Spencer Ward
Let’s take a look around the farm system, as the minor league teams have played about 15 games or so, and highlight five players who we should keep our eyes on.
Ricky Vanasco
We will start with Triple-A and begin with RHP Ricky Vanasco (unranked). The righty so far this young season has appeared in 4 games so far, throwing 4.0 innings, giving up two hits and one run (earned) while walking six striking out 8, and earning three saves.
The command hasn’t quite been there so far for Vanasco, as the six walks are high for facing just 19 total batters, but the eight strikeouts are a plus. Vanasco would make his Major League Debut for the Dodgers yesterday, going two scoreless innings with one strikeout.
Landon Knack
Next up is Landon Knack, ranked #13 in the Dodgers top 30 prospects per MLB.com. The 26-year-old starter has made three starts so far for Triple-A OKC, going a total of 15.2 innings. He’s 0-1 with a 4.02 ERA and a WHIP of 0.96 with 16 strikeouts and just four walks. In his three starts, he’s given up 0, 4, and 3 runs that have made his ERA what it is. He has not been poor as the ERA would make you assume; his FIP is 3.54, so he’s been unlucky per advanced analytics.
Knack has yet to make his big league debut, even though he was on the roster for the opening series in Seoul, South Korea. He was also brought up to be on the taxi squad last season in July, as Matthew Moreno of Dodger Blue reported. Knack is one of a few guys on the shortlist to be called up for a spot start if need be. While it has not yet been made official, Dodgers beat writers have widely reported that Knack will get called up this week against the Nationals or Mets series.
Trey Sweeney
Moving onto the hitting side of things, let’s talk about Trey Sweeney, ranked #21 in the Dodgers system by MLB.com. The sweet-swinging lefty-hitting shortstop the Dodgers acquired from the Yankees this past off-season has gotten off to a solid start so far in his first taste of Triple-A. Through his first 69 plate appearances, his slash line is .235 AVG, .435 OBP, .373 SLG, and an OPS of .808.
Remember that Sweeney is still just 23 years old (turns 24 next week) and still needs to be a finished product. What’s even more incredible is that he has 17 walks to just 15 strikeouts. I don’t see Sweeney getting called up this year, but he is definitely in the plans for the future, and so far, I like what I’m seeing out of him this season.
Jack Dreyer
Let’s move down a level and head to Tulsa, Oklahoma, home of the Dodgers Double-A affiliate. RHP Jack Dreyer (unranked) has been nothing but sensational since joining the Dodgers organization. The 25-year-old is in his 3rd season with the organization, moving up a level each year, and has a career ERA of 1.98. That’s almost unheard of 42 walks to 101 strikeouts, just three homers against, and 0 HBPs.
This season in a short sample he’s gone 6 innings and given up just 2 hits, 0 runs 1 walk, and 9 strikeouts. He will probably be up in OKC with Triple-A at some point and possibly with the Dodgers if need be. 40-man roster spots are hard to come by with this team, but he is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after this season, so he will need to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected from other teams selecting him.
Jake Gelof
For the last player we’re going to highlight today, let’s talk about Jake Gelof, ranked #23 by MLB.com. Gelof was the Dodgers’ second-round pick, number 60 overall, in the 2023 draft out of The University of Virginia. He was assigned to Single-A Rancho Cucamonga to start the year, which has been quite impressive. In just seven games, he’s slashing .320, .424, and .560 for an OPS of .984 with one each of a double, triple, and a homer.
He has 6 walks to 11 strikeouts, right around the 2:1 ratio you would want. One thing he needs to work on is the swing-and-miss. Gelof, if he keeps up his hot start, should get the promotion to Double-A by the end of the year.
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