10. Dennis Santana, RHP
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 4/12/1996 (21)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, AA Tulsa Drillers
2017 Stats: 24 G, 21 GS, 118 1/3 IP, 4.11 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 8.6% BB, 24.5% K
Info: Originally a shortstop when he was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, Santana was moved to the mound after failing to hit better than .200 in the DSL. He’s been a project as a pitcher, which is why he opened the season at high-A, but he really showed a lot by the end of the year and reached the upper minors in his age-21 season.
Santana’s bread and butter pitch is a high-velocity sinker that is well-known for its movement and weight
Santana’s bread and butter pitch is a high-velocity sinker that is well-known for its movement and weight. He sits mid-90s and touches 97-98 with his pitch, and the pitch moves a ton late, which has kept the ball off of bats, but it’s also cost Santana calls as the ball moves into the zone late. He pairs this with a slider that is an above-average pitch.
Lefties were able to see his fastball and slider well out of hand, so seeing his change take a big step forward in 2017 was big for his chances at being a future starter. He shows good arm deception with the pitch, though he is still working on getting consistent with the movement on the pitch.
Santana still works with a delivery that leads many to think his long-term future is in the bullpen, but his improvement in movement on his fastball and arm deception on his change could give him a shot at being a solid mid-rotation start. The Los Angeles Dodgers will keep him in the rotation until he forces his way to the pen, returning to AA to start 2018.
9. Will Smith, C
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 3/28/1995 (22)
2017 teams/levels played for: high-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, AA Tulsa Drillers
2017 Stats: .231/.358/.446, 308 PA, 11 HR, 7 SB, 37/72 BB/K
Info: While Smith was able to handle some pretty elite pitchers during his time at Louisville, he showed athleticism behind the plate that made him highly desired in the 2016 draft, where the Los Angeles Dodgers grabbed him with the 32nd overall pick.
Smith is quite athletic behind the plate, with good hands and quick feet behind the plate. He also does control the run game well with an above-average arm that plays up even further due to his excellent footwork putting him in great position to throw with accuracy and giving him elite pop times.
That athleticism carries to his offensive profile as well, where Smith is definitely a better runner than the average catcher when he is on the bases. He has worked on his swing and tapped into more power. The swing changes brought down his batting average some in 2017 as the season wore on, but after continuing to work with team officials, he went to the Arizona Fall League and used that altered swing to hit .371/.452/.565 with 4 doubles, a triple, and 2 home runs in 18 AFL games.
Smith’s defense is incredibly elite, and that will be enough to move him quickly through the farm system. The Los Angeles Dodgers will allow him to continue working with his new swing in AA to open 2018 as his elite defense plus a quality bat would be an All-Star level player.
Next: #7 and #8