Sure, the Los Angeles Dodgers spend a lot of money on roster talent. But that payroll shouldn’t be over the quarter billion dollar mark in the near future. Management has a lot of skilled players with a number of controllable years ready to come up through the farm system. Triple-A Oklahoma City is exemplifying that outlook for the club.
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Joc Pederson lit up the Pacific Coast League during the 2014 season. While he got off to a strong start with Los Angeles in 2015, he has experienced some growing pains in the second half. Pederson’s splits are .230/.364/.487 pre-All-Star break versus .179/.346/.301 after the Midsummer Classic. He has embodied the three true outcomes as much as any other candidate in the league this year. Many pitchers and scouting reports have probably figured him out this year, but he’s talented enough to change his approach and adapt to what teams give him in the future.
Life after Pederson for Oklahoma City has still been pretty sweet. The OKC Dodgers are playing in the PCL semi-finals this week against the Round Rock Express. Even with top prospects like shortstop Corey Seager and LHP Julio Urias having been in the mix, Oklahoma City got to their 86-58 record without their help for a time.
Seager didn’t get to Triple-A until May of this year and departed for Los Angeles shortly after September call-ups. Urias just made his first start with Oklahoma City on August 31. His second came on September 5, and neither have been all that impressive.
Los Angeles’ scouting department has more hits than it does misses these days. A few prospects who are flying under the radar right now but look like intriguing future options for the big league Dodgers are Andy Wilkins, Scott Schebler and O’Koyea Dickson.
Wilkins, a 26-year-old outfielder, has only logged 45 MLB plate appearances in his career. This year with Oklahoma City, he put together a .307- 18-70 batting line in well under 400 regular season at-bats. A possible late bloomer, Wilkins provides the Dodgers with depth, or a usable trade chip.
Schebler is only 24 and was yet to record a big league at-bat before his recent call-up after rosters expanded. He hit 13 home runs in Triple-A this year and could be a replacement for Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford in due time.
Dickson is 25 and hasn’t played in the majors yet. He has decent speed, the versatility to play first base or a corner outfield position and is a career .277/.344/.475 hitter across five combined years of minor league ball.
BoSox Injection
Pitching-wise, Urias is the big name to watch, obviously. However, 23-year-old Zach Lee is another promising arm to keep and eye on. He went 11-6 with a 2.70 ERA for Oklahoma City this year and is the de facto ace.
Los Angeles’ minor league system is glistening with potential. The fact players like Pederson, Seager, Schebler and Jose Peraza are already dressing for the big club shows that the Dodgers’ front office has been on point in recent years with the draft and trading for prospects. Los Angeles is pulling away from the Giants in the NL West standings, so all is good at a number of levels for this organization.
Oklahoma City’s depth is a testament to the Dodgers’ scouting and player development. If they don’t win the PCL championship this year, President Andrew Friedman would have no qualms about it. Because a large chunk of youthful talent is in Los Angeles right now should be justification enough for a positive trend, Friedman will look to continue down the line after his inaugural season calling the shots.