Ben Badler, Baseball America (1/13/16)
2017 Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Prospects
Ben Badler, Baseball America (1/13/16)
2017 Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Insider
Baseball America (1/13/16)
Jerry (Hollywood, CA): Your scouting report on Cody Bellinger makes him sound like a deity. Problem is, A-Gonz is in his way. Predict for us - does he likely get dealt away, as opposed to being his heir apparent? Finally, should we expect him to rank in the top 5 of Baseball America's 100 best?
Ben Badler: He’s No. 8 on my Top 50 list in the Prospect Handbook and I have him ranked as the top first base prospect in baseball. Even though the Dodgers have Adrian Gonzalez, I don’t think they want to trade away one of the truly elite prospects in baseball, especially when Bellinger has the speed and athleticism to play in the outfield. Bellinger is a stellar defender at first base, but I think his ability to play the outfield will be important for him to break into that lineup.
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Frank (Indianapolis IN): How many of these guys are likely to make the BA 100?
Ben Badler: Certainly the top five, for me. Chance for six.
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Saint (NE MPLS): DJ Peters had a fantastic pro debut, showing both power and speed, alongside a respectable slash line. Any grades on his tools and future projection?
Ben Badler: Another nice pick by the Dodgers in the fourth round. Good blend of physicality, athleticism and tools with a strong performance in his debut, although just about everyone hits well at Ogden. But the power is real and he kept his strikeout rate reasonable, so there’s a lot to like going forward with D.J. Peters, especially for where the Dodgers got him.
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Bob (LA): It's a shame that Austin Barnes isn't going to be starting somewhere. How many AB's you think he can get in a catcher+reserve INF role? Any chance he takes the 2B job and LA scrounges up a new backup catcher?
Ben Badler: I’m with you on that—Barnes would be the starting catcher on some teams. A lot of Barnes’ value comes from his defense behind the plate, so I don’t think the Dodgers want to take that away and make him their second baseman, but they have at least cleared a path for him to get playing time as a backup catcher with infield flexibility. Maybe 200-250 PAs depending on who else on the roster stays healthy.
Los Angeles Dodgers Top 10 Prospects Chat