June 19th, 2019 at 9:00 am 
by 0799291000348 On June 4, 2019, Kody Hoese was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. One week later he became a professional, officially signing with the Dodgers for $2,740,300.00 – full slot value for the 25th overall pick.
The 21-year-old third baseman made his professional debut on June 17, playing for one of the Dodgers two teams in the Arizona Rookie League!
Why the exclamation point, one might ask?
Well, in his professional debut playing third base and batting in the clean-up position, Hoese’s first at-bat resulted in a double to right field, driving in the Dodgers first run. Later in the first inning, he scored the Dodgers second run of the game. In the third inning he hit another double to right field and scored another run. In the fifth inning, Hoese again doubled to left field and again scored – his third double and third run scored of the game.
He was not challenged defensively, catching a first-inning popup for his only defensive opportunity of the day.
As an encore, in his second game on June 18, Hoese went 2-for-2, including his first home run as a professional; a long, two-run blast to left field. He also lined a sharp single to centerfield and drew a walk to conclude his evening, having been replaced by another young prospect as the Designated Hitter. A Nice start indeed – 5-for-5 with a walk in his first six plate appearances as a professional.
There was another prospect who had a great start to his Dodgers career, 22-year-old first and third baseman Justin Yurchak. Justin was acquired by the Dodgers on November 1, 2018 from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 28-year-old left-handed pitcher Manny Banuelos. Not a headline-grabbing trade by any means, but the Dodgers may have picked the pocket of yet another MLB team, as they have done several times in the recent past.
In Yurchak’s first five at-bats for the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer Rookie League, he hit three home runs and two doubles, scored four runs, and drove-in seven. He added his fourth home run on June 18 and is slashing a robust .467 / .579 / 1.400 / 1.979. A twelfth-round selection by the White Sox in the 2017 MLB draft out of State University of New York at Binghamton, Yurchak’s profile is a pure hitter, with an elite bat-to-ball skill. He was noted for being one of the toughest players to strike out in Division-I play in 2017. Yes, he hits left-handed (of which the Dodgers have many), but who cares with results like this.
Welcome to the Dodgers Kody and Justin! You can bet that Dodgers fanatics everywhere will be closely monitoring your progress.
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(Editors Note: For background information on Kody Hoese, check out this article posted on June 4, 2019)
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Why hasn’t M Busch signed yet? What’s he waiting for? Two million plus is a lot to pass up.
there are several possibilities, ranging from Busch wanting more money than the slot value, to the Dodgers offering less than slot value in order to sign second round supplemental pick Jimmy Lewis to an above slot contract. The signing rules regarding slot values adds a level of complexity to the process for teams to work around.
Wasn’t entirely sure about the Hoese pick in the beginning (mainly because I wasn’t keeping tabs on him prior to the draft, lol), but I’m really beginning to like how he approaches the game. Soon as he got drafted, wasted ZERO time signing on the dotted line and got right to work. First two AZL games he’s had offensively were like something out of a video game, my goodness he just couldn’t get himself out if he tried! If he’s not at Low-A Great Lakes by the end of this month, I’m gonna be VERY…displeased. And if he adds another 10-15 pounds of solid muscle on that still-wiry frame of his over the next year or so, he should be ready to go by 2021 at the latest.
And as for Yurchak, talk about another diamond in the rough. Was wondering who they ended up getting back in that Banuelos deal and so far it looks pretty darn good. Pray this kid moves quickly because he’s sort of repeating Rookie-ball for no real reason at this point, but his ability to become a consistently tough out at the plate is something that can not be ignored. Reminds me of that Ty France kid the Padres currently have on their AAA El Paso affiliate, quiet as kept…
Can’t wait for the final three early-round picks to sign soon (Busch and that Texas Lewis kid especially). Money shouldn’t be an issue for that matter, Dodgers got just enough left in their budget to get it done without coughing up a future 1st round pick in the process.
I look for Yurchak to be at Great Lakes shortly with Hoese replacing him on the Raptors roster. After that? Dodgers are not shy about promoting players who perform as long as another prospect is not blocking their way.
I’m pretty sure Will Smith can relate right now, poor guy…
🙁
Have no idea how Dodgers will sort through the catching situation, but Smith is needed on the roster sooner than later.