Dodgers Minor League Recap: Jharel Cotton And Darnell Sweeney Impress
Top 10 Update:
–Julio Urias posted a video of himself throwing off the mound for the first time since his eye surgery. He should be back in game action fairly soon.
–Corey Seager batted just .259 last week but added a pair of doubles and two home runs to bring his OPS over that span to .832. On the year, he’s hitting .306/.352/.521.
–Grant Holmes had a hard luck start on Friday, allowing five unearned runs thanks to errors and getting BABIP’d to death. The 19 year old still has a 3.03 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 60.1 innings.
–Alex Verdugo continues his remarkable turnaround, as he hit .467 last week with a pair of doubles and his second home run of the season.
–Jose De Leon had a tough outing on the Fourth of July, giving up five runs in five innings. His ERA with Tulsa is still a respectable 4.17 and he’s struck out 54 in 45.1 innings.
–Julian Leon saw a slight uptick in his stats last week, batting .240 with a pair of doubles and a home run. If/when he incorporates his lower half in his swing, look for him to take off.
–Chris Anderson had been struggling with his control, but finally put a walk-free start together on Sunday, his first of the season. The 22 year old has a 3.31 ERA through 15 starts with the Drillers.
–Zach Lee returned to the mound after experiencing tingling in his fingers, pitching five perfect innings for the AZL Dodgers.
Notable Performances
–Matt Shelton, who had been in Triple-A earlier in the season, was sent down to Great Lakes to work on becoming a knuckleballer. On Sunday, he tossed eight innings, striking out seven while allowing just two hits and issuing two walks.
–Nick Sell, the Division II player of the year, was signed as an undrafted free agent after the draft and has hit very well in his debut. The 23-year-old infielder hit .414/.438/.759 last week with five doubles.
–Ariel Sandoval, who signed as an international free agent in 2012, scuffled in his stateside debut with the AZL Dodgers last year. After returning to the team for 2015, Sandoval has torn the cover off the ball for the first two weeks of the season. Last week, he batted .435 with one home run, a triple, two doubles and a stolen base.
[divide]Don Mattingly Praises Joc Pederson
