McKinstry Making Strong Bid for Dodgers Opening Day Roster

You have to scroll down to the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft to find him … but he’s there. But you don’t have to look very far to find him now. He’s at 1000 Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012 – Dodger Stadium.

His name is Zach McKinstry, and he could very well be joining fellow 2016 draft classmates Gavin Lux, Will Smith, Dustin May, and (possibly) Tony Gonsolin* on the Dodgers Opening Day 30-man roster on July 23.

All the (then) 24-year-old Toledo, OH native and (as noted) 33rd round draft pick by the Dodgers in 2016 out of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI did during Spring Training-1 at Camelback Ranch before the COVID-19 shutdown was go 11-for-27 (.407) with two doubles, one triple, two home runs, with six RBI, one walk and six strikeouts in the 14 games in which he played; good enough to be added to the Dodgers 40-man roster and 60-man Spring Training-2 Player Pool.

Although Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has yet to announce his Opening Day 30-man roster, there is every reason to believe that utility infielder Zach McKinstry may be on it. (Photo credit – Kirby Lee)

So what’s it been like sharing the field with some of the best players in the game today during Spring Training-2 (Summer Camp) at Dodger Stadium these past two weeks?

“It’s awesome, I cherish every moment of it,” McKinstry said during his Zoom press conference on Saturday morning. “Just trying to learn from those guys, like Corey Seager and Kiké [Hernandez], taking ground balls next to him, Chris Taylor and all those guys.

“Playing against [Cody] Bellinger, Gavin Lux even, Clayton Kershaw, facing him, Alex Wood, all those guys, it’s fun being against them and playing with them; you get to play with them, playing behind pitchers like Woody and Clayton Kershaw,” he added. “It’s pretty awesome, again, to make plays for those guys. It’s like no other organization; they talk to you, they try to coach you a little bit, tell you where to go during plays.

“In the early camp it was ‘Hey, move here, try this.’ With Bellinger hitting quick – the shift – you have to play up a little bit more on him. It was really eye-opening to see how they think about the game, go about their business,” McKinstry concluded.

McKinstry described playing with and against some of the best players in the game today as “awesome.” He also said that the Dodgers are “like no other organization.” (Video capture courtesy of LA Dodgers)

Stay tuned…

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*Because of his delay in reporting for Spring Training-2, Gonsolin was optioned to the Dodgers alternate Summer Camp training facility on Saturday afternoon.

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