The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, faced the Lake Elsinore Storm, the San Diego Padres’ affiliate, and picked up a 9-7 win in extra innings, but the highlight of the night was Diego Cartaya.
Blake Snell made the start on a rehab assignment for the Storm after going on the 10-day injured list with left adductor tightness. The left-hander posted mixed results over four innings, striking out eight hitters but allowed four runs (three earned), including giving up a home run to Cartaya.
The Dodgers’ top prospect came to the plate in the third inning with one runner on first. On a 1-0 pitch, Cartaya blasted a ball into deep left field to tie the game at 4-4, giving him his sixth homer of the season, via MLB Pipeline:
Diego Cartaya takes the rehabbing Blake Snell deep!
The @Dodgers' No. 1 prospect has 4 HR in his last 3 games for the @RCQuakes. pic.twitter.com/TEGzVxEVhp
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 5, 2022
Cartaya, who is a catcher by trade, was the Quakes’ designated hitter during the game. He finished 3-for-6 with four RBI and two runs scored. Cartaya added a double to drive in two runs in the 10th inning, just missing another homer but giving the Quakes a decided lead:
An exclamation point for the @RCQuakes.
Cartaya adds a two-run ground-rule double in the 10th, giving him three hits and four RBIs: pic.twitter.com/Lnp3ws6oTh
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 5, 2022
The highly-touted prospect is now hitting .265/.390/.588 in 68 plate appearances with 18 RBI and 17 runs scored. Although he is only 20-years-old, it would not be surprising to see Cartaya promoted to High-A Great Lakes or even Double-A Tulsa within the next few months.
Cartaya not focused on prospect rankings
Cartaya is the Dodgers’ top prospect by nearly every ranking and has the potential to develop into one of the top prospects overall in baseball. But the early notoriety and Dodgers prospect rankings are not something he is motivated by or gives attention to.
He has also downplayed the idea that he is blocked by Will Smith on the Dodgers’ catcher depth chart by emphasizing a team-first mentality. However, it isn’t something the Dodgers will need to worry about soon as he is likely at least two years away from his debut and the universal DH would allow them to get both playing time.
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