May 15th, 2019 at 8:00 am 
by 0799291000348 Is it possible to under-value a player who was the 62nd player chosen in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (in the second round by the Dodgers), who slashed .321 / .389 / .452 / .842 in almost 900 Triple-A plate appearances, and was considered by Major League Baseball Pipeline and Baseball America as the Dodgers top prospect? Based upon his performance to date as a LA Dodger, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes!’
Alex Verdugo isn’t just good, he is exceptional!
And to think that Baseball America’s 2014 pre-draft scouting report stated:
“Some teams believe he (Verdugo) wants to go out as a hitter, but his professional future is definitely on the mound.”
In addition, the scouting report also hung the following note around Verdugo’s shoulders:
“Scouts have not liked his body language or effort at times this season on the mound and have noted immature behavior.”
That assessment followed Verdugo at every level as he progressed through the Dodgers minor league system, earning low marks for his discipline and work ethic, something that Verdugo has publicly admitted.
On September 14, 2017 Verdugo received a tongue-lashing from 15-year MLB veteran pitcher Rich Hill for arriving late to the ballpark, missing the pre-game hitters’ meeting. Then he separately met with Manager Dave Roberts and General Manager Farhan Zaidi about the unacceptable behavior. “We had a conversation and he was very apologetic and he understands he let the team down,” Roberts said. “It won’t happen again, he assured me…”
The Rich Hill tongue-lashing and meetings with Roberts and Zaidi may be looked back upon as a defining moment in the maturation of Alex Verdugo. To date he is slashing .333 / .377 / .552 / .930 which are Rookie of the Year-worthy. He is even better against left-handed pitching: .330 / .373 / .541
.914, which leads all Dodgers regulars. With runners-in-scoring-position and two outs: .438 / .471 / .813 / 1.283, which also leads the team.
(Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)
And attitude? Nothing but positive; not out-hustled, always encouraging, demonstratively into every game. Verdugo is no longer under-valued … by anyone.
Alex Verdugo has arrived.
* * * * *
Posted in 
Happy 23rd Birthday, Alex!
#BirthdayDinger!
REALLY pleased for Alex that “the message” got to him in
Time to avoid a label at the big leagues that might have stuck on him long term. I hope he is learning from what Julio Urias did too. Rightly or wrongly, Julio’s reputation is now damaged and it may stay that way permanently.
Not only has Alex matured, he’s actually the opposite.
Verdugo strikes me as the kind of player that thrives in a wholly nurturing environment where you’re held accountable for your actions as well as to a higher standard in front of the media. What I’ve seen from him this year is indeed a player that not only knows just how good he is at the big-league level, but how much better he can be yet still (much like Bellinger before him). So glad they finally jettisoned Puig when they did because he had his chances to get with it, but couldn’t…
I believe the development of Verdugo was a key factor in the Dodgers decision to trade Puig. Verdugo could not have asked for a better environment for his rookie year; established stars who have carried the offenses, and a manager who is a players-manager. It will be interesting to see how Roberts manages playing time once AJ Pollock is 100% healthy and game-ready.
Jesse, we do know one thing for sure, and that is Roberts was emphatic about continuing the platooning, much as he did last year. At this time, and IDK how it will exactly go when Pollock returns, but LF, CF,2B, 1B will be subject to platooning. Of course no catcher, whether he is the starter or not will play in all the games. It’s the one position where a back up will see playing time every week at some point.
Roberts is all about one thing – winning. There are players like Pederson, Hernandez, and Pollock who have struggled against pitchers throwing from the same side, so replacing them with others just makes sense for the team. Bellinger, Muncy, Verdugo, Turner, and Seager have demonstrated that they can hit LH and RH pitchers, so they are not being platooned. One of the best records in MLB — Roberts must be doing something right.
Verdugo has shown he belongs in the starting lineup,let´s see how Roberts handles this when Pollock returns.