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And then there were 10. The upper echelon of the Los Angeles Dodgers top prospects for the 2017 season includes two of the most unlikely stories from last year, two left-handed infielders with very different skill sets, and perhaps the biggest breakout candidate in the system.
10. Mitchell White, RHP
White has a similar origin story to Trevor Oaks. Both are California natives, had Tommy John surgery prior to pitching in college and popped up late in their draft eligible years. They’re even similar in size and throw right handed.
After missing his freshman season at Santa Clara University, White was used out of the bullpen as a redshirt freshman and pitched his way into the rotation the following year. He performed very well, striking out 118 batters in 92 innings before getting selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2016 Draft. White got a call from his agent and had to stop playing Call of Duty. A real hardship.
Once he signed, the Dodgers sent White to the Arizona League club before he headed out to Low-A Great Lakes. With the Loons, he made eight appearances of two innings apiece. This was done to intentionally limit White’s innings. He’d already nearly tripled his innings pitched from 2015 to 2016, so a conservative approach seemed appropriate. He made one final appearance with High-A Rancho Cucamonga in September.
Altogether, White pitched 22 innings in his debut, allowing just seven hits, six walks and one unearned run. He struck out 30 and opposing batters hit .096 against him. This is easily one of the most dominant professional debuts I’ve ever seen.
This absurd production isn’t all by accident, either. White has some of the best stuff in the system. His fastball generally sits in the low to mid 90s, touching 97. Keith Law of ESPN reported White sitting 95-97 in a short stint during Spring Training. What’s more, his fastball features natural cutting action, making it that much harder to hit.
On top of that, White throws a cutter which, at its best, will sit in the high 80s and get into the low 90s. It features hard, late break that will surely break plenty of bats. He also throws a curveball in the upper 70s. It’s not as good as the cutter but still projects to be an above average offering in time. He has a changeup that he doesn’t use much because, frankly, he doesn’t need to right now.
It appears that the Dodgers will take the gloves off White in 2017 and let him pitch a full season. If he remains healthy, which is a big if given his prior Tommy John operation as well as his current velocity, he could get to the Majors quickly and establish himself as a No. 2 starter.
9. Gavin Lux, SS
Kenosha, Wisconsin isn’t exactly known as a baseball Mecca. Most Midwestern and Northeastern states don’t have baseball year round and some high schools in those regions don’t even have baseball programs. So it was fortunate that Lux could get exposure on the showcase circuit, establishing himself as a top-round pick.
Lux ended up going No. 20 overall last year, then hit the rookie leagues. Going from Wisconsin to Arizona has to be some adjustment. It didn’t seem to be a challenge for Lux, who batted .281 with 10 doubles and 25 walks in 48 games.
He was then promoted to Rookie-Level Ogden, which was much more like his hometown. He finished the season with the Raptors by hitting .387/.441/.484 in eight games heading into the playoffs. Overall, he slashed .296/.375/.399 last season.
At this stage of his career Lux doesn’t have a lot of big tools, but he is making progress. He’s improved his speed this offseason, dropping his 60-yard dash time by 0.2 of a second. He’s now a 65-70 runner according to that measurement. Whether it translates to the field remains to be seen.
On defense, Lux shows solid range and quickness. However, in his debut, his hands were a bit rough and he struggled with his throwing accuracy. Neither of those issues should hamper the young shortstop long-term though, and he profiles as at least an average defender in the future.
Offensively, Lux seems more like a top-of-the-order hitter as opposed to hitting in the middle of the lineup. His swing is geared more toward line drives now and he doesn’t show a ton of power just yet. Lux is big enough to develop some power over time, as he matures and adjusts his swing plane. He drew a good number of walks in his debut, which is a positive.
This season should be a near homecoming for the 19-year-old. Lux will likely join the Loons at the outset of the season, which is just across Lake Michigan from his hometown. With Corey Seager entrenched at shortstop for the foreseeable future, there’s no need to rush Lux, who can take his time developing at his own pace.
CONTINUE READING: Surprise outfielder and pitcher, power-hitting infielder
8. Andrew Toles, OF
Toles had one of the more remarkable seasons in baseball in 2016. The now-24-year-old was originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the fourth round in 2010 but decided to go to college instead. After a year at Tennessee, he was dismissed from the school and enrolled at Chipola College, a junior college, becoming eligible for the 2012 draft. He was then taken in the third round by the Tampa Bay Rays and signed.
In his first two seasons in the Minors, Toles batted .281 and .326, respectively. In 2013, he stole 62 stolen bases in 79 attempts. But things didn’t go well in 2014. Toles missed a significant amount of time and hit just .261 in 46 games in High-A. It got worse in the offseason, when he was released by the Rays due to off the field issues. He went on to become an extremely athletic grocer.
After missing a full season in 2015, the Dodgers took a flier on Toles in October of that year. Unsurprisingly, it was Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman that took a chance on the former Rays outfielder, with some help from director of player development Gabe Kapler.
Not much was expected of someone who missed a year and hadn’t played above A-ball. What happened next was nothing short of astounding.
Toles began the year with the Quakes, a good hitters’ league, but no one expected him to bat .370 and steal nine bases in 22 games. That prompted a quick promotion to Double-A Tulsa, where continued hitting well. He slashed .314/.363/.514 while stealing 13 bases. Toles then moved up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he hit .321.
Then, on July 8, he made his major league debut. Just 16 months after he was cut by the Rays and out of baseball, Toles was in the Majors. Surely, his production would tail off, right? Not so.
In 48 major league games, Toles hit .314/.365/.505. He even made the postseason roster for both of the Dodgers’ series, going 6-for-13 against the Chicago Cubs.
A fireplug type build gives the smaller Toles more power than one would expect from someone his height. But it’s his ability to make contact that will help him contribute with the bat. He’s a career .300 hitter in the Minor Leagues and, while he benefitted from a very high BABIP in the Majors, he also produced a 22 percent line drive rate.
A very good runner, Toles’ speed plays down a little when trying to steal due to subpar reads. It helps him in the outfield, though, where he can patrol center field and has plenty of arm for right.
Toles will likely be the Dodgers’ Opening Day starter in left field. It’s quite a climb, from out of baseball, to A-ball, to a big league debut, to Major League starter. How much he continues to develop on offense will determine his ultimate role, be it starter or fourth outfielder.
7. Brock Stewart, RHP
Born in Illinois, Stewart went to Illinois State where his father had coached. He began his college career as an infielder, but missed most of his sophomore season with injury. When Stewart came back for his junior year, he toyed with pitching. By his senior year, he had transitioned to pitching, even though he totaled just 27.2 innings and one start in his college career.
Despite so few innings, the Dodgers took Stewart in the sixth round of the 2014 Draft and sent him to Ogden, where he pitched mainly out of the bullpen and posted a 3.41 ERA. The next season, he moved up to Great Lakes, where he was converted to a starter and pitched well, earning a quick promotion to Rancho Cucamonga. There, he struggled, posting a 5.43 ERA with the Quakes.
In spring of 2016, I met Stewart’s father, now a scout for the Rays, while I was in Arizona for Spring Training. A few days later, I saw his son pitch and came away very impressed. He seemed like a guy who could really rise up the system if everything clicked.
At the start of the 2016 season, after just two starts with Rancho, Stewart was promoted to Tulsa and dominated. A 1.37 ERA in 10 starts led to another promotion to OKC. Three starts later, he was in the Majors, making his debut in Milwaukee in front of his family.
The start didn’t go as planned. After breezing through the first inning, Stewart allowed five runs in the second. He gutted it out for three more scoreless innings, but was sent back to Triple-A after the game.
He remained with OKC for four starts before re-joining the Dodgers. This was the beginning of him bouncing back and forth between the Majors and Minors. He’d come up and go back down four times before staying in Los Angeles for good in September.
Stewart ended the season with a 5.79 ERA in the Majors, though he did hold the Cubs scoreless for five innings in August.
Stewart is athletic and strong, with a very solid 6’3, 210-pound frame. His delivery is pretty easy and he throws slightly across his body, adding deception. His fastball averaged 94 mph in the Majors, per Brooks Baseball, and he can sink it. He throws both a slider and a changeup, each having the potential to become plus pitches.
Sidelined with a sore shoulder after just two appearances this spring, the Dodgers will be cautious with their handling of the young righty. When he’s ready, he’ll head to Oklahoma City and wait to hear his name called again.
6. Willie Calhoun, 2B
After initially heading to Arizona out of high school, Calhoun left the program after his freshman season and enrolled at Yavapai College, making him draft eligible in 2015. While he wasn’t a perfect prospect, his numbers alone would have gotten him drafted.
Calhoun batted .432/.520/.952 with 23 doubles and 31 home runs in 63 games. He caught the attention of the Dodgers, who took him in the fourth round of the 2015 Draft. In his debut, Calhoun headed to Ogden for 38 games where he hit .278 with 13 doubles and seven home runs.
He actually hit better after a promotion to Great Lakes, slashing .393/.439/.492 in just 13 games. He finished the season with the Quakes, batting .329 in 20 games and taking part in their championship run.
Last season, he headed to Tulsa and his numbers came down a bit, as he batted .254/.318/.469 with 25 doubles and 27 home runs. However, his struggles were likely due to bad luck on balls in play, since he struck out just over 12 percent of the time and hit for excellent power in a pitcher’s league.
He joined OKC very briefly for their postseason berth, but received just one at-bat. After the season, Calhoun went to the Arizona Fall League where he hit .250 as a part-time player. He was named to the Fall-Stars Game and earned MVP honors.
Regardless of what the numbers say, Calhoun can hit. He offers plus power despite his unique size (listed at 5’8 and 187 pounds). He’s a line drive machine and makes plenty of contact, with his best contact coming to the pull side. He doesn’t walk a ton but he also doesn’t strike out much.
The big question is where Calhoun will end up defensively. Everyone I’ve talked to doubts his future as a second baseman. One scout wouldn’t commit to saying he’s a designated hitter, but said he’s an “AL” type of player.
Calhoun’s range is short for second and his arm is short for third. He doesn’t have much speed, so left field isn’t likely a much better option. But everyone I talked to says his bat needs to be in the lineup.
With the trade for Logan Forsythe, the Dodgers have second base occupied for a least two more seasons. This would allow Calhoun to continue to progress defensively at second or to explore other defensive options. There’s a good chance he makes his Major League debut this year, but his ultimate role in unclear.