Third baseman Edwin Rios was selected by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2015 First Year Player Draft on June 9th, making him the No. 192 overall pick in the draft. His selection on the one hand might have been a bit surprising for the Dodgers that early in the draft picking an infielder coming off his third year at Florida International University in Greater Miami.

On the other side of the ledger was the Baseball Draft Report that listed Rios as the second best third base prospect from Division I colleges behind only David Thompson of the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Rios attended Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Florida and fully expected to be selected in the First-Year Player Draft out of high school. That was not to be as he didn’t get the call. “The phone never rang. I was very disappointed, I was crushed,” the 2012 Osceola High graduate said.

Three years later the 6’3” – 220-pound third baseman did get the call and made his professional debut on July 22, 2015 logging three hits in three at bats with the Arizona League Dodgers.

After two games with the Dodgers, he was moved on to the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League. In 20 games with the Raptors, playing primarily third base, Rios hit .235 with three home runs and 13 runs batted in finishing the season on September 8th with a three hit game against the Grand Junction Rockies.

Rios, who bats left but throws right, began the 2016 campaign with the Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League and by season’s end was named the Dodgers Minor League Position Player of the Year. With the Loons in 33 games, he hit 6 home runs. His home run against the Bowling Green Hotshots was a tape measure shot at 450 feet and at that time was the longest home run ever hit at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Rios was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League on June 5,2016 and proceeded to terrorize the league, hitting 16 home runs in 42 games while driving in 46 runs and posting a .367 batting average. His offensive outburst earned him another promotion, this time to the Tulsa Drillers of the AA Texas League.

Rios absolutely destroyed Cal League pitching, prompting his July 28, 2016 promotion to Double-A Tulsa. He was promoted to Triple-A OKC this past Friday. (Photo credit – Steve Saenz)

With the Drillers in 2016, Rios hit six more home runs giving him a total of 27 on the season. He struggled a bit hitting .254 with 13 runs batted in 33 games.

After 77 games in the current season, once again with the Drillers where he split his time between third base and first base, the 23-year-old Rios took the next step towards MLB with a promotion to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers of the Pacific Coast League.

His promotion seemed to be a bit overdue in light of his offensive numbers and standing in the Texas League in many hitting categories.

• 15 home runs (second)
• 62 RBI (second)
• 163 total bases (first)
• .317 batting average (third)
• .891 OPS (first)
• .533 SLG (first)

After a five-RBI game Rios explained why he felt his Texas League production had improved so dramatically.

“I feel like it has to do a lot with growing up and not throwing away AB’s,” Rios said. “I feel like the older you get, the sounder you get and you just have a better idea. This year I’ve been able to stay disciplined most of the time and have a plan when I go up to the plate and I’ve seen results. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Playing first base, Edwin Rios made his debut with the Oklahoma City Dodgers on July 7. He had one hit in four at-bats, as the Dodgers dropped a 5-2 decision to the New Orleans Baby Cakes.