Forty years ago in the official team program, here’s what the Dodgers’ top prospects looked like, from the familiar to the forgotten.
— Jon Weisman
Category: Minor leagues (Page 3 of 8)
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By Miranda Perez
Highlights from the Dodger farm system for June 23, including Hyun-Jin Ryu’s latest rehab outing and two walkoff wins …
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By Bart Harvey
Highlights from the Dodger farm system for June 22, including Brandon McCarthy’s latest rehab outing and a Double-A walkoff homer …
Former Dodger Gary Sheffield was inducted into the California League Hall of Fame. League president Charlie Blaney made the presentation. (Ben Sandstrom/MiLB.com)
By Miranda Perez
Highlights from the Dodger farm system for June 21 …
- The Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers defeated Round Rock 2-1, as right-hander Logan Bawcom (four innings, no hits, three walks, one strikeout) and left-hander Grant Dayton (two innings, one hit, four strikeouts) combined to hold the Express hitless through the first five innings. Dayton recorded the win and lowered his ERA to 2.41 ERA on the season.
- In the Single-A Midwest League All-Star Game, right-hander Dennis Santana (2.96 ERA) represented the Great Lakes Loons for the East, tossing one shutout inning. Santana allowed one hit and struck out one in the East’s 11-10 comeback victory.
- The Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes had three players selected to the Carolina/California League All-Star Game, including outfielder Kyle Garlick (.306, 11 HR, 37 RBI), right-hander Andrew Sopko (7-1, 3.41 ERA) and righthander Joshua Sborz (7-3, 2.58 ERA). Sborz was the lone Quake used in the game (won by Carolina, 6-4), throwing one scoreless inning with one strikeout.
- The Rookie League AZL Dodgers had no shortage of offense in their 14-6 win over the AZL White Sox, racking up 16 hits, including five doubles, one triple and three homers. First baseman Luke Raley and shortstop Jefrey Souffront each had three-hit games, as the Dodgers improved to 2-0 to open the season.
Dream chasers. pic.twitter.com/Ds79HvbecS
— Gavin Lux (@TheRealGavinLux) June 21, 2016
By Jon Weisman
Newly signed Dodger first-round pick Gavin Lux has reported to Camelback Ranch, where he will play in the Arizona Fall League, as several members of the 2016 draft class got into their first action as pros Monday.
Andre Ethier poses with former Dodger infielder Mark Ellis prior to Monday’s game.
By Jon Weisman
Some items to catch up on …
- Andre Ethier is still in limbo, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. “It’s a little slower than we thought,” Ethier said. “At the eight-week exam, I was expecting to have the OK and go do baseball stuff and slowly progress into running. It was a little bit of a jaw dropper when you get the result. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t healed like I was hoping it was. I had to reassess that it would take a little longer. You always think you can bounce back quicker than you do.”
- In his first rehab outing since going on the disabled list June 3, Yasiel Puig grounded out, homered to right center and walked.
- Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu came through their weekend rehab starts without issues and remain on schedule for their next appearances — Thursday for McCarthy, Friday for Ryu. McCarthy threw two innings June 11 in his rehab debut. Ryu pitched three innings June 12.
- Carl Crawford cleared waivers and was officially released by the Dodgers.
- Brock Stewart, the 24-year-old righty who was a sixth-round Dodger draft pick from Illinois State in 2014, made his Triple-A debut Monday for Oklahoma City. Stewart struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings and didn’t walk anyone until his final batter, though he allowed two home runs.
- Another newcomer to the Oklahoma City starting rotation is 27-year-old righty Nick Tepesch, who was picked up after being released by Texas. Tepesch has made two five-inning starts for Oklahoma City, with a 2.70 ERA and nine strikeouts in 10 innings. He has 219 career big-league innings with a 4.56 ERA.
- Frankie Montas isn’t exactly new to Oklahoma City, but he is officially off the Dodgers’ 60-day disabled list and was officially optioned Sunday. With 11 strikeouts against one run in his first 7 2/3 innings (two appearances), Montas has done nothing to discourage speculation that he is on the fast track to Los Angeles. He next pitches Wednesday.
- Double-A Tulsa’s Trevor Oaks and Willie Calhoun each won Player of the Week honors, as did Single-A Rancho Cucamonga’s Michael Ahmed, the brother of Arizona’s Nick Ahmed.
- Jose Tabata, who was acquired in exchange for barely-a-Dodger Michael Morse last summer, was released June 11 from Oklahoma City. The six-year MLB vet had a .673 OPS in Triple-A this year.
Vanderbilt’s Walker Buehler was the Dodgers’ No. 1 draft pick in 2015. (Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
By Jon Weisman
With three picks before the second round of Thursday’s 2016 MLB draft, the Dodgers are sitting pretty.
And on top of that, their top pick from 2015, Walker Buehler — who had Tommy John surgery in August before appearing in a professional game — is on course to make this year’s haul even stronger.
“Walker Buehler’s going to be ready to throw next year — he’s almost like a pick this year,” Gasparino said. “We feel good about his recovery, his rehab and where he’s at in the process.”
Matthew Mesa/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
A big dose of news this morning: The Dodgers have announced that on Friday, they will purchase the contract of 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias, who will make his Major League debut that evening in New York against the Mets.
Urias will be taking the scheduled start of Alex Wood, who is resting because of left triceps soreness. Wood, who had 13 strikeouts in 91 pitches during his most recent start May 21 (with 43 strikeouts and a 2.67 ERA in his past 30 1/3 innings) is now scheduled to take the mound Monday in Chicago.
The Dodgers will announce a 40-man roster move Friday to make room for Urias’ contract.
Frankie Montas at Spring Training in February, post-surgery. (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)
Dodgers at Padres, 7:40 p.m.
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Justin Turner, 3B
Corey Seager, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Trayce Thompson, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Yasmani Grandal, 1B
A.J. Ellis, C
Scott Kazmir, P
Kiké Hernandez, LF
Justin Turner, 3B
Corey Seager, SS
Howie Kendrick, 2B
Trayce Thompson, CF
Yasiel Puig, RF
Yasmani Grandal, 1B
A.J. Ellis, C
Scott Kazmir, P
By Jon Weisman
Frankie Montas, the fireballing right-hander acquired with Trayce Thompson and Micah Johnson from the White Sox, has been a mostly forgotten man since he had rib resection surgery February 12.
But Montas threw two innings Thursday in an extended Spring Training game Thursday at Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers said, and is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Double-A Tulsa.
A potential starter or reliever, the 23-year-old struck out 108 in 112 innings with a 2.97 ERA for Double-A Birmingham, before striking out 20 in a 15-inning trial with the White Sox. In his last appearance of 2015, he struck out seven in four innings of one-run ball October 4.
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By Jon Weisman
There have been several bits of business that I’ve been meaning to get to, so I figured the best solution was to bring back the reliable “In case you missed it” feature from Spring Training to capture them all.
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Cody Bellinger hit a 10th-inning walkoff grand slam Saturday for Double-A Tulsa, which makes Cary Osborne’s current Dodger Insider magazine feature on the 20-year-old all the more timely (a bit more so than Mike Petriello’s Gamevolution piece on Yimi Garcia, who went on the disabled list shortly after our magazine went to print).
Read the entire story by clicking here.
* * *
Beginning this year, the Dodgers merged their previously separate Playbill and Dodger Insider magazines into one publication (at least 80 pages per issue) with a new edition available each homestand plus one in October, 13 issues total. It is distributed at auto gates (one per vehicle) and via Fan Services for those who use alternate transportation. Dodger Insider magazine includes news, features, analysis, photos, games, stadium information and more. Fans who still wish to subscribe can do so at dodgers.com/magazine.
Tim Locastro has collected at least two hits six times during his 13-game hitting streak. (Fernando Gutierrez Jr./MiLB.com)
By Jon Weisman
Over at Fangraphs, Carson Cistulli has a regular feature called “The Fringe Five,” which (in a shorthand definition) is dedicated to prospects that fall just outside of the spotlight of all the top rankings.
Minor-league Dodger infielder Tim Locastro has become something of a regular on this roundup. Here’s what Cistulli wrote about him five days ago:
Locastro made his first appearance among the Five last July, shortly after having been traded by the Blue Jays to the Dodgers — which transaction also led to his debut at High-A, thus rendering him eligible for consideration here. Here were Locastro’s credentials at that time: he’d carried a strikeout rate below 10%, exhibited at least average power on contact, posted impressive baserunning numbers, and recorded the majority of his defensive starts at either second base or shortstop. A month through the 2016 season, here are some statements one might employ to characterize the 23-year-old now: he’s got a strikeout rate below 10%, is exhibiting at least average power on contact, is posting impressive baserunning numbers, and has recorded the majority of his starts at either second base or shortstop. He’s been particularly impressive of late. Regard: in 28 plate appearances from April 28 through May 3, Locastro recorded a 5:1 walk-to-strikeout ratio and five extra-base hits, including a home run. None of which is to recognize how he was drafted out of Division III Ithaca College.
Fringe or not, Locastro is generating headlines. In the midst of a 13-game hitting streak, on Tuesday he hit for the cycle for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, as Tyler Maun of MiLB.com reports:
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
Bolsinger to make rehab start
Mike Bolsinger is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with a start at Triple-A Oklahoma City tonight. Bolsinger has been out since March with an oblique injury.
Mike Bolsinger is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with a start at Triple-A Oklahoma City tonight. Bolsinger has been out since March with an oblique injury.
By Jon Weisman
Dave Roberts told reporters today that the Dodgers are considering bringing up 19-year-old Julio Urias, potentially to pitch out of the bullpen.
Urias is among several options the Dodgers are considering to shore up the relief corps, but could be considered the primary one.
After pitching six no-hit innings Wednesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City, Urias has a 1.88 ERA and 0.71 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and only three walks in 24 innings.
Urias turns 20 on August 12. In the closest recent comparison, Clayton Kershaw made his MLB debut on May 25, 2008, at age 20 years and 67 days.
Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers
By Jon Weisman
It’s not easy for Julio Urias to follow an act like Julio Urias, but if anyone’s up to the task, it’s Julio Urias.
Baseball’s No. 1 left-handed pitching prospect did just that for Triple-A Oklahoma City against New Orleans today, firing six no-hit innings and facing the minimum 18 batters.
Urias retired the first 12 batters he faced before Dan Black reached base on an error by Zach Walters. One out later, Matt Juengel forced Black at second. One moment later, Urias picked off Juengel.
That was the only time the bases were used while Urias was on the mound. Finishing his day with his sixth strikeout, Urias needed 77 pitches (52 strikes) to cut through his six innings on the mound.
