Dodgers minor league camp: Diego Cartaya, Bobby Miller, other top prospects shine

Will Rhymes doesn’t keep in anyone place too lengthy.

As a substitute, the Dodgers director of participant improvement strikes concerning the membership’s Camelback Ranch complicated every afternoon, from bullpen classes within the 10-mound throwing space, to defensive drills on a stand-alone infield, to hitting workouts within the open-air batting cage, and naturally stay recreation motion on three fields adjoining to at least one one other.

Coming into this 12 months’s minor league camp, he knew there’d be expertise. Even amid their main league success, the Dodgers’ farm system has hardly suffered, thought-about by most publications to nonetheless be probably the greatest within the sport.

However after a pair weeks, even Rhymes has been impressed by what he’s watching each day — reinforcing his conviction within the promise of the membership’s future.

“The extent of play is extraordinarily excessive on either side of the ball,” he stated Sunday. “It’s nearly stunning, at this level of the 12 months, the place so most of the guys are at. It’s actually prime quality.”

This previous week, reporters have been allowed to look at camp. Listed below are 5 observations concerning the group’s younger expertise:

Cartaya creating at, and behind, the plate

In between rounds of stay batting apply on Saturday, Diego Cartaya was absorbing data.

For a number of minutes, the 20-year-old catcher chatted with Andy Burns, an eight-year minor-league veteran with MLB expertise, for a number of minutes about his method on the plate. Then, Cartaya conversed with a Dodgers staffer earlier than stepping again into the field.

It was a snapshot of the way in which Cartaya is continuous to develop this spring, one other small second for the Dodgers’ top-ranked prospect to soak up some knowledge forward of what may very well be a pivotal season in his improvement.

“I attempt to study and see what their thought course of is,” Cartaya stated. “See if it really works for me.”

Cartaya has put his uncooked expertise on show, too. In his subsequent at-bat within the stay BP, he smashed a towering house run towards seven-year big-leaguer Robbie Erlin. “Wow,” one Dodger coach stated because the ball sailed out to left area, the place a parking zone beckoned simply past the wall. “That’s off a automotive!”

In an intrasquad scrimmage the subsequent day, Cartaya smoked a 107 mph line drive the opposite manner that skipped previous the appropriate fielder and went all the way in which to the wall.

“You don’t typically see a right-field get burned that shortly on a ball,” Rhymes stated. “He has continued to impress.”

Along with his swing, Cartaya stated he’s additionally focusing proper now on his game-calling and defensive duties behind the plate, making it some extent of emphasis this season after being restricted to 31 video games in 2021 due to again and hamstring accidents.

“It’s actually thrilling when somebody naturally has that potential on either side of the ball,” Rhymes added. “We’ll see over the subsequent few years whether or not he’s capable of proceed that progress, however as of now he’s on a terrific monitor.”

Pepiot, Miller flash on the mound

It didn’t matter to a few the Dodgers’ prime pitching prospects that, throughout an exhibition recreation towards a barnstorming impartial group this week, the competitors was nowhere close to what they’ll see within the minors this season.

Extremely touted prospects Ryan Pepiot and Bobby Miller threw their greatest stuff anyway.

Miller, the membership’s No. 4 total prospect in keeping with MLB Pipeline, averaged 100 mph along with his fastball throughout his outing. It was the most recent camp spotlight for the 2020 first-round choose, who Rhymes stated has been one of the vital improved gamers at camp to date.

“He appears to be [setting personal records] along with his velo each time he goes on the market,” Rhymes stated.

Pepiot, the group’s No. 2 prospect, was additionally spectacular, putting out 5 batters as he continued to sharpen an arsenal that features a trademark changeup and a creating slider — one Pepiot now throws with the identical grip as Dodgers big-league reliever Blake Treinen.

“Picked it up within the offseason,” Pepiot stated. “It’s come a good distance.”

Busch targeted on protection

Second baseman Michael Busch is barely two years faraway from being a first-round draft choose, however the Dodgers’ No. 3 ranked prospect already talks with the single-minded focus of a big-leaguer.

In the identical recreation towards the impartial group, the 2019 first-round choose blasted a protracted house run to proper. Requested a day later concerning the blast, nonetheless, he softly smiled and deflected.

“All of them depend the identical,” he stated.

As a substitute, it was his defensive enhancements that Busch was as keen to debate as the rest. After taking part in primarily at first base all through his faculty profession, he transitioned to second throughout his first full minor-league season final 12 months, constructing foundations on the place he’s aiming to construct upon this 12 months.

“He’s all the time been a terrific hitter,” Rhymes stated of Busch, who batted .267 with 20 house runs in Class AA final 12 months. “Defensively, he simply appears an increasing number of snug. You’d suppose he’s performed second base his complete life.”

Cuban sluggers shining

The fashion of their video games are totally different, however Andy Pages and Miguel Vargas have adopted related improvement paths of their professional careers.

Each of the Cuban prospects have been signed by the Dodgers in 2017. Each got here again from the canceled 2020 season with robust performances final 12 months. And so they discover themselves aspect by aspect within the Dodgers’ prospect rankings, with Pages ranked fifth and Vargas sixth.

Pages is the extra pure slugger, a 6-foot-1, 212-pound outfielder who belted 31 house runs in Class Excessive A final season, and who has sprayed the ball across the park throughout camp video games this week.

“Often when guys are that huge, there’s size and slower actions,” Rhymes stated. “However he has distinctive management of his physique and his palms.”

Vargas, a 3rd baseman who may play at first and second, developed extra pop final 12 months, pulling the ball with energy extra often throughout a 21 house run marketing campaign that earned him the membership’s minor league participant of the 12 months honors.

“It was an natural development of a younger hitter who may use the other area successfully, management trajectories that manner,” Rhymes stated. “He appears actually good. He’s obtained an opportunity to be a reasonably particular participant.”

Creating extra pitching depth

One of many Dodgers’ organizational strengths lately has been their depth of pitching expertise. This spring, that effort has continued.

Proper-handers Landon Knack, Clayton Beeter and Hyun-il Choi are all trying to construct off robust 2021 campaigns. Knack and Beeter are each top-10 ranked prospects within the farm system, whereas Choi is the Dodgers’ reigning minor league pitcher of the 12 months.

Maddux Bruns is in camp for the primary time after being taken within the first spherical of final 12 months’s draft. Whereas the left-hander can get his fastball into the upper-90s, he stated his present focus is on creating extra constant management.

There are additionally a pair new pitchers with previous MLB expertise in Jon Duplantier and Carson Fulmer, who have been each snagged by the Dodgers in December’s minor league Rule 5 draft.

Duplantier, 27, is a former third spherical choose who has pitched in components of two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Fulmer, 28, was a school teammate of Walker Buehler’s at Vanderbilt and was drafted eighth total by the Chicago White Sox in 2015. He has struggled in six major-league seasons, posting a 6.41 profession ERA, however struck an optimistic tone whereas talking with reporters this week.

“It’s been a breath of contemporary air,” he stated. “I’ve heard so many good issues about this group. I’m simply completely happy to be right here now.”