For MiLB Players The Organization Matters
In the 2024 MLB draft, James Tibbs III was taken 13 th overall by San Francisco. He is now a top prospect at AAA for LAD. CWS RF Braden Montgomery made his MLB debut on my birthday (June 9), in story-book fashion with a walk-off 2-run HR in the 10 th off Raisel Iglesias for the…
In the 2024 MLB draft, James Tibbs III was taken 13th overall by San Francisco. He is now a top prospect at AAA for LAD. CWS RF Braden Montgomery made his MLB debut on my birthday (June 9), in story-book fashion with a walk-off 2-run HR in the 10th off Raisel Iglesias for the win over the Braves. Braden was taken by the Red Sox, 1 pick before JTIII in 2024 draft. He was then traded to CWS in the Garrett Crochet trade. See below on more on that steal by the White Sox.
JTIII is 6 months older than Montgomery. Montgomery started the year in AA and then moved to AAA when AA was not much of a challenge. Montgomery’s AAA stats were good, but not better than JTIII. He just had a better opportunity with CWS. If JTIII was on the White Sox, would he be in MLB? He is blocked by the Dodgers duo of Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker in the OF and Freddie Freeman at 1B.
Then there is CWS LF Sam Antonacci who is already in MLB. He is right between Montgomery and JTIII age wise. He was a 5th round pick by CWS in the same 2024 draft. I first learned of Antonacci when he played for Team Italy in the WBC. He wasn’t anything special in the WBC, except for that 2-run HR against Team USA and RHSP Nolan McLean. He would not be in MLB with LAD. Would he be in AAA? Even AA?
And yet another OF taken in the 3rd round of the 2024 draft is LAD OF prospect Mike Sirota. Sirota is crushing AA pitching. With his RBI single in the 1st inning on Wednesday, Sirota has now reached 1B safely in his 49th consecutive game (including all 19 AA games). In 19 games, Sirota is slashing .366/.494/.592/1.086, 7 doubles, 3 HR, 18 BB, 18 K. For comparison purposes, in 126 AA PA this year, Braden Montgomery slashed .313/.429/.606/1.035, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 21 BB and 32 K. Sirota is 2 months younger than Montgomery.
How many organizations would still have 21 year old Josue De Paula at AA. He is in the top 4 of almost every offensive stat in the Texas League, including #1 in doubles, #2 in hits, #2 XBH, #2 total bases…Does he really have anything still to prove at AA? I expect both Sirota and JDP in LA before the end of 2027. But then what about Zyhir Hope. He doesn’t have much to prove at AA either, but realistically he is not only blocked by the LAD OF but also the AAAA players in AAA as well as JDP and Sirota.
Montgomery is in MLB, and Sirota and JDP are in AA with no clear path to get to AAA. Possible, but not clear. The Dodgers appear to be comfortable with Ryan Fitzpatrick playing LF and Alek Thomas in CF in OKC. They also have Zach Ehrhard and Jack Suwinski as OF.
How different would the LAD record be if the Dodgers went with Ryan Ward instead of signing Kyle Tucker to a 4 year $240MM deal? Now, Tucker is going to be roaming RF for LAD for the next three years, and possibly block others in that time frame. Meanwhile Ward is showing that he belongs in MLB, and maybe AF/BG made a mistake on him??? Still to early to tell, but he is outproducing Tucker at this point. That is why I was supportive of a Ward/Call platoon in LF until one of the “kids” was ready to assume the role.
On December 11, 2024, CWS traded LHSP Garrett Crochet to Boston for MiLB prospects: OF Braden Montgomery, 2B Chase Meidroth, C Kyle Teel, and RHRP Wikelman González. Meidroth is the starting 2B, Teel was the starting catcher before he had his hamstring injury (and is due back soon), and now Montgomery is the starting RF. González was a respectable partial season reliever for CWS last year and was trending to get the call again this year when he suffered a lat injury. Crochet was #2 in CY vote last year, but not this year. He had a bad start to the year, and is now hurt. He has a lat sprain that is worse than he thought or that has been reported by Boston executives. Per Crochet, he has no idea as to when he will be able to pitch again.
CWS picked up 3 starting position players for a SP that would have been wasted in Chicago. How many of the three position players would be starting for Boston this year? Does anyone believe that any of the 4 did not welcome the trade to a three straight 100 loss CWS?
I have spoken to dozens of MiLB players and I cannot remember one player saying they would rather play for their favorite team in MiLB where they are blocked rather than get moved to a team where they had a shot at a MLB job.
I do not think Ryan Ward has anything to prove in MiLB. He is proving that he can play MLB. And that is true even understanding that he will probably regress at some point when pitchers have a better book on him. He is happy now playing for LAD, but how will he feel about going back to OKC once Teoscar is back? Teo is due back late June or early July.
BTW, I feel the same with Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim about not needing MiLB. There is just not room for both, and soon maybe neither.
More injuries can happen, so there is no need to make any changes until the deadline. I see Ward back in OKC at that time. As far as September call ups and an October extra OF goes, my guess is that is why AF traded for CF Alek Thomas.
Alex Call has done nothing to show he is not an effective and productive #4 OF. Where does that leave Zach Ehrhard and Kendall George? Not only do they not have a prayer of an everyday MLB OF job with LAD, but they are blocked by Call as a 4th OF. We are not talking about players in A Ball or Rookie Ball. These players are arguably considered MLB ready.
It does matter what organization a prospect plays for when the goal is to get to MLB. MiLB players want to get to the Show, not just to play for a specific team…Yes, even the Dodgers.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
Charlotte Knights (CWS) 9 – OKC Comets 8
RHSP Christian Romero completed 4.0 innings. He allowed 4 hits and 2 BB to go with his 3 K. He allowed 2 runs in the 1st on a BB, double, and single. Innings 2-4 were shutout innings, but not without traffic.
In the 2nd inning, LF Ryan Fitzgerald was HBP, and moved to second on a WP. 2 ground ball outs moved Fitzgerald to 3rd and home for their 1st run.
With one out, DH Austin Gauthier walked and CF Zach Ehrhard hit a 2-run HR (7) giving OKC a 3-2 lead.
Five relief pitchers followed Romero, with 4 being ineffective. LHRP Jake Eder was the first, and he allowed game tying HR in the 5th inning.
OKC went back ahead in the 6th after 2B Hyeseong Kim had a 1-out single and 3B Taylor Young had a 2-out single. Back to back BB by Gauthier and Ehrhard put OKC back on top.
RHRP Jerming Rosario allowed 3 runs in the 6th. He allowed a HR, a walk, a run scoring triple and WP giving Charlotte a 2 run lead.
In the 7th, with one Fitzgerald singled and moved to 2nd on an error. Fitzgerald scored on Kim’s single. C Eliézer Alfonzo singled with Kim to 2nd. Young doubled (1) to score 2. Gauthier reached on an error with Young scoring.
Going into the 8th, OKC had a 2 run lead. With RHRP Carlos Duran on the mound. He struck out the first two batters, but allowed a BB and 2 doubles to tie the score.
RHRP Wyatt Mills entered in the 9th. He got the 1st out, but then allowed 2 doubles for Charlotte to walk it off.
- Hyeseong Kim – 3-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI
- Jack Suwinski – 2-5, double (18)
- Eliézer Alfonzo – 2-5, 1 run
- Taylor Young – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 2 RBI, double (1)
- Zach Ehrhard – 1-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 3 RBI, HR (7)
Tulsa Drillers 7 – Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota) 6
RHSP Patrick Copen continued his struggles post April. He allowed 4 runs (all earned) on 5 hits and 3 BB. He registered 5 K.
In the 1st inning, Copen allowed a one out BB, HBP, WP, SB, and fielder’s choice giving Wichita a 1-0 lead.
In the 2nd, he allowed a one-out single. With 2 out, Copen served up a 2-run HR and a 3-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the 2nd inning, C Griffin Lockwood-Powell was HBP, and that was followed by 2B Jake Gelof’s 12th HR.
In the 4th, Copen allowed a one out single, SB, and RBI single.
In the bottom of the 4th, DH Chris Newell walked and stole 2B. He scored on 3B Kyle Nevin’s RBI double (7).
Wichita scored an unearned run in the 5th after a BB, SB, and catcher throwing error. The runner scored on a SF.
In the bottom of the 5th, LF Josue De Paula led off with his 1st triple of the season. CF Mike Sirota walked stretching his reaching base streak to 50 consecutive games. SS Elijah Hainline singled to score
De Paula with Sirota moving to 2nd. Sirota scored after a PB and WP.
LHRP Evan Shaw and LHRP Christian Suarez pitched three scoreless innings allowing Tulsa to go into the 9th tied up at 5-5. RHRP Kelvin Ramirez took the mound in the 9th. He allowed a 2 out solo HR to tie the game.
1B Joe Vetrano reached on a one out error. JDP singled and Sirota walked to load the bases. Hainline walked to bring home the tying run. With 2 outs GLP was HBP bringing home the walk off win.
- Josue De Paula – 2-5, 2 runs, triple (1)
- Kyle Nevin – 2-4, 1 RBI, double (7)
- Jake Gelof – 1-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (12)
- Mike Sirota – 0-2, 3 BB
Great Lakes Loons vs Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Milwaukee) DH – Game 1 Canceled, Game 2 Postponed to be played on Friday, June 12 as part of a DH
Ontario Tower Buzzers 5 – Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) 3
Ontario scored 3 in the 2nd. RF Ching-Hsien Ko doubled (9). 1B Easton Shelton smoked a 2-run HR (18). LF Brendan Tunink drew a BB. C Conner O’Neal singled. 2B Javier Herrera laid down a sac bunt, and Tunink scored on a WP giving Ontario a 3-0 lead.
In the 2nd, RHSP Leiter walked the bases loaded and then threw a WP giving the Storm a run.
In the 4th, Shelton led off with a BB. After a BB O’Neal was HBP and Herrera singled to load the bases. DH AJ Soldra hit a 2-out, 2-run single and a 5-1 lead.
With 2 outs in the 3rd, RHRP Jhonny Jimenez relieved Leiter and got the final out. In the 4th, Jimenez allowed a double, a single, and WP to score a run. After 2 outs, Jimenez walked a batter. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Jimenez gave up a run scoring double. RHRP Seamus Barrett relieved Jimenez and gave up a 2 run double tied the score.
With RHRP Will Gagnon on the mound, Ontario scored a run on a single, SB, and RBI single in the 6th. In the 7th, with Gagnon still on the bump, a BB, SB and RBI single scored 1. After one out, Gagnon walked a batter and was lifted for RHRP Javier Bartolozzi. Bartolozzi walked the first batter to load the bases, and balked allowing the 2nd run of the inning to score.
Ontario was down 8-5 entering the 8th. CF Landyn Vidourek and 3B Chase Harlan drew BB. Both runners were moved to 2nd and 3rd on a balk. 2 SF from Ko and Shelton scored 2.
In the 9th, Herrera walked and moved to 2nd on a PB. Soldra doubled home Herrera but did not score himself.
RHRP Jecsua Liborius came in relief in the 9th. He allowed a double and 2 BB to load the bases, but nobody scored.
In the 10th, Ko was the placed runner at 2B. After a K, Ko moved to 3rd on a ground out. O’Neal drew a BB. A WP scored Ko and O’Neal to 2nd. Herrera walked. Soldra singled to score O’Neal giving Ontario a 2-run lead.
Liborius retired the side in order with 2 Ks in the 10th for the win.
- AJ Soldra – 3-5, 4 RBI, double (8)
- Easton Shelton – 1-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 3 RBI, 1 SF
ACL Dodgers did not play
DSL LAD Bautista 10 – DSL LAD Mega 5
Well there was a guaranteed win for a Rookie League team.
DSL LAD Bautista –
Two of the better IFA signings this past January had good games for Bautista. 17 year old OF (playing DH today) Rubel Arias reached base all 5 times. He was 2-2 with 3 BB, including his 3rd double.
The 2nd is just turned 17 year old (June 2) 3B Ezequiel Melburne. He went 3-4 with a BB and 3 RBI. Melburne now has 11 RBI in 8 games. He is now batting .348 with an OPS of .945.
Another just turned 17 year old (March 24) RF Fran-Jean Haseth was 2-4 with 1 BB, including his 2nd HR and 2nd double.
17 year old switch hitting catcher Ricardo Pulles was 2-3 with a BB and scored 3 times. He hit his first double of the season.
17 year old (May 3) SS Ariel Reynoso hit his 1st HR, a 3-run poke.
DSL LAD Mega –
The Mega batters are not as prolific with the bats as were the Bautista hitters. 18 year old catcher Jose Rivas was 2-3 with his 1st double. 19 year old SS Hendry Arvelo had a two run single.
17 year old (turns 18 September 16) RF Helvin Mendoza was 1-1 with 2 BB.
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Discussion (112)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Between the NHL playoffs, I’ve been rewatching Andor and watching Widow’s Bay. Great TV Great drama. Life is great.
I’m not worried about Ward’s feelings now. He’s finally gotten the opportunity he deserved last season and has played well. When Teo returns, he can go back to OKC with his head high. Another injury could bring him back to LA. Of course the taste of The Show may have him hoping for a trade….
There’s that L-word again…. No luck involved in Max and Pages! Smart scouting and hard work.
Branch Rickey, no less, is often credited with the expression: “Luck is the residue of design.” I suppose that applies to bad luck too.
Good call. Dodger fans are much less patient of guys who show up toward the end of their careers.
Yeah, it’s the PCL. So what? The Triple A teams and leagues are the last stop before The Show. Are we supposed to put more stock in how younger guys are performing at Double A? Don’t they typically have to prove themselves at Triple A before they get summoned for big league glory? Last season Ward wore out PCL pitching and won the league MVP–and yet never got a chance to prove he was better than Conforto. Now Old Man Ward is finally a rookie, and that’s great—finally getting his chance after years of hard work. I just don’t see how denigrating the PCL makes sense. It discounts everybody’s performance. As for HS Kim, I’m much more interested in his OBP than his BA or slug. The old adage that “a walk is a good as a hit” is especially true for a guy batting ahead of Shohei. In ’25 Kim wasn’t collecting walks because he was apparently too eager to prove his bat. (Miguelito had the same issue, but more so, when he first came up as a rookie in ’22.) This season, Kim has showed a lot more plate discipline, but it started to slip.
Bobby Miller super darkhorse for relief help later this season?
It’s outstanding. Actual freedom of speech here unlike elsewhere. Comment and let comment. No time for small minds.
A rookie will be a difference-maker this year: River Ryan seems most likely
Facts
That wasn’t me; that was my alter ego.
Yes, Chick would say that. And I tend to agree. But a couple of counterpoints to consider the idea that the Dodgers won because of luck. First, Dave Roberts did a terrific job of managing during the WS. He pushed the right buttons, which included playing Rojas in Game 7 (a gut decision) and inserting Pages for defense. Second, kudos to AF for bringing Rojas back to the Dodgers in exchange for prospect Jacob Amaya. Seemed like a minor move at the time, but Rojas exceeded expectations as a role player in his return, culminating in his Game 7 heroics. Because I’m not in the habit of complimenting AF, I salute him because I also remember the piss-poor job he did in 2022, when the Dodgers somehow won 111 games and made the playoffs while Belli’s career seemed to implode. Entering the post-season, the Dodger bench that AF created included overmatched rookie Miguel Vargas and deadline acquisition Joey Gallo, who was badly slumping. Belli was struggling so much that Trayce Thompson replaced him in the starting lineup. When Roberts needed a pinch-hitter with the game on the line, he looked down the bench, saw Gallo and Vargas–and summoned Austin Barnes to the plate. Barnes managed to line out, but Roberts should have had better options. That was on AF. The 111-win Dodgers wound up getting eliminated by the Padres 3 games to 1.
Nice to see Trey Mancini back in the big leagues with the Angels. Looked like he was going to be star in Baltimore before cancer struck. He quit baseball two or three times before new Angel hitting coach Brady Anderson encouraged him to sign a minor league deal. The Angels aren’t doing much but at least they’ve delivered one of the feel-good stories of the season.
BTW: This is the best, most civilized, informed Dodger Blog on the planet (excluding myself). Thanks for being here!
Just a bad game. Some nice plays made by the defense, but a walk, a paper cut hit and Freddie unable to make that play on a grounder he should make 99 out of 100 times, set up the inning. 7 earned for Sasaki. Doesn’t do well for his ERA. Again, they missed a couple of golden scoring chances. Pages going out of the zone chasing pitches again.
Welp
I remain unfazed… but I have opinions: Mookie Betts is struggling offensively, but he is an elite defensive SS. I expected this and believe he will hit .240+/.720 OPS, but he’s no longer a superstar. He was worth it! Freddie Freeman is also in decline, but still a great player. 2027 should be his last year! Andy Pages’ star is on the rise, as is Dalton Rushings’. Will Smith has a great bat when healthy – figure out what to do with him. I have watched Kyle Tucker up close for two years since we get Chicago TV here. He will never be worth his contract, but if he hits .270 with 28 HR, it will be OK. For the record, I don’t think he will make it. Teoscar will put up better numbers. That’s my prediction. The Dodgers better pray that Ohtani stays healthy. This is a blip for Sasaki. I’ll panic if he has two in a row like this. A rookie will be a difference-maker THIS year. I still like the Dodgers to finish as World Champions. They have to rebuild… or is it reboot? Has anyone done that on the fly? I am happy for Miguel Vargas – too back he can’t paly defense. Don’t worry – be happy!
Tomorrow is another day
Outman homers in 1st game as a Tiger
Yep. Stupid challenge. Perhaps the weakest Dodgers lineup in years, with Call leading off, Espinal at DH instead of Shohei, and Chuckie Robinson at C instead of Smith and Rushing. But at least Roki is pitching… Doh!
Watching Mookie flounder offensively is so frustrating. Has he really aged this quickly and is no longer an offensive threat? Expected to see his contract age poorly, just not with six years left on his contract. Watches pitches down the middle and then swings a very slow bat on pitches that are down and out of the strike zone resulting in a K or a weak flyout.
Well Freddie blowing a double play ball didn’t help! And Tucker has to make that catch on Vargas! Could he run any slower. Horrible D!
Well, when you characterize the front office as allowing someone like Kody Hoese to “wither on the vine,” which was your phrasing, then yes, I do think you’re being critical of the fundamental way the Dodgers manage the major league progression of its minor leaguers. Did you really think Kody Hoese should’ve been on an MLB roster? And people need to understand the context of the Tucker signing. Do you REALLY want to know why Kyle Tucker was signed? The Dodgers gave him that money because Ohtani is 31, Betts is 33, Freeman is 36. The clock is ticking. Right now they are at the pinnacle of the dynasty the Dodgers spent more than a decade methodically creating. But nothing lasts forever, and the Dodgers dynasty will decline like all empires, and it’s edging towards the downward slope of that bell curve. If the Dodgers are going to win multiple WS titles and be remembered as one of the greatest teams ever, the time is now. Tucker was the Dodgers pushing all of their chips in. In this context the overpay is rational. Three, five, ten years ago the Dodgers would never make that Tucker signing. They were building, laying the foundation for the peak that they’re enjoying now. Now is not the time to platoon barely replacement level players in Ward and Call until the kids arrive. Now is the time to push in all your chips and take advantage of Ohtani at his peak, not cultivate prospects who may or may not pan out in three years. That’s what I think the Dodgers were thinking when they signed Tucker. AF literally said in an interview the Dodgers were going to be pigs. And easy to say the Dodgers should’ve signed Bleday for $1.4 million when he’s hitting above his career norms in the first two months. He was terrible last year, and has had one decent offensive year in his career, and has always been a poor defensive player. That’s why the Reds signed him for $1.4 million – because the Reds are below the MLB poverty line and that’s all they can afford. The Dodgers aren’t the Reds, thank god. The Dodgers don’t need to scrape around for value, find market inefficiencies, and be cheap right now. You were all in for signing Harrison Bader. It would have been frugal, sensible, and conservative – a safe signing. The Dodgers would’ve been getting good value for their money because he had a good year last year. Have you seen his stats this year? Could you imagine if he was the Dodger’s big signing in the offseason? Talk about blocking prospects. I don’t know how Tucker will do for the rest of the year, but his age and career suggest he’s going to be better than he is now. I shake my head at the viral tendency here to make guys who aren’t doing well into bad guys. It’s gonna be the worst Dodger signing ever! Posters are complaining that his swing isn’t pretty? LOL! Who fucking cares? That ugly swing has averaged around 135 wRC+ for the past five years or so. I don’t care if he looks like an 80 year-old stroke victim with cerebral palsy when he swings. If it puts up the numbers, I’m in. I suggest people just wait and see how things pan out as the season progresses and not overreact to two months of baseball.
Wow. Top of the 6th and the game is over. Maybe the Dodgers will show up tomorrow.
Someone said they’d score 10 runs, and he was right, he just picked the wrong team! We need to understand that it’s not so easy when you’re playing without Othani, Betts, Confortucker, Smith and Teo. and apparently Freeman without a glove!!