Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Josiah Gray was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for July 29-Aug. 4 for his contributions with Double-A Tulsa.
Gray made two starts for the Drillers last week and went 2-0, tossing a combined 11 innings while allowing just seven hits and one run with 11 strikeouts and one walk.
The Dodgers acquired Gray from the Cincinnati Reds along with infield prospect Jeter Downs this past offseason in the trade that sent out Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer.
The 21-year-old is in the midst of a breakout year as he began the season with Low-A Great Lakes before being promoted to High-A Rancho Cucamonga and then again to Tulsa.
Overall in 21 starts between the three levels, Gray is 10-2 with a 1.97 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 126 strikeouts and 23 walks in 114 innings.
The hitter-friendly Texas League has not posed many challenges to Gray, as he is 2-2 with a 1.54 ERA and 0.77 WHIP while striking out 20 compared to just three walks in 23.1 innings over four starts since being promoted.
As far as Dodgers pitching prospects go, Gray may be the best that is still in the Minor Leagues. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are ranked ahead of him in many publications, but they have both been promoted to the big leagues in recent weeks.
There were some trade talks involving Gray around the deadline. The fact that the organization decided to hold onto him suggests they are very bullish on him moving forward, which is understandable considering how dominant he has been all season.
If Gray finishes out the 2019 season strong, it is not out of the question that he begins 2020 with Triple-A Oklahoma City and makes his MLB debut at some point next season.
