Some bits and pieces from the Dodgers Triple-A team at Oklahoma City (Comets):
James Outman has a nine game hitting streak. Over that period he has hit .417 and slashed .270/.337/.539/.876 during the month of April. The 28-year-old Outman may never play another game for the Dodgers, but he could become a valuable trade piece if his resurgence continues.
Catcher/first baseman Hunter Feduccia (27 years old) has slashed .362/.466/.681/1.147 thus far and is solid defensively. With Will Smith and Austin Barnes in front of him on the Dodgers Major League roster and top position prospect Dalton Rushing ahead of him on the team’s MiLB roster, Feduccia is an attractive trade piece.
To date, the three-year/$12.5M investment in 26-year-old Hyeseong Kim has been disappointing. A slash line of .253/.311/.474/.785 and a 25% strike out rate in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League will not earn him a promotion to the Dodgers. Only 100 plate appearances, so Kim may only need more time at OKC to justify the Dodgers investment.
Is Bobby Miller another in the long line of Dodgers top prospects who will never make the transition to the show with the team? Supremely talented, perhaps pitching for the Dodgers is too much pressure for the 26-year-old right hander and a change of scenery is necessary to realize his potential.
The Dodgers have signed utility player Nick Senzel to a minor league contract. Now 29 years old, Senzel was the second pick in the 2016 MLB entry draft (Cincinnati Reds) but never came close to reaching the potential anticipated by the Reds. A solid .876 OPS in his minor league career and an absurd 1.800 most recently in the Mexican League (26 games), it will be interesting to see how he fares for OKC.
Look for some team to acquire 29-year-old Michael Chavis from the Dodgers. Chavis’ best attribute is his offense (306/.352/.600/.952), but his best defensive position is first base, which Freddie Freeman has locked up for the next three years. Some combination of Chavis, Feduccia, Miller, and Outman would make an attractive trade package for a rebuilding team like the Colorado Rockies, or Chicago White Sox for the right return to the Dodgers.
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