Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Jacob Amaya was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to Triple-A Oklahoma City after a strong showing to begin the season.
Amaya is the Dodgers’ No. 15 prospect, according to FanGraphs, and ranks No. 19 by MLB Pipeline. He has long been considered a glove-first shortstop who is likely to become a Major League utility player, but this season he has had an offensive breakout that has given some extra hope to his future outcome.
In 2021, Amaya struggled quite a bit with the Drillers, batting .216/.303/.343 with a 75 wRC+, 12 home runs and 47 RBI over 113 games. Prior to the promotion this season, the 23-year-old was hitting .264/.370/.500 with a 120 wRC+, nine home runs and 26 RBI over 49 games — a 45% increase in offensive production for the Drillers.
Amaya has always flashed quality bat-to-ball skills and a patient approach at the plate, which was highlighted by his nearly 15% walk rate compared to a 13% strikeout rate with Tulsa. But this is the first season he has shown real power, and he’ll need to prove it’s legitimate at the highest level of the Minor Leagues.
If he does, Amaya could push his name into contention to take over the Dodgers’ shortstop job next season, which may be the biggest question surrounding the team’s future with Trea Turner set to become a free agent this winter.
But even if his newly-found power isn’t long-term, Amaya should eventually play a role at the Major League level because of his elite defense, high baseball IQ, bat-to-ball skills, approach at the plate and energy.
The Dodgers do clearly have some faith in him because prior to the season, he was among the players they added to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
In his five Minor League seasons, Amaya has batted .254/.360/.394 with 34 home runs in 380 games.
Amaya made Triple-A debut on Tuesday
The OKC Dodgers wasted no time putting Amaya in their lineup as he batted sixth and started at shortstop on Tuesday.
Amaya went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his debut game in a 9-3 loss to the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate), while facing Tyler Gilbert and Dan Straily, who both have Major League experience.
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