Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Tag: Chris Reed (Page 1 of 2)

Dodgers acquire reliever Grant Dayton from Marlins for Chris Reed

Grant DaytonBy Jon Weisman

Chris Reed, the 2011 Dodger first-round draft choice who was designated for assignment July 10, has been traded to the Miami Marlins for left-handed pitcher Grant Dayton.

Dayton has a 2.83 ERA at Triple-A New Orleans, with 35 strikeouts in his 35 innings against only five walks. His WHIP is 0.86, which would lead the Pacific Coast League if he had enough innings to qualify.

The 27-year-old has always been a strikeout pitcher in the minors, but this is the first season in which he has harnessed his walks. In his minor-league career, he has a 1.16 WHIP and 3.7 strikeout-walk ratio. Left-handed batters have gone 6 for 33 (.182) against him this year.

Dayton, who is not on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, will be assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was originally drafted in the 11th round of the 2010 draft out of Auburn.

Dodgers claim Preston Guilmet, designate Chris Reed for assignment

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Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers

By Jon Weisman

The Dodgers have claimed right-handed reliever Preston Guilmet from Tampa Bay and optioned him to the minors, but the bigger news for prospect watchers is that to make room for him on the 40-man roster, Los Angeles has designated 2011 first-round draft choice Chris Reed for assignment.

Reed, who was the 16th player taken overall in the ’11 draft, was converted to relief this year after pitching as a starter from 2011-14. His combined totals in Double-A and Triple-A this year were a 5.97 ERA with 1.59 WHIP against 5.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 25-year-old left-hander from Cleveland High School in Reseda and Stanford reached his peak in the organization with Double-A Chattanooga in 2014 (3.22 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.6 K/9).

Guilmet, 27, has 21 innings of Major League experience with a 6.43 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 7.7 K/9. In Triple-A this year, he has a 1.84 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 8.6 K/9. The Dodgers are his third organization this year, after the Rays claimed him from the Blue Jays on May 13.

A ninth-round pick in the 2009 draft, Guilmet has earned league All-Star recognition at every level during his minor league career.

Dodger minor league report No. 4: Seager adjusting to Triple-A

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Dodgers at Brewers, 10:40 a.m.
Joc Pederson, CF
Yasmani Grandal, C
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Alex Guerrero, LF
Andre Ethier, RF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Kiké Hernandez, SS
Carlos Frias, P

By Jon Weisman

Though the Pacific Coast League has put a slight break on the rapid rise of Corey Seager, it wouldn’t be fair to say he’s lost all momentum.

Seager, who turned 21 last week, is 5 for 20 with a double, a walk and four strikeouts since his promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City from Double-A Tulsa. Seager had hits in two of his first three at-bats, then went 0 for 9 (with his one walk).  But in his last two games, Seager is 3 for 8 with a double and two RBI, heading into tonight’s game against New Orleans.

On to this week’s roundup …

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Dodgers send five starting pitchers to minors

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A’s at Dodgers, 1:05 p.m.
Justin Turner, 1B
Darwin Barney, SS
Adrian Gonzalez, DH
Juan Uribe, 3B
Andre Ethier, LF
Scott Van Slyke, RF
Joc Pederson, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Kike Hernandez, 2B
(Zack Greinke, P)

By Jon Weisman

Five pitchers who all figure to start games at some point for Triple-A Oklahoma City — Zach Lee, Chris Reed, Mike Bolsinger, Joe Wieland and Carlos Frias — were optioned to minor-league camp before today’s game.

Erik Bedard, Chad Gaudin and David Huff are among the potential minor-league starters or swingmen that remain with the big-league club for now.

The report from Planet Urias

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By Jon Weisman

At times, I felt silly about tweeting out batter-by-batter updates on Julio Urias’ outing today, but it just felt to me like the combination of the level of interest and it being his first Cactus League outing as a grown-up justified them.

What I felt badly about was the short shrift given the other noteworthy prospects on the mound for the Dodgers today. Chris Anderson pitched two perfect innings, Zach Lee walked one batter but retired the other six and Chris Reed had a perfect inning before two singles, a wild pitch and a ground out spoiled his second frame.

Nonetheless, our minds were already in full orbit around Urias.

Urias did display a bit of “Aw, shucks” fallibility that on one level was a welcome antidote to those of us who might be getting carried away with our star-gazing, as if he were a celestial body from light-years away that had already blossomed, while we were just now getting our first glimpse. Facing seven batters, he walked three and went to a full count in an eight-pitch at-bat with another.

Urias pitchingHis first inning of work, following Lee to the mound, was fairly scintillating — two strikeouts sandwiching his first walk, followed by a harmless ground out (18 pitches in all). Coming back to the mound after a long rest (the Dodgers ate up a lot of time on offense in producing their 10-1 victory over Milwaukee), Urias took eight pitches to retire Carlos Gomez, then used another eight pitches in walking Aramis Ramirez.

(It’s here that we pause and remember, that’s an 18-year-old pitcher facing two 2014 National League All-Stars. Anyone else but Urias or Clayton Kershaw would have simply dug a hole on the mound.)

That put Urias at 34 pitches with four outs on his ledger, and a pitch-count limit was nigh. Urias staved it his departure — and showcased another exciting element of his game — by picking off pinch-runner Elian Herrera.

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But after getting ahead of Khris Davis 1-2, Urias couldn’t finish him off. Davis fouled off two pitches and took three more, and that was that.

Part of me couldn’t help but wonder, “Shoot, if the guy can throw 42 pitches on March 6, couldn’t he throw 21 on August 6?” My takeaway, however, was that whatever was meant to be for Urias in a Major League uniform would all come in due time.

And flying under the radar, despite their own impressive pedigrees, Anderson, Lee and Reed should have their chances to romance us.

* * *

Reporters naturally sought out Urias for comment afterward, and it was nice to see his enthusiastic reaction.

“It was awesome to face (Gomez) and get an out against him (on a popup) at this early stage,” Urias told MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer, who noted that the pitcher’s father, grandfather and brother were watching. “I felt good, comfortable.”

Also weighing in was the man himself, Fernando Valenzuela.

“He was relaxed, nice and loose,” Valenzuela said, via Spencer. “He’s got a lot of confidence in himself. He has a good fastball with life and throws a nice curveball and changeup. He got ahead (in counts), but they didn’t chase. He looks like he can be something special.”

A.J. Ellis put the outing in perspective, in Eric Stephen’s writeup at True Blue L.A.

“He looked like a guy making his first start of spring training. A little bit erratic, a little bit anxious,” Ellis said. “When you’re erratic and anxious, but still have electric stuff, you can get away with a lot of things. We saw a little bit of everything.”

* * *

Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson come together before splitting off for today's split-squad games. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Andre Ethier and Joc Pederson come together before splitting off for today’s split-squad games. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

It was also another fine day for the Dodger bats, mainly against the Brewers but also in their 7-4 split-squad victory over the Mariners.

In support of Lee, Urias, Reed and Associates, Ellis had a walk and a three-run home run, Yasiel Puig had a single and two walks. Joc Pederson and Alex Guerrero each went 2 for 3 with an extra-base hit (double for Pederson, home run for Guerrero) to keep them a matched set with .714 batting averages this month.

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“There is a very short window to make the team,” Guerrero told Stephen. “I’ve prepared a lot in the offseason, so I have to jump right in with a short time to prove myself. Mentally I’m confident, I’m relaxed, so that’s a difference too.”

Scott Schebler had two doubles, and Kyle Jensen followed up Thursday’s home run with two singles today. Darnell Sweeney got in the act, hitting a single and the Dodgers’ third home run off Milwaukee pitching. The Dodgers had 22 baserunners in that game, while Milwaukee ended up with a runs-hits-errors linescore of 1 2 3.

Joey Curletta ended the rout with a diving catch in right field.

Back at Camelback, O’Koyea Dickson hit his second home run of Spring Training, after Adrian Gonzalez went 1 for 2 at first base. Erisbel Arruebarrena had two hits, after Jimmy Rollins went 1 for 2 at short. Howie Kendrick, Andre Ethier and Shawn Zarraga gave the Dodgers a total of six 1-for-2 batters in the game.

Baseball America rates top 10 Dodger prospects

By Jon Weisman

In Baseball America’s new assessment of the Dodger farm system, the triumvirate of Corey Seager, Joc Pederson and Julio Urias rates up top, in that order, followed by top 2014 draft picks Grant Holmes and Alex Verdugo.

Jose De Leon has leaped to the No. 6 spot, outfielder Scott Schebler to No. 9 and catcher Julian Leon to No. 10, with pitchers Chris Anderson and Chris Reed returning from 2014’s list. (Here’s the 2013 list for reference as well.)

“Aside from the Cubs, the Dodgers’ top three prospects are as strong as any other organization’s in basebal,” writes BA’s Ben Badler.  “After the vaunted trio, the Dodgers farm system is in a better place than it was a year ago because of the emergence of depth beyond them. Their top 2014 draft picks—first-round righthander Grant Holmes and outfielder Alex Verdugo—both had strong debuts and look like potential impact talents.”

Minor league highlights from 2014

Minor League Wrap

In the October issue of Dodger Insider magazine, Cary Osborne took this snapshot of highlights from the Dodger farm system in 2014, and I thought it would be nice to share with our blog audience before this year passes into next. Click the image above to enlarge.

— Jon Weisman

Zach Lee, Chris Reed and Scott Schebler join 40-man

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Ahead of tonight’s deadline to protect players before the December 11 Rule 5 draft, the Dodgers selected the contracts of pitchers Zach Lee and Chris Reed and outfielder Scott Schebler to the team’s 40-man roster.

The Dodgers have 39 players on the 40-man, after reliever Onelki Garcia was claimed on waivers by the Chicago White Sox. Garcia, who allowed two runs in 1 1/3 big-league innings with the Dodgers in 2013, missed most of 2014 because of arm surgery before a brief return at season’s end for Rancho Cucamonga.

— Jon Weisman

A week of injuries and promotions

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt with Chris Reed at Spring Training (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Pitching coach Rick Honeycutt with Chris Reed at Spring Training (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Dodgers at Brewers, 5:10 p.m.
Dee Gordon, 2B
Yasiel Puig, CF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Matt Kemp, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Juan Uribe, 3B
Drew Butera, C
Roberto Hernandez, P

By Jon Weisman

So, this has been an interesting week:

  • Saturday: Paul Maholm to the disabled list.
  • Monday: Chris Perez to the disabled list.
  • Tuesday: Paco Rodriguez to the disabled list.
  • Friday: Josh Beckett to the disabled list.

There has been some good news, though. Carlos Frias made his Major League debut with two shutout innings. Pedro Baez came back and pitched a shutout inning against the Angels.

And left-handed pitcher Chris Reed received a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Reed’s ERA in Double-A Chattanooga is 3.22 this season, with 116 strikeouts in 137 innings compared with 169 baserunners. He will no doubt find the environment in the Pacific Coast League a shock to his system, but it’s still a nice step for the 25-year-old taken in the first round of the 2011 draft out of Stanford.

March 4 pregame: Ten reassigned from Major League camp

Los Angeles Dodgers at Oakland Athletics

Mariners vs. Dodgers, 12:05 p.m.
Yasiel Puig, RF
Carl Crawford, LF
Hanley Ramirez, DH
Andre Ethier, CF
A.J. Ellis, C
Juan Uribe, 3B
Clint Robinson, 1B
Justin Turner, SS
Chone Figgins, 2B
(Brian Wilson, P)

By Jon Weisman

The first round of springtime reassignments took place this morning. Pedro Baez, Nick Buss, Stephen Fife, Yimi Garcia and Jarret Martin were optioned to minor-league camp, while Sam Demel, Griff Erickson, Daniel Moskos, Chris O’Brien and Chris Reed were reassigned to minor-league camp.

It all amounts to the same thing; the difference has to do with being on the 40-man roster vs. being a non-roster invitee.

As previously announced, today is a bullpen day while the Australia unbound Zack Greinke gets his calf back on track. Scheduled to follow Brian Wilson are Kenley Jansen, J.P. Howell, Chris Perez, Jamey Wright and Chris Withrow.

Carl Crawford returns to the defensive end of things today, in left field.

Item from the Dodger press notes: “Scott Van Slyke’s father, Andy, will be in uniform for Seattle this afternoon as he enters his first season as the Mariners’ first base coach.”

And in other news this morning, Ted Lilly, who threw his last Major League pitch for the Dodgers on June 4, has been hired by the Cubs as a special assistant in the front office, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

Intrasquad Monday: 0-0, it’s magic

Los Angeles Dodgers workout

By Jon Weisman

Day 2 of the Dodgers’ pair o’ pre-preseason intrasquad showdowns ended in a 0-0 tie at Camelback Ranch.

There was a big near-blow in today’s three-inning affair, but appropriately, it was for naught.

Chris Reed faced the minimum in his two innings of work, allowing one hit (to Pederson) while notching a double-play grounder from Carl Crawford and strikeouts of Yasiel Puig and Scott Van Slyke. Dan Haren also pitched two shutout innings, while Paco Rodriguez and Jamey Wright each contributed a frame. Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Buss and J.C. Boscan (with a double) also had hits.

A couple of excerpts from Hoornstra’s notebook:

  • Gonzalez was picked off second base on an excellent throw by catcher Drew Butera.
  • The unofficial pitch count for Gordon’s first at-bat against Haren: 12. It was long. Gordon struck out on his final swing.

For more photos from today at Camelback, visit Jon SooHoo’s Photog Blog.

Interview: De Jon Watson looks at Dodger prospects

Though the Dodger farm system certainly has its less fallow spots, it also certainly has its fertile areas, which were enough for ESPN.com’s Keith Law to rank it 12th in the majors, higher than I’ve seen elsewhere.

For a closer look at some of the Dodger developing prospects, I interviewed Dodger assistant general manager in charge of player development De Jon Watson recently for a piece that is running in full at ESPNLosAngeles.com. Here’s how it begins …

The patchwork roster surrounding established Los Angeles Dodgers stars like Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw this year would hint at a dearth of minor league chips to play with, but De Jon Watson would encourage you to ante up.

The Dodgers’ assistant general manager in charge of player development has more than a poker hand’s worth of serious starting pitcher candidates rising through the system, and would even argue for a few wild cards among the position players.

“It’s been good stuff, man,” Watson said of the franchise’s depth at starting pitcher. “Our kids are coming. It’s great to have that type of competition. … If you have a hiccup or someone goes down for a little bit, you have a legitimate option waiting in the wings. The key is being as sharp as they can possibly be when that opportunity arises so you really don’t miss a beat.”

That doesn’t change the Dodgers’ pattern of leaning toward veterans at the start of the season. With Hiroki Kuroda leaving as a free agent and the team’s 2010 minor league pitcher of the year, Rubby De La Rosa, recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers signed Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano rather than hand a starting rotation slot to Nathan Eovaldi, who had a 3.09 ERA in six starts at age 21 late last summer.

Shortstop Dee Gordon is the only 2011 Dodgers rookie who has the inside track on a starting spot with the team this season. Gordon, who had 24 stolen bases in 56 games and a .325 on-base percentage (.398 in September), will look to capitalize on his hot finish.

“The biggest thing to look for from him is going to be his on-base percentage,” Watson said, “because his speed is going to change how they pitch to the guy that’s behind him. He’s going to apply pressure both from an offensive standpoint and a defensive standpoint for the opponent. So he has to get on base. For us, his key is understanding what type of hitter he is, understanding the strike zone.” …

In addition to Eovaldi, De La Rosa and Gordon, Watson also provides a status report on Jerry Sands, Zach Lee, Garret Gould, Allen Webster, Chris Withrow, Shawn Tolleson, Steven Ames, Scott Van Slyke, Alex Castellanos, Chris Reed and Pedro Baez.

Hope you enjoy reading the full story

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Infielder roulette

Monday was a day of past Dodger infielders making news, and present Dodger infielders become past ones.

  • Russell Mitchell was designated for assignment to make room on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster for Todd Coffey. He could return to the organization if he clears waivers. (Remembering 2011: Russell Mitchell)
  • Blake DeWitt, once upon a time known as “The Solution,” was designated for assignment by the Cubs, who acquired him in the Ted Lilly trade a couple years back. DeWitt, 26, had a 95 OPS+ (.305 on-base percentage, .413 slugging) with Chicago in 2011, compared with Adam Kennedy’s 79 OPS+ for Seattle – but don’t expect the Dodgers to give someone up to acquire DeWitt, who more likely would end up back in the minors for the Cubs.
  • Alex Cora is still at it, signing a minor-league deal with St. Louis.
  • Edwin Jackson reportedly turned down a three-year, $30 million deal with Pittsburgh to sign with Washington for one year and $11 million, banking on doing better in next season’s free-agent market (or just determined to set a record for organizations in a career).
  • Dodgers assistant general manager of amateur and international scouting Logan White talked about some of his prize picks – Zach Lee, Clayton Kershaw, Allen Webster, Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Reed – with David Laurila for Fangraphs.
  • Up-and-coming reliever Shawn Tolleson was profiled by Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
  • The late Jose Lima is the subject of a recent SABR biography by Rory Costello.
  • Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A. is taking a day-by-day look at the Dodgers’ divisional rivals, starting with Arizona on Monday and continuing with San Francisco today.
  • Monday in Jon SooHoo: Blake Griffin and Matt Kemp.
  • Mark Prior is trying one more time to salvage his pitching career, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (via Drew Silva of Hardball Talk). Prior last pitched in the majors in 2006 and won only two games after his 25th birthday.
  • Also aspiring to come back: Brandon Webb, out since Opening Day 2009.
  • Tim Lincecum talks about Clayton Kershaw, among other topics, in this video passed along by Roberto Baly of Vin Scully Is My Homeboy.
  • Here’s a simple dice baseball game designed for kids ages 3-6, via Baseball Think Factory.
  • One last baseball-oriented remark about “Smash” that I tweeted: “Hilty is the proven veteran talent. McPhee is green but higher-ceiling. It’s Juan Rivera vs. Jerry Sands. Harang vs. Eovaldi.”  Except this wasn’t quite right. It’s more like A.J. Ellis vs. Tim Federowicz.
  • Ten years ago, while on detail for MLB.com in Venezuela, former Dodger communications vice president Josh Rawitch wrote about an up-and-coming Rivera.
  • In this terrific podcast interview, ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Kamenetzky brothers talk to Oscar-nominated actor Gary Oldman about, among many other things in a 45-minute chat, his great admiration and love for baseball.
  • This seemed to fascinate some folks on Twitter late Monday: Take a look at these NPR contributor bios, and see if their pictures match with your images of them.

Signing of first-round pick Reed imminent

Chris Reed is expected to make his first official appearance at Dodger Stadium before Friday’s game, coinciding with the announcement that the first-round pick has signed with the Dodgers. From Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com:

Reed accepted a signing bonus of a little less than $1.6 million just four days before Monday’s deadline for signing this year’s draft picks.

The deal is expected to be announced on Friday. The agreement became official after Reed passed a physical examination on Thursday.

The Dodgers now have signed nine of their first 10 picks, the exception being fourth-rounder Ryan O’Sullivan, a right-hander out of Oklahoma City University.

Reed will attend Friday night’s game at Dodger Stadium between the Dodgers and Houston Astros and is expected to be made available to the media either before or during that game. Shortly thereafter, he will report to the team’s advanced Class A affiliate in Rancho Cucamonga, two levels higher than where collegiate draft picks usually begin their careers. …

Reed won’t attend the Dodgers’ Instructional League camp in Arizona after the season because, as part of the agreement, he will be allowed to return to Stanford in the fall to continue working toward his college degree. …

Chris-cross: Comparing top draft picks for the Dodgers and Angels

As the Dodgers and Angels prepare to battle on the field for the first time this season, we can revisit an earlier pseudo-faceoff between the two clubs – the MLB draft.

Los Angeles and Los Angeles* drafted in succession, with the Dodgers using the 16th pick overall and the Angels the 17th. Both teams picked college juniors: Stanford pitcher Chris Reed to Chavez Ravine, Utah first baseman C.J. Cron to Anaheim.

The question of the day is this: Why did the Dodgers, an organization that needs offensive help, take the pitcher – a reliever at that – instead of the hitter. Cron certainly has his bona fides.

“A 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-handed slugger who can drive the ball but also sprays it to all fields and makes consistent contact, Cron from the beginning was in the bull’s-eye of Los Angeles scouting director Rik Wilson,” wrote Tom Singer and Jordan Garretson of MLB.com.

In 49 games, the first-team All-American had a .517 on-base percentage and .803 slugging percentage, with 15 walks and 31 walks compared to 21 strikeouts in 198 at-bats. The twist with Cron: Do the words “torn right labrum” scare you off?

“I played through it, because the doctor said I couldn’t do any more damage,” Cron told MLB.com. “It’s pretty painful when I throw, so something will have to be done eventually.”

Said Jason A. Churchill of ESPN.com: “Cron possesses perhaps the best power tool among college bats in the entire class. A natural catcher, Cron played first base this season due to a shoulder injury, but that is likely where he ends up as a pro. He makes a lot of contact, too, but doesn’t generally work the count all that much. He generates leverage and loft consistently and is believed to have a strong enough ability to hit for average that he’ll skate through the minors in a couple of seasons. The Halos need bats, and Cron gives them one.”

And this from Baseball America: “He doesn’t move well at first base and is a bottom-of-the-scale runner, but that’s all right because he’s the best all-around hitter in the country and should have no problem producing the numbers teams expect from a first baseman. Cron has the unique combination of pure hitting ability and power. He projects to be an above-average hitter and has legitimate 80 raw power on the 20-80 scale that translates into at least above-average usable power. He has great hand-eye coordination and the strength in his hands to drive good pitches for singles and doubles. He uses a good approach at the plate and makes adjustments well, so he should move quickly through a team’s system.”

However much they might or might not have been tempted by Cron, the Dodgers went with Reed, the reliever whom they project as a starting pitcher.

“Reed is listed at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds,” said Baseball America, “but scouts say he has grown and gained strength from last year to this year. His fastball varies from 89-91 mph some nights to 92-94 on others, and he has touched 96. He’ll show a power slider and above-average changeup, but all of his stuff needs more consistency. That should come with experience. Reed has totaled just 68 innings at Stanford and has started only one game. His size, athleticism and three-pitch mix will tempt teams to give him a shot as a starter in pro ball.”

The Cleveland High grad finished his season with 52 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings, while allowing 39 hits (one home run) and walking 17.

“There’s big league ability here and his changeup and slider are his two best pitches,” Churchill said, “but this was a pick to make sure they landed a player with probability and signability, rather than upside.”

However, the final judge was Dodger assistant general manager of scouting Logan White, and don’t try telling White that Reed doesn’t have upside.

“I think this guy definitely can start,” White told Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com. “I think we got fortunate that the kid was pitched out of the bullpen. We were on him a long time. He hasn’t been seen a lot (by other clubs). He throws 92-95 (mph). … He is big and strong, 6-feet-5 and 215 (pounds). He has a hard slider, 86-88, and a sharp changeup as well.”

If anything, the signability issue might loom larger in White’s mind, with Reed being a Scott Boras client, but the man who lassoed Zach Lee a year ago isn’t lacking confidence.

“I would never say it’s a slam dunk, but I’m fairly confident about it,” White told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “I think the kid really wants to play; he’s given us every indication that he wants to go play. He wants to start.

“Scott and I get along fine. I’ve had fine dialogue with the Boras Corp. I don’t have resentment from that standpoint. There’s always some concern. Like last year, I felt we would sign (Lee), but I couldn’t say 100 percent. This is the same way.”

White’s bias toward drafting pitchers in the first round is hard to ignore – this is the ninth time in the past 10 Dodger drafts that a pitcher has been the team’s first pick. It hasn’t always been successful, but Cron did not persuade White to break from the formula. Best-case scenario: Reed is competing with Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Rubby De La Rosa, Zach Lee, Garrett Gould, Nathan Eovaldi, Allen Webster and more for a spot in the Dodger rotation.

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