The Los Angeles Dodgers #10 Prospect is Luis Rodriguez, a 21-year-old outfielder from Venezuela. He was signed by the Dodgers for $2,667,500 on July 27th, 2019. Luis has been with the Dodgers since he was a 16-year-old and was the fourth-ranked international prospect. Scouts grade him as an advanced hitter for his age as well as a solid defender. He grades out at an overall of 50, but three out of five of his grades are 55. His hit, run, and arm grade out at 55, while his power and fielding are at 50.
“Rodriguez is a pure hitter and a natural athlete. He has sound approach in the batter’s box and has shown the ability to use all fields with consistent and hard contact.”
“There’s a nice rhythm and balance to his swing, and although he’s primarily a line drive hitter now, there have been flashes of power, which could increase as he develops. Rodriguez is a quality defender in center field now and makes all of the plays, but it’s uncertain if that’s where he will stay,” – Jesse Sanchez, MLB.
Current Play
Scouts believe that Luis has the potential to hit 20 plus home runs when he matures more physically. His patience at the plate and ability as a “pure hitter” allow him to drive the ball to all fields. He is also a threat on the base-paths as well, with the speed to play center. While he is listed on the pipeline as a center fielder, Rodriguez has played multiple infield positions. For example, his 17-year-old season was played representing the Dodgers in the Dominican Summer League. That year he played second base, third base, and shortstop with strong fielding percentages of .986, .893, and .956, respectively. The next year he played only third and short in the DOSL.
Rodriguez played his 19-year-old season in the Arizona League. He played on the AZL Dodgers and was still about half a year younger than the average player. During that year he played all over the infield—everywhere but pitcher and catcher. He was a bit outmatched by the older player’s pitching though. He batted an anemic .190/.270/.253. Last year was his age 20 season and he was moved up the rookie ball ladder again to join the Dodgers Lasorda team in the AZL. Last year he played second base, third base, shortstop, and he even pitched a little, throwing 2.1 innings of hitless baseball. He did appear in some meaningful games, so this is something to keep an eye on. Luis faced nine batters over three games. He hit one, walked one, and struck two out for a WHIP of .429.
Outlook
Luis is listed with an ETA of 2024, which would make him 25-years-old, so he has major development ahead of him. Whether playing in the infield, outfield, or pitching is unclear, but it seems that the Dodgers are exploring all options. It is very early on in his career still so anything can happen. The Dodgers are well known for their ability to develop young players into excellent MLB players. This is evidenced by their long history of NL Rookie of the Year awards won. Will Luis Rodriguez be one of those players in the future? Time will tell, but he is definitely one to keep your eye on.
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