He slugged 27 home runs in 2013 at Class A-Advanced Rancho Cucamonga, and another 28 home runs in 2014 at AA Chattanooga, and holds a career .279/.342/.510 slash line in 1,987 minor league PAs.
Sweeney, a 12th round pick out of the University of Central Florida in 2012, also had a big year in Chattanooga in 2014, slashing .288/.387/.463 in 586 PAs with 14 home runs, 15 stolen bases and 34 doubles. He’s played shortstop and center field professionally, but the bulk of his playing time has been at second base.
Urias is so dominant, and so young, that the Dodgers ought to develop and retain him at all costs, as he has the potential and stuff to be a front-end starter for a very long time. Coulombe has a great arm that misses bats and he jumped from AA to the big leagues last season, though he could end up being a valuable trade commodity should the Dodgers feel J.P. Howell and Paco Rodriguez can handle lefties coming out of the bullpen for the next few years.
Obviously, the Dodgers have a lot of outfielders already, so Schebler and Jensen may find it difficult to break in to the big leagues. With Gonzalez at first, Jensen and Dickson will struggle to find big league playing time. And with Howie Kendrick at second, Sweeney may be blocked from the big leagues, as well.
But while a path has been cleared for Pederson, and will soon be cleared for Seager (Jimmy Rollins’ magnificent career is nearly over), the other four hitters (Schebler, Sweeney, Jensen, Dickson) can help the Dodgers simply by helping themselves in AAA this season.
All four of those players are worth watching in Oklahoma City, since they could be of interest to opponents as potential trade chips. And knowing the Dodgers need both starting rotation and bullpen depth (like virtually every other club), it’s not inconceivable one or more of those four could be used to acquire a pitcher to help the big league club.
For a team both lauded and criticized for spending money on veterans like the Dodgers have done, it’s refreshing to see their minor league system stocked so deeply with talent. Now, it’s on management to maximize the talent we’ve already seen this spring – even if it means shipping some of it off to other organizations to get a more immediate big league return.
Stay with us at Calisportsnews.com as we will keep you up-to-date on all things Los Angeles Dodgers and the rest of the LA sports teams! All Cali, All the time!
Related Posts
About Bobby DeMuro
