It’s hard to argue that the pitching staff of the Oklahoma City Dodgers isn’t a formidable one – both their starters and relievers. After all, we’re talking about guys named Julio Urias, Ross Stripling, Jose De Leon, Jharel Cotton, Logan Bawcom, Ian Thomas … and so on. But if you look about two hours to the northeast, you will find what may very well be an even better pitching staff from top to bottom – that of the Dodgers Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers.

Now granted, it’s impossible to predict how a guy in the high minors will do in the major leagues – if they even get there – and we all get that pitching in the the minors is nothing like pitching in the big leagues. But by the time a guy makes it to Triple-A or even Double-A, we’ve got a pretty good idea of how they might do at baseball’s highest level; and to be perfectly honest, there is an excellent chance that some of the guys currently pitching in Tulsa might make it to The Show before many of the guys currently at OKC will – Julio Urias notwithstanding.

Left-hander Julio Urias and right-hander Jose De Leon are unquestionably the biggest names in the Dodgers minor league system, but there are many more outstanding pitching prospects in the Dodgers system as well.
(Image courtesy of milb.com)

Although the focus of most Dodger fans has been on Urias and De Leon, and rightfully so, there are several guys at Tulsa who have also been pitching well of late … exceptionally well. So well, in fact, that the Drillers currently have seven starters with an ERA of 3.00 or below.

Currently leading the pack among Driller starters with at least five starts is right-hander Brock Stewart, who is 1-2 with a remarkable 1.25 ERA at Tulsa. However, the 24-year-old Normal, Illinois native was 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in his two starts with the Advanced Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes before his April 15 promotion to Tulsa.

Right on Stewart’s heels is right-hander Scott Barlow from Santa Clarita, California with a 2-2 record and 1.93 ERA in eight starts – all with the Drillers.

But the real magic and the guy that Dodger fans might want to keep a real close eye on is right-hander Chase De Jong. If De Jong’s name sounds familiar to you, it well should. The 22-year Long Beach, California native received an invitation to the Dodgers major league camp this past spring where he appeared in two games, allowing two runs on two hits while holding opposing batters to a .154 batting average. And though De Jong struck out one in his combined four innings of work, he also walked three.

But that was then and this is now. De Jong currently leads the Drillers in innings pitched (50.0), shutouts (one) and more importantly strikeouts (49) among all Drillers starters with five or more starts. In fact, De Jong hasn’t allowed a run in his last 14 innings pitched – capped off by a stellar two-hit / seven-inning shutout performance this past Tuesday against the Frisco RoughRiders (Rangers) at ONEOK Field in Tulsa.

Right behind De Jong is 23-year old right-hander Trevor Oaks from Riverside, California. Here again, if the three names Scott Barlow, Chase De Jong and Trevor Oaks ring a bell for you it’s because these three guys pitched the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to a three-game sweep over the San Jose Giants (Giants) to win the 2015 California League Championship last September. Oaks was promoted to the Drillers on April 27 after posting a 1-1 record and 3.60 ERA with the Quakes. Since arriving in Tulsa he is 4-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

(L to R) Chase De Jong, Trevor Oaks and Scott Barlow with the 2015 Cal League Championship trophy – all three of whom are enjoying success this season at Double-A Tulsa. (Photo courtesy of @ChaseDeJong )

It would be unfair not to include right-hander Carlos Frias as part of the Drillers success this season. Frias, who spent most of the 2015 season with the Dodgers, began the season at Triple-A OKC but an oblique injury forced him to be shut down. He was assigned to Tulsa on May 12 to begin a rehab assignment and is 0-0 with an excellent 1.29 ERA in two starts with the Drillers. Frias returned to the OKC Dodgers on May 20 but lost his first start two days later allowing four runs on seven hits in his three innings of work.

As for the Drillers bullpen, hang on. They currently have five guys with ERAs below 3.00 and another two below 4.00. Recently promoted right-hander Scott Griggs didn’t allowed a run in his Double-A debut on Tuesday, so he still has a 0.00 ERA. He is followed by left-hander Jordan Schafer who posted a 1.42 ERA in 14 games with the Drillers, leading to a promotion to Triple-A OKC this past Monday.

Next comes Logan Bawcom and his 2.00 ERA through five appearances leading to his promotion to OKC just yesterday. Rounding out the top-five sub-three ERA relievers are right-hander Caleb Dirks (2.04 ERA in 15 appearances) and seven-year minor league left-hander Grant Dayton (2.30 in 12 appearances). Dayton was also recently promoted to OKC – on May 15 – where he spent much of the 2015 season as well.

Although it is highly unlikely that the Dodgers will bring any of these guys up directly from Double-A to the big club, it is clear to see that there is a great deal of pitching talent beyond the Triple-A level.

…and that’s a very good thing.