Center fielder Alex of the Great Lakes Loons was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft. His teammate, right-handed pitcher Grant Holmes, was selected in the first round of that draft by the Dodgers.

Verdugo was considered by many to be the best two-way player available in the draft. ESPN’s Keith Law ranked him as the 31st best prospect in the 2014 draft class while Baseball America ranked him 41st and MLB.com assigned him a ranking of 54th.

The question at the time of his selection was whether he would be drafted as a pitcher or as an outfielder. Although he was a dominant offensive player with the Sahuaro High School Cougars in Tucson, Arizona, he was equally impressive on the mound having struck out 93 hitters in 52.2 innings in his senior year. Verdugo recently indicated he threw 97 mph in high school and had what he considered to be a reliable slider.

The Dodgers ultimately selected him as an outfielder and then sat back to assess their decision knowing that he could transition to the mound on relatively short notice if he did not hit as expected.

In 49 games with the AZL Dodgers the 18-year-old Verdugo did hit as expected with a .347 batting average and an OBP of .423. He had 33 runs batted in although he hit only three home runs. His finished his season in a five game stint with the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League.

Many expected that Verdugo would start the 2015 with the Raptors and progress to the Class-A Loons during the season. However, when the minor league rosters were announced by the Dodgers during the first week in April, he was listed as a Great Lakes Loons outfielder.

Alex Verdugo has a Corey Seager-like swing and a Yasiel Puig-like arm.
(Photo credit – David C. Bristow)

His season did not start off the way in which he would have liked and perhaps the Dodgers player development personnel started questioning their decision to use him as an offensive player instead of as a pitcher. However, he began the season as an 18-year-old so making a decision for a change at that time would have been a bit rash.

In April Verdugo hit .243 in 70 at bats which was certainly below his expectations but it is not unusual for a hitter to start off slowly in each and every new season. The troubling part came in May when he hit only .191 in 94 at bats with an OBP of .232.

He then ushered June in with a two-hit game including his first home run of the season. Hitting primarily in the lead off and second spot in the batting order, Verdugo went on a prolonged tear in June which has continued throughout July. During that time he may have been the Dodgers top minor league hitter. In June he scorched Midwest League pitchers with a .365 batting average for the month and he has continued at a .342 clip in July.

Verdugo leads the Loons in hits (96), runs (39), RBI (37) and doubles (21). During his tear he has had a 14-game hitting streak and another streak of nine games along with 17 multiple hit games, which includes a four-hit game and seven three-hit games. He currently ranks eighth in the league in both hits and total bases even after his frustrations of his slow start in April and May.

Along the way something happened to transform the now 19-year-old Verdugo into one of the top hitters in the league.

In an interview with Hugh Bernreuter of mLive, he explains that he just went back to the tried and true not really understanding why he had changed his batting style.

“I just went back to my stance last year,” Verdugo said. “I watched some video with our hitting coach (Jay Gibbons) and saw how I hit last year. Why I changed, I have no idea. I think I was trying to get more power in my swing, but that will come as I get older and stronger. I was picking my leg up more in my stride. Now I’m just using a couple toe taps.

“Without the big leg kick, I’m seeing the ball better and maybe not swinging at some pitches I was swinging at before,” Verdugo added. “It’s the way I’ve been hitting my whole life, except for when I came here. I don’t know why I changed.”

He now understands that home runs will come as he gets stronger and although he has only four on the season, he has hit two in his last three games. He hits the ball on a line to all fields but especially up the middle which must be pleasing Jay Gibbons, his hitting coach.

Verdugo had a pitcher’s arm but now it is exclusively an outfielder’s arm – one that Midwest League opponents have learned they really shouldn’t test. He has 15 outfield assists on the season and has participated in four double plays from the outfield.

On June 30 Verdugo had a two-assist inning nabbing Dayton Dragons center fielder Narciso Crook at home plate and second baseman Ronald Bueno at second base. For good measure he also chipped in with four hits on the night.

Although the Loons would love to have Alex Verdugo in the lineup when their playoffs arrive, I expect it will be the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes who will benefit from his bat and his arm in their playoff run – perhaps as early as the first of August.