Josiah Gray Unlikely Path to Dodgers Prospect Status

The following is from a recent interview by Loons play-by-play announcer Brad Tunney with Dodger prospect Josiah Gray. He was the first Division II player selected in the 2018 First-Year-Player Draft out of Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. His path to becoming the Dodgers No. 17 prospect by MLB Pipeline is indeed unlikely as he came out of high school with no real outlook for a career in baseball. The interview was following his first start in the Dodger farm system.

BT: “ What was your first start as a Dodger farmhand like?”

JG: “It felt good. It was good to really get out there in a real game. I went to spring training for a couple of months but there is nothing that beats the real game feeling. Everything was working for me yesterday. It just felt like you’re out there and you are in control of the game and everything can really go right. I’m looking at all of the positives from that outing and I’m ready to go for the next one.”

BT: “It was the first time we had a chance to see your stuff – fastball, slider, change up. It seems as the start progressed you were really honing in on that slider. How do you think that pitch performed yesterday?”

JG:”It’s a pitch I have been working on since day one in spring training. Honestly. I think it’s going to be one of my better pitches just because I continue to work on is so it will continue to get better. Late in the game I was just feeling it and I just felt it was getting what I wanted, getting me swings and misses and getting me soft contact. You know what, if is playing the way I want it to play why abandon it? It’s a work in progress but I think it’s going to be a good thing for me in the future.”

BT: “Let’s talk about your other two offerings starting with your fastball. I don’t know if you abandoned it entirely throughout the start yesterday but it certainly felt like you were relying on the slider more. How do you describe your fastball to folks?”

JG: “It’s a good velocity fastball that will play mid-90’s. It’s something I love to use up in the zone because of the profile of it. I get a lot of strikeouts up in the zone. It’s my pitch to command when I want it. It’s my main pitch but you know guys at any level are going to be able to hit it if it’s not well located. If I’m locating it well then I’m going to have my best games. That’s what worked well for me yesterday and things to look forward to this year.”

BT: “ Asking about your change up now which is the pitch that is getting a lot of attention with you and needing a little bit of refinement. Would you echo those sentiments and how do you feel about the pitch?”

JG:” Coming into the Dodger organization I have always heard that my change up is below average but actually out of spring training they told me the complete opposite and that it is a good pitch. They want me to use it more. That’s exactly what I did yesterday. I think that’s what I will continue to do this season. You know guys will see my scouting reports and will probably see fastball and slider so when I throw a change up that may be ,well all right he might actually throw it, now I get another pitch to battle against. I think that’s a pitch that I’m going to have and going to continue to use and continue to be dominant with making me a three-pitch guy.”

BT: “You began your college career primarily as a shortstop. I want to know if you miss playing that position at all and when they initially mentioned to you that we may want to transition you, what were your thoughts about leaving the field?”

JG: “I grew up as a shortstop my whole life and of course I miss it. It’s every kid’s dream to grow up like Derek Jeter playing at Yankee Stadium. I had a different calling when I went to college and it wasn’t more so a bad thing when I transitioned to the mound. It was like we see a lot more potential on the mound. I think the scouts see that and the future sees that as well. It was kind of take the reins off and progress towards this way and really be dominant this way and have everything blossom around it. I am ever so grateful for the change that happened with me and my career.”

BT: “Have you talked with Dennis Santana about his transition from shortstop?”

JG: “I haven’t actually talked to him at all but I have been in his throwing group a couple of times. I have seen his athleticism. You can tell the guys who have played a position before by the way they move and the way they get things done is a little bit different than a normal pitcher.”

BT: “And how about the pride you take in being a D2 guy, putting Le Moyne on the map a little bit and making it here to this level?”

JG: “ That means a lot to me. That’s something that’s going to stick with me all my career. I went into college with with one offer to Le Moyne. It’s just something I never really thought about and to be able to go to Le Moyne and to really progress my baseball career in the way that I did, make my family proud and do everything around those lines just keeps me going day after day. If I was to follow the line I was supposed to be on I wouldn’t be here today playing for the Loons.”

BT: “The last thing to touch on is the feeling you had when you were traded on your 21st birthday last December. For a guy who really had no prospects for playing professional baseball as a high schooler to be in a deal with multiple major leaguers, just you feeling of that.”

JG:” It’s surreal Everything has happened so quickly and so fast going from the draft to this point now to the trade It’s a blessing to be able to experience these things and have baseball lead me on the path I am on now. I’m really excited for the future.”

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT by AC

Another tough night for the Dodger affiliates. Tulsa came away with the only victory.

OKC Dodgers 4 – Iowa Cubs 10

Lefty Ben Holmes started and went 5 innings allowing 2 runs and 5 hits with 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. But then the bullpen got its chance. Zach McAllister, Jaime Schultz, and Stetson Allie allowed 8 runs in 1.2 IP COMBINED. There was not a whole lot of offensive support to go along with the poor bullpen support. Edwin Rios is beginning to warm up and went 2-4 with his 2nd HR. Josh Thole also had a 2-4 night with his 2nd double.

Tulsa Drillers 7 – Arkansas Travelers 5 (Mariners)

Down 4-0, the offense lit up and scored 7 unanswered run thanks largely due to HRs by Omar Estevez (3), Cristian Santana (1), and Logan Landon (2). Landon now has a 10-game hitting streak and hit his first triple to go with his HR. In addition to his HR, Estevez hit his league leading 7th double. On the night Estevez had 3 hits while Santana and Landon had two hits apiece. Keibert Ruiz got a single to raise his hitting streak to 5 games and his average to .244.

Mitchell White started but could only go 1.2 IP before he reached his pitch limit. It was not a good night for the RHP who allowed 3 runs on 5 hits, 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Adam McCreery pitched a perfect 3.0 innings with 4 Ks and go the win. Michael Boyle and Louis Head finished the game, with Head allowing a run in the 9th to make it interesting.

Besides his league leading 7 doubles, he is also leading the Texas League with a .421 BA, and Gavin Lux is #2 batting .388. Landon does not have enough PA to qualify for league lead, but he is batting .441 in 38 PA.

RC Quakes 3 – San Jose Giants 6

23-year-old LHSP Victor Gonzalez had a rough night with his command. He allowed 3 runs (1 earned), 3 hits and 4 walks, to go with his 5 Ks in 4.0 IP. Those were the first runs he has surrendered this year. This was his 4th game and 2nd start. Logan Salow was the Quakes pitching highlight with an immaculate inning in the 7th.

Jeter Downs went 2-4 with a double and triple and shows signs of breaking out. Carlos Rincon also had 2 hits including a no-doubt 465-foot HR (2). Donovan Casey the one consistent offense for the Quakes had a single and is batting .358.

Great Lakes Loons 6 – Bowling Green Hot Rods 9 (Tampa Bay)

Jeronimo Castro started for the Loons and pitched 4.0 innings. He allowed 2 runs on 4 hits, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. These were also the first runs surrendered by 22-year-old RHP from Los Llanos, Dominican Republic. Alfredo Tavarez came relieved in the 5th and faced 5 batters who all reached base and eventually scored. Jasiel Alvino relieved Tavarez and did not fare any better allowing all three inherited runs to score and two of his own on 2 singles, a double, and wild pitch. Nathan Witt pitched a perfect 8th and 9th with 3 Ks to restore some order.

Miguel Vargas and Dillon Paulson had 2 hits, while Niko Hulsizer hit his league leading 7th double, and Romer Cuadrado hit his first triple of 2019.