Player of the Week Spotlight: Dodgers' Gelof

Jake Gelof is the younger brother of A's breakout rookie second baseman Zack Gelof. But the 21-year-old isn't wasting time making a name for himself in his first year of pro ball.

The younger Gelof earned Minor League Player of the Week honors in the California League on Monday after barreling up just about everything he saw during the final series of the regular season. The Dodgers' second-round pick in July posted a .360/.407/.920 slash line while driving in 16 runs over six games for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. Gelof mashed home runs in five of his past seven games and posted a pair of five-RBI performances as well as one four-RBI effort.

The Dodgers' 15th-ranked prospect began the week in grand fashion -- belting the Quakes' second grand slam of the year while adding a double on a three-hit, five-RBI night. The righty-swinger followed that up with his third dinger in as many games and worked a bases-loaded walk to drive in four. In the Quakes' regular-season finale, Gelof crushed a two-run blast and laced a bases-clearing double to send Rancho Cucamonga storming into the postseason.

Fresh off setting University of Virginia school records for single-season and career homers (23, 48) and RBIs (90, 186), while batting .321/.427/.710 earlier this year, Gelof was selected by Los Angeles with the No. 60 pick in the 2023 Draft.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Virginia Baseball (@uvabaseball)

"Yeah, I mean, it’s very similar to pro ball. You just go out there and compete every day," Gelof told a panel of Kevin Millar, Ryan Dempster and Siera Santos on MLB Network's Intentional Talk. "Just getting a little more off-days, so it was a fun time. You know, being with your college buddies, best friends for life, going out there and just going to win baseball games. Just going out and competing."

After making quick work of the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, where he posted a .231/.412/.692 slash line with a homer, a triple, a double, six runs scored, four RBIs and a pair of stolen bases in four games, Gelof was promoted to the Cal League on Aug. 3.

It was a rough go to start at the new level for the 6-foot-1, 195-pound infielder, who hit just .185 with no home runs over 21 games in August. But after the calendar flipped to September, Gelof found his footing -- hitting safely in eight of his past nine contests, while finishing the regular season on a seven-game streak.

And while he continues to blaze his own path, Gelof does not take for granted the guidance and mentorship provided by his older sibling.

"It’s awesome, especially just getting out here to Single-A for my first part of pro ball. And it’s just awesome to have someone to talk to who’s gone through this," Gelof said. "And not just talk to but also be so close with and be able to talk about how things are going. And obviously it’s been going pretty well recently for him, so it’s been really cool to watch him."

The pair also share a connection beyond having the same parents. They were both selected with the No. 60 pick in their respective Drafts -- Zack in 2021 and Jake this year. But, Jake is quick to point out one distinct difference.

"I can say I did get a little bit more money than him, so ...," he told the panel on Intentional Talk. And to his point, Jake signed for $1,334,400 while his brother received $1,157,400.

Signing bonus aside, Gelof now looks to lead the Quakes in the postseason as the club takes on Inland Empire in the best-of-3 Cal League semifinals that begins on Tuesday.