This is the time of the year where the affiliate teams are being built. On Monday, we learned of the initial roster for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Dodgers full season A League affiliate in the hitter friendly California League.
The roster is comprised of 30 players: 17 pitchers, 2 catchers, 6 infielders, and 5 outfielders. Many of the players are repeating at RC, including two of the prized outfielders. The projected starting OF for the Quakes are three 19 year old:
- Josue De Paula (returning) – .284/.396/.372/.768 – Played well in Spring Breakout.
- Kendall George (returning) – .381/.469/.429/.898 – ½ season at RC – 1st round draft pick 2023. Played exceptionally well in Spring Breakout.
- Zyhir Hope (Cubs ACL last year) – .286/.419/.543/.962 – Played in Spring Breakout.
De Paula will undoubtedly try to unleash some of that power potential. George will continue to do his thing with bat to ball skills and speed. Hope looks to have the power needed for a corner OF.
Other OF:
- Juan Alonso – returning for his 2nd year
- Marlon Cairo – Do not know anything about this player
Projected Starting Infield:
- 1B – Joe Vetrano – 5th round choice out of Boston College – .270/.354/.357/.711 at RC for almost the entire year.
- 2B – Jeral Perez – 19 years old. Played primarily at Dodgers ACL.
- SS – Wilman Diaz – 20 year old. Played both ACL and RC – At RC – .266/.304/.481/.785 – This was a significant improvement over previous years.
- 3B – Jake Gelof – 2nd round choice out of Virginia – .225/.314/.433/.747 at RC for almost the entire year. On Spring Breakout team.
Other infielders:
- Cameron Decker – 20 year old. Played most of the year at RC, but only 64 AB.
- Oswaldo Osorio – Another 19 year old. Played full season at LAD ACL.
Catchers:
- Jesus Galiz – 20 year old. Mostly full season at RC. .267/.316/.407/.723. Figures to be primary catcher. Was on Spring Breakout team.
- Carlos Rojas – Played full season at LAD ACL.
Pitchers:
Returning pitchers:
- Patrick Copen (RHP) – 7th round pick out of Marshall. 2 starts at RC. Pitched well in Spring Breakout.
- Gabe Emmett (RHP) – Full time starter at RC in 2023. Figures to continue in that role.
- Roque Gutierrez (RHP) – 21 year old – Mostly started at RC in 2023.
- Carlos Martinez (RHP) – Exclusive reliever. 11 games, 15.0 IP at RC in 2023.
- Garrett McDaniels (LHP) – Exclusive reliever. 13 games. 15.2 IP at RC in 2023.
- Christian Ruebeck (RHP) – Exclusive reliever. 10 games. 8.1 IP at RC in 2023.
- David Tiburcio (RHP) – Split time between LAD ACL and RC. 1 start and 19 relief appearances.
- Reynaldo Yean (RHP) – 20 year old -Exclusive reliever. 18 games at RC and 7 games at LAD ACL.
From LAD ACL:
- Felix Cabrera (LHP) – Exclusive reliever.
- Cam Day (RHP) – UDFA – 2 games, 1 start, 2.1 IP.
- Jorge Gonzalez (RHP) – 21 year old. Exclusive reliever. 15 games at ACL, 2 games at RC.
- José Rodriguez (RHP) – Exclusive reliever. 19 games at ACL, 1 games at RC.
- Callum Wallace (RHP) – From Australia. Exclusive reliever.
Did not play last year:
Two right handed pitchers with high ceilings coming back from TJ surgery are Carlos Duran and Edgardo Henriquez. Both pitchers have been predominantly starters. I look forward to watching the return and continued development of both of these pitchers.
Eriq Swan (RHP) was the compensation pick for the loss of Trea Turner after the 4th round in 2023 from Middle Tennessee State. He will have an eagerly anticipated debut. He has intrigued multiple scouting publications. Baseball America had this to say:
Swan is a huge, projection righthander with a 6-foot-6, 240-pound frame and the stuff to match, with a fastball that’s been up to 102 mph at peak velocity. He’s still trying to get his performance to match his stuff, and struggled with control in each of his three seasons with Middle Tennessee State.
Swan is a polarizing profile, but could entice teams with his immense arm talent and velocity as a power reliever who could benefit from professional pitching development.
JoseilynGonzalez(RHP) – He was injured all last year, and has not pitched since 2022 in the DSL.
I would expect many of these prospects to have quick promotions to Great Lakes in late spring, early summer.
I am still waiting for Great Lakes and Tulsa rosters.
Awesome! Loaded with talent.
That will be one fun outfield to watch.
I do not believe they will all be in RC for very long. Neither De Paula nor Kendall George were overmatched there last year. A lot of the time, the team likes to keep players out of the early cold in the Midwest. I do not know if that is the reason for either player, but it does happen, and it would not surprise me. Neither one has played much at all in cold weather. No reason to rush it.
“Swan is a polarizing profile”
How so?
Kelly got his ERA down to 16.88. I guess that’s a good thing. His WHIP is still 3. That’s not good. I like Lamet. Freeman sure didn’t help him. Paxton with requisite 5 innings and no runs.
10 more Ks, in 8 innings, but once again it didn’t matter much as the team scored 8. I can see SF is a scrappy bunch. They will win more than lose.
3 of our first 4 hitters are OPSn over 1.000. The only one who isn’t? Ohtani at .670. He should come around, right? Outman looks lost at the plate. Taylor and Lux both under .200. They will hit eventually. Overall it could have been better but 8 runs and a win makes it a good night.
Before the season started, I mentioned I was not sure that Outman was a good enough starter. He is beginning to remind me of Vargas. At least he’s not leading the league in SO’s. Oh wait, Teoscar is leading the league with Max right behind him.
This is a team of sluggers. Sluggers strike out a lot a most certainly aren’t known for their defense.
Jeff D will know more and and will have his own opinions, but Swan is polarizing along the same lines as Nastrini and Bruns were and are. All arm talent annd raw tools, but a massive bet in whether it can be developed into a major leaguer.
Nastrini and Bruns are good comps. Nastrini is on the cusp of MLB with CWS, but that control is still not under control. If it were, CWS may not have had to re-sign Mike Clevinger. This will be a big year for Bruns.
Polarizing – not in a bad way. Scouts do not know if Swan will ever be able to harness his “stuff” to be as elite as his “stuff” may indicate. He is raw, and I am sure the LAD scouts saw his frame, saw what he throws, and what he is capable of throwing under their tutelage. I would imagine he would not succeed with KC where elite pitching prospects go to wilt on the vine. But under the Dodgers? Why not. You cannot teach 102. But you can learn to manipulate, fine tune, it. I would imagine there was not a lot of coaching of his talent at Middle Tennessee State. Potentially another Kenley Jansen???
Interesting that some love Kelly and some don’t. I am on the don’t side mostly because he is dangerous.
Ohtani swings big and hard. That doesn’t sound right. Smith has fully replaced Justin Turner’s clutch bat. At some point I might prefer a lineup that starts out Betts, Freeman, Smith, Ohtani.
Outman is about to hit.
Outman has hit the ball hard–and into some soft gloves. His BABIP must be awful.
That said, he also struck out watching a pitch down the middle. Can’t blame Cozzi for that one.
He might break out with a dribbler or a bloop.
Sad day for BoSox fans. Former Red Sox CEO (2002-2015) Larry Lucchino passed away. He was the CEO for three World Championships including the historic 2004 season (2007 and 2013). Lucchino went out of his way to make sure my son felt as if he was every bit as important to the team. I know the Dodgers pride themselves as an elite and well run organization from top to bottom, AND THEY SHOULD BE PROUD. They earned it. But those years of Larry Lucchino atop the Red Sox organization were top notch. He will be missed, and he will be missed by one AAAA player whose baseball dream was realized when he was called up by Boston, May 25, 2004, after 7+ years in MiLB. From owner John Henry, to Larry Lucchino, to Theo Epstein, to Ben Cherington, to Tito Francona.
For more, see:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/04/larry-lucchino-passes-away.html
That is a feel good post Jeff. Thanks.
Hear hear!
lucchino really took the lead with Fenway Park, and turned it around in near miraculous ways.
We’ve claimed Taylor Trammell off waivers from the Mariners.
He has no options remaining so will have to be put on the 26-man roster.
JHey has a bad back and will no doubt be put on the IL.
Once he returns, Trammell will join Crismatt and (soon to be) Lamet on the “We hardly knew ye DFA list”.
Although he was once considered a very good prospect Trammell has had absolutely no success in the majors. He bats left handed. Vargas and Pages do not. Therefore………………………………he who bats lefty survives.
Nobody asked me, but I would much rather have given Drew Avans a shot for the couple of weeks JHey will be gone.
I’m wondering if this is due to Jason Heyward’s back problems. There were rumors I saw that the Dodgers were considering calling up Vargas to play the outfield, but now that I see he has no options remaining and must be placed on the active roster, Im assuming he’ll join the club to replace Heyward for a couple of weeks until they sort out his back issues. If this is true, it tells you what the Dodgers think of Vargas, which is not much. But to be fair, Trammell is a career .168 MLB hitter. You would think that Vargas couldnt do much worse. Knowing the Dodgers, im sure Trammell will be in the starting lineup batting cleanup on a daily basis versus right handers, because “matchups”
I jest, but if if I see him in the lineup, I won’t be surprised. Althougth 15 home runs, he’s got some pop.
Nailed it, STB.
From where I sit:
Avans isn’t on the 40.
Vargas and Pages are RHB.
Agree it’s most probably a turn and burn with this guy, Trammell.
Matt Gage DFA
So, unless Christian Zazueta somehow someway becomes a bonafide prospect, the Dodgers got absolutely nothing for Caleb Ferguson. I wonder if the Dodgers would prefer Ferguson to Vesia. Maybe NYY wanted nothing to do with Vesia.
I agree with you, and I didn’t like the move either. It looked like the Dodgers just wanted to dump Ferguson for whatever reason. I was thinking when the trade was announced that Gage was likely never going to pitch for the Dodgers anyways. Slim chance. Maybe Fergy just pissed them off somehow? Can’t keep everybody, but seemed like a pointless trade.
I actually have no problem with acquiring Taylor Trammell. He has always been considered a high profile prospect. Another who has played well at AAA but has not succeeded at all at MLB. At the same time, the job should go to Miguel Vargas who has done nothing to be blocked by Taylor Trammell. Is Trammell better than Vargas just because he is LH hitting? I do not think so, but AF/BG may.
While Trammell can take the spot of J-Hey on the 26 man, who goes from the 40 man? They are not going to start Nick Frasso’s clock to make room for Trammell. Do they DFA Lamet and then bring up Vanasco, Varland, or Feyereisen? Gage is on the MiLB IL. Hurt cannot be recalled yet since he would not be replacing an injured player. Knack pitched last Friday, so he is not ready to pitch today, and the Dodgers need arms today for the bullpen game coming. I guess they could put Treinen on the 60-day, but that seems extreme and would take him out until the end of May.
We should establish a game show…What will the Dodgers do?
What about an IL stint for Heyward? Wouldnt that make room for Trammell?
On the 26 man. Not the 40 man.
You’re right, my bad
Jacob Amaya DFA’d by Miami to make room for Emmanuel Rivera who they got from the Dbacks for cash.
OK Jeff, here’s your chance to bring back Jacob. I really wouldn’t mind having him back in the organization.
Maybe the Marlins would like Owings.
I would love to have him back. But he has to be on the 40 man. Owings is not on the 40 man. Maybe if Jacob passes through waivers and is outrighted to MiLB then the trade can be made.
Sold! Let’s get it done.
In the meanwhile, tonight’s starter is showing as TBD. Should we assume it’s going to be a bullpen game since they announced last night that all the starters are being pushed back one day?
Webb going for SF. Smith lifetime against him is batting .222. Barnes? .600. That said, I expect to see Will in the lineup.
It was interesting that during Kershaw’s interview he asked if the strike box was displayed on tv. It apparently wasn’t available on their iPads. I wonder if that was intentional?
In the past, I’ve been very supportive of using the ABS System and still am despite the diminished discussion about it.
I believe there are 2 ways to go with this technology. I favor implementation full time, taking the HPU out of the equation except parroting what the ear bug tells him, ball or strike. The technology is there, apparently, so use it.
Second, is to script and let the HPU call the game as it is now with one exception; get rid of the superimposed box on TV that Kershaw was asking about. As we all know, each HPU has his own individual strike zone and his interpretation of the strike zone. I think it’s a disservice to scrutinize that strike zone with the arbitrary TV box, that actually means nothing. It’s NOT an ABS box.
The worst idea I’ve heard and one that I think will be implemented is a “Challenge System” where the HPU’s strike zone is used all day until a critical pitch. That pitch can be challenged using the ABS System that hasn’t been used all day, until the critical pitch. That puts 2 distinctly different strike zones employed at the same time I don’t think it’s rift to use the HPU’s zone and overrule it with a challenge using ABS. It has to one or the other.
An elephant is a horse designed by a committee and the use of 2 zones at the same time is a stupid compromise made by a committee.
I love Doc trusting Paxton to get out of the 5th after 2 walks loaded the bases. Trust your veteran. If Paxton gives up any runs in that spot, the critics come out of the woodwork to wow about Doc’s decision.
Doc did the right thing and didn’t worry about the second-guessers. It’s the old advice to Skippers from way back when; if you listen to the critic and the boo-birds to help make a decision, pretty soon you’ll be sitting with them.
I found something I don’t like about Ohtani. Any pitch up at all or up and in slightly, turns into an Academy Award performance for survival. He flops more than an NBA player. They’re not even close to chin music
Orel made a great point on Muncy. Before last season banning the shift, there was speculation as to who would benefit most as a LHB? We expected a big time benefit for Max.
Well, it didn’t happen. He hit .196/.713 in 2022 and .212/.808 in 2023. We didn’t see much rewards from the lack of the shift.
Watching Teocar crush that frisbee slider right down the can was so fun.
So, Joe or Joseph? Last night Joe+ or Joseph Jr. if he could ever just be consistent with the heat seeker down and in fastball and an occasional slider and he’s practically unhittable. He got away with 2 fat hanging sliders. Every game is an adventure with Joe/Joseph.
Bringing in this poor Avila guy just up was cruel and unusual.
If you hang around long enough…Freddie just taking the easy out at 1st with a 6 run lead instead of the throw to Mookie at second was a head scratcher. No harm done but a head scratcher for the veteran.
I agree that Joe/Joseph is an adventure. But IMO, is preferable to Vesia. Brasier has not looked good all year. Yarbs is the more trustworthy multi-inning guy. Grove is even more of an adventure than Joe/Joseph. Will it be Lamet or ??? You cannot have a Daniel Hudson/Evan Phillips only bullpen. We may get a repeat of 2023, and try to survive until mid June. Hopefully Graterol and Treinen will be back sooner than later.
Shortstop Jacob Amaya DFA’d by Marlins.
Now, a little less than 15 months after joining Miami, he’s heading back on waivers and will look for his next home.
Can we merge all the best qualities of Miguel Vargas and Gavin Lux into a single player who can hit, hit for power, run and play somewhere?
Because they are just flawed enough to not seem like long-term pieces right now.
Pages is a pure full-time RF once he’s ready. Betts clearly likes 2b. We have to be hoping we can make it through half this season before adding a real SS.
Or 2025 at the latest. And I’m not ruling out Sweeney then.
Just got Nick Ramirez from the Yanks for cash.
Graterol to the 60-day.
2 questions:
1) How soon can Bazooka come off the IL?
2) Does Ramirez have options remaining?
In answer to my own questions (thanks to Twitter), Ramirez has one option year remaining and Bazooka can’t come back until mid May.
Recent statements made it sound like he was a lot closer than that, so maybe a setback in the last few days.
I don’t think Ramirez is any kind of a long range solution so we’ll probably still be shopping for a really good LHRP at the deadline.
Ramirez is not a big strikeout pitcher, and his batted ball tendencies are ground balls. For a good defensive infield, that would not be a problem. For the Dodgers, that could be an adventure.
There will be waves to this season. In late May when these 60 days are ready, some of our core guys will be ready for a break. October is everything.