They said that Ruiz is already filling out a good bit and they are not sure down the line that he will still have the agility behind the plate that this FO likes, so it sounds like they think he could have to move to a corner, but they also mentioned with how young he is, there is still a lot that could happen. Both guys also just really do not like his swing from the right side, so that could be a factor if Smith continues to improve. It is not a shot at Ruiz, just these guys thought that Smith is really that exceptional behind the plate that the Dodgers could go with him instead since this FO values defense so highly at the position. They think that Smith could be a top 5 catching prospect by the end of the year if I remember correctly.
Yeah, I am reconsidering my stance on Peters, but I'm still a bit more on the pessimistic side for him. They basically said that if he takes the jump this year that I mentioned, then he will sneak up into top prospect talks, but if he stays over 30% K rate this year, it is probably time to stop dreaming about him someday donning a Dodgers jersey. These guys all said that having Peters in big league camp is sign that the club sees a bright future for him, so I really hope he does get things rolling this year.
Haven’t seen any of the Spring Training games yet, but it looks like they are going with a stream of new or minor league players. Anyone stand out so far amongst the new guys?
Far too early to tell anything. The reason for so many young guys and NRI's in camp is the FO is giving the regulars that were a part of the deep run last season a lot of rest this spring. The clubhouse I read this morning is a few lockers away from being at capacity. I only was able to watch Game 1 and a bit of the Giants game, but a couple guys did some good things. - Font looked really overpowering in his short stint. - Verdugo has smoked a couple, but still not driving the ball out. - Rios has had a couple of nice strokes - Peters showed his strength by driving a single to CF on a ball in on the hands.
MLB.com has the Dodgers rated as the #10 farm system in baseball. https://www.mlb.com/news/top-10-farm-systems-ranking-by-mlb-pipeline/c-267360666?tid=151437456 Wow, this is a hell of a write up https://www.mlb.com/news/los-angeles-dodgers-2018-top-30-prospects-list/c-267349072?tid=151437456
Some good reads in there and mostly pretty standard. They too are high on Cristian Santana, but this bit on Tony Gonsolin was a real eye opener "Gonsolin opened 2017 with an 89-92 mph fastball, boosted it to 90-94 in May, started working in the mid-90s in August and touched 100 mph by season's end." Ummmm, holy fuck. They are developing him as a multi inning reliever, so his season will be interesting to watch.
Int'l News, below is a BA write up on a SS the club is supposed to be interested in. Haven't heard much else on this front, but club is also said to be in on the top C prospect. Dodgers have taken a major interest in Venezuela of late. Miguel Droz, Venezuela Vitals: 6-0, 164, R-R Trainer: Jose Guacaran 60 yards: 6.94 seconds Games: 1-for-5, 2B, HBP, SO Droz should stick in the middle of the infield, where he shows good body control and a good internal clock. An average runner, Droz is a line-drive hitter with doubles power right now who will have to improve his pitch recognition and contact skills against live pitching. The Dodgers are tied to Droz.
Camello needs to stop giving me updates on Isaiah Thomas and Lonzo Ball and give me something new on Kemp/Braun
Dude, he live tweeted the fucking all star game last week. I about lost my shit. Who fucking live tweets a god damned all star game!?!
Yeah he had himself a time. Steiner said some shit about Peters playing some catcher last spring..I don't remember that But if Peters does have some experience at catcher I'll feel a little better about his chances, he may actually have an idea at the plate
That doesn't sound right at all, he is just too big to handle the position. Did he mean Jake Peter, the new guy? He is super versatile so that would make some sense.
He must have been mistaken thinking about Jack Murphy. He also has show hair... but a sick mustache to boot!
Dodgers are favorites to land the top Int'l catching prospect Diego Cartaya, Venezuela Size: 6-1, 199, R-R Trainer: Alexi Quiroz 60 yards: 7.11 seconds Games: 0-for-1, 2 BB, 2 HBP Cartaya, 16, is one of the premium prospects in the 2018 class, but he also ran into the worst luck. After getting hit by two pitches, Cartaya was behind the plate with a righthanded hitter at bat. When the runner on first broke for second, Cartaya reached out to catch the pitch on the inside corner and throw to second, but instead the swing clocked him squarely on the left elbow. Cartaya exited the game, then afterward had his arm wrapped in a sling. He's out of the sling now and recovering back in Venezuela. Agile and flexible behind the plate, Cartaya has a strong arm that he showed in the pre-game workout, when he registered pop times from 1.79-1.83 seconds. In BP, Cartaya showed a short swing and gap power with a middle-opposite field approach, then in games demonstrated a keen eye for the strike zone. Cartaya is linked to the Dodgers.
We gotta start converting some of these catchers to 3B. Turner's beard is not going to be around forever. Some Delilah gonna get him eventually.
Of the young catchers in the system, only Ruiz has concentrated on one position. Wong, White, Barnes and Farmer are all capable of playing the IF.
I know they are capable. I am talking about converting so they concentrate on 3B and sharpen those skills to the utmost. Kike can play everywhere and its awesome to have a guy or two like that... but Kike does not have one position where he excels at.