Dodgers’ minor league report- Best players of April

Back in December, the Dodgers opted to clear some salary and trade Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer to the Reds for highly rated infield prospect Jeter Downs and 2018 second rounder Josiah Gray.

As far as the majors go, the Dodgers haven’t even blinked twice after losing four serviceable players. But, non-fazed as they were, Gray hasn’t blinked twice since being traded.

The 6’1 190 lb. right-handed pitcher had played in just 12 minor league games as a professional before being moved to the Dodgers’ system and since the start of the season, he has done nothing but impress. In five appearances, all of them starts, Gray has amassed 23.1 innings to the tune of a 1.93 ERA.

In those innings, the 21-year-old second-round pick has racked up 26 punchouts against just seven walks.

Control and a highly rated fastball are Gray’s bread and butter. Since getting drafted, scouts have liked his four-seamer and its range from roughly 90 mph all the way up to 97 mph.

The lively heater and its strikeout ability lend itself nicely to a plus slider and a changeup that still needs some fine-tuning.

At the moment, Gray ranks 17th in the Dodgers organization as far as prospects go but could easily rise given his current pace and potential.

When the Dodgers traded away four solid players to the Reds, their confidence in the two prospects they got back had to be high. Through the first month of the season, that confidence has pretty emphatically paid off with Gray on the bump.

He is the Dodgers Way Low-A player of the month.