Dodgers: Options to satisfy the farm system’s needs

The 2017 Major League Baseball amateur draft begins Monday, June 12th. The Dodgers’ farm system is currently in the upper echelon of the league, so they come into the draft with no urgent needs. Instead, this year’s draft will look to provide the Dodgers with more elite prospects as their current ones are promoted.

Dodger fans should be no strangers to the work the Dodgers have done in the draft since current Dodger players such as Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Clayton Kershaw, and Cody Bellinger were all selected by the team. With loads of money coming off the payroll over the next few seasons Los Angeles could put themselves in an excellent position if they can draft the next wave of top prospects while obtaining payroll flexibility to keep their own stars.

While the Dodgers don’t have many immediate needs, they do have some positions that will need to be addressed in the coming years. The next few slides are some areas of need and a possible player the team should consider with their first-round draft pick to satisfy it.

Catcher

The Dodgers currently find themselves with one of the best catcher tandems they have had in a long time. Both Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes have been above-average defensively and offensively. While they both still have a handful of years left in their prime, the Dodgers would be wise to draft the catcher of their future.

Grandal will be 29-years-old after this season, and while that is still fairly young, it is important to remember that he has had shoulder surgery twice and also had a knee surgery to repair his ACL while he was with the Padres. Grandal hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down yet, but given the rigors of the catcher position, he will likely start wearing down as he approaches his early thirties.

Austin Barnes has proven to be a solid backup catcher, but he has not gotten enough big league at-bats to declare him a potential starting catcher in the event Grandal is injured or goes to another team.

In the minor leagues, the Dodgers have Kyle Farmer and Will Smith. However, Farmer is not much younger than Grandal at 26-years-old. Smith was drafted in 2016 and is showing some power with seven home runs so far, but he still has ways to go in order to be considered the future catcher of the Dodgers.

Potential 1st Rd Pick: Riley Adams Jr, University of San Diego

Adams is one of the best catchers in college baseball and has a terrific frame and size in his 6’4 225 pound body. Adams is built into the same mold as Yasmani Grandal, and one scout said:

“He’s athletic with a strong arm and power (at the plate),” a longtime National League scout said. “He has great work ethic, is a great teammate and plays the game the right way. He’s a top-notch kid.

The difference is Riley Adams can also hit for average as he hit over .300 in each of the past two seasons and finishes his college career with a .305 batting average and .411 on-base percentage. With catcher being such a vital position in baseball, the Dodgers can groom their catcher of the future if they were to draft Riley Adams Jr.

Second Base

The Dodgers currently find themselves with an abundance of second basemen in the form of Logan Forsythe, Chase Utley, and Chris Taylor. The issue is that each of them has some question marks regarding their future. Utley is 38-years-old so this could, and most likely will be his final big league season. Forsythe will be 31 later this season and only has one more season left on his contract if the Dodgers choose to pick up their club option on him.

Chris Taylor has been one of the best hitters on the Dodgers but it remains to be seen if he is due for some major regression or if he is going the Justin Turner route and blossoming into an everyday player. Then, of course, there is the possibility that Taylor can become the Dodgers’ center fielder of the present and future if Joc Pederson returns from injury and continues to struggle.

In the minor leagues, the Dodgers’ only potential top prospect at second base is Willie Calhoun but his position remains in question and he has begun playing left field at Triple-A Oklahoma City.  He is also one of the Dodgers’ best trade chips if they choose to pursue another starting pitcher to compliment Clayton Kershaw atop the rotation.

Possible 1st Rd Pick:  Keston Hiura 2B, University of California, Irvine

The Dodgers have a chance to draft one of the top hitting second basemen in the country and a local product if they draft Keston Hiura. There are some questions whether Hiura can stick at second base long term and he could also need elbow surgery in the future since he is overcoming an elbow injury.

The one thing nobody questions with Hiura is that he can flat out rake. He led college baseball this season with a ridiculous .442 batting average and finishes with a career college batting average of .375. The Dodgers could provide a boost to their second base depth chart by drafting Hiura.

Hiura could work on his defense and become a Daniel Murphy type second baseman. And, if Chris Taylor does ultimately end up as the Dodgers’ second baseman of the future, then Hiura could transition to the outfield where he does have some experience.

There is a saying that teams will always find space for a good hitter, so if the Dodgers drafted Hiura and he isn’t at second base, they can always find a position for his impact bat to help the offense. That is what the Anteaters did through during his time there at Irvine, playing the majority of his final season at DH.

Shortstop

There is no question that Corey Seager is among the elite hitters when it comes to the shortstop position, but there are some questions if he will remain at shortstop long term. This season Seager has a -2 rating according to the defensive runs saved advanced statistic. Many see him shifting over to third base once Justin Turner has played out his contract.

Justin Turner did have microfracture knee surgery, so there is also doubt if he will hold up at third base for the remaining three years on his contract after this season. If Turner’s knees continue to get worse, the Dodgers could move him over to first base eventually when Adrian Gonzalez is gone. This could prompt the Dodgers to move Seager to third base and then they would need a shortstop.

The Dodgers did draft Gavin Lux in the first round of last year’s draft, but he is seen as a defensive shortstop that won’t produce much offensively.  Lux is currently struggling with a .227 average this season and has never hit a home run in his minor league career.

Should Lux turn into a bust, the Dodgers will find their farm system to be dry on shortstop talent. It wouldn’t hurt to draft another shortstop to stock the farm with potential shortstop options when Seager inevitably moves to third base.

Potential 1st Rd Pick:  Nick Allen SS, Francis Parker High School (CA)

If you’re a fan of smaller players like Dee Gordon and Dustin Pedroia, then you would Nick Allen.  Allen is only 5’9 165 pounds, but this is his scouting report according to scout.com:

Allen is instant offense. He brings a skill set that puts the defense on edge. His bat control allows him to sting balls to all fields. His speed forces every grounder to be fielded cleanly and thrown quickly. Once he gets on base, his 6.56 second 60 speed makes him capable of swiping second and third base — sometimes on back-to-back pitches.

If there is one thing the Dodgers have missed since they dealt away Dee Gordon, it is the lack of a legitimate base stealer. Besides Yasiel Puig, Chris Taylor, and Andrew Toles, the Dodgers don’t have any players that can steal off speed alone.

Allen could wind up being a legit base stealing threat from the shortstop position if Seager moves to third. Giving Dave Roberts a legit base stealer would be a move I would love to see.

Allen played varsity baseball all four years in high school and finished with a .373 batting average.  He also pitched a little and is said to have a strong throwing arm for a shortstop. Despite his small stature, Nick Allen would provide the Dodgers’ farm system with some big time talent at the shortstop position.