Gelof among standout prospects on Dodgers' farm

This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

LOS ANGELES -- A’s second baseman Zack Gelof made his presence felt last season at Dodger Stadium, going 4-for-11 with two homers. While most people were probably upset, there was one person in the Dodgers’ system who might’ve had some rooting interest.

Jake Gelof was the Dodgers’ second-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Virginia. Since getting drafted by the Dodgers, Jake has shown a pretty good hit tool. This season with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, Jake has really started to put things together with two homers and a .980 OPS in 22 games.

In those 22 games, Jake has gone hitless in just five of them. He has also shown an improved control of the strike zone, already drawing 25 walks. In 34 games between Rookie ball and Rancho Cucamonga last season, Jake managed just 20 free passes while striking out 46 times.

When the Dodgers drafted Jake last year, they knew there was some work to be done. They, however, knew the hit tool was there. Some would say it runs in the family, with brother Zack getting off to a good start in the Majors with Oakland.

Because Jake is a college selection, expect him to move up at least one or two levels this season. That, of course, will be dependent on his performance, though he’s doing a good job of putting himself in good situations. Jake, the Dodgers’ No. 22 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is still at least a few years away, but he’s starting to show the Dodgers what he can bring to the table.

Let’s take a look at other things standing out in the Dodgers’ system:

Triple-A Oklahoma City: Kody Hoese was a top prospect in the Dodgers’ organization just a few years ago, but the third baseman really, really struggled offensively for years. In Triple-A, however, Hoese has found some magic and is hitting .337 with three homers in 22 games.

Double-A Tulsa: The Dodgers will have to find a way to get Diego Cartaya, the organization’s No. 8 prospect, going at the plate or it’ll be a second consecutive disappointing season for the Venezuelan catcher. Entering Friday’s game, Cartaya is hitting just .133 with only one homer. Cartaya, who has been affected by back issues, has only made 11 starts behind the plate so far this season.

High-A Great Lakes: A 4-1 loss to Wisconsin on Thursday ended Great Lakes’ eight-game winning streak. During that streak, Great Lakes got good contributions from shortstop Noah Miller, who they acquired in the deal that sent Manuel Margot to the Twins this spring, and Alex Freeland, an infielder from the University of Central Florida.

Single-A Rancho Cucamonga: Third baseman Jeral Perez is a prospect who has been opening a lot of eyes at the start of the season. Perez, a 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic, is hitting .329 with four homers in just 82 at bats. Perez had eight multi-hit games in April.