It doesn’t happen often, but every now and then it does – a late-round draft pick immediately finds success once they begin their professional career and moves up quickly on the organization’s depth chart. For Dodger fans there is no greater example of this than former Dodgers catcher and likely future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza, who was selected by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB Draft – a round that doesn’t even exist anymore (the draft end after 40 rounds now).

It appears that it has happened again, not with a position player but with a right-handed starting pitcher who has put up Kershaw-like numbers in his first two seasons in the minor leagues and continues to do so in the 2014 Caribbean Winter League with the Criollos de Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League.

His name is Jose De Leon and he was selected by the Dodgers in the 24th round of the 2013 First Year Player Draft out of Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The 22-year-old Puerto Rico native has been profiled twice here on ThinkBlueLA – once highlighting his remarkable game on August 19, 2014 in which he set a new franchise record with 14 strikeouts (including nine in a row at one point); and the other a re-cap of his outstanding Kershaw-esque 2014 season in which he showed similarities to the three-time Cy Young award winner and 2014 NL MVP. Ironically, it was Kershaw’s 2007 record of 12 strikeouts that De Leon broke on August 19.

In 2014 Jose De Leon had an insane strikeout to walk ratio of 21.00.
(Photo credit – Stephen Smith)

Now granted, comparing anyone to Kershaw is a bit of a reach and unfair at best, but De Leon’s 7-0 record and 2.22 ERA in his 14 games (12 starts) with the Ogden Raptors and Great Lakes Loons in 2014 has him at the center of the Dodgers radar screen – at least it should. De Leon was also named the Pioneer League Pitcher of the Week three times in 2014 and was named a 2014 MiLB.com Organization All-Star and a 2014 Post-Season All-Star.

In his four starts with Criollos de Caguas thus far, De Leon is 2-1 with an outstanding 1.13 ERA. He has allowed only two earned runs on 11 hits while striking out 15 and walking none in his 16 innings of work. (Did I mention that De Leon is showing similarities to Clayton Kershaw?). And while the Caribbean Winter League is a very long way from the MLB, De Leon’s numbers in both the MiLB and winter ball are impossible to ignore – especially if your name is Andrew Friedman, Farhan Zaidi or Gabe Kapler.

Although De Leon figures to begin the 2015 season with the Dodgers Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the highly competitive (and hitter-friendly) California League, don’t be surprised if he ends up with the Dodgers new Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League at some point during the 2015 season. And depending on the Dodgers playoff situation in the stretch run of the 2015 season, De Leon might even find himself pitching in Dodger Stadium as a September call-up in 2015.

Not bad for a 24th round draft pick, wouldn’t you say?