Last Thursday we acknowledged three minor league players who found their hitting stroke in June. – Jonny DeLuca, Ryan Ward, and Zac Ching. Since then Ward has four hits in 10 at-bats with two 3-run home runs in the same game. Justin Yurchak has had two more 2-hit games. Today, three more hot bats in June.
Second Base – Jorbit Vivas Bats/Throws: L/R Ht: 5′ 10″ Wt: 171 lb.
Vivas, from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, has gone on a bit unnoticed. He was signed as an international free agent by the Dodgers on July 4, 2017.
He played in the DSL during the 2018 season with offensive numbers that did not stand out other than a good K/BB ratio of 35/26 and a .350 OBP.
He came stateside in 2019 playing at two levels and distinguishing himself at both. With the AZL Dodgers (Lasorda) over 30 games, he slashed .357/.438/513 with 20 runs batted in and only two more strikeouts than walks.
With the Ogden Raptors, Vivas had a triple slash of .286/.371/.417 and drove in 12 runs in 24 games. He had a bit of a flair for the dramatic when he drove in the winning run on August 13th in the bottom of the 10th inning and, for the second straight night, the Ogden Raptors defeated the Missoula Osprey in extra innings.
Vivas has put on some weight, up from his 145 pounds in 2019. He just turned 20 in March so is still a youngster. This year with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes he has played primarily at second base and has appeared at third base five times, shortstop once and in the outfield once. He has committed one error in 89 total chances.
In May he had what we might expect to be his stride as a 20-year-old with a triple slash of .238/.322/.450 along with four home runs and 19 runs batted in. In June he has stepped it up with a slash line of .347/.400/.571 over 14 games with three more home runs and 15 runs batted in.
His June stats are padded with an unusual 6-for-6 night on June 8 against Lake Elsinore which included a grand slam home run.
Catcher – Carson Taylor Bats/Throws: S/R 6′ 2″/205 lb.
Taylor was selected by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2020 First-Year Player Draft that was limited to five rounds. The Virginia Tech switch-hitter was selected with the No. 130 overall selection although Baseball America ranked him No. 218 while MLB.com ranked him No. 194.
He was born in Atlanta and played high school ball first for two years at Hyde Park School under Coach Scott Ruffcorn and then two years at Greater Atlanta Christian School under Coach Robbie Wilson. He made his mark in high school earning letters all four seasons, twice gaining honorable mention with Perfect Game and first team all-state selections after his junior and senior seasons. He finished with the most runs batted in and doubles in a season at Greater Atlanta Christian School and is the only player in school history to complete a season without a single strikeout.
Taylor initially verbally committed to the University of Richmond but reconsidered after a coaching change at Richmond and then committed to Virginia Tech where he played for two years, both abbreviated.
His 2019 season was shortened by a hand injury in which he broke a hamate bone in his throwing hand when he was struck by a pitch. Limited to 16 games he slashed .431/.541/.690 with two home runs and 20 runs batted in. In his college career, he struck out 26 times and walked 32 over a total of 53 games.
Zach Fitzpatrick, the Dodgers Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting, had this to say about Taylor following the draft.
As you’ve seen with the Dodgers, the ability to play multiple positions and the versatility is a key component,” Fitzpatrick said. “We really feel that Carson made significant strides behind the plate from his freshman to sophomore year. We like the makeup and the passion he brings to the position.”
“He’s a strong switch-hitter,”Fitzpatrick noted. “We feel like the left side of the swing has a chance to be very good. He’s a very well-rounded package at a premium position, with some pretty special makeup traits that we value.”
Taylor, who turned 22 on June 2nd, began his professional career with the High-A Great Lakes Loons this season. May was not a happy time for him at the plate even though he didn’t really look over matched. His triple slash was .186/.357/.233 over 14 games. He did drive in eight runs. His OBP stayed more that respectable because he walked more often than he struck out.
In June, over 11 games. He posted a .333 batting average and an OBP of .404 with an OPS of .928 and 10 runs batted in. He has 14 hits to date in June, five of which are for extra bases – 3 doubles, one triple and one home run. On the season he has struck out 16 times and walked 17 times.
I don’t know much about catching but in watching Carson Taylor he looks like a get down and dirty catcher. He seems to be actively involved in the game and not just a target behind the plate.
If Keibert Ruiz and Diego Cartaya were not in the pipeline, I think we would be looking at Taylor as a catcher of the future. With that in mind, it seems that if his bat continues to develop, a position change may well be in order. His bat would seem to play at first base or left field with more walks than strikeouts and average power.
Justin Yurchak – First Base: B/T L/R 6′ 1″/204 lb.
Yurchak was selected by the Chicago White Sox as a third baseman in the 12th round of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of SUNY Binghamton University.
He came over to the Dodgers in December 2018 in a trade that sent left-hander Manny Banuelos to the White Sox.
He was born in Clifton Park, New York and attended Shenendehowa High School in his home town. Following his graduation from high school he headed off to Wake Forest University. As a freshman the 6’1” /204-pound left-handed hitter played in 47 games. He hit .313 and posted an OBP of .424 with 5 homers and 30 runs batted in. His signature plate discipline was already on display as he walked 30 times while striking out only 22 times. He was named to the 2015 ACC All-Freshman Team.
After a year at Wake Forest Yurchak moved on the Binghamton in 2017 where he caught the attention of MLB scouts as he posted a triple slash of .320/.474/.442 in almost 200 trips to the plate. He walked 41 times and only struck out in 12 plate appearances.
Following the draft Yurchak was assigned to the Great Falls Voyagers of the rookie level Pioneer League where his slash line over 60 games was .345/448/.520 along with eight home runs, 46 runs scored and 27 runs batted in. Once again, his 43 walks outnumbered his 33 strikeouts.
His second year in the White Sox organization with the Kannapolis Intimidators was another successful one and his 2019 season in the Dodgers organization continued the trend.
Over 70 games with the Ogden Raptors and Great Lakes Loons he slashed .321/.418/.571. with 13 home runs and 46 runs batted in. He walked 59 times and struck out 40 times.
Now 24, you have to feel he missed so much by the 2020 season being canceled. However he soldiers on, as my Dad would say. The start to his 2021 season was more that worrying as he hit .095 over 14 games.
Then along came June in which he slashed .386/.472/.455 over 12 games and drove in six runs. He had three consecutive 3-hit games sandwiched in between a 2-hit game and two more 2-hit games.
That’s 15 hits over six games. On the season he struck out 20 times and walked 16 times.
Great Info, as usual, DC!
Vivas bears watching.
RC put up 24 runs yesterday while Cartaya went 0-3 with 3 BB and 3 Runs scored.
At OKC, Tsutsugo hit two bombs and Raley hit another one. The Bazooka got the win and Vivas (1.80 ERA) struck out the side in his Inning.
Andy Pages hit 2 more HR – he now has 12.
Jonny DeLuca with the Quakes hit his 7th HR and had four runs batted in.
Ryan Ward and Justin Yurchak each had another two-hit game with the Loons.
I love guys that don’t strike out so much and are willing to take free passes.
Yoshi’s slash line .154/.333/.615/.949 You don’t see that every day.
Well, it seems like our prospect pool at the upper levels is a bit thin, but a little further down on the farm it looks like there’s some interesting prospects. Our Low-A Quakes seem loaded with 6 guys OPSing over 800 and it shows in the standings. The Loons are similar in that 5 players are at 800 or better and are just a few games out of first place. I guess the pitching gets a lot better in AA. The individual stats aren’t as lofty, but the results are very good as they are just a half game back in the standings.
Things change pretty quickly in MLB this year. After beating up on some cream puffs, the Dodgers have the second best record in baseball. Considering how many games were lost at the beginning of the season experimenting with bullpen arms while shuffling guys in and out of the IL like a merry-go-round, we’re in a really nice spot. Sure, it could and should be better, but here we are.
The Padres are on deck. They’ve been playing a bit unevely lately and Tatis is dealing with that balky shoulder again. But, they just finished a sweep of the Reds at home after getting swept by the Rockies on the road. Now, we meet again.
It will be an interesting series. We’ll be without Muncy, Bellinger and Seager for at least one more game. Muncy and Seager are both eligible to come off the IL in time for tomorrow’s game, but will the rust make them look like Peters and Raley for the remainder of the series?
They better get right quickly because the Cubs are hot and the Giants followed them in the upcoming homestand for two. Then we get a whole lot of cream puffs in the July schedule.
We found out why we have 14 pitchers on the roster yesterday. They were preparing for another bullpen game yesterday as Gonso needed to have training wheels installed because of that sore shoulder. His velocity was noticeably down from his previous start. I have that sinking feeling this isn’t going to end well for Tony.
Do we need to trade for another starter? Or, is Price an option to be pushed into the rotation when the time comes? I’m of the opinion that Price is in the pen to limit his innings and he is a viable option for the rotation when needed. But, they had previously planned to use Gray to rest some starters during the season and that option is looking less like since he’s dealing with his own arm troubles.
Uceta looked bad and V-Gone didn’t help him out much. Kenley needed some work anyways I guess.
Speaking of Kenley, wow! He’s now just 3 saves shy of the lead and has a steller 1.52 ERA to go along with it. Just Kimbrel and Melancon have more saves and Melancon has a higher WHIP and ERA and has Less K/9. Kimbrel is the best closer in baseball at this point in time.
“Don’t call him fat” – Albert was a saviour yesterday. Not only with that beautiful bomb, but apparently he’s been rubbing off on AJ Pollock, who had three hits. It’s great having him on the team teaching all these guys the finer points of hitting.
I think Cleavinger is going to wind up being a steal. He’s given up just 1 hit and 2 walks in his last four outings and his K rate is lofty. Hopefully we’ll see similar growth from Vesia when he ultimately returns from his latest stint in the minors.
I got here too late to post on yesterday’s thread. Well done Mark.
Well look who’s back. Do Badgers hibernate like Bears? Welcome home! Look forward to your take on the season so far. It was a wonderful tribute Mark.
I do not hibernate, I just sometimes sleep late! Looks like Tatis is going to try and play through the pain. He is scheduled to be in the lineup.
Great write up DC. Love reading about these kids who I have virtually no knowledge of. Got home just in time to watch the top of the 9th and the end of the game. They needed Kenley to be perfect and he was. So another win in the bank. No report on Tatis yet. Seems he is having shoulder problems again and might miss this series. Uceta is not ready for prime time.
Last day in Vegas with my son and daughter
Others have pointed out that Gonsolin might not be right and it wouldn’t be surprising to see another stint on the IL
Gonzo has gone 1.2 innings on 66 pitches, 3.2 innings on 81 and 46 pitches to go 3.2 innings. He’s yet to get to the 4th since his return. His velo has dropped from 94.6 to a pedestrian 91.8. It’s blamed on shoulder tiredness.
It might be time to try and get more out of Price. He’s been so-so in his middle innings relief role throwing only 23 innings in 18 appearances. That’s not much value either for a guy getting 16 million from the Red Sox and 16 million from the Dodgers. I wonder if the Dodgers are considering expanding his role down the line? If not, we’re in need of an inning eater 5th starter so every 5th day isn’t a bullpen day.
I was watching the CWS Saturday. The very verbal Ump behind the plate called – “no, ball outside. Nice frame job thought” That’s a first for me. I’ve never heard an ump compliment a catcher on his pitch framing. I thought it was funny.
You don’t have to be lonely
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Still waiting to see an update on Tatis. Supposedly Gonsolin was removed for shoulder issues. I think it is time they had better start stretching Price out some. Use him as the opener to start then go from there. Urias, Kersh and Bauer against the Pads if things line up right. Darvish tonight. He has not been as dominant as he was to start the season. Pads are dinged up some too.
I’m with you Bear. I’d think about reversing the roles of Gonsolin and Price. Start Price and see if he can be effective and start to stretch him out with Gonsolin behind him. And Im not suggesting we expect Price to be just an opener and make it a bullpen game every 5th day. He’s no stranger to starting so maybe we see if he can be stretched out. Certainly something to consider.
Why isn’t anyone concerned that the Dodgers were playing against what has been the worst team in baseball, were staked to a 9 -1 lead and had to use their closer to save the day?
How many times do the likes of White, Uceta, et al have to blow big leads before some fans no longer think that it’s OK?
Cleavinger has a WHIP of 1.68 and FIP of 5.21 and has walked 5 in 8 IP.
Vesia has a WHIP of 1.41 and FIP of 7.20 and has walked 11 in 10 IP and an ERA of 5.91.
White has a WHIP of 1.60 and FIP of 3.94 had has walked 8 in 14 IP.
Uceta has a WHIP of 1.395 and FIP of 4.01 and ERA of 6.28.
Kelly amazingly hasn’t walked anyone but has an ERA of 5.40.
Price has a WHIP of 1.648 and ERA of 3.80.
Thank goodness that Jones and Santana are gone.
Dodgers’ top 4 relievers can’t pitch every game and they don’t have much after Jansen, Treinen, Gonzalez and Nelson.
Why be concerned after it is over? We all know most of these kids are not ready for prime time. We also know none of them are going to be on the playoff roster. Kelly’s ERA is the product of one really bad outing right after he came off of the IL. He has pitched much better of late. Jones is not gone, he is at AAA OKC being outrighted there the other day. Knebel is on the mend, and when healthy he will be part of the pen. Alexander is on re-hab assignment now and close to returning to the roster. And with the deadline looming in a month, you know AF is going to be actively seeking BP help. Worrying about stuff you have no control over is unhealthy. SO the D-Backs mounted a comeback, no big deal, they lost anyway.
Gonzalez, had a “slip up” I guess since he is one of your “reliables”.
So the only issue for you is Uceta. Until things “get right” I expect them to continue to bring guys up and down. There is just no way to determine how a AAA dude will react. Since this is a “hindsight post” one could say if they had just let Uceta pitch one inning and moved on, maybe none of the comeback would have happened. Kind of worthless to micromanage in hindsight.
Gonzalez slip ups were mental ones. Not covering first base on a grounder to the right side and walking a guy who could only dream of hitting at the Mendoza line. Unacceptable
Problem solved, Uceta sent to OKC, Zack Reks called up to take his place.
And the carousal will continue until we are healthy. As it should. Actually be nice to view another arm when the sitch warrants it.
What’s the over-under on Recks getting sent down tomorrow when Belli returns?
Muncy coming back tomorrow and Belli on Wednesday. Yeah, he will be gone
Or after his second ab tonight!!!!
No over/under needed. It’s a lock.
Enjoy your cup of coffee, kid.
Happy Reks is getting a chance. He may be terrible but after watching Raley, Peters, and Neuse you can bear most things. Mb he will get hot! Burns is off to a competitive start!
Not much else to say about the bullpen that hasn’t been said. No lead is safe and although we held on against the dbags we lost one to the Padres about like it. We would b a half game out with just the one game back. I don’t understand why u let Gonzalez go 5 days without getting in a game. Anyway I agree with bear that this relief Corp will not be on the playoff roster if there is one.
Even if Muncy, bellinger get back in the padre series I don’t expect much. It is going to be a long 3 days unless the offense steps up. Go Dodgers!!
Apparently, unless posters here all agree that everything is rainbows and unicorns, then their opinions are stupid or uneducated.
No one has yet rebutted my basic analysis – namely, the Dodgers have only a few reliable relievers right now.
Sure – they beat the worst team in baseball by 1 run after squandering an 8 run lead, but – no worries! It happened yesterday and they won anyway – nothing to see here – it’s all rainbows and unicorns!
The stats I quote are real. And they are frightening. But they don’t matter. It reminds me of Drew Carey’s old improv show, where the points don’t matter.
If the Dodgers are going to carry 13 pitchers, that’s 5 starters, 4 good relievers, 2 expensive guys (Kelly and Price), and 2 more. Can they find 2 guys who can actually get people out?
dodgerrick
You know me and my opinion. I don’t like how Friedman puts together a bullpen. If it wasn’t for Julio Urias bailing out the bullpen in the playoffs last year, I don’t think the Dodgers become World Series Champions.
We have obviously tried to go the buy-low route by targeting guys such as Vesia, Cleavinger & Nelson.
But we’ve also taken chances on higher-upside options like Knebel.
Treinen’s re-signing was a surprise to me and we paid him big money.
It’s clear we’ve leaned toward depth over premium talent but Graterol has still yet to appear and May’s loss is substantial as he might’ve shifted to the pen in October.
But you’re not wrong–there’s an element of hope involved. I believe it will be shored up at the deadline.
I think Graterol and Knebel can fill those rolls come playoff time. And Kelly looks much better last few outings. He’s starting to trust his fastball again which is a good one.
“Apparently, unless posters here all agree that everything is rainbows and unicorns, then their opinions are stupid or uneducated.”
Your takes are usually much more logically grounded than this.
I don’t think it’s a matter of everything being rainbows and unicorns. It’s rather that most of us choose not to panic. Uceta isn’t going to be anywhere near a playoff roster. Same goes with the other warm bodies that have had to fill in because of injuries to Knebel, Alexander, Graterol and Gonsolin. The simple addition of three more of Knebel, Alexander and Graterol and the subtraction of three of Uceta and friends will undoubtedly make the bullpen better, which, I should add, is already better than the bullpens of the Giants, Red Sox, Houston and Milwaukee, and a statistical tie with the Padres.
Also, since you’re so insistent that we be concerned, what do you then propose?
I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that AF tries to trade for a reliever from some of the sellers out there. Paul Fry, Richard Rodriguez, Scott Barlow all look enticing. Ian Kennedy is more likely because he’s not under team control.
https://tenor.com/view/semi-pro-pro-basketball-comedy-will-ferrell-gif-8057991
Oh…you didn’t bring up Bickford, who’s actually been a nice surprise so far.
Kenley
Nelson
Knebel
Graterol
VGon
Kelly
I’m also happy for Recks, I was wondering if he’d get an AB with Belli and Muncy eligible to come off the IL tomorrow, but sure enough, he’s in the starting line up subbing for Pollock who had 3 hits yesterday. Same ole Doc / AF / Algorithm.
I didn’t comment on DodgerRick’s bullpen rant because it’s silly to keep flogging a dead horse. He complains after a win and a sweep because we didn’t win that game enough. He’s calling out guys that have an ERA under 4, which every team has and calls out guys that are clearly improving because they aren’t improving fast enough.
Like our best lineup, our best bullpen hasn’t been together much this year due to injuries.
Only Jansen, Treinen, Gonzalez and Nelson can be depended on? Considering Price and Kelly both started with ERA’s well into double digits, they’ve both been pretty dominant since. Graterol and Alexander are still on the IL. What does he think other bullpens look like? Is there a team that has 8 closers that I’m not aware of?
The five top pitching staffs are…
Padres – Keone Kela has a 5.06 ERA
Mets – Jacob Barnes has a 6.27 ERA
Dodgers
Giants – Matt Wisler had a 6.05 ERA and they traded him
White Sox – Codi Heuer has a 5.65 ERA and Matt Foster has a 6.43 ERA
Every freaking team has a guy or two or three with an ERA well north of 4.0
My genie wish is Kelly becomes lights-out again for a month when it counts.
CF Mookie
SS Gavin
3B JT
C Will
1B Matt
2B Chris
RF Zach McKinstry
LF ZacH Reks Uceta optioned out
P ” Babe” Urias
Zach once again lost in RF! Hurry back Belli!
If Julio doesn’t throw his change up then he’s a two pitch pitcher and they sit on his fastball. Figure it out!
Julio looks like a hot mess. No command and serving up some very hittable center cut pitches. 2 BB’s and 36 pitches in the first inning. Ouch
Matt Davidson will save us.
Can somebody take a two strike approach??
Throw in the towel before we sustain any more brain damage!
Looks like Julio spent too much time down by the school yard
We need Manny Mota, to teach these guys how to protect the plate when they got two strikes on them, I hate to see these guys get caught looking on pitches that close to the plate
Joe Kelly has replaced Rich Hill as my favourite Dodger.
That inside pitch to Tatis was just what was needed.
Could have done with Darvish pitching like that in game 7.