MiLB Matters

Posted By on November 11, 2021

A while back someone suggested that my column perhaps should be called, MiLB Matter with Dodger Chatter. I think it might have been Bluto. So under his advisement going forward, it shall be called, MiLB Matters with Dodger Chatter. Matters refers not only to the “stuff”  going on in MiLB but more so to the significance of MiLB. Minor league ball matters more than we know. It matters not only to the young players trying to reach the impossible dream and to their families as well as to the parent team but also to the communities in which it provides entertainment and economic benefits. For me, it is the heartbeat of professional baseball.

Also a while back I came across a portion of an article written by Kyle Glaser regarding the quality of play in the minor leagues. Although I am not privy to the entire article, the lynchpin might be the reorganization of the minor leagues and the deleting of the rookie-level that previously served as a stepping stone between the Arizona and Florida Leagues and the short season rookie leagues. For the Dodgers the step now missing is the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League. It seems players that previously would have moved from the former Arizona League (now the Arizona Complex League) to the short-season rookie league all of a sudden had to step directly up to the Low-A level.

And perhaps it is just a blip on the baseball diamond as the pandemic caused these young men to miss a year of competitive baseball. Working out in whatever manner is not the same as playing against real opponents on a real field.

This may have been most significant for high school and college players who lost  a season and have to get the lost development year back at a higher level. Their age level did not stop during the pandemic.

From Kyle Glaser:

“ I wrote an article about this for Baseball America earlier this month. The quality of play in the minor leagues has suffered tremendously and is down across the board. There was always a very, very large gap between the higher and lower levels, but it’s become even larger this year. The level of play at the lowest full-season levels, Low-A and High-A, has dropped significantly. The quality of play we’ve seen at High-A is what we used to see in Low-A, while what we’ve seen in Low-A is what we used to see in the short-season levels that MLB eliminated. It’s a full level lower than we’re used to at each of those levels. At the upper levels, Double-A and Triple-A, the quality of play has dropped but not quite as steeply.”

https://www.milb.com/fans/postseason-all-stars

During the past month, MiLB announced their choices for post-season all-star teams and league awards at each MiLB level.

The Dodgers had no players at the AAA level selected as all-stars and also none at the rookie-level Arizona Complex League or the Dominican Republic Complex League.

I am not sure how Matt Davidson did not receive recognition in the AAA West League. The first base selection went to Greg Bird of the Albuquerque Isotopes.

In between the Complex Leagues and AAA level things went quite a bit better, especially at second and third base,  but with no surprises for the Dodgers.

DOUBLE-A CENTRAL LEAGUE AWARDS AND ALL-STARS

Second baseman Michael Busch played in 107 games for the Drillers this season, hitting .267 with 27 doubles, 20 homers, and 67 runs batted in. His 109 hits led the team and were the sixth most in the league, while his 48 extra-base hits tied for the league lead. Busch also led the league with 84 runs scored, 10 more than any other Double-A Central player. Defensively, he committed just 8 errors on the season.

Designated hitter Ryan Noda led all Double-A Central hitters with 29 home runs while also topping the league with 74 walks. He narrowly missed on leading the league with 78 runs batted in, falling three behind Stone Garrett when the Amarillo outfielder hit a three-run homer in his final at-bat of the season. Noda was third in the Double-A Central with 200 total bases and fourth with 73 runs scored.

Third baseman Miguel Vargas did not join the Drillers until June 6 after opening the season with High-A Great Lakes, but he adjusted immediately to the higher level of play. In 83 games with Tulsa, the native of Cuba hit .321 to win the Double-A Central batting title, joining Matt Beaty (2017) as the only two Drillers to ever win batting crowns. Vargas also provided power to the Tulsa lineup, finishing with 16 doubles and 16 home runs while totaling 60 runs batted in. His 105 hits were the second-most on the team and the ninth-best in the league.

2021 HIGH-A CENTRAL LEAGUE AWARDS AND ALL-STAR TEAMS

Outfielder Andy Pages was selected as the league’s Most Valuable Player and its Top MLB Prospect while outfielder Ryan Ward was also selected as a league all-star.

As the High-A Central’s Most Valuable Player, Pages becomes the first Loon to receive the league’s honor since Dee Gordon and Kyle Russell were crowned Co-Midwest League MVPs in 2009. Russell formerly held the Loons’ single-season (26) and all-time home run (26) records entering this season before Pages knocked 31 in 120 games.

Pages finished the 2021 season as the only Loon in franchise history to play in every game of the season, finishing with his 31 home runs to lead the High-A Central. Pages led the league in wRC, with Ward sitting behind him with the second-most weighted runs created.

The 20-year-old Pages finished the season as the league’s leader in home runs (31), RBI (88), slugging percentage (.539), OPS (.933), extra-base hits (57), total bases (236), and runs (96).

Not far behind, Ward earned postseason honors with 27 home runs in 109 games played with the 2021 Loons. Ward spent the 2019 season with the Dodgers’ rookie-advanced affiliate Ogden Raptors, along with Pages and Loons’ manager Austin Chubb.

Ward finished the season with six multi-home run games to reach his 27 long balls after going deep four times in 49 games with the 2019 Raptors.

2021 LOW-A WEST LEAGUE AWARDS AND ALL-STAR TEAMS

Second Baseman Sam McWilliams with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes might have been the least known among the Dodgers MiLB 2021  All-Star selections.

The Low-A West Player of the Week for August 30 – September 5 was selected by the Dodgers in the 19 th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Meridian Community College.

During the 2021 season, he posted a triple slash of .304/.384/.524 along with 14 home runs and 70 runs batted in. He finished second in the league with his .524 slugging percentage as well as second with an OPS of 1.023.  He also finished second with 32 doubles and fourth with 82 runs scored.

Third Baseman  Jorbit Vivas with the Quakes was a much more familiar name and he lived up to his previous billing.

He was signed by the Dodgers as a free agent out of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela on July 4, 2017. Since then the 20-year-old left-handed hitter has hit well at every stop along the way.

During the past season with the Quakes, he slashed .311/.389/.905 while hitting a career-high 13 home runs and driving in 73 runs. His slugging percentage of .515 and OPS of .905 both ranked third in the league just behind teammate Sam McWilliams. He ranked fourth in the league with his 73 runs batted in, sixth with a .311 batting average, and fifth with his .389 OBP.

Vivas finished off his season with 23 games with the High-A Great Lakes Loons with a triple slash of .318/.422/424.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

This article has 59 Comments

  2. US Navy Veteran
    Served 2 years Active Duty 1968-1970 and 4 years Reserves 1970-1974 after graduating from Quinnipiac University in Hamden Ct in 1968.

  3. I love the minor league updates, thanks DC! I didn’t realize that Pages lead the league in practically everything. I can’t wait to root on the next generation of Dodgers.

    I seemed to me like a lot of hitters got off to slow starts this past season. It could be because of the lost season and not seeing competitive live pitching. I’ll be interested to see how long before the minors catch up.

    Checking stats of these All-Stars and other players in the system, I’m amazed by how much everyone strikes out these days. Just for a sanity check, I checked the 1977 Dodgers to see how they compared. Monday was by far the highest strikeout rate with 109 in 392 ABs and Cey was the only other that exceeded 100 with 106 in 564 ABs. It’s crazy to see these minor league guys routinely K 120+ times in about 400 ABs. I wonder if that trend will ever reverse itself.

  4. I very much appreciate in depth news on the minors. Watching the guys grow from drafts and signings into the big leagues has always been a great pleasure over the years. Thanks for the article.

    Happy Veterans Day from a 20-year vet to all of you, especially all you Vietnam vets. You great ones endured such pain (VA issues specifically) to make thing better for us in later conflicts, thanks!

  5. Can’t thank those who have served and still serving enough. Our day to remmber is today and called Remembrance Day.

    1. Memorial Day is for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Some call today Remembrance Day. As a Vet, I will always call it what it was when I was growing up. Veterans Day. Government messes with the holidays way to much. We used to have Lincoln and then Washington’s birthdays, but the combined them into one day, Presidents day.

      1. Bear – the government did not mess with our holiday . It has been called Remembrance Day in Canada for 90 years. We remember by attending the ceremony at the cenotaph in our area and wearing a poppy provided by the Royal Canadian Legion for several days prior to November 11. It also includes laying a wreath in honor of our familiy members who served and died either during or after the WWI, WWII and the Korean War as Canadian service members died during that war also.

        Most of the Remembrance Day customs we know and participate in originated after the First World War. Observing a silence at 11 o’clock on 11th November began in 1919 and wearing poppies a year later.

        The government, in 1931, officially declared the date to remember to November 11. The name also changed to Remembrance Day from Armistace Day.

        1. Okay, in Canada Sorry about that. It has been called Veterans day here for as long as I can remember. And the US Government did mess with Lincoln and Washington’s birthdays. Both were National holidays for years. We kids used to love it because on the 12th and 22nd of February there was no school.

  7. No doubt, the Dodgers miss Ogden.

    But some of the decline probably because of the Covid year. Just like education, everything took a hit, including prospect development.

    Interesting comments by Scott Boras on “tanking” becoming a competitive cancer. Obviously, Boras is unhappy with economic restraints, both at the Payroll and MLB draft level.

    Boras is backing demands by the player’s association for changes in the collective bargaining agreement. Some of Boras clients are on the union’s executive sub-committee so that might not bode well for an agreement sooner than later.

    He said the Atlanta Braves won the World Series because some teams elected not to compete, noting they picked up four or five players at the trade deadline for very little cost.

    In terms of the draft, MLB rewards failure by allowing the teams with the worst records to draft higher, creating a race to the bottom mentality, according to Boras.

    Good write-up today, DC. Hey, we almost lost Andy Pages to the Angels in the trade for what’s his name. Thank you Artie Moreno for saving the day. Some times the best trades are the ones not made.

    Looks like the Dodger system has some pretty good prospects, much better than original projections.

  8. Thanks to all of you who served our great country.
    I disagree in some ways with Kyle Glasser’s contention that the quality of play in was down a level last season. I watched a number of games at the A+ level (the old Northwest League)and I thought the quality of play was quite good. I thought the pitching was generally very good. Big pitchers with big arms were present at an alarming rate. Where do they find these guys? Mid to upper 90’s FB’s and nice tight sliders. Practically no change-ups of quality. Most threw strikes and didn’t walk the ballpark like the stereotype “wild thing”. I didn’t see much of that at all. Genererally, the middle infield play was excellent. Some lack of consistence but these kids have learned good mechanics as kids and flashed some leather. As B&P speculated, a lost season effected the hitting, the most. Averages in the low .200’s was common. I saw few polished hitters and they weren’t there long. I watched Micheal Toglia, the ex-UCLA first baseman play for a short time before he moved to AA and he looks like a future star in the show to me. Everette was the only team somewhat loaded with guys in the high 200’s and some .300 guys but not many. But I thought the quality of play was very good. No Dodger team in that league unfortunately for me.
    I’m off to a fall-ball game today and I hope to see the Dodger kids. I have been impressed with Jacob Amaya at shortstop defensively. Very good feet and an arm that can play at short despite his size. I’m still not sure his bat will play against MLB pitching but I hope he develops there. I like the kid.
    Kody Hoerse is heating up, after being injured, and should be the first guy off the bus. Very athletic body and has made nice plays at 3rd. Outman showed some pop the other day taking one off the wall in center. I’ve yet to see Knack pitch. Maybe today.
    The All-Star game is Saturday and it’s usually on the MLB channel. Outman, Bobby Miller, and Knack are on the squad.
    I had a Lars Nootbar sighting the other day. My favorite name. Sounds like a Norwegian energy bar to me.

  9. Good write up DC, Nice to know the kids are doing well. Good write up in MLBTR about Friedman and the Dodgers plans. It is believed Mookie will not need any surgery on his hip. May is on track to be back after the all star break. And according to AF, Ferguson and Kahnle should be ready for spring and on the roster opening day or shortly thereafter. He also said he expects Roberts to be a big part of the organization. He feels they need to address player issues and get the team ready for next season before they discuss an extension with him. Boras said also that Max Scherzer’s biggest desire in free agency is winning. Not location. Rangers are very interested in SS Corey Seager.

  10. Once Manfred issues his ruling, other layers will start to unfold, starting with an expected challenge from Bauer, who maintains his innocence and likely would appeal before an arbitration panel. If the suspension holds, Bauer would owe the Dodgers back pay for any part that is retroactive, with the rest also being unpaid.

    I think that was taken from an article by Rosenthal.

  11. To clear payroll and clutter, a Bauer trade to the Angels for Rengifo would give the Angels pitching and the Dodgers a “stud” replacement for Taylor 😉

    1. Just talked to Arte. He wants us to include Joc, Stripling, Pages, pay 3/4 of Bauer’s salary and include a really nice strand of pearls for Mrs. Moreno.

  13. Can somebody coach me up on the attraction again for Rengifo? For Bauer Bum? I’m thrilled that one fepl through initially. He’s a potential utility guy who can’t hit.

  14. If the Dodgers were to trade for Byron Buxton and if the Yankees were to sign Correa instead of Seager, what might the Yankees be willing to trade for Bellinger to give them a lefty bat and their apparent desire to find a new center fielder?

    How about Bellinger for Volpe? Other players as needed.
    Volpe would take over SS for Dodgers in 2023 after Trea Turner’s contract expires.
    If the Dodgers keep Seager I would move him to 1st and put Lux at 2nd.
    Then Muncy for Chapman.
    Singing The Blue–If Seager gets his $30M+ a year then screw his feelings if he doesn’t want to move to first.

    AGE
    20
    BATS
    R
    DOB
    04/28/2001
    THROWS
    R
    HT
    5′ 11″
    DRAFTED
    2019, 1st (30) – NYY
    WT
    180
    ETA
    2023
    TWITTER
    @Volpe_Anthony
    Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 50 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55

    Volpe teamed with right-hander Jack Leiter at The Delbarton School (Morristown, N.J.) in 2019, with both establishing themselves as premium prospects whose signability was clouded by strong commitments to Vanderbilt. The Yankees selected both, landing Volpe for $2,740,300 as the 30th overall pick and taking an unsuccessful 20th-round flier on Leiter, who went No. 2 overall in the 2021 Draft. Mononucleosis limited Volpe to 34 games in his pro debut before the coronavirus and New York’s lack of a domestic instructional league program left him on his own for development in 2020, but he has hit the ball with more authority than expected when he returned to the field this summer.

    While Volpe isn’t physically imposing, he’s an advanced hitter with a compact right-handed swing. After posting an uncharacteristic 25 percent strikeout rate in his debut, he has made much more consistent contact during his first full season. And after initially projecting as a hit-over-power guy who might reach double digits in home runs once he added strength, he’s now driving the ball more, hitting it harder than ever and looking like at least a 20-homer threat.

    Volpe’s instincts help him play above his tools on the bases and at shortstop. He’s a solid runner who recognizes and makes the most of opportunities to steal or take an extra base. Though his arm earns average to solid grades, he figures to stick at short because he has a good internal clock and a quick release.

    1. The first thing Corey asks AF is are you going to let me play shortstop for the first 4-5 years of my contract?
      If AF says “no”, he signs somewhere else.
      If AF says “we’ll have to see” he signs somewhere else.
      If AF says “yes” and then as soon as he has Corey’s signature he says “sorry, you’re moving to first (or third)” he’ll never be able to sign another free agent.

      1. I can’t remember if that is Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem or the Pythagorean Theorem. I’m pretty sure one of them is a good predictor of what a player might insist upon in order to accept a 10 year $300M contract.

  15. The A’s would want 2 or 3 TOP 10 prospects for Chapman… not Muncy. They are trying to cut payroll.

    They might accept Busch, Hoese, and Pages.

    1. Never and always in a true false question means the answer is usually false.

      Who are you Bear, Sean Spicer?

      1. No, I just think it is asinine to even assume they want to move Belli. He was one of the few who was hitting in the series with the Braves, and I believe he will be a monster next season. And they certainly are not going to trade that bat for an unproven player, I do not care how high he was taken in the draft or where he is rated on the MLB prospects chart. And just who the hell is Sean Spicer? Never heard of him. You obviously have not watched how AF works over the time he has been here. They want to win now, and Bellinger gives them a better shot than Volpe.

        1. Bear, be as serious as you want when you put up the main Post but maybe be less serious when responding to comments. I will always offer up unlikely trade scenarios that I would like to see happen but not that I would necessarily do if I were the GM. Light one up and see if you can be more creative.

          To repeat, I want Broxton in CF and Chapman at 3B. To keep Seager, I would put him at first instead of just letting him walk.

          1. I get it Bum, but first off, I do not smoke, never have. It ruins the voice. And my voice was my instrument. I have a great friend, one of the most talented singer songwriters I ever have known. He has all sorts of problems from all the smoking he did. He has not been able to sing for over 15 years, and he is younger than me. As for creativity, I would venture that I am pretty creative. But when it comes to making up trades, I prefer to stick to realism and not fantasy. Buxton, not Broxton, is injury prone. He has played over 100 games once in his entire career. Chapman would be nice at 3rd, but he would cost at least 2 prime prospects. Seager is not going to move to 1st. Why would he even want to? He considers himself a SS. That is why he has resisted moving to 3rd. And they have not asked him to move yet. I suggest you quit the wacky weed or what ever else you are toking and get a dose of sanity and reality.

          3. You’re exactly right. Bear knows literally zero yet is very sure of his opinions. It’s sad to read.

          4. I might not know how the wind is going to blow in free agency. I am pretty sure I have no clue what AF is planning. But I am a realist. I know Buxton is injury prone simply because his stats are there for all to see. Seager has resisted suggestions he move to third, so why in the world would he want to move to 1st, especially with 3 guys already on the team who play the position? And I know plenty. All of us know zero as far as what is going to happen. I have watched the way AF works since he has been here, and one thing he has never done is make any of the weird ass deals suggested on Twitter, here or any other site. He makes deals that make sense to the Dodgers. Trading for an injury prone outfielder when he has one of the best in the majors under contract is idiotic. Period. PB, I just do not need weed or any other drug. Anything that clouds my mind is something I do not want to touch. If someone else imbibes, that is their choice. I had my brush with alcohol and quit back in 1990. Dreamweaver, you do not know crap about me. My opinions are just that. And yeah, I am pretty sure of them. If they turn out wrong, I can live with that. Letting Seager walk? If he leaves it is his choice, They offered him another deal before the season ended. He turned it down. His agent always prefers his clients to test free agency. If Seager leaves, it is because he wants to, not because the Dodgers do not want him back. And they get a draft choice if he walks.

          5. My humor sort of deserts me when people start making trades that to me have little chance of ever being made..maybe you need a disclaimer posted first…. I always lean toward reality rather than fantasy. I get it, for some it is fun, for me a waste of time. At least we won’t hear about Soria to the Dodgers anymore. He retired.

  19. Thank you SC and all
    LADT Veterans and families. And thank you to those who have expressed their appreciation today.

  20. Here’s the list of the Dodgers’ Top 30 prospects who need to be protected to avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft:

    Jacob Amaya, SS (No. 14)
    Leonel Valera, SS (No. 15)
    Eddys Leonard, IF (No. 18)
    Jorbit Vivas, IF (No. 19)
    James Outman, OF (No. 27)
    Robinson Ortiz, LHP (No. 29)

    It appears there are some big decisions to make.

    1. If Corey signs by the end of the month, I think we’ve got to assume it won’t be here.

      Too many unknowns right now for AF to make a 300 mil commitment, especially when he already has another All Star shortstop on the roster.

      1. Big picture: if we end up ponying up the money to sign Trevor Bauer and then let franchise hero Corey Seager walk, that’s a very bad look for the organization. Pay the man.

      2. I have learned that these guys take the long view and I would never predict what they would do… except that they won’t sign Scherzer for $150 million!

        1. What’s the highest you would go for Scherzer?

          What’s the highest you think AF would go?

  22. I love reading all of the rumors. Most are pure fantasy and the product of boredom. Writer Bill Plaschke suggests that if Seager walks, the Dodgers should sign Correa. That would go over like a screen door on a submarine. No way that happens. If Seager walks, the Dodgers already have an All Star SS on the roster. Oh yeah, he led the NL in hitting and stolen bases. Even Seager never did that. Dodgers said to be interested in Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo. But Reds interested in unloading Moustakas. Would AF consider another salary dump deal with the Reds? They are also said to be interested in Steven Matz.

    1. I mentioned my darkhorse was Steven Matz in my last writeup. He might be worth taking a gamble on. He would be #4 or #5.

  23. I would love Gray,Castillo fill out rotation and take on Moustakas if it would ease the prospect return for Cincy

  25. LA is open to signing Joe Kelly back. But we kind of knew that. AF said the same thing about Jansen that he did Kershaw. It is up to them where they want to play. Dodgers not giving Kersh a QO was a classy move allowing the veteran the choice to play at home if he so decides, or continue his career as a Dodger and retire a Dodger. Loyalty in baseball has been gone for years. Very few players play their entire career with a single team anymore. There are exceptions of course. Molina for one. Possibly Freeman. I do not see him leaving the Braves. Posey was a career Giant, but you have to wonder if at some point had he played a few more years they might have moved him.

  26. Not sure if it’s been mentioned before, but the AFL All Start game is on at 4pm today on the MLB network.

    I believe we have 3 guys in the game?

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