Kyle Garlick – the Spice of the Oklahoma City Dodgers

I expect at the start of the 2019 season many of us would have guessed that at this point in the season the top hitter for the OKC Dodgers would be Edwin Rios, Will Smith or perhaps Matt Beaty. Most of us might not have guessed Kyle Garlick.

Right now Garlick is the team leader in hits (26), home runs (7), total bases (55), BA (.292), OBP (.394), SLG (.618) and OPS (1.012). Blake Gailen and Connor Joe do top some of those marks but have had three and 15 at bats respectively. Garlick is also a close second in runs and doubles.

He is in his fifth season in the Dodgers organization having been drafted in the 28th round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of California Polytechnic State University in Pomona CA.

Now 27, Garlick was born in La Habra, California and attended high school in Chino Hills which is a short 45-minute drive from Dodger Stadium. Following graduation from high school he headed off to the University of Oregon where he played three years with the Ducks. In his three years with Oregon Garlick became the all-time leader in triples, was third in runs batted in and ranked sixth in games played.

An injury caused him to miss most of the 2013 season limiting him to 10 games. Upon his return in 2014 he did return to his 2012 form and was not selected in the 2014 June Draft.

Disappointed but not deterred he headed closer to home for his senior year at Cal Poly Pomona. He posted some eye-popping numbers with a triple slash of .358/.456/.667 with an OPS of 1.119 along with 17 home runs and 56 runs batted in. His purpose for playing closer to home was not that he wanted to play at the Division II level. It was to be closer to his mother.

At the beginning of the 2014 season, Kyle’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. To return to the Ducks in 2015 would have meant another long period of time away from his mother. Because of this and with little scholarship assistance available at Oregon, Garlick decided to move back home to Chino Hills where he enrolled at nearby Cal Poly Pomona with hopes of attracting the attention of MLB scouts.

The highlight of his 2015 season came in a championship game in which he hit two long home runs as Cal Poly defeated UC San Diego 7-4 in the NCAA Division II West Regional championship game at Mt. San Antonio College. His second home run was a 415-foot blast over the center field fence in the eighth inning.

Even though Garlick was still disappointed at not having been drafted in 2014, he entered the 2015 draft with confidence and optimism, and he was rewarded. The Dodgers selected Garlick in the 28th round.

“I kind of had a feeling it was going to happen,” said Garlick after receiving the call informing him that he was now a Dodger. “I was talking to a few different teams. It was just a stressful few days for me, man. I kept going back and forth trying to keep myself busy checking the list and then I finally got called. It was super exciting.”

The 6’1”/210-pound right-handed hitter made a quick impact at the professional level. In his first season he played 60 games spread over four levels – AZL Dodgers, Ogden Raptors, Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. He hit at least .329 at each level with an aggregate slash line of .349/.397/.591 along with nine home runs and 44 runs batted in.

Over the next three seasons Garlick has continued to hit with at least 18 home runs in each season.

Garlick is continuing to hit as the invisible man. He is a foot soldier that has continued to work at his trade among incredible odds. He has survived his injury plagued year in 2014, been with his mother in her battle with cancer, played among more high profile players in the Dodgers system and produced.

Almost unnoticed, Kyle Garlick hit three home runs on Sunday, May 5.in a game against the Round Rock Express. That is, three two-run home runs with the third one coming in the top of the 11th inning. It was not his only three-home run game in his professional career. He homered three times once before in his career, for Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga on April 18, 2016.

Garlick is the third Dodger minor league player to hit three home runs in a game this season. Outfielder Niko Hulsizer did so with the Great Lakes Loons and outfielder Cody Thomas with the Tulsa Drillers. A MiLB interview with Hulsizer and Thomas was available to gather their reaction but no such interview was afforded to Garlick. Perhaps it was a time thing with the game going into extra innings.

Hopefully Kyle Garlick will get an opportunity to put on a Dodger uniform this year at Dodger Stadium as Matt Beaty just did.

Minor League Report by DC

Great Lakes Loons 1- Kane County Cougars 8 (Arizona)

All good things come to end as did the Loons winning streak which stopped at 10. Jeronimo Castro started for the Loons and did pitch quite well. He went four innings giving up five hits and two runs with one walk and five strikeouts. He was followed by Joel Inoa who tossed two scoreless innings on one hit. The roof caved in for Brett de Geus who managed to get only one out while giving up five runs on three hits and four walks. The last Cougar run came off Justin Hagenman who finished up with 1.2 innings.

Offensively the Loons had eight hits but couldn’t string much together and for a change registered only two walks. Niko Hulsizer and James Outman both had two hits.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 2 – Inland Empire 66ers 0 (LAA)

The Quakes came away with an unlikely win on Tuesday. They had just three hits in the 2-0 win. Two were for extra bases including a Marcus Chiu double and Connor Wong’s seventh home run of the season. The first run in the sixth inning was a bit of a gift on a HBP, an error, a single and a walk to Nick Yarnell forcing home a run. Wong’s home run the eighth inning was a shot to right field.

Edwin Uceta made his seventh start of the season for the Quakes and got locked in a battle with 66ers starter Oliver Ortega. He outlasted Ortega going six shutout innings on five hits, a walk and eight strikeouts. Relievers Connor Mitchell, Wes Helsabeck and Logan Salow combined for three additional shutout innings giving up no hits, two walks and striking out five. Salow picked up his first save of the year.

Tulsa Drillers 8 – Corpus Christi Hooks 5 (Houston)

JD Martin, last week’s Player of the Week in the Texas League, had a rough outing to follow up his previous stellar one. In five innings he gave up 10 hits and two walks resulting in five runs. Andre Scrubb took the ball in the top of the sixth inning and pitched two clean innings with two strikeouts. Right-hander Marshall Kasowski struck out the side in the top of the eighth inning and retired the side in the ninth on one hit.

The Drillers scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a Zach Reks ground out and a DJ Peters single. In the bottom of the third inning Gavin Lux homered to right center field. He now has homered in four consecutive games and is tied for the league lead with eight. Zach Reks pulled Tulsa ahead in the bottom of the seventh inning with a three-run home run to right field following walks to Gavin Lux and Zach McKinstry. An additional run was tacked on with a DJ Peters HBP, a Keibert Ruiz single and a Christian Santana infield single. The Drillers scored four runs with two out and nobody on base. Zach Reks drove in his fifth run of the night with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Tulsa Drillers second baseman Omar Estevez has been named the Uncle Ray’s Texas League Player of the Month for April by Minor League Baseball. Uncle Ray’s is the Official Potato Chip of Minor League Baseball and names a monthly winner at all levels of MiLB.

Estevez was a worthy winner of the TL award, leading the Drillers and the league in several offensive categories. For April, he led the Texas League in batting average (.385), hits (30) and doubles (eight) and was third in on-base percentage (.449) and OPS (1.014) and fourth in total bases (44) and slugging percentage (.564).

OKC Dodgers 1 – Nashville Sounds 4 (Texas)

Dennis Santana started for the Dodgers and went four innings giving up five hits and two walks while striking out six but allowing no runs. Rehabbing Tony Cingrani followed Santana for an inning and also gave up no runs but did allow two hits and a walk. He stuck out two. Joe Broussard was unable to record an out while surrendering the Sounds first run on three hits. Josh Sborz was unable to strand two runners when he relieved Broussard and also gave up a run of his own. Jaime Schultz pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning on two hits and three strikeouts. Justin Grimm finished up with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Dodgers had only six hits with Edwin Rios and Shane Peterson each having two. They finally broke the shutout in the bottom of the ninth on a Drew Jackson single but that was it as Jackson got caught in a run down to finish the inning.

This article has 45 Comments

  1. All Ducks are winners. Garlick is a Duck. Therefore, Garlick is a winner.

  2. I have followed Garlick his entire minor league career and I am hoping he gets his chance with the Dodgers as a right handed hitter off the bench and 4th outfielder,

    1. I’m with you! I wanted him called up when they called up Beaty. Instead, we have Travis D’Arnaud who hasn’t played yet.

      1. D’Arnaud is here as back up, back up catcher as well as a RH bat off the bench. Normally one would stash him in AAA but that was not likely an option.

        How long he stays depends on how Will Smith does in the next month or two and whether there is an injury to Marnes.

  3. Very nice write-up DC. I especially like the human interesting story behind the player. Have high hopes for many of the young minor leaguers

    1. I too especially like the human interest part of their lives. They all have a story and most often we hear the stories of the top prospects. They are certainly deserving of their accolades but too often the other players simply play in their shadows.

      Kyle Garlick is an exemplary young man and minor league player with MLB just out of reach. He personifies the life of minor league players having gone through personal trials yet emerging as a productive player and valued teammate.

  4. Thank you DC for the information on Kyle Garlick. I read his story when he was drafted and immediately he became my favorite Dodger prospect. I too hope he gets a taste of the major leagues with the Dodgers. He’s a very deserving young man! Who knows, he could be the right-handed bat we need.

  5. Perhaps more than any other Dodger prospect, Kyle Garlick has a “cult-like” following. Maybe the name, maybe the story, maybe the numbers…but for whatever reason he seems to be on everyone’s radar and follow list. I am extremely partial to draft picks 26th round and later who have a chance to make a ML roster, and Kyle is no different. There have been some that have come up later and have become regulars, but they are very rare. Kyle is 27 and has never been considered a major prospect, so the dollar investment has never been there. I do not think that many beleive that Kyle will become a perennial MLB All-Star, but he can certainly become more than a serviceable 4th OF and RH bat off the bench. I do not think he would say no to that.

    1. I’ll take it! I like him because he took care of his sick mom and he’s a local boy. Glad that he’s right on the cusp and that he’s got right handed power. I understand he’s no slouch defensively as well. Brian Giles was pretty unheralded, but he turned out pretty good. I hope for the same for Kyle.

  6. Count me as one who is eating crow on the QO to Ryu. I thought that $18MM for a pitcher who has a real problem staying healthy was a bit too much. As well as he pitches at Dodger Stadium, he would have to consider a 2 year extension if one was offered. I still think teams would be reluctant to go 3 years, but more than a handful will be in on Ryu for 2 years. Problem will be that Ryu is a Scott Boras client, and he is loathe to give below market extensions. He is more apt to recommend that Ryu go to FA and seek out the max. He just excels at Dodger Stadium. I am happy to be wrong in this case.

    1. I don’t think we know all there is to know about how our finances are run. Obviously, our preference is to go year-to-year and worry about each season at a time. The rash of multi-year deals we handed out [all for about $16m annually] to Turner/Hill/Jansen after coming up just short against the Cubs in 2016 were intended specifically to “keep the core” together in hopes they could eventually win a ring. We all know what happened the next two years and what the expectations are for this season. You can say a lot of things, but you can’t intelligently say our plan has failed.

      Since then we have shied away from multi-year contracts. I’m probably forgetting some–and, no, Utley’s fake two-year deal doesn’t count–but after signing almost nobody after 2017, we then extended Kershaw one year, brought back Ryu for one year, reworked Freese’s modest salary, and finally loosened the purse strings a bit for Pollock & Kelly. That’s about it.

      Looking at the current roster, we have very few firm monetary commitments left. Kershaw/Turner/Jansen are arguably the three leaders of the team, so I’d say that’s pretty solid planning. The vast majority of our players are under club control, arbitration eligibles, or ready to leave as free agents after the season. I’m sure there have already been discussions about which players might form the next core of this team (Seager, Bellinger, Buehler), but because of the state of baseball’s economic system and the known tendencies of agents to wait until free agency to sign multi-year contracts, those factors don’t really have much to do with today at all.

      Despite what anyone may personally feel about Friedman, he has done a masterful job of moving from a bogged down, expensive team to a fluid, ever-changing one that can draw upon its minor league system to fortify the roster. I can’t speak for him, but I imagine Friedman would like a loaded upper level of minor league talent, so that in times of need he can turn to our system rather than free agency or trades. And the best way to build a solid upper level to begin at the lower levels, gradually adding pieces that might ascend and become those pieces. The trade for Downs & Gray was a perfect example of this.

      So where do we go from here? Play the season. Continually evaluate and modify roles. Win the division by a landslide and gear up again for the crap shoot that is the playoffs. This trade deadline will be a fascinating one. We have to be all about winning a ring; we have to be mindful of draining our system; we have to balance present and future needs. (And Roberts has to resist the urge to over-manage!)

    2. AC,

      Ryu certainly does look sharp out there. I don’t think any one doubts his stuff. I imagine that what observers doubt will be his longevity in keeping off the IL. Maybe those days are behind him. We hope so. But it will have to be proved through the season and then the Dodgers will have to make some hard decisions as Boras will be looking for bigger money than the FO might be willing to pay. Ryu was great last night. Effortless.

    3. He’s our David Wells, pay the man! I love Ryu. After gving 4 years to McCarthy…

    4. We’re all wrong al the time AC, we don’t know nearly as much as the front office.

      Obviously you know way more than I do, but the people making decisions like Ryu’s have spent 100s of hours a week for hundreds of weeks.

      It’s fun to toss “what I would have done” around, and gosh knows that happens a ton on this board, but nobody is really qualified to make those actual decisions. Not even close.

      But keep up with your prospect news! There’s just not enough of that stuff online.

    5. I had said that the injury prone tag for Ryu was unjustified. He really had one injury in his career until the groin last year. Unfortunately shoulders take longer and are less of a sure recovery than TJ’s. Ryu had his shoulder injury followed by some cleanup that was caused by the initial injury. He was the best #3 in baseball behind Kershaw and Greinke. He seems to be as close to back to that form as possible.

  7. I remember Ryu from his rookie season. He had a productive first year – it felt like he would consistently go 5-6 innings and give up between 2 and 3 runs each outing.

    I see something different now than when he first started with the Dodgers. After getting healthy again, last year, he seems more confident attacking the zone. He seemed to nibble a lot more early in his MLB career. Now, it looks like he draws on his experience to trust his command and he attacks the zone more aggressively. He gets ahead of hitters much more frequently than before. Instead of just going 5-6 innings each start, he looks like he can get to 7+ innings this year. There’s something about his comfort level at Dodger stadium that results in more dominating performances at home. Thinking back on last year’s NLCS in Milwaukee, maybe he just gets rattled by the opposing fans?

    1. Man, can that cat activate Boss Mode when called upon. But you’re right: we should expect to see him largely at home in the playoffs.

  8. Because of Ryu’s body type, his athleticism is greatly underrated. He made two outstanding plays last night that many pitchers wouldn’t have been able to pull off.
    If I were AF I would be more concerned about Ryu’s groin than his shoulder. That said, I’d be very happy to have him here for another couple of years but I would agree it would be smart to see how the next few months play out to see if he can maintain his health.
    If Friedman would be willing to offer as many years as other teams (not necessarily a given), I think Ryu might actually give us a bit of a hometown discount. He seems very comfortable here and that might mean a lot to him, in spite of what Boras would be whispering in his ear.

    1. I’m going to channel my inner Andrew Friedman here and say we’re not even THINKING about Ryu’s 2020 season right now.

      Not to look too far ahead but, as it stands, rotation options for next year include:

      1. Kershaw
      2. Buehler
      3. Urias
      4. Maeda
      5. Stripling
      6. Santana
      7. May
      8. Gonsolin
      9. Ferguson
      10. White

      All that said, I’d be surprised if we didn’t add a starter to the mix before next season starts.

      1. Urias might be the one name on that list who could pretty easily slot into Ryu’s current spot in the rotation and give a comparable level of performance (and cost a lot less). But really, looking at that list, I still would want to bring Ryu back. The only real lock on the rotation are the first two. Maeda is dependable, but on this staff he’s a fifth starter. The others have talent and potential, but are hopes. I think one or two have the chance to break into the starting five, and the Dodgers don’t want an expensive veteran blocking them, but it’s hard to replace Ryu’s level of performance the last two years with an untested rookie.

        1. Pitchers 6 through 10 have little chance of breaking into the rotation this year, but will need some kind of upgrade to their game to even make it next season barring injury or not re-signing Ryu or Hill. At Hill’s age, $18M is too costly and he is brittle. I like him but wouldn’t pay that kind of money for him.

          Santana, Ferguson, & White are not ready for a starting role and I don’t think they will make it next year either, even if there is an opening. I could see them designated for the BP. May and Gonsolin are the two arms that will be trying to break into the rotation and have the best chance of doing it if the FO doesn’t sign another FA. The FO wants an orderly progression to take place. Urias will be/should be the first arm to be considered in the rotation, IMO.

  9. I know a/of a ‘Ky Garlick’ but I am certain not the same as above. Is Kyle Garlick really jr.? If so then jr. had a rougher background to get as far as he had than just so low in the pick. It’s really not for me to tell of the situation of what that would be but if there is a relation then Kyle’s dad had some very bad days 20 something years ago.
    .
    I am a friend of Dino Ebel’s cousin as Dino is from Barstow. His cousin coaches his son’s Little League team. I live 2 blocks from a park that hosts Little League games and have been thinking about watching a couple just for kicks and a snow cone or two if that’s still part of the program.

    1. Quas – maybe this will help with your question. An article from Jun 11, 2015.

      https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2015/06/mlb_draft_2015_kyle_garlicks_t.html

      Garlick’s monster season also came as his mom was given a clean bill of health. Garlick said his mom has been cancer-free for six months, and the two of them were together on Wednesday when they found out he was drafted.

      “My dad was at work so it was just me and my mom waiting for the call to happen. Then my name popped up on the screen and both of us started going nuts,” he said. “It means a lot. She knows how much I put into playing baseball and I know how much they’ve done for me, from driving me to practice every day and all sorts of stuff. We both got emotional. She started crying. It’s awesome to have parents like that.”

      From an article on September 7 , 2016.

      https://blogs.fangraphs.com/kyle-garlick-a-dodgers-prospect-embraces-opportunity/

      On being an underdog: “I kind of play with a little chip on my shoulder. I try not to be arrogant or cocky in any way, but at the same time, you have to play with confidence. If you don’t, this game will eat you alive. If you don’t play with a chip on your shoulder… even if you’re faking it, you have to tell yourself that’s your mindset.

      “I’m hoping to prove everybody wrong. I was a late-round pick. People kind of voted me out, so I want to prove all the doubters wrong by getting to the big leagues and help the Dodgers win. Even if I don’t, I know my parents are proud of me. They tell me that all the time.”

  10. It appears that Josiah Gray is on his way to Rancho and the California League. His MiLB page shows he has been assigned to NewTeam/Level, but there is no announcement. It also appears that the announcement is going to be delayed until they decide what to do with the RC roster.

  11. You need four stud starting pitchers for the play offs. I think we have them in Buehler, Ryu, Kershaw and Urias. I just do not know if they will all stay healthy. Hill is going to be the fifth starter during the season and Maeda is going to the pen. Ryu got it done last night with 93 pitches. The starters are starting to go further and the pen will be used less. It is frustrating to see starting pitchers only go 4-5 innings to start the season.

    Baez is using three pitches. He does not rely on his fastball like he did before. I still think Jansen is ok. He has lost some of his control. He will get it back.

    Kike is going to be ok. He hit the ball hard last night and got nothing out of it. Muncy is looking good defensively. They are running the bases well. In fact, they are more enjoyable to watch this year than last year.

    1. Yes, pretty much our “starting” line up
      I like Seager batting a little lower until he finds his groove.

      Pederson LF
      Muncy 1B
      Turner 3B
      Bellinger RF
      Seager SS
      Verdugo CF
      Hernandez 2B
      Barnes C
      Kershaw P

  12. Kyle Garlick not on any prospect list I can find so can’t find any scouting report on him. Hmmm, weird.

    1. 2018 Scouting Report:

      47. Kyle Garlick, OF
      Age: 25 (DOB 01/26/1992), Previously #47
      2017 Highest Level: AA
      I last said I feel like he’s the next Kyle Farmer (as a AAAA type player). Then Farmer got his shot and produced respectively in the show. Garlick could be a solid 4th OF and likely gets a shot at some point in LA or elsewhere.

  13. Agreed ’99, looks great. Hope Joc gets his mojo back. And SoCal, agreed also. I wouldn’t put Seager back into the 2 hole for a while, it is definitely a groove thing with him right now.

  14. Hill has been a really good big game pitcher especially in the playoffs. I think I’d keep him as the starter and use Urias in a Hader type role.

  15. OMG! I just went to LAdodgerReport.com because someone e-mailed me and said “You will not believe what is going on there.” I thought… it can’t be that bad, so I checked it out.

    OMG. I don’t even know what to say. I feel shame that I was part of that for a while. OMG! I don’t even know what to say…. so I won’t say anything. If you want to go into shock, watch the video… OMG!

    Are you kidding me?

    1. Which video? The one by Oscar Martinez about the state of the Dodgers? I never watch those. I just go to read the comments to amuse myself.

    2. I got through 2 minutes, pretty bad. What he reading off the screen? Is there $hit in his bottom teeth? Thanks for wasting 2 minutes of my life.

  16. Kyle Garlick just hit two more home runs for the OKC Dodgers tonight.

  17. Only one post. When Dodgers are doing well, no posters. I was on that site at one time.

  18. Having Seager bat behind Bellinger, who is struggling, offers no support for Bellinger.

  19. See AF knew what he was doing signing Kelly. He closes out games when we have 5+ run lead! Joe u da man!

  20. We be rolling!!!
    Happy for Kelly…
    Nats are down…Have no mercy on em@!!!

  21. The last two nights give reason for great optimism.
    Kelly looking better, and Verdugo looking like he belongs.

    Concur with Cassidy above, Hill starts for me.

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