2023 International Reviews: Los Angeles Dodgers

Even as the Dodgers pick at the back of each round in the draft while fielding a perennial playoff contender, they continue to cultivate one of the most talented farm systems in baseball. They draft and develop well, but the international scouting department remains a major part of that homegrown pipeline. 

Catcher Diego Cartaya and second baseman Miguel Vargas both rank among the game’s top 30 prospects. Meanwhile young players coming over to the back fields this spring like outfielders Josue De Paula and Samuel Muñoz are among those generating buzz with pro scouts.

This year, the Dodgers had one of the smallest bonus pools available, but they still came away with another talented class, both among position prospects and pitchers.

Top Of The Class

The Dodgers spent half of their bonus pool to sign Dominican shortstop Joendry Vargas for $2,077,500. Vargas has grown to a lean 6-foot-3, 180 pounds at 17. Some scouts liked Vargas for the power potential he has from his long, highly projectable frame and thought he would be a power-over hit player, while others thought he was more of a high-contact hitter from the right side whose deep alleys power would take off once he layered on more strength. He has experience switch-hitting too, but he’s hitting exclusively from the right side now. An average runner, Vargas has long strides to cover ground at shortstop. At his size, depending on how much bigger he gets, there’s a chance Vargas outgrows the position, but he moves around the field smoothly with the hands, actions and arm strength for shortstop. 

Names To Know

Arnaldo Lantigua, OF, Dominican Republic: Lantigua is strongly-built at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds with one of the better offensive track records among hitters in the Dominican Republic for this year. Signed for $697,500, Lantigua is a 17-year-old righthanded hitter with a strong upper body that’s more physically mature than most his age. He’s not simply a strength-based hitter though, with a knack for squaring up fastballs and driving them out of the park with above-average raw power. Some scouts had concerns about his ability to recognize breaking balls, but he has made strides with being able to recognize and lay off those pitches. He’s an average runner who projects as a corner outfielder. 

Jesus Tillero, RHP, Venezuela: Tillero developed into one of the elite pitching prospects in Latin America this year. At 6 feet, 190 pounds, Tillero was scraping the low 90s for much of the scouting process, but his velocity has shot up since then. He gets up to 96 mph, elite velocity for 16 with heavy life to his fastball, and he does it without much effort to his operation. Signed for $497,500, Tillero’s feel for pitching is advanced for his age and he mixes in a curveball with good shape. 

Daniel Mielcarek, SS, Dominican Republic: Mielcarek, 17, signed for $397,500 and has grown to 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. He’s a switch-hitter who’s more advanced from the left side, showing solid contact skills for his long-levered frame with gap power that has started to tick up as he’s added strength with plenty more space on his frame to add good weight and have that power increase. He moves well for his size with plus speed and shows the tools to give him a chance to stick at shortstop, though depending on his physical development he might end up outgrowing the position.

Eduardo Quintero, C/CF, Venezuela: Quintero’s bat stood out as an amateur, with a sound righthanded swing, good bat-to-ball skills and an impressive track record of offensive performance. Catcher/center fielder is a rare position listing for a player, but Quintero has an unusual tool set. Quintero, 17, trained as a catcher before signing for $287,500, showing good athleticism and catch-and-throw skills for his age, including a plus arm. At 6 feet, 175 pounds, Quintero has the ability to stick behind the plate, but he’s also at least a plus runner with 60-yard dash times cutting under 6.5 seconds at his best. With that speed and athleticism, he has seen time in center field too, so while he could catch, he could move through the system faster as a center fielder with fewer defensive demands.

Elias Medina, SS, Dominican Republic: Signed for $177,500, Medina has shown a knack for putting the ball in play against live pitching. There are some unconventional components to his righthanded swing, but he has shown the hand-eye coordination to make it work so far with gap power from his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. He’s an offensive-oriented player who could move off shortstop, possibly to second base. 

Sleeper Watch

The Dodgers may have found a hidden gem in 17-year-old Venezuelan righthander Samuel Sanchez. Signed for $17,500, Sanchez isn’t that big (5-foot-11, 160 pounds), but he has long shown an impressive ability to pound the strike zone and now is layering on more power to his stuff. Sanchez threw a lot of mid-80s fastballs as an amateur, touching 87 mph, but he has since been up to 93 mph and has the arm speed where it looks like more velocity is on the way. He shows advanced feel to spin a curveball that could become an above-average pitch for him, with pitching savvy that’s mature for his age.