Dodgers: Constructing the Future Dodgers Lineup

With all our coverage of the 2017 MLB Draft, I thought it would be a good idea to give fans a glimpse of what the Dodgers future may look like. By this time you all know the Dodgers have one of, if not the best farm systems in all of baseball.

With new ownership at the realm, the new owners really changed the culture of the franchise. Under this ownership, the team has won four consecutive division titles and have made two trips to the NLCS. What often goes overlooked when evaluating the moves of the ownership was their decision to bring in Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi to replace Ned Colletti.

Friedman is known throughout the MLB as an advanced sabermetrics genius that stays ahead of the new age of baseball. Up until joining the Dodgers, Friedman nor Zaidi had the luxury of working for a big market team and always valued and cherished their prospects.

Now with the combination of a Moneyball-esq duo of Friedman and Zaidi and the deep pocket of the new Dodgers ownership, we get the product we see today. Competitive at the major league level, but also at the minor leagues.

When Friedman took over the Dodgers, he began to protect the Dodgers farm system and was able to do so without affecting the product fans see on a day to day basis. This philosophy led to missing out on a lot of big potential trade targets (David Price, Chris Sale, Ryan Bruan, Bryan Dozier, etc.). But now is a better time see if holding onto those prospects will pay off.

I’ll put together what potentially could be the Dodgers lineup within the next two or three seasons with prospects under the age of 28. Let’s get started.

2. Chris Taylor, Center Field

So we all know what Chris Taylor has been for the Dodgers this season. What’s the beauty of Chris Taylor’s magic? It’s that he’s only 26 and the Dodgers still have him under contract until 2022. The earliest Taylor is eligible for arbitration is 2019.

Assuming we’re talking about a lineup that is three year’s from now, this would put Taylor right on the cusp of 28 and in line for a breakout year. Taylor would slot in the second slot ahead of perhaps the Dodgers best pure hitter and will see a lot more pitches to hit, which will open up his power that we’ve already seen great promise from.

The issue with Taylor here is finding a position for him to play. For the sake of the best possible lineup regarding prospects/young core, we’re slotting him at center field. Now, this brings the question as to what will happen to Joc Pederson.

I’m a believer that Taylor will continue his positive contribution to the team, leaving Friedman and Zaidi no other choice than to move on from Pederson. If not for the reason that Taylor outproduces him, for the reason that the team has so many power hitting left-handed bats and they need some turnover in the lineup, and that’s what Taylor brings.

Taylor will fill in nicely between Verdugo, a fast left-hander, and our best pure hitter, next.

3. Corey Seager, Third Base

Corey Seager is the best pure, young hitter on the Dodgers roster. He consistently hits around .300 and has enough pop to drive in runs in the middle of the order. He may never exceed 30+ home runs in a season, but he’ll certainly have seasons where he is close.

The key here is his position. I got Seager moving to third base as his career moves forward. Not because he can’t handle the workload at short, but because this is a position of clear need for the Dodgers farm system right now.

The Dodgers currently have Justin Turner under contract until the 2020 season. That would mean Turner is under contract until his age 35 season. Seager and Turner will hold down their normal position until his contract expires, but when Turner’s contract is up, there’s no current Dodger prospect better to third man base than Seager.

Seager has the build to be a third baseman. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Seager, like his brother Kyle, can make the transition to third quickly. This move opens up shortstop for a young prospect that I will get to later in the lineup.

Seager, like Chris Taylor, is under contract until the 2022 season and isn’t eligible for arbitration until 2019. However, being that he is the up-and-coming face of the Dodgers franchise, I see the organization reaching a deal right around the five or six-year time frame perhaps after next season.

4. Cody Bellinger, First Base

I know, I know, these are back-to-back-to-back house names that we have become quite familiar with since the start of the season. But the fact is, the last three players mentioned are still young and under contract for the Dodgers past the 2019 season.

Cody Bellinger, 21, may have arrived at the big leagues a little earlier than expected. He missed the MLB roster out of spring training but was forced to the big leagues when the Dodgers were victims of several injuries to the outfield.

Well since then, Bellinger has done nothing but rake big league pitching. Bellinger has proven he belongs in the majors and has shown that his power more than translates to the big league fields. He’s resumed the first base starting role with Adrian Gonzalez recently hitting the DL, but this looks to be his position for as long as he’s a Dodger.

Bellinger is playing out his rookie season, so he will likely be under contract until 2023 and won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2020. So while I know this is the first time we’ve seen Seager and Bellinger in the lineup together, we can certainly get used to these two hitting close to one another.

5. Willie Calhoun, Second Base

Willie Calhoun has been quick to make a name for himself. After being drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, Calhoun has skyrocketed through the minor leagues and is now the everyday second baseman in Oklahoma City in Triple-A.

In his three minor league seasons, Calhoun has a .282/.345/.508 slash line with 52 home runs and 172 RBI. At 5-foot-9 some wouldn’t consider Calhoun your prototypical RBI man, but so far in his young professional career, he’s certainly proven to be.

This season in 60 games Calhoun has 14 home runs, good enough for top 10 in the PCL league. The issue with Calhoun has been finding the best place for him to play. But like all good managers tend to do, hitters will always find their way in the lineup. Calhoun has seen some time in left field but primarily works at second base. Calhoun, like Alex Verdugo, is one of a few Dodger hitting prospects that could find themselves in the majors this season.

Logan Forsythe holding down second base is the only road block from Calhoun joining the big club. Considering that Forsythe has a team option following this season, it will be interesting to see if Friedman decides to pick up the $8.5m option or give second base to their young RBI machine prospect.

Calhoun slots nicely behind Bellinger because although they are separated by nearly half a foot, Calhoun potentially provides some power protection behind Bellinger. The fact that Willie is a right-handed bat also bodes well for bringing a break to consecutive left-handers.

6. Will Smith, Catcher

2016’s first-round pick, Will Smith, is very well on his way to becoming the Dodgers catcher of the future. Smith is currently hitting .241/.372/.431 with seven home runs. I know it’s nothing to set the world on fire, but Smith is actually touted for his defensive versatility.

Smith profiles to be very similar to Buster Posey or Yasmani Grandal on the defensive end. He’s developing as an excellent pitch framer and has caught more base stealers than has allowed in the minor leagues this season.

Smith’s defensive excellence brings a good quality to this Dodger lineup. His ability to make contact and not strike out for a young prospect is the reason why he’s hitting in a part of the order where he can still drive in runs. Smith has been hitting second or fifth in the lineup over at Rancho Cucamonga, but with a loaded roster this talented, I think sixth fits the bill.

There is the potential upside for Smith to generate a little more power. He currently owns a .431 slugging percentage, but with a bit more strengthening of his core, we could see the doubles translate to more homers. But it’s nice to see that the Dodgers pitching staff won’t lose the pitch framing skills of Grandal when Smith takes over.

7. Yusniel Diaz, Left Field

Yusniel Diaz is one of the Dodgers international signings that is really interesting. At only 20-years old, he signed as a Cuban defector in 2015 and has performed at a rather average rate to start his career in the U.S.A. In his first two seasons, he owns a .266/.335/.383 slash rate with five stolen bases and five home runs.

Diaz is by no means one of the power-hitting Cuban prospect that we’ve come accustomed to seeing, but rather a more well-rounded player. Diaz has shown bright flashes of physical tools, but at the same time still, struggles to adapt to the game from an American level.

He battled some shoulder injuries last season, so he’s still not been given the full sample size to grade him off of.

Diaz hitting lower in the order allows him to utilize his speed and focus on contact rather than driving in runners. Diaz’s speed allows him to fit in perfectly at left field with Verdugo at center until he further adapts to the style of play.

Diaz is still very raw and young so to expect him in a starting role with the Dodgers at the 2019 season may be a bit of a stretch. But that’s not to say it’s improbable. If Diaz is not able to make the club by this timeline, the Dodgers still have the likes of DJ Peters, Mitchell Hansen, and recently drafted Jeren Kendall.

8. Gavin Lux, Shortstop

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Let me take the time to reiterate that Corey Seager has not done anything to give a reason that he should be moved out of short. But the fact that the Dodgers are currently a little lite on third base prospects has Seager moving to the hot corner.

Gavin Lux is the reason why they are not light at short. Lux was one of two first round pick last year out of high school. He has a good eye for making contact, and his good range gives him the ability to play short. If the Dodgers never planned on moving Seager to third, they wouldn’t have used such a high pick to draft a high school shortstop. But still, the fact that they drafted Lux shows that they see some great potential in the kid.

Lux could be a hitter that flirts with a .300 average but won’t be hitting the ball out into the bleachers many times. He has some nice gap power and some decent speed to turn doubles into triples, but he’s a good candidate to turn over the lineup at eight.

In his first taste of minor league ball, he’s hitting .264 with a home run and 11 stolen bases. Being that he’s only a year removed out of High School a 2019 timeline may be pushing it, but at the same time Dodgers will still have Turner at that time. So it’s more than likely we could see a Seager and Lux left side of the infield come 2020.

When he does arrive, he’ll fit well at the bottom of the order where he can see more fastballs until he adjusts to major league pitching.

Next: Kenley Jansen Dominance