2017 Loons Season Preview
Opening Day Countdown: 1 Day — Get to know the 2017 Loons
Nine prospects ranked in the top 30 of either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline, 12 returners from a season ago, the youngest Opening Day roster in Loons history, and a new young coaching staff poised to make their mark. The announcement of the roster is always one of the final steps in preparation for the start of a season and on Monday we got our first look. Now lets #DiveIn a little deeper.
Season Preview Show Video
The Loons season preview show on ESPN 100.9-FM and Facebook Live was recorded on Tuesday, April 4 and featured field manager Jeremy Rodriguez, returning infielder Zach McKinstry, new right hand pitcher Dustin May, and pitching coach Connor McGuiness.
(9:00) We talk headlines from the 2017 Opening Day roster & look back at last years MWL Championship run. (30:15) Manager Jeremy Rodriguez. (48:00) Zach McKinstry. (1:02:20) Dustin May. (1:15:00) Pitching Coach Connor McGuiness.
Youth
This is the youngest Opening Day roster in the history of the Loons. The average age of the 25 players is just 20.96. There are nine players aged 20 or under. The youngest Opening Day roster prior to this year was the inaugural 2007 team which also had nine players 20 years or younger, but had an average age of 21.05. When looking at the Midwest League as a whole there are 33 players who will be under 20 years old on Opening Day. The Loons have six of those 33 teenagers, which is tied for the most in the league with the Fort Wayne TinCaps.
Dodgers Prospects
Jordan Sheffield, RHP
Baseball America: 12, MLB Pipeline: 10, FanGraphs: 10
Sheffield joined the Loons last year on the final day of July, but only logged 11 innings in Great Lakes due to a strict limit on his workload from the Dodgers. The Vanderbilt product struggled in limited action at the Single-A level with a 4.09 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, but the potential was seen in his seven starts. Standing at just 5'10", Sheffield is still able to ramp up his primary pitch (the fastball) to sit comfortably in the mid 90s. Sheffield starts the year as the Loons’ #2 starter. His favorite movie is Love & Basketball, favorite food is lasagna, and if he could have any super power it would be a rubber arm… Makes sense as he had Tommy John surgery in 2013 and is most likely to have his innings monitored again to start 2017.
Keibert Ruiz, C
Baseball America: 20, MLB Pipeline: 14, FanGraphs: 13
Ruiz begins the year as one of just 13 players in the Midwest League under the age of 19. Seen now as the ultimate value sign by the Dodgers back in 2014 out of Venezuela, the 18 year old was given $140,000 when he turned 16 on July 20, 2014. The 6'0" catcher made contact at every level he played at last year hitting .300 in the Dominican Summer League, .485 in the Arizona League, and .354 in Rookie-Advanced Ogden. Hitting is not the main tool for Ruiz though, defense is. Ruiz is considered one of the best young receiving catchers in Minor League Baseball and combines extremely quick hands with a strong arm. Ruiz’ favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate, and if he could hit against anyone in the majors it would be Felix Hernandez.
Dustin May, RHP
Baseball America: 13, MLB Pipeline: 24, FanGraphs: 21
May will be an early favorite for the best hair in not only the Loons clubhouse, but in all of the minor leagues. The 6'6" red head has great upside after being drafted out of high school with the Dodgers’ 3rd round pick in 2016. The Justin, TX native finished with a remarkable 34:4 K:BB ratio in the AZL last year, but got hit at a decent rate with opposing batters slicing him at .291 clip. The 19-year-old signed for just under $1 million last year and begins this year as the Loons’ #3 starter. One of the first times May met Loons field manager Jeremy Rodriguez they discovered their love for the movie series Fast & Furious and as Rodriguez said, “we just became best friends.” May’s first car was a 2006 F-150 and if he wasn’t playing baseball he would be a mechanic.
Oneil Cruz, SS
Baseball America: 27, MLB Pipeline: 22, FanGraphs: 23
Cruz is the youngest player on the Loons Opening Day roster, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at him. At 18 years and six months old, Cruz towers at a lanky 6'6" while still being uniquely agile at the shortstop position. Cruz has grown five inches since he was initially scouted by the Dodgers as a 15-year-old in the Dominican Republic and has been somewhat aggressively pushed to the Single-A level after a modest 55 game campaign in the DSL a season ago. He slashed .294/.367/.444 while swiping 11 bags.
Brendon Davis, SS
MLB Pipeline: 28, FanGraphs: 24
Davis was the player who recorded the final out in the MWL championship last year to clinch the first ever league title in Loons franchise history. This year, he is the youngest returning player in the Midwest League at 19 years and 8 months old. The current Loons coaching staff has talked about Davis taking a step forward not only on the field, but more importantly as a leader in the clubhouse. The former 5th round pick out of Lakewood (Calif.) High School will have high expectations heaped upon him, but he definitely has the chops to live up to them. “BD’s” favorite musician is Travis Scott, his biggest fear is cats, and his hidden talent/hobby is disc golf.
Carlos Rincon, OF
MLB Pipeline: 25
Rincon is another teenager on the Loons roster to start the year. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic for $350,000 in 2015 and so far has returned on the hope that his power could carry him to the upper levels of the Dodgers system. Last year, he hit 13 home runs in 52 games between the DSL and AZL. His final slash line for the year was .328/.383/.661. Rincon will be in rotation in what looks to be a crowded outfield this year for the Loons.
Cody Thomas, OF
Baseball America: 29
Known maybe more commonly as a former QB for the Oklahoma Sooner football team, Thomas chose baseball over football and was drafted by the Dodgers in the 13th round last year. While in college, Thomas actually quit baseball to focus on football in hopes of winning the open quarterback competition in 2015. Eventually, the position went to Baker Mayfield and Thomas only ended up throwing three total passes in live game action. After the football season in 2015, Thomas re-evaluated his future by picking baseball back up. Last year, Thomas played 59 games in the Dodgers system (7 in the AZL, 52 in the Pioneer League).
A.J. Alexy, RHP
MLB Pipeline: 30
Alexy won’t turn 19 until April 21st and is an interesting prospect for the Dodgers. Once committed to playing college baseball at Radford University, Los Angeles scooped Alexy up in the 11th round out of Twin Valley High School in Everson, PA. Alexy perked some ears nationally as a high school senior last year when he was kept in a game for 164 pitches, which many scouts were disappointed with. Either way, Alexy features a fastball, changeup, and curveball and will be the Loons #5 starter to begin the year. His first and current car is a 2017 Audi A6, his dream vacation destination is Bora Bora, and he enjoys drawing.
Returners
Leo Crawford, LHP
Crawford is a soft tossing southpaw from Nicaragua and was added to the Loons roster last year on August 7th. In six appearances in Great Lakes as a 19-year-old, Crawford tossed 28.2 innings with a 2.20 ERA. Crawford was even better in the postseason… 2–0, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 11 K including the win in the series clinching game in round one against Bowling Green. This year, Crawford has been given the honor of starting Opening Day for the Loons. He is also beginning to climb up the prospect ranks in the Dodgers system and has begun to jump on the radar of Dodgers player personnel.
Tony Gonsolin, RHP
Gonsolin was added to the Loons roster last year on August 5th, but never really got settled in the midst of a playoff push after a successful start to his pro career in Rookie-Advanced Ogden. Gonsolin was a 9th round pick in 2016 out of Saint Mary’s College and in 13.2 innings with the Loons had a 5.27 ERA. This year, Gonsolin will again be primarily used out of the bullpen. Outside of baseball, Tony has a need for speed… His favorite movie is Speed Racer, favorite TV show is The Flash, and if he could have a super power it would be the ability to “run really fast.”
Nolan Long, RHP
This will be the third different year Long will don a Loons uniform. In 2015 - his draft year - Long only threw 8.1 innings with Great Lakes. In 2016, Long was on the Opening Day roster and logged 64.1 innings with an ERA of 5.32 before he was sent down to Ogden. This year Long will start out of the bullpen, but could see some spot starts just as he has in years past. He is also a player that has spent time with the weighted-ball program which we’ve been told has helped in the repeating of his mechanics.
Jose Santos, RHP
Santos joined the roster last year on August 25 and was a small piece of the shutdown bullpen that aided the Loons on their road to a league title. In 8.1 regular season innings, Santos allowed no runs and just three hits. The oldest player on the Loons Opening Day roster at 25 years old, Santos is expected to be a reliable veteran arm out of the bullpen.
Willian Soto, RHP
You may not remember Soto as a returner from last years team, but he did indeed pitch in one game for the Loons on July 7th where he ceded four runs in five innings. Soto spent a majority of his season in Ogden and is expected to be used out of the bullpen this year. The 21-year-old was signed out of Venezuela by the Dodgers in 2012.
Stevie Berman, C
Berman played 20 games with the Loons last year after being drafted by the Dodgers in the 31st round out of Santa Clara University. He hit below the Mendoza Line last year, but the Loons coaching staff has already talked about Berman’s solid work ethic and willingness to learn everyday. Baseball is also in his blood. Berman’s father, Gary, was a pro baseball player in the Phillies system for three years. He’s known as one of the best “31 card game” players in the land and has a fear of spiders.
Zach McKinstry, INF
In case you didn’t know, McKinstry attended college at Central Michigan University, which is just 35 minutes west from his now home of Dow Diamond. Last year, McKinstry got off to a great start in Loons uniform hitting .333 through the first 13 games with Great Lakes. He was drafted in the 33rd round last year and was the last Dodger draftee who put pen to paper. The last two years for Zach have been up-and-down. Two summers ago, while playing baseball in Canada, his house in his hometown of Fort Wayne, IN burned down. And that came after his collegiate team won their conference regular season championship - a memory he mentions as one of the fondest of his baseball career. Fast forward, and a tough decision to be made about staying in school or accepting the Dodgers offer to sign him, which he said was one of the toughest decisions of his life. All of that in about an 18 month span led to winning the Midwest League Championship and, no doubt, a great payoff. This year, McKinstry is expected to slide over from his typical shortstop position to work side-by-side with Brendon Davis in the middle of the diamond as a 2nd basemen. His favorite restaurant is Texas Roadhouse and if he weren’t playing baseball he would be in the Navy.
Gage Green, OF
This will be Green’s third year with the Loons. He was a late addition to the end of the 2015 roster and spent all of 2016 in Great Lakes. Green hit .210 last year with seven home runs in 100 games. Maybe the best part of Green’s game is his ability to play nearly every position on the field. In two years as a pro, he has played every defensive position outside of shortstop. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy was also honored in March by the Dodgers and his teammates by being awarded the John Shoemaker Teammate of the Year award. The Dodgers Director of Player Development, Gabe Kapler, said during the Loons championship ring ceremony that he couldn’t believe the amount of emails he received from Green’s teammates to give him the award. Gage’s biggest pet peeve is when people take food off his plate and this offseason he grew his hair out to nearly his shoulders.
Saige Jenco, OF
Jenco was drafted out of Virginia Tech last year in the 24th round and was added to the Loons roster on July 7th. By the end of the year, he ended up leading the Loons in batting average at a .288 clip while stealing 17 bases in just 45 games. Setting a Loons postseason record, Jenco tallied 10 runs in his 10 postseason contests, while also finishing 2nd all-time in Loons postseason hits with 15. This year, Jenco will again be a mainstay in the Loons outfield while probably spending some time DH’ing, as well. Jenco grew up a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, his favorite food is chicken alfredo, and his first car was a Mazda Protege.
Darien Tubbs, OF
Tubbs hopped onto the Loons roster last year on June 27th and was instantly a spark plug on the field, in the dugout, and in the clubhouse. He finished with a .234 batting average and 14 stolen bags in 59 games. The Cookeville, TN native was drafted out of Memphis in the 16th round by the Dodgers. Tubbs’ father, Greg, is a former major leaguer who played 35 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1993. Just like his father, Tubbs has a knack for drawing walks and poking balls into the gaps. This year, he fits a similar mold to Jenco as a an outfielder who will see some time at DH as well. He has a fear of dogs and if he could have dinner with any three people it would be Kevin Hart, Austin Powers, and Kobe Bryant. Tubbs also likes to display his ability as a professional broadcaster from time to time.
Fresh Faces
Lenix Osuna, RHP
Osuna was signed out of Mexico by the Dodgers in 2012 and has made his way to Great Lakes after two full years in the AZL in 2013 and 2016, a full year in the Pioneer League in 2015, and a spilt year between the two levels in 2014. Osuna has a career minor league ERA of 3.99 in 58.2 innings pitched. He’ll be used out of the bullpen this year with the Loons and his favorite food is seafood.
Vinny Santarsiero, RHP
Santarsiero is still quite fresh to the Dodgers organization as he was signed by LA at the end of the 2016 season. He spent eight games with Ogden and allowed no earned runs in 8.2 innings. He was not drafted after attending small Fontbonne University, which is a Catholic liberal arts school in St. Louis, Mo. He’ll also be used out of the bullpen this year in Great Lakes. During his time in school he worked as a maintenance worker for the University and his first car was a 1997 Mustang Cobra.
Sven Schuller, RHP
Last year, the Loons were represented in Europe by Italian outfielder Federicco Celli. This year, it’s Sven Schuller from Wuppertal, Germany. Expected to be used out of the bullpen this year with the Loons, Schuller was signed out of a baseball academy in Regensburg in 2013 when he was just 17. Prior to this year, he had spent 2.5 years in the AZL before finally getting a promotion to Ogden after the start of the 2016 season. Owning a pro career ERA of 5.17 in 71.1 innings, Schuller has a dream to one day play baseball on every continent. He has already played in Europe, Australia, and North America, and Asia.
Devin Smeltzer, LHP
Smeltzer was taken by the Dodgers with their 5th round pick last year. He got off to a rough start to his professional career allowing nine earned runs in 10.2 innings in Arizona to finish last season. This year, Smeltzer is slotted as the Loons #4 starter. FanGraphs lists Smeltzer as the Dodgers’ 43rd best prospect and also regards him as a LOOGY pitcher - also known as a left-handed specialist. He is an avid golfer and a survivor of pelvic rhabdomosarcoma, a rare cancer that was discovered when he was just 9 years old.
Christian Stolo, LHP
The first time Stolo pitches for the Loons this season will be his first time he pitches as a Dodgers farmhand. Stolo was signed by LA on July 14th last year, but did not make it out of extended spring training. The Las Vegas native figures to throw out of the bullpen for the Loons in 2017.
Gersel Pitre, INF
Pitre will be an interesting player to watch where he ends up spending most of his time this season. He is technically listed as a first baseman this year with the Loons, but has never appeared at first base in his pro career. In 113 career games, 105 have been spent as a catcher. Unfortunately, Pitre will be the third catcher on the depth chart this year. Instead, expect to see him play on the corners of the infield and also the corners of the outfield.
Updates
Stay tuned for updates all season long on the 2017 Great Lakes Loons season by following on Twitter…
Broadcast/Communication/Team Accounts
#DiveIn, it’s #LoonsBaseball time!
