Gray, Lux leave Dodgers fans drooling
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.While the Dodgers won their seventh straight National League West title, the team's farm
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.
While the Dodgers won their seventh straight National League West title, the team's farm system held strong as one of the best in baseball. Los Angeles affiliates collectively led the Minors in home runs (650 from non-complex teams) and ranked fourth in winning percentage (.557) while five teams (Arizona League Dodgers Mota, Ogden, Great Lakes, Rancho Cucamonga, Tulsa) reached the postseason and five players (
"Those are all byproducts of process and it all affirms what we're doing," Dodgers director of player development Will Rhymes said. " ... We strive to foster a culture of winning. The players know that we value [winning] through the levels. ... And we know how important it is to managers and staff at the affiliates to win."
Dodgers Organization All-Stars
Catcher --
"He hit 27 home runs this year across both levels and the playoffs, which is rare for a catcher," Rhymes said, "and he also has athleticism that's rare for a catcher. He made big strides behind plate."
Rhymes noted that Wong would have started the year with Double-A Tulsa had he not been "a victim of depth at the position" (hello,
First baseman --
"He established himself [in 2018] as an incredibly high-quality at-bat ... " Rhymes said. "He kept on the same exact path, and his walk rate went up to a ridiculous level [16.1 percent]. The ability to do damage while not striking out -- in today's game -- is rare, and he increased his versatility by playing all four corners."
Second baseman --
"He had a really good offseason last year. He stayed at [Camelback Ranch]. He filled out his body and got a lot stronger, and as soon as the calendar turned, a lot of us noticed how much better his bat path was," Rhymes said. "He was able to access more of the field and show more power, and he retained the ability to make contact."
MiLB.com Organization All-Stars: Team by Team
Third baseman --
"He's absolutely the exact kind of guy where you can see the power developing later. If you were looking for the perfect foundation for a hitter to develop power -- gets on base, hits for a high average, low 'K' rate, ability to use right field -- [you'd find it in Vargas]," Rhymes said. "His bat speed increased significantly this year, and ... we expect to see a bump in bat speed again. ... He's an incredibly well-rounded hitter even if this was the extent of his power."
Shortstop --
"I don't know what to say," Rhymes said. "Across all the year [Minors and Majors], .330 [batting average] with a .557 slug. He hit 29 home runs and had 29 doubles. He developed into a legitimate run-producer. He addressed issues [against left-handed pitching]. He's one of the better hitters you're going to see. His at-bat quality was always there, and he gained strength. He's incredibly efficient."
Honorable mention:
Outfielders
"I'm no longer surprised by anything Rexy does," Rhymes said. "He was always a really, really good hitter, almost a magic wand type. ... We anticipated him starting to grow into his strength, and he has good at-bats and swings at the right pitches."
"He's a great story for us in player development and in scouting: he was a 28th-round pick and he repeated Double-A for parts of three years," Rhymes said. "This year, he made some adjustments and cut down on the miss, and we saw the performance spike.
"On paper, I think he was our best performer on the Minor League side. That's pretty good, to lead this group of hitters in wOBA [.423, second to Lux's .437] and OPS [1.057, better than all comers -- including short-season players]. He's ... shown a lot of grit over time and he keeps getting better."
"The underlying exit data supports that the performance was pretty real," Rhymes said. "There's a chance he's a special hitter. He's still 18, and next year there's going to be a huge challenge for him. We're really interested to see how he responds to a higher level of competition. ... He played some center field and he has an absolute cannon. The hit tool is there, too, and he's really bright. He really knows the game. He's a student of other people's swings. There are a lot of ingredients that are encouraging, in addition to the huge power."
Utility player:
"He's made such progress at third base," Rhymes said. "That's where he's made the biggest strides. He was always a very confident defender at third base in practice and it was just a matter of him gaining confidence in games. This year, we saw it. He's worked really hard ... on his agility, and that's one more thing that gave him confidence."
Honorable mention:
Right-handed starter:
"It was close to the dream season. I don't know how much better he could have done. In a first full season, to go three levels and finish at Double-A is just remarkable," Rhymes said.
"He was completely unfazed. We had to keep [promoting] him in an attempt to present him with a challenge, and I'm not sure he found it. .. He gave up only four home runs the entire season [counting the Texas League playoffs]. … And he's a flyball pitcher -- his groundball rate is in the 30s [37.8 percent, per Fangraphs]."
Left-handed starter:
"Consistency, his mix, his intelligence on the mound, an ability to affect hitters' timing. … Plus, he fearlessly throws the ball over the plate," Rhymes said. "He missed a lot of bats this year, which was an interesting development. His changeup has been really good -- that's been the separator -- and he's worked on his slider. The big thing is that he's a competitor: he's not scared."
Honorable mention:
Offseason MiLB include
Relief pitcher:
"Logan has a special fastball and he improved his ability to land the curveball for strikes," Rhymes said, shrugging off the rough stretch. "It was just a matter of him getting back to strike one. His pitches play so well in the zone, he doesn't need to do anything else."
Honorable mention: There's as strong a case to be made for
Josh Jackson is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @JoshJacksonMiLB.