Juan Soto recently turned down the Nat’s offer of a 15-year $440 million dollar contract, so rumors are swirling about where he may end up as the trade deadline approaches. Having turned down an offer of that size, one would have to think that only a select few organizations have the funds, draft picks, or the combination of both to make a real run at attaining his services. Having said that, the Dodgers certainly would be one of those clubs, so this article is meant to give you an idea of the outfielders the Dodgers already have in their organization so you can make up your own mind as to whether or not you think giving up top prospects would be worth getting Soto.
First, here are the outfielders on the LA roster. We’ve seen them enough, and I’m a prospect guy, so I’ll just name them, then move on to the Minor Leaguers. The outfielders on the LA roster are Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Trayce Thompson, Chris Taylor and Kevin Pillar. Gavin Lux and Zach McKinstry can also both play the outfield, so throw their names into the pool as well.
AAA OKC
The AAA Dodgers have a good mix of older, fringy AAAA outfielders combined with younger, less experienced prospects. Let’s start with the Fringy AAAA guys.
Fringy AAAA outfielders in OKC
Jason Martin:Â Martin is a 26-year-old left-hander that is having a very good year in OKC this year and is hitting for both average and power. He’s hitting .283 with an OPS of .944 and has 19 home runs, which is the 4th most of any player in the organization. The Dodgers picked up Martin last off-season via free agency from Texas after he had been optioned by the Rangers, and finished 2021 hitting .350 in his last 40 at-bats, so he has shown that he can hit MLB-level pitching. You can click on his picture to see a video of him in action, or click on his name for his full feature.
Jake Lamb: Yes, I included Lamb in this article because he has played 13 games in the outfield at the Minor League level the last 2 years and parts of 9 games with LA in 2022. Lamb was an All-Star in 2017 and was hitting .290 with OKC when he got promoted and has 17 home runs on the year. When I spoke with him he mentioned how the game has slowed back down for him this year and that’s why he has found success again. You can hear those comments by clicking his name and watching his interview for yourself.
Stefen Romero:Â Romero is a 33-year-old who has been in the professional game since 2010, and has been with the Mariners and Dodgers. Romero has 215 Major League at-bats, all of which came between 2014 and 2016 and hit .195 with an OPS of .557. So, he does have MLB experience and is hitting .270 this year with OKC and got called up once to LA but didn’t get into a game.
Drew Avans: Although Avans doesn’t have any MLB experience, I’m including him in the fringy AAAA group because he is 26 years old, which is the same age as Jason Martin, and has been in professional baseball since 2018. Avans is another lefty out of Southeastern Louisiana who is having a very good year and has caught fire recently for OKC. In fact, Avans had 3 hits for OKC in the last game before the break, which is the 3rd time in 7 games he’s done that. He also has multi-hit games in 4 of 7 & went 11/27 in the Tacoma series this past week. His hit streak is at 9 games & his on-base streak is at 29, which is the longest by an active player in the PCL.
Ryan Noda: Noda is another 26-year-old who plays a lot at first base as well, so he brings versatility, and if you’ve followed Dodger Poke much at all, you know how high I am on this young man. He is another lefty but has a bigger frame at 6’3 217 pounds. He was a point guard on his High School basketball team and was known for pulling the ball off the rim, going coast to coast, and finishing on the other end, so he is extremely athletic for his size. He also fits the Dodgers formula, because he hits a lot of home runs, and also walks a lot. In fact, He led all of AA Central in home runs and walks last year, and was 2nd in RBIs, so he fits right in with the Dodger’s offensive formula. He was acquired as one of the 2 players to be named later in the Ross Stripling trade during Spring Training of 2021 and made an immediate impact as he hit a home run on his first at-bat in the Dodgers system with AA Tulsa. Click the picture to watch him in action, and click on his name for his full feature, which includes a feature cut that shows all aspects of his game.
James Outman: Outman is a 25-year-old who, quite possibly, was the best player in the Minor Leagues while in AA Tulsa this year. Overall, between his 261 at-bats in AA and his 54 at-bats in AAA, he is hitting .283 with an OPS of .910. Having played for Reggie Christiansen at Sac State, Outman has always valued defense and has made adjustments that have helped his offense match. With 19 home runs, he has a lot of power, he has a very good throwing arm, and has shown the ability to hit for average this year at .283. He is also on the 40-man roster, so that should tell you how high the organization is on this young man. He has also shown the ability to get on base with an on-base percentage of .383. Click the picture to watch his arm, and click on his name for his full feature, which includes a feature cut that shows all aspects of his game.
Miguel Vargas: I know, I know, you’re thinking, hey, isn’t Vargas an infielder? Well, primarily, yes, but the Dodgers have played him in the outfield 9 games, 3 of which I have seen in person, and, honestly, he’s not bad out there. When you have the “hit-tool” that Vargas has, it is a must to find a defensive position for them to play, and the more positions they are capable of playing, the easier it is to do that. Vargas was the AA Central hitting champion last year with an average of .319, and has backed that up this year in AAA with a .295 average. He is one of the best young hitters in the game, and I could easily see spot time in left-field as a fixture in his future, if not more than that. Click on the picture to see him in action and click on his name to see his feature cut that breaks down why he is such a great hitter.
AA Tulsa
Although Tulsa doesn’t have an outfielder on the 40-man roster and doesn’t have anyone that is imminent to break into the MLB, it’s important to understand the type of talent that the Drillers have in their AA outfield.
Ryan Ward: Ryan Ward leads the entire organization at any level in home runs with 22, and is the only Bryant Bulldog to hit over .400 for an entire season. so he can hit for average and power. Of the qualified players that are currently on the Tulsa roster, he leads the Drillers in home runs (22), RBIs (55), Slugging % (.552), and OPS at .847. Click the picture to watch him in action and click on his name for his full feature which includes an interview at the top and a feature cut at the bottom that breaks down his skills.
Andy Pages: Pages led the entire Dodgers minor league system last year in home runs with 31 so he has massive power potential. He is projected to be an everyday starting outfielder in the Dodgers organization by qualified publications, and he is already in AA, so his time is coming soon. I can also tell you that I have spoken with professionals who have played the outfield with Pages, and they went out of their way to tell me that he is the most talented player they have ever played with. Click on his picture to see his throwing arm, and click on his name for his full feature that includes a feature cut that breaks down his game.
Jeren Kendall: Kendall is another outfielder with a world of talent that brings “elite” defense and elite base running with an offensive game that is very capable, but not put together yet. I won’t sugar coat it, Kendall has struggled offensively in the last couple of years, but, keep in mind, that he has shown, at high levels, the ability to hit for average, get on base, and also hit for power, so, although he is 26, which isn’t young, there is still plenty of time for him to reach his potential. Everyone’s timetable is different, and there is still plenty of time for him to become the “5-tool” player he is capable of becoming, so stay tuned for his progress. Click on his picture to see him in action, and click on his name for his full feature, which includes an interview at the top and a feature cut at the bottom that breaks down his tools.
Johnny DeLuca: DeLuca has been the hottest hitter on the planet since his promotion to AA Tulsa. Actually, he was hot before he got to Tulsa too as he was awarded the Player of the Week in the Midwest League on back-to-back weeks just before his promotion. He is tied with Mookie Betts and Michael Busch for the 2nd most home runs of any player in the organization at any level, so he has a lot of power. But, what makes him unique is that he also plays Center Field, is the leadoff hitter most nights, and was the stolen base leader for the Loons. DeLuca is hitting .615 in July, but what makes that even better is the fact that he has hit with power as well and has an OPS of 1.720 this month as well. Click on his name to see his throwing arm, and click the picture to see him swing the bat.
Below AA
The Dodgers also have a slew of extremely talented outfield prospects below the AA level, but I didn’t include them, because, most likely, their arrival in the MLB is a little further away. Jose Ramos has a plus arm for Great Lakes and has a world of power, and if he can learn to reduce the swing and miss, has big potential. Other outfielders at Great Lakes are Aldrich DeJongh who is very exciting, Ismael Alcantara who is kind of a swiss army knife, Edwin Mateo who is one of the most fundamentally sound young players in the org., and Imanol Vargas has played some outfield as well, and he is having a great year and leads the Midwest League in On-Base percentage.
At Rancho, Damon Keith has lit the world on fire all year and leads the Quakes in just about every category offensively. and Jake Vogel has been extremely hot lately and has some of the best speed of anyone in the organization.
