Ryan January is a catcher in the Dodgers organization whose background is a documentary on the great American phrase “From Sea to Shining Sea”. His journey began just up the road from Boston, detoured to Pasadena, Texas that is, and is now winding its way to L.A. in hopes of finding a permanent destination in the MLB.
History
Located just 15 miles North of Boston, Swampscott, MA. is a quiet town along the Atlantic Coast that is known for its vast history of fishing, recreation, and tourism. It’s a slice of Americana that takes you back in time and marks the beginning of the baseball “Journey of January”. 
January had a remarkable career at Swampscott High School, where he became an ESPN All-Stater, 3rd Team All-American, First team All-Region and was widely considered one of the best prospects in the Northeast. Not only did he develop a reputation for having great physical skills, but he also became known as the ultimate competitor as evidenced by the thoughts of his Head Coach, Jason Calichman, given to the Boston Herald.
Ryan is the ultimate competitor,” Calichman said. “He demands a lot of himself and his teammates and I think it’s helped everyone. Scouts are coming to all our games to see Ryan, but I think it has helped some of our other players get noticed as well.
After High School, January loaded up his 6’4 frame and sweet “left-handed” stroke and headed South to San Jacinto Community College after originally committing to LSU. San Jac. is one of the best JUCO baseball programs in the country, and the JUCO route itself is a great option for players that have the tools he possesses because there is no waiting period to turn pro. At the Division I level, players have to wait either 3 years or until they are 21 to be eligible for the draft, so for guys like January, with elite tools and size, the JUCO route is the most direct path to the draft, as evidenced by the fact that he was drafted after his 1 year as a Gator. During his year at San Jac. January made a huge name for himself by leading his team to the JUCO World Series finals where he hit .375 and had 4 home runs as the team’s DH. He was in the DH role because he had broken his thumb earlier in the season which caused him to miss the last 25 games of the regular season.
Drafted
After 1 year at San Jac. January was drafted in the 8th round of the 2016 Draft by the Diamondbacks and spent the remainder of 2016 at the Rookie ball level where he became a Pioneer League All-Star after hitting 10 Homeruns in 183 at-bats and recording an OPS of .846 while hitting .273. 
The tall Massachusetts native was off to a great start as a professional and had turned himself into a top 30 prospect in the Diamondbacks organization and appeared to be destined for a fairly quick road to the MLB. But, after starting fast, he was never placed on the 40 man roster with the Diamondbacks and became eligible for the Rule 5 draft in the Winter of 2020 where the Dodgers picked him up. He spent this past season with High A Great Lakes, where he, quite frankly, struggled through July, then rebounded very nicely to hit .250 in August with an OPS of 1.230, then hit .250 in September with an OPS of 1.114.
Although January has had some ups and downs so far in his career, believe me when I make the statement that he has big-time tools. Despite obviously throwing right-handed, he hits left and has the potential to be a very good offensive player at the MLB level. He also has very good defensive skills and has recorded a pop time as low as 1.88 which is substantially lower than the MLB average, so he has the tools to have an above-average throwing arm at the MLB level as well. He has the toughness to match the position, is an extremely motivated young player, and is in an organization that will develop his tools to the fullest.
Feature Cut
January has a long frame at 6’4 and has hit at almost every level he has been, many times at an elite level. The combination of those skills has led some to profile him as a corner outfielder, a profile that he has used as fuel to his fire to work harder every day behind the plate. He has recorded a pop time as low as 1.88, so he has a good arm and a good release, and, when given a chance by the pitchers, has shown that he has every tool needed to throw runners out.
Although January has the desire, work ethic, and skills to be very good defensively, his best skill, no question, is his ability to swing the bat. His numbers in 2021 do not, in any way, indicate what he is capable of because he got off to such a slow start. If you saw him in August and September after he made some adjustments, or at San Jac, or during his 1st year with the D-Backs, you’d know what I’m talking about. January has the potential to hit and hit quite a bit at the MLB level.
January’s Journey
The Dodgers continue to have one of the best developmental systems in the league year in and year out, so carving an everyday role at the MLB level is extremely difficult. Will Smith is still young, Austin Barnes has been a great Dodger, the organization just picked up Kekai Rios, Hunter Feduccia is very good, Hamlet Marte provides a lot of value, Carson Taylor and Jesus Galiz are top 30 prospects and Diego Cartaya is ranked by many as the #1 prospect in the entire organization. The competition moving forward will be fierce, but competition is something this Swampscott native has always thrived on. He grew up in front of Scouts, played for possibly the #1 JUCO baseball program in the country, performed on their highest stage, then showed what he is capable of when he got to pro ball. He has dealt with the ups and downs that this game can present and he has seen the other side and is ready to move forward and finish his journey, the “January Journey”, and keep moving forward to his goal, the MLB.
