Complex and Dominican Summer League Risers

Happy Tuesday. A new week is upon us and more Minor League Baseball. This week is an exciting one for me as Wilmington will be in Spartanburg this week, so I will be traveling up I-85 to see arms like Travis Sykora, Alex Clemmey, Jackson Kent, and more!

Monday brought us a full slate of Complex and Dominican Summer League action. Here is everything you need to know about what took place and the players that stood out.

Free Minor League Baseball Recap Previews

Each day, I will pick a hitter and pitcher who stand out and deserve the top spot on the sheet. Those players’ reports will be free for all to read. The rest will be paywalled for Dynasty Dugout Subscribers. The article is around 3000 words, giving you detailed player reports to encapsulate everything you need to know.

Cris Rodriguez, OF, Detroit Tigers, 17, DSL

Rodriguez was 16 on signing day, but turned 17 shortly after. Despite being young, he has an impressive 6’4” frame with an offense-first profile. Having massive power upside, Rodriguez might have the best present power in the J15 class.

Having a broad base at the plate, Rodriguez uses a leg kick for timing and weight transfer, but puts his front foot down at the same place it starts. Rodriguez creates good hand-to-hip separation and has impressive bat speed. The swing is sometimes a bit long, but the power upside is something to dream on.

The power has already shown through in a big way this year. Yesterday, Rodriguez blasted a home run off of Kevin Defrank, one of the best DSL pitchers. It was no ordinary home run, though. It came on a 99 mph fastball, and Rodriguez unloaded on it to left-center with an exit velocity of 109 mph. He nearly left the yard in the at-bat before that as he took a 98 mph fastball to the opposite field for a double.

Rodriguez is no stranger to big exit velocities, though. In just a week of DSL action, Rodriguez has multiple other batted balls over 105 mph. He can mash, but the question is, how much contact will Rodriguez make. Right now, he has a 25 percent strikeout rate, which is much higher than we want to see in the DSL, but he has struck out just twice in his last four games.

Johnny King, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays, 18, CPX

I will say, Johnny King is the best pitcher in either complex league. King allowed his first and second runs of the season yesterday, but was his dominant self for the most part. He pitched 3.2 innings, striking out eight batters and walking just one. The start saw his ERA balloon to 1.17, and the strikeout rate sits north of 42 percent.

King took a step forward in velocity this season and has topped around 97 mph and worked 93-95 yesterday in the start. He creates upwards of 17 inches of IVB from a 5’6” release height and gets good horizontal movement as well.

The curveball is a hammer of a pitch, having 10-12 inches of glove-side movement and up to negative 13 inches of IVB, showing strong depth. It works around 80 mph, and misses bats at a high clip.

King rounds out the arsenal with an upper-80s changeup that has strong arm-side fade. It ranges from 13-20 inches of fade, and while showing some inconsistencies in movement, it is a solid pitch.

There’s no reason why King’s next start should be in the complex. He should be pitching in Single-A Dunedin, where he will likely continue to dominate.

Join the Dynasty Dugout, Trusted by Thousands