Luke Raley had a stand-out, All-Star season in 2017 for the Los Angeles Dodgers High-A minor league affiliate. Raley’s performance elevated him into the top 30 prospect list at # 27. The seventh round draft pick from 2016 opened eyes last year as he rose to the top of an incredibly talented Cal League. In his first full professional season, the stats he compiled were impressive.
The pride of Lake Erie College progressed nicely in his first taste of professional ball, he was part of the Midwest League championship Great Lakes Loons team of ’16.
The clubhouse leader had this to say when asked about his 2017 All-Star selection, “It’s an awesome thing to be a part of and represent the Dodgers and I’m ecstatic to be a part of it.”
Player Profile
Age 23 Born September 19, 1994
Birthplace Hinckley, OH
Bats: Left Throws: Right
6′ 3″ 220lbs
Lake Erie College
2017 Cal-League Mid-Season All-Star
People like to go all out around this time of year. Is your Independence Day outfit as strong as @Lraley00? I’m guessing not. So good. pic.twitter.com/g5jFv76f5G
— RC Quakes Baseball (@RCQuakes) July 3, 2017
The statistical information tells one part of the story, however, Luke Raley’s season cannot be defined by numbers alone. The left-handed hitting Raley was versatile for the Quakes. He played mostly in the outfield, splitting time between left and right fields, and he played a couple of games at first base. “Rails,” as he is known by his teammates, showed his adaptability the most by batting in every spot in the line-up, except the ninth. He did not bat below .250 at any of the spots in the batting order, and his overall batting average was just a shade below .300 (.295).
Raley’s sweet, left-handed swing is a violent collision with a baseball waiting to happen. The big, powerful young hitter is not afraid to use his strength, and as a result, he uses the entire ballpark. At times, those deep fly balls are caught by a speedy centerfielder, and Raley had lots of hard, line-drive outs that don’t show up in the box score. A gap to gap hitter, Raley racked up the extra base hits with 21 doubles, 11 triples, and 14 home runs. Perhaps the most eye-catching stat, besides the triples, is his 102 runs scored in 478 at-bats. He was always on-base in 2017 for the Quakes. “Rails” hit .338 with nine home runs and 45 runs batted in at home. After his worst month, June (.204 batting average), Raley bounced back to hit .340 in both July and August.
.@Lraley00 leads the Quakes into the second game of the South Division Finals! Here is the @ShakeysUSA starting lineup! pic.twitter.com/J8jcVccNsg
— RC Quakes Baseball (@RCQuakes) September 8, 2017
Luke Raley – 2018 & Beyond
Luke Raley has nothing left to prove in the High Class-A level of minor league baseball. He will more than likely begin 2018 with the Tulsa Drillers at Double-A. His development and production may only be able to take him so far, at least in 2018. There is certainly a plethora of talent in the Dodgers farm system, as well as at the major league level. However, with that swing of his from the left side, he is hitting his way into the conversation.
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