(Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series by ThinkBlueLA’s minor leagues staff writer Harold Uhlman of his annual 20-and-under team. This year it is broken down into infielders, outfielders and pitchers).

(Author’s note: On January 28th, 2016 I wrote my third installment of the Dodgers 20 and under team, having written the first for ThinkBlueLA in 2014).

The 2017 Dodgers 20 and under infield

From the 2016 team, right-hand pitcher Grant Holmes is the only prospect who is no longer part of the Dodgers organization. He was traded to the Oakland Athletics in the trade deadline deal that brought outfielder Josh Reddick and left-hand pitcher Rich Hill to the Dodgers.

Needless to say, there is some personal bias in the following selections. On the other hand, the possible choices for the team has been somewhat expanded from the choices available in 2016, with the exception of first base and third base. (The age given in parenthesis is their age as of today’s writing).

Keibert Ruiz (18) – Catcher:

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For two years right-handed hitting Julian Leon has made the 20 and under team and appeared to be the Dodgers catcher of the future. Leon is still 20 years of age and it appears he might have been pushed ahead too quickly. He had an improved season in 2016 with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and should not be discounted because of his youth and power potential. However, Ruiz, also a right-handed hitter, rose to the top of the catcher crop in 2016. With the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League he hit .354 with an OBP of .393. He had 22 extra base hits among his 67 hits. Behind the plate, he made but one error in 305 total chances for a .997 fielding percentage. He did have five passed balls and threw out only 22 per cent of would be base stealers but that was against the back drop of playing as a 17-year-old until July 20. Born in Valencia, Venezuela, Ruiz was selected to the 2016 Dodgers Organizational All-Star Team. He is a switch-hitter.

Honorable Mention: Venezuelan native Gersel Pitre (20) hit .269 with the Ogden Raptors and was successful in throwing out 42 per cent of would be base stealers.

Luis Paz (20) – First Base:

Luis Paz

Certainly, Ibandel Isabel would have taken this spot, hands down, if he had not turned 21 on June 20, 2016. However, Paz in his first season out of the Dominican Summer League put up some good numbers. Initially thought to be a catcher, he has become a first baseman. With Keibert Ruiz and Gersel Pitre behind the plate with the Ogden Raptors in 2016 there was no room for Paz as a catcher. On the season, he hit .269, fading a bit in the second half, with six home runs and 37 runs batted in. Among his 43 hits he had 25 extra base hits. Perhaps his biggest hit of the season was a three-run homer on September 10 fueling a six-run sixth inning as the Raptors beat the Orem Owlz 7-4 in the third game of the Pioneer League semi-finals. The 6’1”/211-pound Paz is a native of Marilla, Brazil.

Honorable mention: Erick Meza (18), from Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico, was a bit over-matched with the Great Lakes Loons in 2016. A .313 batting average in 19 games in July along with a .397 OBP gave a glimpse of what might follow in 2017.

Omar Estevez (18) – Second Base:

Omar Estevez

In his first year of professional baseball Estevez established himself as a steady player in the Class-A Midwest League and above average in the second half of the season.

During the second half of 2016 he became acclimatized to life in a new country and in a league where he was the youngest player. He hit .293 after the All-Star break with an OBP of .340 while driving in 41 runs in 63 games played. He showed good power for a 5’10”/168-pound rookie with 32 doubles and nine home runs. During the Loons 10-game play-off run, Estevez hit .302 with 13 hits and nine runs batted in. His most significant hit during the season came on August 11 against the Lake County Captains. Trailing 10-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two out, Estevez hit a bases-loaded home run to bring the Loons within one run of the Captains. The Great Lakes squad would go on to win the game in the bottom of the tenth inning. That grand slam was the defining moment for the 2016 Loons and they never looked back from that point confident they couldn’t be beaten. From Matanzas, Cuba Omar Estevez is ranked as the Dodgers No. 12 prospect by MLBPipeline.

Honorable Mention: Not far behind Estevez would be 20-year-old Brandon Montgomery who was selected by the Dodgers in the 26th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. With the Arizona League Dodgers and Ogden Raptors Montgomery hit a combined .332 with and an OBP of .385. He hit eight home runs, seven with the Raptors. He was quite likely the Dodgers minor league offensive player of the month in August hitting .357 with an OBP of .389 and an OPS of 1.022. He drove in 25 runs in 24 games.

Jared Walker (20) – Third Base:

Jared Walker

This is Walker’s third year as a 20 and under selection and he has yet to really click. He was selected by the Dodgers in the 5th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. He had a nine-game trial with the Loons before settling in with the Ogden Raptors in 2016. He hit at a relatively consistent .260 clip with the Raptors and posted a .336 OBP.

Brendon Davis (19) – Shortstop:

Brendon Davis

Davis gets the nod over Gavin Lux as he played the full season as the second youngest player in the Class-A Midwest League and displayed leadership qualities as the season progressed. He also played 19 games at third base. On the season, he hit .241 with 49 runs batted in while scoring 51 runs. With two outs and RISP he hit .270 and chipped in with a .286 batting average in the Loons 10-game play-off run along with eight runs batted in and eight runs scored. Davis was a 5th round selection by the Dodgers in the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of Lakewood High School in California. He has the athleticism and arm to play third base.

Honorable Mention: Gavin Lux (19) was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. During the 2016 season, he started the season a bit slowly but finished strongly with a combined batting average of .296 between the Arizona League Dodgers and Ogden Raptors. His last eight games of the season were with the Raptors in which he had 12 hits in eight games.

(Part two to follow)