Dodgers’ minor league report- Best players of April

The winter was still underway, the team had already traded Yasiel Puig, AJ Pollock was getting announced as the newest member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the world centered around the diamond was rather frozen in the depths of the offseason.

However, as winter began to creep closer and closer to spring and Pollock sat in the press room at Dodger Stadium, there were a few words from Andrew Friedman that stood out. Words of explanation for a decision that many people thought was as cold and senseless.

“We have the depth for AJ,” Friedman said of his new but injury prone centerfielder.

Pollock does get hurt a lot. On Thursday morning on May 2, he had elbow surgery that will keep him off of the field for a timetable still unknown and the Dodgers knew.

The knew Pollock could, and probably would get hurt, however, that anticipation was left comforted by that depth which Friedman mentioned.

He was talking about the minor leagues. It’s a system far deeper and greater than those of most other teams. It’s a system that works because for every man there is a replacement and a replacement that can be made with confidence, not with prayer.

So, through a month of play, here are the top performers at each level in the Dodgers deep a powerful farm system.

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.

Minor leaguers are not typically well known unless they can crack the top five rankings for their respective club. You add their preexisting anonymity to the fact that they pitch out of the bullpen and getting well known becomes as tall a task as getting called up.

However, for the Dodgers and many other teams, there are some seriously hidden gems in MiLB bullpens and at the moment the Dodgers have one of them.

24-year-old Ryan Moseley is the Dodgers Way High-A player of the month.

Moseley is older than your typical High-A player and his journey is rather atypical as well.

The right-handed pitcher was supposed to be a starting pitcher. He had grown up in the rotation and had the stuff to do it. But, while attending Texas Tech, Moseley’s control became a problem and the Red Raiders opted to push him to the bullpen where he could pitch in shorter stints and control was less of an issue and priority.

There he was really impressive.

His body of work from the pen vaulted the college player to the eighth round of the 2016 draft where he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles.

Things went well in his first minor league season and for his second he was moved to the Dodgers’ system where he has been stuck in the lower levels of the farm.

However, this year, after four really nice appearances in big league spring training and a great start to the 2019 campaign, Moseley could find himself a couple of notches closer to the upper minor league levels.

Through 11 2019 appearances and 16.2 innings pitched, Moseley has given up one earned run for an ERA of 0.59 and has struck out 19 batters.

Control still seems to be a bit of an issue for the rather old prospect and getting to at least Double-A this year will need to be a priority for the health of his career.

Through a month, Moseley has done his part and remains an intriguing name to keep an eye on.

Truth be told, there haven’t been many ridiculous performances for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Through the first full month of the year, the Dodgers’ highest minor league affiliate has won just eight of their first 25 games and have trudged along at last place in their PCL division.

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But, record aside, the performances in Triple-A have been somewhere between atrocious and fair with a few exceptions.

JT Chargois is one of them, the journeyman reliever has made eight appearances and has a team-best 0.82 ERA. But, having been called up, collected his first major league hit and played well over the last month, the best exception to OKC’s unfortunate rule is Matt Beaty.

Beaty hit .277 prior to his MLB call up with two home runs and 10 RBI’s. The 26-year-old infielder has long awaited a crack at the big leagues after having spent the majority of 2018 injured and having been recognized as the Texas League’s (Double-A) best player back in 2017.

Beaty profiles as a highly-talented contact bat that can keep the ball in the field of play with 10-15 home run power.

Beaty’s biggest question is consistency and it’s not the consistency that he can control. The Dodgers need to provide the 26-year-old with some consistent playing time to fully reap the benefits of a guy that will not put the ball over the wall that often.

Beaty profiles as a middle of the lineup guy but position blocks on the major league roster could prevent that consistency. For now, he will be a highly incredible and serviceable pinch-hitter as he proved in his first pro AB.