Dream Come True

When Jacob Amaya was taken in the 11th round of the 2017 draft, the Dodgers had acquired an elite fielding short stop and had also made a dream come true. Amaya grew up just 20 miles East of Dodger Stadium and had influences around him that bled Dodger Blue.  Jacob’s grandpa, Frank, played in the Dodgers organization for the Great Falls Electrics in the 1950’s and eventually made it as far as AAA with Seattle in his career. Frank also became one of the most popular and successful coaches in the Los Angeles area and was known as being “old school” tough and changed the lives of an unknown amount of Southern California baseball players. So playing baseball and loving the Dodgers were two things that were simply born into the young Amaya.

When asked about growing up a Dodger fan then getting drafted by them, Amaya said it was a dream come true.

“It was pretty much a dream come true. My grandpa passed away so he didn’t get the chance to be with me on that but he was a big influence.  We would always talk about Dodgers games and we’d always tune in the 7th inning when all the exciting stuff happens and we’d talk about baseball.”

Limelight

Amaya has professional baseball in his bloodlines, was drafted by one of the most iconic organizations in all of sports, and plays the most visible position in the game.  So, the “limelight” is something he will have to be able to handle.  Having been recruited since he was just 14 years old, then playing in front of scouts his entire High School career, the “limelight” is something that Amaya has grown up with.

South Hills High School is well known for its baseball and producing draft picks. Throughout the years the Huskies have produced 8 major Leaguers, 25 draft picks, and in the same year Amaya got drafted, Karlos Morales, South Hills teammate, got drafted as well. In his Junior and Senior years at South Hills High School Amaya shined hitting .348 with an on base percentage of .429.  

Professional Career

When evaluating young players, the easiest thing for scouts to do is to measure a players tangible qualities. The statistics they put up and the physical skills they possess are all measurable and done so at length. The hardest part of the evaluation process, however, is truly understanding the intangible qualities that a player possesses.

Draft picks like Amaya all had wildly successful High School careers, so knowing how they will handle the failure that the professional game will present is, many times, a guessing game.

Intangibles

As good as Amaya’s talent is on the field, his  qualities of confidence, work ethic and perspective might be his best skill set. Amaya has an incredibly quick first step, great timing, and an “Ozzie Smith” type quick release. Those tangible qualities are measurably elite, but he also has worked tirelessly to perfect those qualities.

Amaya’s physical skills have been enhanced by the hard work he has put into his preparation and it has payed off in several different ways. He has shown that he can be rock solid consistent, fielding .981 at High A Great Lakes, and he has also shown he can be very flashy as well.

The timing and footwork leading up to fielding the ball is in this video is elite.  Amaya attacks the ball aggressively, but then also times the hop and fields the ball with the left foot in front and he does it without slowing down.  

To be able to attack the ball this aggressively while also timing it as well as Amaya did on this play takes a good amount of talent, but, also takes an equal amount of practice 

The next step of this play is what created the accuracy of the throw.  After the ball was fielded, Amaya was able to turn his shoulders to point to his target, first base, but did so while keeping his hips square to first.  This is a movement that takes a good amount of flexibility, but also a larger amount of work.  

One of Amayas biggest strengths on defense is his ability to throw the ball from all different angles but still be accurate and strong with his throws.  

His ability to keep his hips square to his target while turning his shoulders, as you saw in the picture above, is why Jacob can throw from so many different angles and still be so accurate. He lets his body do the work, then just simply lets his arm follow.  These techniques have, no question, been taught to Amaya and have taken an enormous amount of practice on the field and a lot of flexibility work in the weight room to perfect.

Quick Release

The scouting report on Amaya is that he has a high baseball IQ, gets good jumps, has a quick first step, very quick hands, can throw from any angle and has a very quick release. Here’s a video to show you all these qualities all in one play.

On this play Amaya had already taken 2 steps before the batter left the batters box and the amount of range he covered shows how aggressive he is attacking the ball.  Amaya shows his quick release, this time over the top, and shows a plus arm for the position he threw from. Once again, even as aggressive as Amaya was, he still fielded with his left foot in front, then turned his shoulders to his target while keeping his hips square.  

These fundamentals on display should lead to Amaya being a fielder that is rock solid consistent, but also with the ability to make ESPN Web Gem plays as well.

Offense

Amaya is an offensive player that is still trying to put all the pieces together. In 2018 he hit .311 with a .442 On Base Percentage, but he only had 20 extra basehits and 3 homeruns. In 2021 he has hit a career high 12 homeruns but his average has dropped to .225 and his on base percentage is 53 points below his career average.

So, as you can see, all the pieces are there, they just need to be put together.  He has shown the ability to hit for average and get on base, and he’s also shown the ability to hit homeruns, but he hasn’t been able to do those things simultaneously.

I am a firm believer that this is what development in the Minor Leagues is all about.  If players ascend through the ranks 1 step at a time, like Amaya has, they get the opportunity to branch out and find out everything they are capable of. Amaya has been given the developmental time to try and spread his wings to hit for more power and will add this year’s power surge to his baseball toolbox. But, when it’s all said and done, and Amaya has put his offensive puzzle together, he wants to be a gap to gap line drive hitter.

When asked about his power surge this year Amaya acknowledged that he has hit more homeruns this year but quickly noted that he didn’t think that was the kind of hitter he is.

“Yeah, I’ve hit more homeruns this year than I have in previous years, but I don’t think that’s the kind of guy I am. I’m more of a gap to gap hitter, so the homeruns are always a blesssing. But I haven’t really worked on hitting more homeruns, I’ve just gotten stronger in the weight room so I guess that just comes with it.”

Hitting Mechanics

While Amaya’s defensive mechanics are near flawless, his offensive mechanics grade out well too. From stride to contact Amaya is a hitter that stays behind the ball and stays very centered. His offensive mechanics, like defensively, should allow him to have consistency in being a line drive hitter while also having power around it.

Comparing Amaya’s swing to Mookie Betts is a pretty high standard, I understand that.  But, from start to finish, they are very similar mechanically.

They load and stride the same, they get to slot the same and they leverage the same at contact.

Now, I’m not trying to say that Amaya will be a perennial MVP type offensive player like Betts. I’m simply making this comparison to drive home how mechanically sound and capable he is.  More proof of how well he has been taught and how hard he has worked to create his mechanical structures.

I-10 to LA?

As with every position in the Dodgers organization, Amaya faces an extreme amount of competition above him to make it to LA.  But, being around baseball as much as he has, he’s learned to not worry about things he can’t control.

When asked what his goals as a Dodger were, Amaya said he just wants to keep being himself.

“I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and control what you can control, that’s pretty much what I go by everyday. Whatever they like is what they like, so I just have to keep doing what makes me and keep playing my game”

Final Thoughts

Amaya is a prospect that is ascending through the ranks one step at a time and has plenty of physical talent. But, hopefully, now you understand that his talent is just the beginning of his positive profile. The confidence, work ethic, swag and overall perspective that Amaya has is beyond his years. And he has a dream that hopefully these traits will make his dreams come true and that he will someday don the Big League Dodger Blue.

@dodger_poke

When the Dodgers selected Jeren Kendall in the 1st round of the 2017 draft, they knew they were getting a unique player, with 5 tools of talent, who had shown the ability to “handle the moment”.

Prep Career

Kendall was a multi-sport star as a prep, and was the Wisconsin player of the year in 2013,  the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014, and earned 6 letters in both hockey and baseball at Holmen High School in the far western reaches of the state.  As a result, the Red Sox drafted him in the 30th Round of the 2014 draft and gave him the opportunity to take his game to the professional level in one of the most iconic and successful organizations in all of sports. Kendall, however, also had several offers to play College Baseball, and eventually decided to turn down the offer from the Red Sox, and, instead,  take his talents to Vanderbilt, to be a Vandy Boy, a decision that proved to be a great one.

Vandy Boy

It didn’t take the 5’11” center fielder long to make his mark in College as he earned Freshman All American honors in 2015 and showed that he was more than just talented, he was also clutch. In the College World Series of that year, the 5 tooled Center Fielder had a big RBI single in the finals of the College World Series against Virginia and also delivered the first walk-off home run in TD Ameritrade history against Cal State Fullerton.

Kendall’s efforts, both on and off the field,  garnered him very high praise from his legendary Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin

“Jeren emerged as a key component of our 2015 Omaha team as a freshman and has steadily grown as a player. His physical skills are different, uncommon and fun to watch. He can impact a game with his feet, glove, arm and bat. His best baseball is ahead of him for sure. He is mature and very consistent in everything that he does on and off the field. His disposition makes him fun and easy to coach.”

Here’s what Kendall had to say about the experience

Yeah, that was obviously one of the best moments of my baseball career, I mean, just being in that position, and everything we prepare for at Vanderbilt, that’s what it is right there. Just the ability to stay within yourself during those moments and have a little fun always helps. But, you know, just being in the College World Series was an experience in itself and it’s why I’ll always have such a great memory, and I’m glad I came through in that moment for our guys.

Kendall continued his stellar collegiate career in 2016, his Sophomore year, by becoming a 3rd team all-American after hitting .332 with 9 home runs and an OPS of .964. In 2017, his Junior year,  the 5 tooled outfielder became draft-eligible again.  Draft eligible years carry a large amount of individual pressure for players of Kendall’s caliber because their performance could mean the difference between an offer of millions of dollars or another year of Math classes. Don’t get me wrong, the College baseball experience is incredible, especially at a place like Vanderbilt, but signing for millions of dollars at such a young age is any young player’s dream. Kendall proved to be, once again, up to the challenge, as the “cool-headed” star hit .307 with 15 home runs and an OPS of .928. Those efforts were good enough to get him drafted again, after his Junior year at Vanderbilt,  but, this time, with an offer he couldn’t resist. The Western Wisconsin native signed in the 1st round of the 2017 draft and when the ink had dried the Vandy Boy became the next Dodger full of high expectations.

High Expectations

As Kendall entered the Dodgers organization he was tabbed with having a unique combination of speed, elite defense, the ability to hit for both average and power, and, again, the knack to come up clutch. He is also known as a tireless worker and as the type that never stops looking for opportunities to improve.  Over the winter of 2019, Kendall decided to stay in LA and work with Craig Wallenbrock and recently hired, at the time,  hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc. Wallenbrock is an innovative private hitting instructor who works as a consultant with the Dodgers, and has worked with and gained the approval of guys like Ryan Braun, JD Martinez, and other Major Leaguers. Wallenbrock and Van Scoyoc both believe in creating “lag” with the barrel to keep it in the hitting zone for as long as possible instead of rolling it over, an adjustment many professionals have to make when they become a professional.

Got Hot Then Hurt

In July of 2021, Kendall really started to show promise hitting .333 with an OPS of 1.152. But, just as he was heating up, he broke a bone in his foot and was forced to sit out from July 4th until August 14th. In his first at-bat back, in typical Kendall fashion, he hit a home run on the 2nd pitch he saw. On June 27, just 6 games before he was injured, Kendall blasted a 2-out, bottom of the 9th walk-off Grand slam to give the Drillers a win over the Springfield Cardinals.

Earlier that month, on June 10th, Kendall hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the AA Drillers to a win over Wichita. So, as the headline reads, Jeren Kendall certainly knows how to “handle the moment” and is much more than just 5 tangible tools of talent, he also has the intangible quality of being clutch.

Feature Cut

Kendall is an elite defender that works tirelessly at getting good reads on the ball off the bat to match his elite speed. Baseball on the offensive side is a game of failure and hit streaks come and go for every hitter, but defense is something that each player can make consistent every day they have the great fortune to play this great game. Kendall takes great pride in being such a great defender, and watch how easy he makes this play look on a ball straight at him that is over his head. Most outfielders would have to turn their backs to this ball and start sprinting to get in position to catch this ball. But, because Kendall gets such a great read and he has elite speed, he’s able to keep his eyes on the ball the entire time and make everything look so easy.

Here’s what he had to say about the amount of pride he takes in his defense:

That’s something that has been consistent over my whole career. My speed help a lot and I try and make sure that my defense stays at 150%. I do a lot of work during BP to get my reads and stuff in, but, yeah, outfield and using my speed on the bases is something that stays consistent everyday.

Kendall is working to continue to put his offensive game together and feels good about finally being healthy and is excited to see what the rest of this year brings.

Yeah, I mean, my game definitely needs a little tune up, and I think it’s a work in progress. I’m getting back to what I like to do and the main thing is just being confident, you know, baseball’s tough and you just have to stay confident and come out everyday, just day by day, and know that it’s gonna work out.

Kendall has power, he has shown he can hit for average, and he can “disrupt” games as well as anyone in the game when he’s getting on base.

Kendall has opposite-field power, he has extremely quick hands to turn on the inside part of the plate, and he has the speed to beat out infield base hits as well. There is just no reason for him not to be a great offensive player.

And, again, he is very clutch. You’ve already seen his walk-off at TD Ameritrade, now here are his two walk-offs from last year, one being on his first at-bat back off the IL.

Finishing Up

It’s no secret that the Dodgers are loaded with depth in the outfield position, but, none are more talented than Kendall. Yes, you read that correctly, and I fully understand how huge of a statement that is to make but let me make it even huger, if that’s a word, and add to it that I was including the outfielders on the LA roster as well. Kendall’s path to becoming a High-Level Major Leaguer has little to do with who is around him, and, almost exclusively, has to do with whether he can reach his potential on the offensive side of the ball. I know what this young man is capable of, and I know what he can do, and I have no doubt everyone else will as well before he decides to hang up his cleats for the final time.