January 28th, 2016 at 6:00 am 
by Harold Uhlman On January 25th, 2015 I wrote an article in which I listed the players in the Dodgers minor league system whom I felt might have the most potential at their respective positions. Those youngsters were part of a 20-years of age and younger team.
From that team pitchers Zachary Bird and Kevin Guzman were traded by the Dodgers during the 2015 season while shortstop Corey Seager made it all the way to Dodger Stadium. Eight others are still eligible for inclusion on this year’s 20 and under team.
It is tempting to include 19-year old Cuban right-hander Yadier Alvarez who already is close to making his way onto top 10 lists of Dodgers prospects. However, I will wait for him to make his professional debut before adding him to any lists.
Perhaps needless to say, there is some personal bias in the following selections. The age given – in parenthesis – is the age as of today’s writing:
Julian Leon (20) – Catcher: Certainly Leon did not have the type of year that was projected for him following his 2014 season with the Ogden Raptors in the rookie level Pioneer League. To say he struggled with the Great Lakes Loons in 2015 is an understatement. He hit only .201 with an OBP of .269. Even more troubling was his 107 strikeouts compared to just 22 walks. Leon turned 20 on January 24th so he played the entire season as a 19-year old in the Midwest League which is more noted as a pitcher’s league that the Pioneer League. It is too soon to determine if last year was a blip or a trend for Leon. I’m going with a blip.
Julian Leon
(Photo courtesy of MESM.com)
Cody Bellinger (20) – First Base: Bellinger had a break out year in 2015 playing most the year as a 19-year old at the high A level with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He hit 30 home runs along with a league-leading 97 runs scored and also a league-leading 103 runs batted in. The argument can be used that the California League is a hitter’s league. However, only six players in the league had as many as 26 home runs. His 150 strikeouts were a bit troubling while he did draw 57 walks. He closed well hitting .338 in August and .318 in September During the Championship Series with the San Jose Giants Bellinger had six hits in 14 at bats including two doubles and a home run. He was selected to both 2015 California League All-Star teams and was voted the MVP of the League Championship Series. Although Bellinger received an invitation to the Dodgers’ major league spring training camp last week, it is highly unlikely that he will make the team’s Opening Day roster. Regardless, the experience should prove very rewarding for the young first baseman.
Cody Bellinger
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Willie Calhoun (21) – Second base: Calhoun played the entire 2015 season as a 20-year old. It was his first year of professional ball having been drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft. He gets a bit of a dispensation on the age-20 and younger team as a first year player and a personal favorite of mine. Calhoun played at three levels in 2015 beginning with the Ogden Raptors on June 18th where he doubled in his second at bat. He was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons on July 21st and hit .393 with the Loons in 15 games along with a .439 OBP and 24 hits games. Having earned another promotion he finished his 2015 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League hitting .329 in 20 games.
Willie Calhoun
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Jared Walker (19) – Third base: Walker was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round of the 2014 First Year Player Draft. He returned to the Arizona League Dodgers in 2015 and again experienced limited success. His batting average did improve to .240 and his runs batted in increased to 21 in his 44 games played. Baseball America’s scouting report noted, “The left-handed hitter has hitting instincts and a line-drive stroke with natural strength.” Hopefully 2016 will be the season that things fall into place for Walker.
Brendon Davis (19) – Shortstop: Davis was selected in the fifth round of the 2015 First Year player Draft out of Lakewood High School in Lakewood California. The Dodgers signed him for three times his slot amount which was a bit surprising. The surprise was that Davis had broken his left wrist in a tractor accident in February. The other surprise was that he able to begin play with the Arizona League Dodgers on July 5th. In his second game with the Dodgers he had three hits in four at bats and finished the season with a .278 batting average in 23 games.
Alex Verdugo (19) – Outfield: Verdugo played primarily center field in 2015. He began the season as an 18-year in the Midwest League. After a bit of a slow start in April and May Verdugo’s bat caught fire and he hit well over .300 for the last four months of the season. Overall with the Loons he hit .295 with five home runs and 42 run batted in. He stole 13 bases and had a league leading 21 outfield assists while participating in six double plays. On August 14th he was promoted the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and responded with 11 hits in his first four games. In 23 games with the Quakes he hit .385 along with four home runs, 19 runs batted in and an OBP of .406.
Alex Verdugo
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Johan Mieses (20) – Outfield: Mieses, from the Dominican Republic, began the season with the Great Lakes Loons after a successful season with the Arizona League Dodgers in 2014. After hitting .277 with the Loons in 45 games he was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. In 51 games with the Quakes he hit .245 with six home runs and 19 RBI. Mieses played all three outfield during the season.
Michael Medina (19) – Outfield: Medina had caught people’s attention with 10 home runs as a 16-year old in 2013 in the Dominican Summer League. The path has been a progressive one for him. He played most of 2015 as an 18-year old in the Pioneer League with the Ogden Raptors. Medina turned 19 on August 24th. With the Raptors he hit .254 with nine home runs and 38 runs batted ii while playing mostly right field in Ogden.
Jordan Paroubeck (21) – Outfield: He too receives a dispensation having played the entire 2015 season as a 20-year old and being a favorite of mine. He had been acquired by the Dodgers in July in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. His 2015 season hit a definite snag when he suffered what was described as a minor quad injury. Paroubeck did not make an appearance until July 24th when he played left field with the Arizona League Dodgers. In 13 games with the Dodgers he hit .245 with an OBP of .327. On August 14th he was promoted to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League where he proceeded to go on a bit of a rampage hitting .379 with an OBP of .455 and an OPS of 1.075. The switch hitter hit four home runs with the Raptors with at least one of them over 420 feet long.
Jordan Paroubeck
(Photo credit – Briana Scroggins)
Leonardo Crawford (18) – Left-handed Pitcher: Crawford had quite a season in the Dominican Summer League. The Nicaraguan native went 5-4 over 63.1 innings. He had a 1.41 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP along with 74 strikeouts and 10 walks. He began the season with a string of 27.1 scoreless innings.
Grant Holmes (19) – Right-handed pitcher: Holmes was the Dodgers first round selection in the 2014 First year Player Draft. On paper his 2015 season did not look as appealing as his inaugural season in 2014. However, it was a solid season in many respects. He posted a 3.14 ERA over 103.1 innings while striking out 117 and giving up only 86 hits. He was most effective through May, June and July but struggled in April and August. For whatever reason his K:BB ratio went from 4:1 in 2014 to 2:1 in 2015. Command will certainly have to be addressed in 2016.
Grant Holmes
(Photo credit – Noall Knighton)
Julio Urias (19) – Left-handed Pitcher: It is quite easy to forget that Urias pitched most of 2015 as an 18-year old turning 19 on August 12th. In 2016 he will be entering his fourth year of professional baseball. With the Class A Tulsa Drillers Urias pitched 68.1 innings while posting a 2.77 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00. He struck out 74 while walking but 15. Urias missed about two months of the season recuperating from corrective surgery on his left eyelid. Hid 4.1 innings with the Oklahoma Dodgers didn’t go very well so it will be interesting to see how he tackles AAA hitters in 2016.
Jairo Pacheco (19) – Left-handed Pitcher: Pacheco had a relatively successful season with The Ogden Raptors in the Pioneer League in 2015. He went 7-4 in the short season pitching 70.2 innings over 15 starts. He struck out 56 and posted a 4.08 ERA in 2015. His ERA was elevated by two poor outings but he finished well giving up only three earned runs in his last 15 innings.
Honorable Mention:
Gersel Pitre (19) – Catcher: Pitre from Catia La Mar, Venezuela began the season with the Arizona League Dodgers hitting .392 with an OBP of .477. Although the sample was small he did throw out four of seven would be base stealers. On August 14th he was assigned to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League and in 11 games hit 279.
Hendrik Clementina (18) – Catcher: Clementina is from Willemstad, Curacao the home town of former catcher and present Dodger closer Kenley Jansen. With the Arizona League Dodgers in 2015 he hit .284 in 26 games with an OBP of .348. He finished the season with a flurry hitting .324 in his last 10 games including five multiple hit games.
Keibert Ruiz (17) – Catcher: Ruiz from Valencia, Venezuela is a switch hitter. In 44 games in 2015 he hit .300 with an OBP of .340 with the Dominican Summer League Dodgers.
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What I have noticed about Friedman, Zaidi and Kapler (albeit after only one season) is that they appear to be more willing to promote younger (19-20-ish) players than were Colletti and Watson which, of course, supports their claim of “getting younger.”
I have long been a proponent of the “sink or swim” mentality when it comes to the promotion of young players – especially pitchers – to the major leagues. I certainly understand that how a player deals with failure is a key component of their overall success and it most certainly is not good to fail for the first time at the major league level (as opposed to having done so at a lower level along the way) but the shelf life of a major leaguer is relatively short and why waste their (potentially) best years in the minors?
Granted, it takes a special player to be able to succeed at baseball’s highest level, but most of those who finish with great or even Hall of Fame careers were in the bigs before they were 25.
This is a very comprehensive list, Harold, and a true testament to the Dodgers scouting, drafting and player development programs.
Challenging players at the minor league level is one thing, but remember what happened when Adrian Beltre was rushed to the majors. I think it might be better to bring a prospect up a year late than a year too soon, although you always hope the timing is perfect. Notice how careful they were with Seager last year.
If Beltre was “rushed” to the majors, we should rush more. He’s a HOF!
Great point Mark. I have traditionally been one to think players should be brought along slowly but I really like the way FAZ are moving guys along quickly. That is helpful for the organization and the youngsters.
I’m hoping that the development part of the system improves and that if players are to be converted to another position it is done quickly in their young careers. Aaron Miller is a prime example of either misjudging whether he should have been drafted as a pitcher or hitter and then waiting far too long to convert him to an outfielder.
Having said that Ron, They still give Brett Anderson a QO and re-sign him….then re-sign Utley for $7M. In addition, Joe Blanton.
I get it, but we did have alternatives from the Utes on the farm….
Also this doesn’t even include the worst FA signing of 2015….Brandon McCarthy for FOUR yrs/$48M and Jimmy Rollins last yr.
Is it just me or does anyone else want to burn incense and read TBLA in a quiet place. Don’t get me wrong Ron, this is a great blog site!!! The subjects come in fast and furious any any bickering or getting off track is non existant to this point…
I have to get ahold of Mr. Brito at Camelback and see what happen to his kid C Julian Leon… I’m hoping it was a matter of pressing.
Peter, we like to keep things civil, but we’ve had our moments, believe me.
Okay, you better sit down Peter for this one, I totally agree with you.
The subjects do come fast and furious, to the point of not being able to really allow for much discussion, debate or argument to take place. Maybe that is by design. In any case, I’ll watch the site and see what develops.
Just curious and wondering if anyone knows the answer. What determines whether a foreign born player goes to the Dominican Summer League or the Arizona Summer League? I thought that players from Latin America would be bound for the D.R., but noticed that some on Harold’s list were in AZ last year. I know some MLB orgs. have got in trouble with the U.S. Government over immigration violations as minor leaguersfrom impoverished countries that weren’t cutting it, they’d disappear into the U.S., leaving their teams in anticipation of being released and returned to the homes (and a life of poverty). Essentially they would be in violation of overstaying their “work” visa. Teams were facing fines because of this, as a result, the Dominican League became the destination of many foreign born players as the overwhelming majority would not advance.
I was surprised to see a young Venezuelan and Curacaoan were in AZ instead of the D.R.
A very good question, Evan. If anyone knows the answer it would be Harold.
My guess is that it has everything to do with the kid’s age and make-up. It has to be very traumatic for a 16-18 year old kid (and their parents) to not only leave home at a very young age but to go to an entirely new country and significantly different lifestyle.
I would assume (and you know what they always say about that) that the player development folks pay very close attention to the maturity level of these kids and only send those that they feel can handle what amounts to a life-changing move.
Now where’s my incense?
I think Ron is right about the age and make up aspects of a youngster.
Julio Urias broke in with the Class A Great Lakes Loons in 2013 as a 16 year old. He was certainly an exception.
Most youngsters from Latin America because they are so young start in the DSL. Pitre and Clementina both had a year in the DSL before coming to AZL.
I expect Alvarez to start with the AZL Dodgers in 2016 or even with the Ogden Raptors with a possible promotion to the Loons before the season’s end.
I also think Ron is right that FAZ put the players on a faster track than Logan et al.
In addition to Alvarez, other teenagers making their professional debuts this Summer include: Starling Heredia, Ronnie Brito, Yusiel Diaz, and Omar Estevez. Based on scouting reports these young men could push their way on to your next year’s list.
It goes without saying every team has this same list. Last year, after 300 or so moves, hard to keep track unless you have eyes on all of it every day, my general feeling is we are probably better in the system. I do think we gave away at least 2 top prospects, Heaney and Peraza, that we could use right away. I see no MLB roster additions so far in ’16 that put a 3 time Division winner over the top. I also believe these Moneyball movers and shakers are far from done.
There’s no doubt the Dodgers have a lot of young players in their system but it’s time they build a Major League team that will be around for a while. I mean a team that has a regular starting 8. Players that we’ll see everyday throughout the season.
OBF – that is exactly what the Dodgers are going. That is, building a strong minor league system to feed the Dodgers so they can have a starting 8 for a longer period of time. It won’t happen in a season.
They have tried to build a team to be consistently competitive for 27 years by buying pieces. How well has that worked? No point in continuing on in the same way.
Wow. Great article. Thanks for the info. Can’t wait for these and others to move through system and help strengthen the organization and provide both players for the future on the Dodgers if possible, depth for creating the model minor league system for years to come and trade options for getting players of need/desire in the future.
Pete- thought I’d just let you know that Scott has a new site up & running in case you didn’t know?
It’s called LADodgerreport.com
Really like the format in here.
I believe that Cody Bellinger is getting the push of youngsters up the organizational ladder. He skipped low A, and did well at High A. He struggled during the early summer months, but he was allowed to work it out and finish at Rancho. I look for him to be promoted to AA at 20. De Leon got the mid year promotion from high A where he excelled to AA, and did well. Let’s see if FAZ still wants to push him to AAA to start 2016. Alex Verdugo got the mid year promotion from Low A to High A, and did well. Does he continue to get the push up to AA? Garcia and Baez were probably pushed beyond their comfort zone. That probably accounted for much of their struggles.
But I do not think that this all started with FAZ; maybe emphasized more. Players were pushed during the Colletti regime. Urias was 16 when he reported to Ogden and was pushed, allowing him to be promoted to AAA in 2015. Pederson was 22 when received the September call up under the Colletti regime. Kershaw was 20 when he first appeared in a LAD uniform. So players were pushed when deserved under the Colletti regime.
I think for me the upward movement was not necessarily just with high profile players but with larger numbers of players from Rookie to A, A to A+, A+ to AA etc. It just seems there was much more overall movement in 2015. Maybe that is just my perception.
I do think FAZ has accelerated the movement of players in bigger numbers to see if they can swim at the next level sooner. Movement was also in the reverse direction.