Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielder Alex Verdugo: A Forgotten Man?
Though rated the #6 prospect in the system ranked by many as the #1 system in the preseason, has Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo flown under the prospect radar?
In a Tuesday highlight article on MiLB.com, Alex Verdugo discussed his route to AA in a short two seasons after being selected as a high schooler in 2014. Yet, he’s rarely discussed. What are people missing here?
The Dodgers selected Verdugo in the 2nd round of the 2014 draft out of high school in Arizona. He was a very highly regarded pitcher as well as an outfielder, and even he was surprised to hear his name announced as a center fielder. Verdugo was considered a borderline first round talent that season as a pitcher, with a fastball that could touch 97 with movement along with off-speed stuff that impressed many scouts. As a hitter, most viewed Verdugo as more of a 3rd-4th round talent.
The Dodgers started Verdugo with their Arizona Rookie League team. He hit tremendously well before being promoted to the Pioneer League rookie team. Combined, Verdugo hit .353/.421/.511 with three home runs and 11 stolen bases without a single caught stealing, and most impressively, Verdugo put up an incredible 20/18 BB/K ratio as a high school player, showing excellent plate recognition. His defense in center field was generally praised, although more for his arm than for his range.
In 2015, the Dodgers started the 19-year-old at Great Lakes in the Midwest League. He continued to hit well, and he forced his way into a late season promotion to the Cal League and High-A. Overall, his 2015 stat line was .311/.340/.441 with nine home runs and 14 steals. His arm started to become legend in the outfield as he tallied 21 total assists from the outfield in 2015 across both levels. For reference, in the major leagues in 2015, the outfielder with the most assists, Adam Eaton of the White Sox, had 13, and he played in 30 more games than Verdugo did!
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
However, after all that success, Verdugo appeared on only one preseason prospect list, Baseball America’s, where he was ranked #100.
This season, Verdugo has made an adjustment at the plate with his hands and his body added what appeared to be about 15 pounds of muscle (while trimming off some “teen fat”). This has led to the ball absolutely exploding off of Verdugo’s bat this season. He’s hitting .300/.361/.466 in AA Tulsa as one of the youngest players in the Texas League. He has hit 11 home runs and 17 doubles already in just under 350 plate appearances.
That doesn’t mean all has been perfect for Verdugo this season. While he’s exhibited his blazing speed just fine, he’s struggled on the base paths, stealing two bases but getting caught six times on the year already. He’s also struggled some in picking the ball off of the bat this season in center field, and he’s played much more right field.
I do think Verdugo will get the base running ironed out as he absolutely has the speed to do such, but his defense probably works best in right field long-term. That said, he likely would be an elite right fielder once he got into the position and settled into reading the balls from right rather than center field. So, yes, Verdugo may have been undervalued coming into the season, but you can bet that you’ll see Verdugo’s name on every major service’s top 100 list at the end of the season, and he will be the focus of nearly any team that the Dodgers attempt to deal with this summer as they make a push to get to the playoffs.
Next: The Top Ten Prospects In Baseball
Here are a few looks at Verdugo’s skill set: