Minor League Recap: Jose De Leon Makes Double-A Tulsa Debut

Plenty of movement occurred last week in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm system. Julio Urias is prepping for cosmetic eye surgery while Jose De Leon took his place in Double-A Tulsa’s rotation. Hector Olivera began working out in Arizona and is expected to join High-A Rancho sometime this week.

Hitter of the Week – Josmar Cordero

Cordero has had a long journey to full season ball, spending three seasons in the Dominican Summer League before coming stateside in 2013. He’s almost always performed, save for a rough debut season in Low-A Great Lakes, which isn’t uncommon among hitting prospects. This year, he’s seemingly figured things out.

Through 32 games, Josmar ranks 11th in the Midwest League in OPS with an .861 mark. His three home runs place him in a four-way tie for the team lead and his 11 doubles are good for second on the Loons.

After coming up as a catcher, Cordero is now spending most of his time at first base while getting sporadic playing time at third, with an appearance in left field and even an inning on the mound in an extra innings game. Already 23, the Venezuelan native needs to move quickly up the ladder to establish himself as a prospect.

Pitcher of the Week – Grant Holmes

It’s been a tale of two months for the 2014 first-rounder. In April, Holmes posted a 6.32 ERA with 20 hits and 10 walks allowed in 15.2 innings. Through four starts in May, his ERA is 0.78, allowing just 11 hits and issuing nine walks while striking out 27 in 23 innings.

Holmes began the year with a deliberate leg kick, pausing before pushing himself forward toward the plate. His delivery has been more fluid of late, which has led to better command and undeniably better results. The 19 year old not only has a fastball that has touched 97 this year and a hard breaking ball, he’s shown confidence in his changeup, regularly throwing it against left-handed batters.

There’s no need to rush him up the ladder, but if he continues to dominate against Low-A competition the Dodgers could consider moving him to Rancho to give him more of a challenge.

Top 10 Update

Julio Urias: Urias was placed on the disabled list this past week in advance of his surgery. He’ll likely miss one month of action.

Corey Seager: Seager is still struggling to find consistency in Triple-A, batting just .100 this past week.

Alex Verdugo: After his stint on the disabled list, Verdugo continues to struggle in Great Lakes, batting .226 last week with a double.

Jose De Leon: De Leon made his Double-A debut and, outside of a rough third inning, showed he’s more than capable of handling Texas League competition. Some opposing batters said he was the best pitcher they’d faced this year, including Urias.

Julian Leon: Leon continued to work in extended Spring Training, aiming to return to Great Lakes soon.

Chris Anderson: Anderson posted another strong start, going 7.0 innings while allowing just one unearned run, walking two and striking out half a dozen. The right-hander lowered his ERA to a respectable 3.58.

Zach Lee: Lee had two very different starts last week. In the first, he went 6.2 innings and surrendered three runs on 11 hits. In the second, he went 7.0 shutout innings and allowed just four hits. With Carlos Frias’ struggles on Sunday, Lee may get his shot at the Major League rotation soon.

Popup Player – Spencer Navin

Navin began the year with Rancho but struggled in nine games, hitting just .069 before being sent to Great Lakes. The 2013 11th-rounder has since gone on a tear with the Loons, batting .367 in nine games. Although he was drafted out of college, he’s still just 22 and has time to develop at the plate.

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