The 2013 first year player draft selections in the Dodger organization have had more than a month of action in the minors so far. Several of the top tier picks seem to be performing admirably. There are a few lower level picks that are tearing things up as well. Provided is my assessment of some of their performances thus far for several of the 2013 draft class.
Right handed flame thrower Chris Anderson, the Dodgers no.1 pick (18th overall) a Minnesota native out of Jacksonville University has made 6 starts a Single A Great Lakes. He sports a 1.96 ERA over 23 innings pitched. As expected, he’s chalking up strikeouts, with 26, (1.13 per inning). He has won his last two starts and his innings are being stretched out a bit as he pitched six strong ones in his latest start, a 7-1 win over Clinton. (Grade: A-)
The second Dodger pick in this year’s draft, LHP Tom Windle out of the University of Minnesota, also started his professional career at Single A Great Lakes. He has started five games and tallied a 1-0 record with a 1.89 ERA. Windle has been stretched out into the 5thinning of his last two starts and he picked up his first professional win last Thursday. (Grade: B+)
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| Brandon Dixon is off to a rough start in his professional career. (photo byDanielle McGrew, The Saginaw News) |
The one other Great Lakes Loon from the 2013 draft class is 3rd round pick, Brandon Dixon, a third baseman out of the University of Arizona. Dixon is having his struggles as he started up three rungs on the minor league ladder at this level. He’s played in 28 games at third and already has 13 errors. Through 111 At bats he’s hitting .225 with a .259 OBP, 1 homer and 12 RBI. The organization saw fit to start him at a level above the Pioneer league, which is hitting rich and definitely would have been a fairer start for the 21 year old college grad, but there had to be a reason for the start at this high level. It’s a tough going for the Murrieta, CA native so far. (Grade: D)
Compare Dixon’s struggles to another Dodger pick that plays third base. Adam Law, out of BYU, was selected in the 12th round and assigned to the Arizona League where he’s tearing things up. Law leads the league in Hits (37), Runs (24), and stolen bases (13). He is hitting .356 with an on base % of .443 (both rank him 3rd in the league). The son of Vance Law (former White Sox) and grandson of Vernon Law, (ex-Pirate ace and Cy Young Award winner), Adam is probably due for a move up to the Pioneer League as his maturity as a 23-year old surpasses the level of this league. He is a versatile player that has logged innings in all three outfield positions, 3B and SS. His future might be in the majors, possibly a bench guy that can cover a lot of positions. He’s a player with leadership qualities and manager Jody Reed is penciling him somewhere in the lineup every day. The only thing lacking from his performance so far is a home run, though his slugging % isn’t bad and it is reported that he does have some sock from his college days. (Grade: A-)
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| Brandon Trinkwon makes the play for Ogden in action against Helena. (photo by Brian Nicholson) |
Brandon Trinkwon, a shortstop out of UC Santa Barbara, was assigned to Ogden of the Pioneer League and he has started out with a flair. Hitting .364 (third in the league) through the first 24 games, he has rapped out 3 homers and driven in 20 runs. His .406 on base percentage ranks 7th in the league. Covering the shortstop position on the rock hard infields of the region, he has only made three errors. Probably most impressive is Trinkwon’s clutch hitting as he’s batting .407 with runners in scoring position. This left hand hitting sleek shortstop may be a player to watch in the future. Brandon is 21 years old. (Grade: A)
Cody Bellinger was the Dodgers 4th round pick, an 18-year old first baseman out of Chandler, Arizona. The kid is still growing and it is believed that after he fills out and physically matures, he could be a power hitting left handed threat. He has started at the Arizona League and is showing some good signs, but he’s struggling too. The transition to professional ball can be difficult for a kid fresh out of high school. He’s hitting .198 through 25 games and 86 Abs. On the bright side, he works counts and has 17 walks, with a .337 OBP. He has 1 homer and 17 RBI. The good thing is that there is time to let the kid mature. (Grade: C)
J.D. Underwood, the son of former Phillie Tom Underwood, is a RHP that the Dodgers selected 5th in the draft from Palm Beach State College. He has logged innings at both Arizona and Ogden with mixed results. Only on the mound for 15 frames thus far, Underwood dominated at Arizona and got rocked in the elevated Utah air. Despite his high ERA of 10.13 at Ogden, he is striking out hitters with 22 Ks over 15 innings ( 1.47 rate). (Grade: incomplete, too early to tell)
Jose DeLeon is the other starting pitcher from this draft class that has started at least 5 games. De Leon was a deep draft pick, from the 23rd round, out of Puerto Rico. In Arizona making his professional debut he's done remarkably well, 1-2, 23.2 IP and a 2.66 ERA. (Grade: B-)
Others of note:
8th round catcher, Kyle Farmer at Ogden. Batting .318 with a .378 OBP in 66 ABs. Three homers and 13 RBI.
Hank Yates, a 9th round pick, outfielder playing at Ogden. He's batting .309 with a , 407 OBP. Two homers and 14 RBIs.
I expect Brandon Dixon will be moved to the Rookie League Raptors when Paul Hoenecke(3B) returns from the DL. Dixon seems to be over-matched with the Loons.
ReplyDeleteHarold, It would probably be a good idea, as Dixon will most likely start hitting in the high altitude. He certainly needs the confidence boost.
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