A bit of a busy day today so I found it difficult to sit down and write. I had an idea that would take quite a bit of time but 2demeter2 and dionysis came to the rescue with their mention on another thread of the Loons 2018 shortstop. I have a few names on my list that includes Deacon Liput. Another is Luke Heyer, but Deacon draws the short straw this time.
In following the Loons games during the 2018 season I got somewhat familiar with a number of the Great Lakes players. Certainly Stephen Kolek, Austin Drury and Bryan Warzek are three of my favorites among others but Deacon Liput took over top spot on my list. It was his style of play, his leadership and his work as a catalyst at the top of the batting order that took my eye. I really like grinders who never quit.
Liput actually has been drafted three times. First by the New York Yankees (39th round) in 2015, then by the Dodgers in 2016 (29th round) and in 2018 in the 10th round. Being selected by the Dodgers twice is an indication of their interest in him. His teammate, outfielder Josh McLain, was also selected by the Dodgers in both the 2017 and 2018 draft going in the 14th and 9th rounds respectively.
Deacon Liput, who bats left but throws right, graduated from Oviedo High School in Ovieda, Florida before heading off for a three-year stint at the University of Florida.
Perfect Game issued the following scouting report on Liput in 2015
“Deacon Liput is a 2015 SS/2B with a 5-11 180 lb. frame from Oviedo, FL who attends Oviedo HS. Strong compact quick twitch athletic build. 6.51 runner, plays hard and fast. Second base actions in the middle infield, very good arm strength, tends to wait back on the ball with a slow exchange, looks the ball into the glove, soft hands. Left handed hitter, some back side collapse, short rotational swing, hands stay tight, swings hard and has some bat speed, ball jumps well when squared, can turn on the inside pitch, tends to reach on balls away. Grinder type personality on the field but has nice tools. Good student, verbal commitment to Florida.”
With the Gators in his junior year he posted a slash line of .280/.375/.478 along with nine home runs and 38 runs batted in from the lead off position. He struck out 48 times while taking 31 walks. He helped lead Florida to three consecutive College World Series appearances in Omaha, Nebraska, winning the championship in 2017.
Also with the Gators in 2017 he switched from second base to shortstop and has continued to play at shortstop in his professional career as well as at second base.
Liput’s junior year with Florida started off rather poorly, especially after the Gators championship year in 2017. He was suspended for the first 14 games of the season as a result of disciplinary action taken the previous fall. It proved to be a difficult but valuable lesson learned for the young shortstop.
“I learned a lot. I learned that my actions off the field, they affect more than just me, including my school, my teammates, my coaches, my family, my friends and I’ve learned I need to make smarter decisions because it’s not just about me and I can’t be that selfish and make some of the decisions that I’ve made.”
His decision to return to Florida for his junior year was strongly influenced by his desire to atone for the disappointment he had caused in the fall of 2017. Liput explained his decision: “I owed it to Florida and to myself to go back for another season.”
He began his 2018 season batting eighth but soon returned to his preferred spot in the lead off position. He had learned how to work the count often taking the first pitch but also demonstrated he could turn on that first pitch if pitchers thought they always had a free first strike.
“The leadoff role is pretty important,” Liput said. “I think the biggest thing is in order to be a good leadoff hitter, you have to have a selfless mentality, and you have to realize that, especially your first at bat, is more for the team than it is for yourself and you let the team see the pitches that the other pitcher has got.”
Liput was voted to the 2016 SEC All-Freshman Team, the 2017 SEC All-Defensive Team and was announced as a finalist for the 2018 Brooks Wallace Award, which is presented to college baseball’s top shortstop. Cadyn Grenier of the Oregon State Beavers captured the award which has previously been won by notable shortstops Alex Bregman in 2013 and Dansby Swanson in 2015.
The 22-year-old Liput made his professional debut with the Great Lakes Loons on July 5th in 2018 with two hits in four at bats against the Fort Wayne TinCaps. He hit in the two spot behind the aforementioned Josh McLain.
With the Loons in 42 games Liput hit .280 with five home runs and 21 runs batted in. He hit .273 against left-handers and .281 against right-handers while hitting .288 out of the leadoff spot.
Liput’s approach to the game has evolved as he has matured. .” “I look for a specific pitch, and when I see it I hit it,” he said. “I stay relaxed and try to have fun. I try to relax and enjoy the game.”
It is thought that Liput projects more as a second baseman, his original position, and may well get to work on his double play pivot with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2019.
As a point of interest, Deacon Liput’s first name is not Deacon. Nor is it his second name. According to an anecdote by Chris Vosters, the Loons 2018 play-by-play announcer during the 2018 season, he acquired the name as a result of being the youngest of three boys. Apparently, as boys are perhaps prone to do, the two older brothers would playfully get after Deacon causing him to dodge and deke to escape them. “Deking” turned into “Deacon”, the name he now carries even on his 2014 Leaf Perfect Game Showcase card. The Baseball Cube has his proper name listed as Davis.
Discussion (33)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Cano has 2470 career hits. Best case scenario for Mets he moves to 1b and reaches 3000 sometime in the next five years. It seems many are gloating over Seattle’s end of the deal but they lost the best player in the deal, Diaz. They will be worse as a result and their fans will miss him. No clear winner here but I think Seattle loses more.
I followed Deacon at UF and he is a winner. He led his HS team at Oviedo HS to its first state championship ever in their 45 year history and helped UF to its first in 100 years. 3 time CWS participant primes a young man for a big stage . He definitely has the arm and steady defense for MIF but his stocky body type tilts 2B. He has been through multiple swing changes at UF and watching LOONS games the Dodgers seem to be encouraging a slight leg kick . He’s got a very strong swing so capable slugging production is certainly there.
Would be a big fan of acquiring Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays. He showed me a real intensity during the World Championship Series in early 2017 and acted with leadership qualities. Feel that he could benefit from working with the coaching staff of the Dodgers. Would think a trade of Wood, Wong, Stripling and Alvarez would pique the Jays interest.
Is their a catcher in the Dodgers MiLB system who could be shifted to 2B? Weren’t Smith and Wong both middle infielders in college? Might be a way to take advantage of our depth at this position.
Is Puig’s and Joc’s trade value closer then we would think?
Because Puig only has this last year left on his contract, and Joc has another year, and Puig is going to make three times the amount of money Joc is.
Also with the fact that some teams would be afraid to trade for Puig with his rep, whether his rep is justified, or not.
Every team has questions about their rotation and most of them revolve around health. If good starters are healthy, they generally pitch very well. So, tell me how many teams are better than these starters IF HEALTHY:
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Kershaw
Buehler
Ryu
Hill
Wood
Urias
Stripling
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Not many, I would venture. Top-to-bottom.
I really enjoyed reading about Liput. To me, he is a real personification of hustle. I think he iks another “utility-type guys” but sometimes they evolve. He has little power and watching his swing, you can see why.
The Braintrust will never sign AJ Ellis – he is not considered a good pitch framer.
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The Dodgers held on to Wood because they love depth in the rotation. They figure on pitchers getting hurt or needing a rest mid-season. Wood is a quality 4th starter who provides depth. It’s the same with Puig. The Dodgers had 6 guys get lots of AB in the OF last season. It’s the way the Braintrust does things. I think that it makes sense to trade from the surplus of OF and SP to get players they need. I would still like to see them get a starting C and trading from Joc, Puig, Wood et al makes sense economically.
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The Dodgers have been maddening since the Braintrust took over in one sense – they have waited a long time to do deals, trying to make the best deal, but losing out in the process. I only hope they move promptly if they are going to make a move.
DC – thank you very much for this post! I had done some reading on Liput when he was drafted, but didn’t know all of his story. I followed him after the draft by paying attention to his stats. Learning about their attitude and make-up really helps get to know the player better. He’s quickly moving up the list of my favorite Dodger prospects. If he is assigned to the Quakes, I’m going to make a point of taking in a few games next year.
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AC, I vote to put you in charge of doing what it takes to acquire Jones and Hankins. If you can get it done before Christmas that would be preferable, so we can move on to other team needs. Also, if you can get Cleveland to throw in Kluber or Bauer, I think that I would be okay with that too!
Would like to see the Dodgers pursue Hunter Strickland, Cory Gearrin, and Shelby Miller after they were not offered arbitration. Seems that the pool of pitchers that are available just got much deeper.
More in the line of thinking for Andrew is what would it take to get 3B Nolan Jones and RHP Ethan Hankins out of Cleveland?
If I were Friedman, I might be tempted to trade Wood and Puig for as many good prospects as I could get and go with the status quo. I might trade Maeda for some too. Then you have more to play with at the trade deadline.
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1. Verdugo RF
2. Turner 3B
3. Seager SS
4. Freese/Muncy 1B
5. Bellinger CF
6. Kemp/Pederson LF
7. Taylor or Kike 2B (until Lux)
8. Barnes
Thanks DC and I’ll stick with Deacon…
Looking forward to seeing him and other kids at my local Quakes team…
I think the odds are fairly high Wood will get moved this off season. His arbitration estimated eligible one-year salary for around $9 million makes him a trade candidate to be packaged in a deal for some BP, SP or 2B help. I have a feeling Friedman will wheel and deal over the next two weeks and we just might be surprised by a BIG blockbuster deal.
Going from young and inexperienced with Deacon to old and experienced with AJ Ellis, sorry about that, but AJ had a good year last year earning a OPS+ of 103 with 151 at bats. I will guess that Honey did not want him meddling with pitchers game planning and was pushed out. He might have one more year left and then would be a great coach.
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Adding AJ would put a big load on Barnes but Smith will be pushing Barnes by July so maybe AJ is only needed for a half season. The same could be said about other catchers the Dodgers might acquire other than Realmuto.
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Syndergaard looks to be very available. His mechanics apparently needs tweaking and Honey would help him with that. I have read he needs to rely less on his sinker and more on his 4 seam fastball. AJ Ellis has shown he can convince pitchers to make those kind of changes.
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I think Puig will be key to getting either Syndergaard or Realmuto. There is little doubt in my mind that Puig will be traded.
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Should the Dodgers sign Jonathan Schoop? He, like Taylor, was good in 2017 and not so good in 2018. Signing him might require the Dodgers to move payroll and that might mean Wood would have to be traded. Would adding Schoop mean that Muncy would be traded? I like the righty bat Schoop would add to the Dodger infield.