With a renewed focus under the Guggenheim ownership group, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made significant progress in replenishing their farm system in recent years. Thus far, Joc Pederson and Corey Seager are the headliners making an impact in the Majors, with a slew of others around the corner.
The Dodgers have been particularly focused on adding pitching depth to their organization and have talent that extends beyond Pederson, Seager, Julio Urias and others who tend to garner national attention.
In the DodgerBlue.com unveiling of the Dodgers’ top 35 prospects entering the 2016 season, pitchers dominate Nos. 26-35, including several who were taken in the 2015 draft.
35. Logan Crouse, RHP
Crouse, a right-hander from Bloomingdale High School in Florida, was a 30th-round pick by the Dodgers in 2015. Generally, high schoolers picked that late don’t turn pros, but when the Dodgers had some cash left over from the Walker Buehler bonus, they threw it at Crouse and he signed.
Listed at 6’6 and 225 pounds, the right-hander has a projectable frame and he should add velocity as he continues to mature. Crouse’s fastball has touched 92 mph in the past and he’s also shown a breaking ball and a changeup.
Crouse pitched just 1.2 innings in his debut and figures to be developed carefully. He could begin the season in Low-A Great Lakes, but extended Spring Training followed by another tour in rookie ball may be a safer bet.
34. Imani Abdullah, RHP
Like Crouse, Abdullah was another projectable high schooler signed in the 2015 draft. Taken in the 11th round out of Madison High School near San Diego, the teen-righty oozes projection from a frame that’s listed at 6’4 and a very generous 205 pounds.
Abdullah’s fastball has been in the upper 80s, but should add velocity as he adds weight to his rail-thin frame. He’s already shown feel for both a big breaking ball as well as a sinking, fading changeup. Abdullah is also likely on a long, slow development path but could take a big step forward in the next few seasons.
33. Nolan Long, RHP
Long was one of the Dodgers’ more intriguing picks in last year’s draft. The Wagner College alum pitched for the baseball team and was also a member of the school’s basketball team. That doesn’t seem too special until you consider that Long is 6’10.
One of the tallest players in professional baseball, Long doesn’t feature overpowering stuff but pitches in the low 90s with his fastball. His breaking ball seemingly drops out of the clouds and his changeup is another potentially useful pitch. He reached Low-A in his debut and should start 2016 in full-season ball.
32. Philip Pfeifer, LHP
After seeing two of his teammates selected in the first round, including the Dodgers’ top pick in Buehler at No. 24, Pfeifer didn’t have to wait long to join his fellow Vanderbilt Commodores in turning pro. The Dodgers used their third-round selectoin on the senior southpaw, though he didn’t have the smoothest debut.
After being assigned to Rookie Level Ogden, Pfeifer pitched in just one game before being shut down with elbow soreness. He eventually had an arthroscopy but is expected to be healthy this season. Pfeifer offers a four-pitch mix, with a low 90s fastball, a two-plane curve, a short slider and fading change. Health permitting, he could move quickly through the system.
31. Jordan Paroubeck, OF
When the Dodgers decided to abandon their international bonus limits in the current signing period, they unloaded their slot money in exchange for prospects. The Braves were one of the teams willing to part with current players for future money.
One such player the Dodgers acquired was Paroubeck, who was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the second round in 2013, then traded to Atlanta last spring in the Craig Kimbrel deal.
A switch-hitter, Paroubeck has a quick stroke that produces plus raw power with the potential for legit game power down the road. After opening the season in the Arizona League, he earned a promotion to Ogden where hit hit .379 with a 1.075 OPS in 22 games.
His swing is a little stiff, which leads to a decent number of swings-and-misses. While Paroubeck played some center field, he fits best in a corner spot with average speed and arm strength.
After spending his first two full seasons in rookie ball, Paroubeck is ready for his first full-season assignment in 2016. He should begin the year with the Loons.
CONTINUE READING: More pitchers found in Nos. 26-30
30. Michael Medina, OF
Before the current international spending spree, the big bonuses handed out to international prospects by the Dodgers were few and far between. Medina, a Dominican Republic native, signed for $275,000 in January 2013 and reported to the Dominican Summer League affiliate.
Medina has established himself as a prospect of extremes. Standing taller than his reported 6’2 and likely weighing over 200 pounds, the 19 year old has shown prodigious power potential since his debut, having homered 24 times in 138 career games.
He also features a very strong arm, making him a perfect power/power prospect in right field. Medina is in great need of cutting down on swings-and-misses, as he’s struck out 219 times in 556 career plate appearances. He may join Paroubeck in Great Lakes to start 2016.
29. Jacob Rhame, RHP
A sixth-rounder from 2013, Rhame came into the organization as a typical relief arm. However, he broke out in 2014 as his velocity spiked and has established himself as a legitimate prospect due mainly to his fastball.
Most recently, Rhamee reached Double-A Tulsa and posted a 3.06 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. Rhame’s fastball has reached triple digits in the past and routinely sits in the mid-to-upper 90s.
With his overwhelming velocity, he hasn’t really needed more than the fastball. His breaking ball needs development but he already throws enough strikes. If Rhame develops a reliable secondary offering, he could fit nicely into the back end of a bullpen.
28. Mitch Hansen, OF
The Dodgers went pitching-heavy in the early rounds of the 2015 draft, using four of their first five picks on college arms. The lone exception was Hansen, an outfielder from Plano High School in Texas, who was selected in the second round.
The 6’4 lefty has a classic swing that’s gauged for line drives now, but figures to develop into average power as Hansen matures physically. While he played center field in high school, his average speed and arm would play better in a corner spot down the road.
Given Hansen’s struggles in his debut, where he hit .201 in 44 games with the Arizona League Dodgers, another year in rookie ball wouldn’t be out of the question.
27. Angel German, RHP
An unheralded signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, German spent his first two years in pro ball with the Dominican Summer League club. He posted a 7.46 ERA in 23 games there before coming to the states in 2015.
However, the numbers belie his potential, as the teenager features some of the most intriguing stuff in the system. German has been clocked up to 99 mph in the past, settling in at 92-95 this spring. He has a developing slider as well as a changeup with some sink and fade, both coming in around 86-88 mph. He’s tall and athletic, with a whippy arm action.
German still has fair projectable and he’ll only turn 20 years old in May. Given his youth and relative inexperience, he could return to rookie ball in 2016. However, German has a very high ceiling and won’t be rushed, ensuring he’s given plenty of time to develop.
26. Caleb Dirks, RHP
Along with Paroubeck, the Dodgers’ acquired Dirks in the trade with Atlanta for international slot money. The 22 year old had a fantastic 2015 campaign, posting a cumulative 1.08 ERA in 40 games with 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and allowed just a single home run in 50 innings.
Dirks isn’t overpowering, sitting mostly in the low 90s with his fastball touching 94 mph. However, he generates deception in his delivery and gets plenty of swings and misses. He adds a slider and a changeup, with the former showing potential.
Back issues prevented Dirks from pitching for the Dodgers during Spring Training, but there’s a chance he gets a shot in the Majors sometime during the 2016 season.
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