A few years ago I attempted to predict the Great Lakes Loons opening day roster. It proved to be a very difficult assignment as there are so many variables at play. First, it seems impossible to know which young players may have suffered spring training injuries, perhaps minor, or experienced other delays but it does mean they are not on the opening day 25-man roster as expected. A second variable is how quickly the Dodgers front office wants to move players along. I think it is a relatively safe bet that the current front office believes in moving players along as quickly as reasonable while taking extra precautions with pitchers, especially those who have rehabbed from Tommy John surgery. However, trying to guess how they might assign players is tricky at best.
To make the proverbial long story short, I hit a whopping .400 getting 10 of 25 correct. Not to be outdone I tried again a couple of years ago and used a new method. I put all the possible names on a wall board in the basement, closed my eyes and threw darts. My new approach was no more successful than my first attempt.
Although a third try is probably folly, Mark posed some questions a few days ago, that at least made me look at the possibilities. My new approach is to simply construct the Loons 25-man opening day roster as I would like to see it done without any consideration to the needs of the other Dodger affiliates. I did take age into account. First, to Mark’s questions with my opinion only.
- I expect Jeren Kendall to move on to the Rancho Cucamonga. He is 22 and hit much better towards the end of the season. He has to cut down on his strikeouts.
- I also expect Gavin Lux to move on to the Quakes. He is only 20 but hit .336 in August. The Dodgers like their first-round selections to move on up quickly.
- I have Brito penciled in with the Loons. He is young but Brendan Davis was assigned to the Loons at a similar age.
- I believe Morgan Cooper will begin his season with the Loons but not on opening day. He is further removed from his TJ surgery than Walker Buehler was and had a good year in 2017 with the University of Texas but I think he may spend some time in extended spring training. I hope I am wrong.
- Christian Santana will start with the Quakes. He is one of those surprises although AC honed in on him last season.
- Connor Wong to the Quakes also. He is an Austin Barnes type. I think you are right about an alternate position. This from MLB.com: “While he’s strong for his size — charitably listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds — he’s small for a catcher and there’s some concern about whether he’ll be able to handle the workload of a long pro season. If not, he fits the utility profile because he’s capable of playing almost anywhere on the diamond.”
Catching is a big question for the Loons if Wong starts with the Quakes. Stevie Berman – who is big time coaching material – deserves to advance as he would begin his third year with the Loons. I like 19-year-old Ramon Rodriguez as a possibility and wonder if Gersel Pitre might return to catching. Jair Camargo, at 18, will need time with the Raptors and Garrett Hope, in my opinion, should move up to Rancho Cucamonga for a longer stint this year.
There are many infield options and a number of the infielders are versatile. My five are:
- Luis Paz (21) – first base
- Moises Perez(20) – second base
- Rylan Bannon (21) – third base
- Ronny Brito (18) – shortstop
- Brock Carpenter (22) – fifth infielder
The outfield is even more fun also with quite a few options.
- Romer Cuadrado (20)
- Mitch Hansen (21)
- Donovan Casey (22)
- Carlos Rincon (20)
- Starling Heredia (19)
On opening day last year the Loons carried 13 pitchers. This might be back to the dart board but here goes. The first five are starters.
- Logan Crouse (21) RHP
- Imandi Abdullah (20) RHP
- Melvin Jimenez (18) RHP
- Kevin Malisheski (20) RHP
- James Marinan (19) RHP
- Justin Bruihl (20) LHP
- Marshall Kasowski (22) RHP
- Wills Montgomerie (22) RHP
- Colby Nealy (21) RHP
- Evy Ruibal (22) RHP
- Devin Hemmerich (22) RHP
- Justin Hoyt (22) LHP
- Dan Jagiello (22) RHP
The pitching staff is overly loaded with right-handers but I don’t think at the Class-A level that is a concern. As much as winning is a goal, the real goal is player development and advancement. Just as MLB teams have a 40-man roster, teams at the Class-A level have an expanded roster and can move players in and out through the 7-day DL, back to extended spring training, to another level and through other creative means to have a 25-man roster for each game.
Discussion (24)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Thanks you guys for your comments on Rios. Toles is looking good. I do not see how they can send him to AAA.
A couple of notes from other camps:
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Zach Buchanan
@ZHBuchanan
After his intersquad start this morning, Zack Greinke said he has a nagging fear that he doesn’t have it anymore. Velo has been down. But he also said he has that fear every year.
11:27 AM – Mar 8, 2018
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“Greinke was above 90 in his first spring outing but has been only hitting the mid-80s in his last two starts, including an intrasquad game this morning. Nick Piecoro, who has followed Greinke for a long time, notes that Greinke has had to build up his velocity during spring training in the past as well. He wonders whether or not Greinke has dead arm, which is not an uncommon ailment for pitchers in March.”
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Based on the above, it appears that there is some true trepidation with the prospects of Greinke being a solid top of the rotation starter this year, much less four.
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Cargo re-signs with the Rockies. This is a good deal for the Rox. Cargo carried the Rockies from August on. I was hoping he would sign with the O’s. The O’s desperately need a LH hitting OF.
Starters – Melvin Jimenez (18)
James Marinan (19)
Riley Ottesen (23)
Alfredo Tavarez (20)
Logan Crouse (21)
Marshall Kasowski (22)
Kevin Malisheski (20)
Relievers – Wills Montgomery (22)
Devin Hemmerich (22)
Zach Pop (21)
Dan Jagiello (22)
Evy Ruibal (22)
Aneurys Zabala (21)
Luis Pasen (23)
Others to consider –
Matt Jones (will be 25 – successful at Ogden) – Could be pushed to RC because of age.
Confesor Inoa (22)
Patrick Duester (24) – Another RC candidate because of age
Miguel Urena (23) – Another RC candidate because of age
Carlos Felix (22)
Jasiel Alvino (21)
Nathan Witt (22)
I think that Imani Abdullah will start the year at RC. He had a fairly successful 2016 as an 18/19 year old at Great Lakes. I think he needs to be pushed this year to determine if he is a Top 30 prospect or not. I also thought that Morgan Cooper is an extended spring training candidate and then moves directly to RC. I do not think FAZ wants to take a chance with his arm in cold weather.
I think Donovan Casey has a shot at skipping Great Lakes as DJ did last year and going straight to RC. I like four of the five that DC named;
Romer Cuadrado (20)
Carlos Rincon (20)
Mitchell Hansen (21)
Starling Heredia (19)
I would include Tyler Adkison (22) replacing Casey.
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Others to consider (strongly)
Shakir Albert – (21)
Brayan Morales – (22) – The only CF of the group, even though Heredia would play there if Morales is not on the team.
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It is hard to argue about the starting infield that DC selected.
Luis Paz (21) (1B)
Moises Perez (20) (2B)
Rylan Bannon (21) (3B)
Ronny Brito (18) (SS)
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It is the 5th infielder that will need some consideration, besides Brock Carpenter.
Connor Heady (23) SS
Kevin Lachance (23) 2B – Potential utility as he is getting in some CF experience.
Gersel Pitre (21) – Utility who can catch. He has caught more than any other position.
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Catcher:
Ramon Rodriguez (19)
Garret Hope (24)
I think Steve Berman (23) goes to RC to back up Connor Wong.
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I know I have selected more than 25, but just like FAZ I reserve the right to expeditiously utilize the 7 day DL. These are very fluid, and can change with the next waiver wire.
I think the disadvantage of platoons is that a hitter might only see the starter two times and his third PA would probably be against the same side pitcher. If he is pinched hit for at that point it always seems like the next time his spot is up, a clutch hit is needed and the righty/lefty, lefty/righty advantage is lost.
The writers are slowly coming around to my point of view. Today Houston Mitchell said this:
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But the season doesn’t start today, it starts March 29. The next 20 days will determine who makes the team, but don’t be surprised if Matt Kemp is the opening day left fielder.
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… been trying to tell ya’!
Is there any chance Rios can play third? He is blocked by Bellinger. He looks pretty good at the plate to me. He has dug out some nice low throws to first. I know he has played some at third. What do you think Mark and AC/DC?
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I just think we have some young guys knocking on the door. The catching position looks strong. Sorry Bum, but Joc does not look as good as Toles or Verdugo. Joc has looked better this Spring. He needs a new team.
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Utley certainly looked better yesterday. He will be on the team. I just think Farmer and Smith will both be at AAA this Spring, unless something happens to Grandal. I think both are major league ready. There is going to be some sweating and talking to these young players when they are sent down. If competition makes you better we will have a great team.
yup
I really enjoy reading about the youngsters. Many thanks for the article. Having AC/DC on board is quite a bonus for all of us.