Tracking the Performance of the Dodgers Prospects at the Arizona Fall League

The season is now officially over, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have had their offseason plans in motion for a few weeks. The big news is obviously the hiring of Andrew Friedman, but the on-field future is currently in action.

Teams typically send some of their top prospects—particularly position players (pitchers are often already in rest-and-recovery mode)—to the annual Arizona Fall League. This year, the Dodgers sent shortstop Corey Seager, second baseman Darnell Sweeney, outfielder Scott Schebler, and pitchers Matt Magill, Matt Shelton, Blake Smith and Mike Thomas.

Through October 30, the Glendale Desert Dogs (the team that the Dodgers sent their players to) have played 20 games.

All AFL statistics are courtesy of the MLB.com stats page.

Corey Seager, SS

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The cream of the crop in the Dodger farm system, Seager has played in 17 games and recorded 68 at-bats. He’s been good thus far—to the tune of a .789 OPS—but not elite. If we’re looking for encouraging signs, though, he has already walked seven times. This is a direct contrast and huge improvement on his 10 walks in 161 plate appearances at Double-A.

Darnell Sweeney, 2B

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Sweeney is leading Glendale in batting average (.370), and that is obviously a positive even though he’s only gotten 46 plate appearances. His .953 OPS is largely driven by his inflated batting average, although he does have seven walks and four extra-base hits. He’s only 2-for-6 on stolen base attempts, though, which is not ideal, especially given his lack of efficiency on the basepaths this year at Double-A (15-for-31).

Scott Schebler, OF

Schebler is second on the team in batting average (.327), and he has also showed off his power with two doubles and three home runs thus far. His 28 total bases in 52 at-bats is quite impressive. He has played mostly left field, which solidifies the idea that he is likely limited to that position in the future.

Matt Magill, RHP

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After a disastrous 2014 (5.21 ERA), Magill has continued his poor performance. Admittedly, he has thrown only 12 innings, but his 6.00 ERA is not encouraging. On a more granular level, Magill has struck out 13 (which is good) but walked eight (which is bad). It would be preferable to see some level of improvement.

Matt Shelton, RHP

Shelton is a relative unknown, but his performance in 2014 was mildly impressive: a 3.79 ERA across High-A and Double-A. However, he’s 25, so he’s old for his level and unlikely to be an impact prospect. He’s thrown just one inning in the AFL.

Blake Smith, RHP

Smith has an interesting backstory as a former outfielder who is now giving it a shot on the mound. He’s been relatively unimpressive, but the AFL is an opportunity to give him some extra experience and attempt to shorten his learning curve. Unfortunately, he hasn’t really taken advantage of the chance. His 11.05 ERA is the worst on the team.

Mike Thomas, RHP

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New Dodger President of Baseball Operations will be watching Mike Thomas.

Thomas’ career 2.74 ERA is actually pretty impressive, and he’s played well in the AFL thus far. His 1.80 ERA in 10 innings is good, and it is backed up by his peripherals: He’s struck out 11 batters while walking only four. The extra experience is clearly doing him well.