Dodgers Minor League Review: Corey Seager, Jose De Leon Impress Again

The transaction carousel continued as newly acquired Dodgers Ian Thomas and Eric Stults joined their new teams. Austin Barnes made his Major-League debut, while Matt West was called up and is awaiting his first appearance as a Dodger. The Dominican Summer League is underway, with an outstanding opening performance from infield Jimy Perez.

Hitter of the Week – Corey Seager

Seager has been up and down since his promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City, with runs of multi-hit games interspersed with plenty of zeroes. Last week was on the upswing, as Seager hit .500 with four doubles and three home runs, including a six-hit effort on Thursday. He raised his OPS in Triple-A to .796 and his overall number to .917.

Pitcher of the Week – Jose De Leon

The breakout star of last year hasn’t disappointed this season. De Leon lasted just seven starts in High-A Rancho Cucamonga before a promotion to Double-A Tulsa. A solid Drillers debut was followed by a dominant second start against a loaded Frisco Roughriders lineup. Frisco is the Rangers’ Double-A affiliate and it’s filled with top hitting prospects such as Jorge Alfaro, Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara.

The only blemish on De Leon’s line was a first inning, solo home run from Alfaro. After that, he allowed just four baserunners and retired the last nine batters he faced in order. The highlight of the outing came in the sixth inning, facing Frisco’s 2-3-4 hitters Alfaro, Gallo and Mazara for the third time. All De Leon did was strike out all three, blowing fastballs past each one. He ended the night with 11 punchouts and leads the Minors with 77 strikeouts.

Top 10 Update

Julio Urias: Urias is out after undergoing elective surgery and should return by the end of the month.

Grant Holmes: Holmes had two starts last week, each shortened by rain. Overall, he pitched just six weather-interrupted innings, allowing 3 runs with 9 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo: Verdugo continues to struggle in the Midwest League, hitting .138 last week.

Julian Leon: Leon is still in extended spring training but is expected to rejoin Great Lakes.

Chris Anderson: Anderson did not pitch last week. More info as it becomes available.

Zach Lee: Lee was removed from his start on Friday after three innings in anticipation that he will make his major league debut Tuesday in Colorado.

Notable Performers

Cody Bellinger: Bellinger finished the month of May strong, posting a .990 OPS with 7 home runs.

Jimy Perez: Perez, signed two years ago out of the Dominican Republic, is entering his third season with the Dominican Summer League Dodgers. He played just six games there a year ago, but opened his 2015 campaign by falling a triple shy of the cycle.

Alex Santana: The club’s second-rounder from 2011, Santana joined Low-A Great Lakes Loons on May 11 and has been one of the team’s best hitters. Last week, he hit .385/.448/.615 with one home run and three doubles.

Jacob Scavuzzo: Scavuzzo struggled in April, posting a .592 OPS, but turned things around in May by hitting .301/.324/.544. Last week he hit .458 with four doubles.

Kyle Farmer: The converted catcher has hit well with the Quakes, OPSing .942, and collected three triples last week.

Trevor Oaks: Oaks made two appearances last week and went 12 innings, allowing four unearned runs while not issuing a walk and striking out eight.

John Richy: One of the best starts of the year belonged to Richy, who pitched a complete-game shutout while making just 82 pitches.

Kevin Guzman: Guzman has turned things around lately, most recently going six shutout frames with a career high eight strikeouts.

Jharel Cotton: Cotton, who suffered a wrist injury in Spring Training, debuted with Great Lakes on Tuesday and struggled a little, lasting just 3.1 innings while allowing a pair of runs. He moved up to Rancho on Sunday and was back to his normal self, giving up just one run over five innings while striking out seven.

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