Projected OKC Position Players Roster

I have been unable to put a lot of time into LADC the past week as I am being prepped, poked, and prodded getting ready for my 5^th knee surgery on Wednesday.  It is a debridement surgery for clean up on my previous knee replacement surgery.  Hopefully this will eliminate the pain in my replaced knee and then they get the other knee.

I have started a number of posts but could not get them finished timely.  But one that I have a passion for is MiLB and what I project the AAA roster to look like.  Yes, pure guess work.

For those unfamiliar, the teams do not reassign players to new affiliates during the offseason.  Thus, those players still in the LAD organization who were assigned to OKC to end the season in 2025 will remain there, unless they were added to the MLB team.  That does not mean they will stay there, but it is just an assignment.

An exception is players signed to a MiLB contract are assigned to an affiliate for placement only.  Catchers Eliezer Alfonzo and Chuckie Robinson both signed MiLB contracts and were assigned to OKC.  Mike Siani and Ben Rortvedt are both on the 40 man roster so they are not assigned to any MiLB team, although there is every expectation that they will be assigned to OKC once they are out of ST camp.

NOTE – Catcher Seby Zavala was not known to be in the LAD organization when I originally composed this.  He is like Alfonzo and Robinson as to signing a MiLB contract and getting the initial assignment (on paper) to AAA.

AAA roster sizes are limited to 28 active players.  They can have a number of inactive players who are not eligible to play until they are activated, and someone is reassigned or goes inactive.  I will go with 14 pitchers and 14 position players.

Let’s start with catchers.  My original thought was that OKC generally goes with 3 catchers.  I suspected those three had been identified. Besides Alfonzo and Robinson, Rortvedt figures to start the year at OKC.  Rortvedt is on the MLB 40-man and will get the nod if Will Smith or Dalton Rushing get injured.  It is more of a probability for both than not.

However, with the recent news that the Dodgers have signed Seby Zavala as yet another catcher, I cannot see how Alfonzo sticks at AAA. So I am going with Rortvedt, Robinson, and Zavala as the OKC catchers.

For infielders, I am assuming that Tommy Edman will start the season on the IL until he is 100% healthy.  With that, I expect  Alex Freeland to break camp with the MLB team.  Once Edman returns, either Hyeseong Kim or Freeland will be optioned to OKC.  So who is left for OKC?

The team does not have a projected 1B.  Matt Gorski (28) is a 1B who has a ST invitation.  Gorski has serious power potential.  OKC needs a 1B, and Gorski is the organizational depth that fits the role. Ryan Ward and James Tibbs III can play 1B.  Another consideration is Kyle Nevin (24), who can play 1B and 3B. Kyle did find some success at AA, and certainly has the bloodlines.  But is it enough to get the promotion? Griffin Lockwood-Powell (28) is another tweener who is also a catcher.  At 28 GLP may not have many more chances.  Good organizational depth.

I am going with Ryan Fitzgerald (32) as the starting 2B at OKC.  Austin Gauthier (27), who was not drafted out of Hofstra in 2021, figures to return to OKC for his third year.  He is considered a primary 2B, but is really a utility player, capable of all infield positions and corner OF.  He is a Kiké and CT3 inspired utility player without the special glove.

Taylor Young (27), was an 8^th round pick in the 2022 draft out of Louisiana Tech.  He spent the prior two years at Tulsa and while he did not put up good offensive numbers, he can play all over the infield and can run.  He is in a long line of LAD utility prospects.  Does he make the cut at AAA this year?  It will be hard for him to stick at AAA out of ST, but he could get a promotion during the year.

One thing we do not know is whether Hyeseong Kim or Alex Freeland will be optioned once Tommy Edman is activated.  If it is Kim, he figures to play 2B with Fitzgerald moving to full utility role.

For SS, Noah Miller (23) will be the starter.  He was a 2021 Minnesota 1^st round pick out of HS.  Miller was traded to LAD for Manuel Margot and Rayne Doncon.  Miller is arguably the best defensive infielder in the organization.  He is that good.  But his bat trails significantly.  He is not in the same level as Hyeseong Kim or Alex Freeland as an overall infielder. Both are better offensive players, and both have excellent defensive skills. But if the Dodgers needed a glove 1^st infielder, they would be hard-pressed to find a better one.

Another good field no-hit infielder is Ryan Fitzgerald.  He can play SS, 2B, and 3B. Gauthier can play SS, and of course either Kim or Freeland will be in OKC.  OKC will be fine at SS.

Assuming that Edman will not be on the opening day roster, both Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland will be.  If Freeland gets optioned once Edman is activated, he figures to get a full run at 3B.  Nick Senzel (31) will get a healthy run at 3B at OKC.  Senzel can also play 2B, SS, and CF.  If Kyle Nevin is assigned to OKC, he can also play 3B.

The current roster for OKC shows that they have zero OF.  We know they have to have OF, so they will be coming from the MLB roster.  The two OF on the MLB roster expected to be assigned to OKC are Ryan Ward (28) and Michael Siani (26).  Neither are expected to break camp with the 26-man, unless there is an injury.

The others will come from the current AA roster. I project that James Tibbs III will be promoted to OKC from Tulsa. Once he was traded to LAD, his bat took off.  There is no reason to hold back in AA, especially with the jewels coming in. He hit especially well in Tulsa in 168 PA with a .900 OPS.  He is capable of putting up Ryan Ward HR numbers at OKC.  Tibbs III is 23, and if he gets off to a good start, he could be ready for MLB, as will be Ward and Siani.

There are a number of players with AA experience who figure to get a look at AAA.  IMO, the three most likely to be considered are Kole Myers (25), Zach Ehrhard (23), and Chris Newell (25).

At age 25, and with the jewels getting ready for the ascent on the organization ladder, it’s time for Myers and Newell to produce at AAA.

Myers was a 9^th round pick in the 2024 draft as a 5^th year SR out of Troy University.  He made his professional debut in 2025 at Great Lakes (A+).  It was a rather pedestrian debut at 102 PA and not great results.  Of course he was fighting for playing time with Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, and Kendall George also at Great Lakes.  He was promoted to AA on May 12 when Mike Sirota was promoted to Great Lakes.  He produced better numbers at Tulsa: .283/.393/.379/.771, 5 HRs, 41 BB, and 71 K in 321 PA.  He is not going to play at AA, so it makes sense for him to be pushed to AAA.

Chris Newell is more of a3-outcome approach hitter.  Newell was a 13^th round pick out of Virginia in 2022.  He had 20 HR at Tulsa last year, with 75 BB and 168 K in 549 PA.  His line was .241/.346/.428/.774. Regardless, 30%+ K rate at AA does not bode well.  He  is another who will get lost in AA, so he should be assigned to OKC or released to find a new team.

One of my favorites is Zach Ehrhard, 4^th round pick by Boston in 2024 out of Oklahoma State University.  He came to LAD with James Tibbs III from Boston in the Dustin May trade.  Wonder why teams are reluctant to trade with AF/BG?  Ehrhard was assigned directly to Tulsa once traded for, where he hit .281/.391/.466/.857 in 161 PA.  He had 5 HR, with 21 BB and 21 K (13% K rate).

For the OKC OF, I would project Ward, Siani, Tibbs III, Myers, and Ehrhard. Yes, that would leave Chris Newell and Damon Keith off OKC roster.  With Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, Zyhir Hope, and Kendall George all penciled in for Tulsa, I do not know where that leaves Newell and Keith.  I imagine one will be a 5^th OF at Tulsa until Eduardo Quintero pushes himself to AA.

My 14 projected position players figure to be:

Catchers (3):

• Ben Rortvedt
• Chuckie Robinson
• Seby Zavala

Infielders (6):

• Matt Gorski
• Ryan Fitzgerald
• Noah Miller
• Austin Gauthier
• Nick Senzel
• Kyle Nevin
• This changes once Alex Freeland or Hyeseong Kim is optioned

Outfielders (5):

• Ryan Ward
• Mike Siani
• James Tibbs III
• Kole Myers
• Zach Ehrhard

I will project pitchers once I return from surgery.  There are bound to be changes along the way with pitching.  As I said, it is all a guess.