This season sure seems to have the least number of MLB ready depth position players that I can remember. There are exactly four position players that are on the 40 – man that are not expected to be on the 26 man: Miguel Vargas, Andy Pages, Hunter Feduccia, and Diego Cartaya.
In the Athletic Roster Projection Mark alluded to, the infield depth is Vargas and non-roster invitee Jonathan Araúz. Prospects of note invited are Trey Sweeney and Austin Gauthier. If the Dodgers need to rely on any of the three, there are more concerns. And I like both Sweeney and Gauthier. But they are not ready to assume a roster spot on the 26 man.
The outfield depth is Miguel Vargas and Andy Pages. Travis Swaggerty and Brendon Davis are non-roster invitees. José Ramos is the prospect of note invited. I like Pages, and I do believe he can be a ML player of note, but coming off major shoulder surgery does not bode well for him to have a breakthrough season this year. Even the Dodgers are not so quietly saying Pages will probably be held back until 2025 before he makes his debut.
The Dodgers have four catchers on the 40-man, with Rushing, Liranzo, Galiz and further down, Victor Rodriguez waiting in the wings. I am leaning to moving Yeiner Fernandez out of this group, as he is probably more likely to be a utility player who can catch. Before we dismiss Galiz and Rodriguez, remember Connor Wong?
Plus they have a significant depth in pitching, specifically RHP. Might it seem reasonable to assume that it may behoove AF/BG to move some of the pitching/catching depth for infield and outfield prospects?
One other cautionary plea. I know it is fashionable to look at what some of these prospects do in A Ball and get excited. I watch a lot of A games because that is where the next wave will come from. I do not get excited or lose interest in a player based on what they do in A Ball unless it is special. What Josue De Paula did in A Ball as an 18 year old, puts him on the special train. What Payton Martin did as a 19 year old in A Ball in his first year as a converted SS, puts him on the special train. What Thayron Liranzo did in the Cal League as a 19 year old, certainly has him at the very least climbing aboard the special train.
Chris Newell obliterated Cal League pitching, but as a 22 year old. He did not fare as well at Great Lakes. I form no judgement as I want to see what he does in AA first. The biggest MiLB step is from A to AA. That will probably come sometime mid-season.
I look forward to seeing Joendry Vargas this year. Will he be like De Paula and skip Rookie Ball and go straight to Rancho? He has never played in the US. How will he acclimate to that environment? Same is true with Eduardo Quintero. There are a number of players with only DSL experience that hopefully will blossom this season as they reach the US. I have written about them multiple times. Last year’s group is probably the best group of IFA players they have had at one time.
I also withhold judgement on Jake Gelof and Kendall George. I am optimistic about both, but to label them as future every day players in the LAD lineup is very premature. Hopefully both will start at Great Lakes, and play well enough to get a mid-season promotion to AA, where the real test begins.
That also holds true for the current #1 LAD prospect, Dalton Rushing. Remember Diego Cartaya held the same position while he was in A Ball. Things did not go as well once he hit Tulsa. Let’s see what Dalton can do in AA.
40-man Roster position players in MiLB with at least AA experience:
- Diego Cartaya – AA
- Hunter Feduccia – AAA
- Andy Pages – AAA (1 game)
- Miguel Vargas – MLB (Right now, OKC is where he will play without an injury or trade).
That is it. These four represent the current position player depth that can be called upon without roster changes
Non-Roster top 30 prospects with at least AA experience:
- River Ryan – RHP – AAA
- Trey Sweeney – SS – AA
- José Ramos – OF – AA
- Austin Gauthier – Utility – AA
Pitchers on the 40 Man with at least AA experience:
- Kyle Hurt – MLB
- Gavin Stone – MLB
- Landon Knack – AAA
- Nick Frasso – AAA
- Ricky Vanasco – AAA
- Gus Varland – MLB
- Michael Grove – MLB
Why I am not nearly as distraught about the paucity of depth (IMO) is because the current roster is so good that the team can still excel with some injuries, and stay intact until the next wave appears. We may be seeing the culmination of the current wave of prospects. Outside of pitching, there is not a lot to get overly excited about. BTW, I look for Ricky Vanasco to have a big spring and be in line for his MLB debut early on in the season. If he has control (I know BIG IF), he is filthy. Vanasco and Varland are two who have taken giant leaps now that they are no longer starting. Two more not on the 40 man that have also seen a lot of helium once they were placed permanently in the pen…Alec Gamboa and John Rooney.
Where I am getting much more excited is the next wave. The guys in A Ball. I am eagerly awaiting their promotion to AA to see if they are true prospects or more depth. This year’s Rookie Arizona Complex League team also figures to merit a lot of attention. There will be a couple of pitchers that will be making debuts that should be worth the price of admission to watch live in Arizona.
I will include those two in a column I am working on for the next wave of pitchers, and some new prospect additions. As good as the current crop of prospects are, the next group could be better. I said could be…not will be. As I said above, let’s see what they do in AA.
Always fun to read about the younger prospects.
I think the front office must really have seen something they liked in Vanasco because, as I recall, they traded a pretty good prospect for him.
Where do we expect to see the young Korean pitcher Hyun-Seok Jang start the year? And what do you think his ceiling is? I assume they figure him as a starter at this point, but that may not be a permanent situation.
Very interesting summary Jeff. Due to the paucity of Position Player depth, would a reunion with Kike on a one year deal seem prudent given his ability to play every position?
I know the Angels are sweet on him, but I also
read that he’d ideally love to stay with the Dodgers, (who wouldn’t?), and as such may well be happy to sign for a season? He would also add something to the team chemistry.
On a slightly different note, the player I think will have a big year is Brandon Stone. I thought he showed real potential in the first half of 23, and a year older and with more experience, I expect to see him pushing very hard for the 6th spot in the mooted extended Rotation.
They’re all in with the veterans this year. Not a surprise. As Jeff has pointed out, not much there other than depth pieces or utility type players. The position player side is especially thin. Those DeLuca types are a dime a dozen.
The pitching looks much better on paper. I think stone and Sheehan go back and forth from the majors to OKC, mostly spot start, fill in for injuries. Frasso and hurt should get looks at some point too. Knack probably.
They need another infielder. Someone who can play short. If Lux gets hurt, they’ll be forcd to either put Mookie there, or Taylor. I would be fine with bringing Kike back. The outfield is not as urgent since they can always move Mookie back there, Taylor can play OF, and they have Pages.
Vargas could be useful too, but I don’t think he has a place on the roster
Hes blocked at the MLB level and im guessing he’ll get moved at some point like they did with Busch. Honestly, I think the club is ready to move on from him. There’s a reason why they are moving Mookie to the infield full time. Vargas looked totally lost at the plate last year and I’ve always thought he’s overhyped. He seems like a weak hitting utility infielder who doesn’t field well either. But they may just hold onto him as depth in case someone gets injured.
If the old guys stay healthy, we’re fine. But if they end up having to dip into several Sheldon Neuse types for lengthy periods of time then that could be troublesome.
Jeff, great piece. While I agree with your central point, we certainly have the trade chips in hand if we need to add a position player due to serious injury.
Only RF is a true platoon [Heyward/Margot] and after Barnes that leaves a two-man bench. Right now, CT3 is an umbrella policy for the entire team and Rojas is more than capable of spotting the infield. If we wanted to upgrade from Rojas to Keekay Hernandez we could but that seems overly complicated.
In case of outfield depth being tested, I agree Pages/Vargas is not much to recommend. Perhaps Travis Swaggerty [NRI] can stick in AAA and be the next guy.
Wave? I don’t see it, unless we are talking about a swell of potential trade candidates.
It seems to happen every year. Most teams are fortunate to have one rookie per season step into the starting lineup. The Dodgers had their one in Outman last year. Out of necessity a few pitchers stepped up but if there weren’t so many injuries we likely wouldn’t have seen any of them until maybe late season call ups. When real pitching was needed the Dodgers traded for it. I think the same thing will likely happen again this year.
Yes, Gavin. And Buehler. And Kiké.
Jansen? Clase? Yep. Probably one of them. Why? Because that’s how the Dodgers roll.
Kike wants to be a Dodger but the problem is no roster spot. Spring training is coming fast.
Very balanced and thorough article about these MiLB players.
I agree that we need to see how Rushing plays in AA to have a better “read” on him.
Do you see Cartaya start in AAA this season or does he stay in AA? His 2023 performance seems to have moved him from the penthouse to the outhouse in 2024.
I think I read that, and this echoes a mid-paragraph of Jeff’s, that the hardest and most telling step (other than to majors) of a prospect development is at AA.
James Paxton signing official.
https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/1752097117596967234?s=20
Jorge Polanco traded to the Twins, one of the players headed to Minnesota is recently signed Anthony DeSclafani.
Angels just made a smart move signing OF Aaron Hicks for the minimum. It was a bit like the Dodgers getting Heyward for the minimum, because another team — the Yankees in Hicks’s case—is paying the bulk of his salary.
This probably means nada for the Dodgers, unless the brass think they can fix whatever is wrong with Jo Adell. Huge talent and huge disappointment with the Angels. But he might come cheap.
IIRC, Hicks was dfa’d by the Yankees, got picked up by the Orioles and played well. A lot decent FAs still out there.
Justin Turner to the Blue Jays!
From mlb.com:
TORONTO — The Blue Jays have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Justin Turner, a source told MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi on Tuesday, to bring one of baseball’s most reliable veterans to Toronto.
The club has not confirmed the deal, which – when finalized – is expected to be for $13 million with $1.5 million in roster and performance bonuses.
Well, good for JT.
I’m surprised that JD Martinez and Jorge Soler are still unsigned. Are they asking for too much?
I have no idea if Beltre took steroids during 2004. But for those who are just as convinced that he did not because he was never been implicated, what about 1996 and Brady Anderson’s 50 HR season, a number he never approached before or after. He swears he did not juice up, and he was not named in the Mitchell Report. One can logically presume he did take steroids, but there is no evidence supporting that. See Brady Anderson picture below.
While never showing any evidence, Mike Piazza has constantly been accused of juicing up. Pudge Rodriguez.
Amphetamines have been used by MLB players since WWII. Jim Bouton spoke about the rampant use of amphetamines (greenies) in his great book Ball Four. Greenies were not prohibited by MLB until 2006. Steroids were banned in 1991, but were never tested, thus MLB gave a wink wink to the use until the Mitchell Report. Player performance enhancing drugs have been around a long time. How many 300 IP seasons do we get without greenies? I do not know. Did pitchers benefit with greenies? I do not know. How many pre Clemens pitchers took steroids or amphetamines? I do not know. However, unlike Patch, I loved the 1998 McGwire/Sosa HR battle.
Brady Anderson
The Orioles have been reportedly sold to a pair of billionaires. $1.725 Billion is the reported price, and it still needs to be approved by MLB. There is a previously scheduled owners meeting next week where this will be discussed, but will not be voted on. The new ownership group will purchase 40% initially and then purchase the remaining 60 percent once Peter Angelos (94) passes away. Apparantly this is being done to save some capital gains tax.
Corey Seager has incurred yet another injury. He had surgery for a sports hernia today. This was an injury that popped up in the World Series. It just has not gotten better, so the surgery decision was made. He should be ready by Opening Day, but that is not an absolute.