Guys who could surprise: Part 2. The second part of our series looks at…
By: Rowan Kavner
Tags: Zach Mckinstry, Dodgers, Victor Gonzalez, MLB, Dj Peters

Zach McKinstry (Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

(Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part series on “guys who could surprise” in 2020. The first part focused on young, under-the-radar Dodger players who’ve already made their MLB debuts. The second part is on Dodger prospects on the 40-man roster yet to debut.)

by Rowan Kavner

The tradition of young Dodger players immediately breaking through at the Major League level has continued its yearly cycle without splintering a farm system that replenishes and churns out more talent ready to contribute to one of baseball’s top clubs.

Some of those recent standouts didn’t come out of nowhere. For instance, 2016 Rookie of the Year Corey Seager, 2017 Rookie of the Year Cody Bellinger and Walker Buehler — who finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2018 — were all highly-regarded prospects who figured to make a significant impact whenever they got an extended look.

But for each of those future stars came another less-touted difference-maker— a Chris Taylor, who had one home run in three years after bouncing up and down the Mariners system before exploding with 21 homers for the Dodgers in 2017; or a Max Muncy, who was out of baseball early in 2017 before getting his call up to the Dodgers in 2018 and blasting 35 home runs. Last year, from Matt Beaty to Will Smith to Tony Gonsolin, multiple Dodger prospects not necessarily expected to make the jump that quickly to the big leagues immediately contributed and thrived.

In our first part of “guys who could surprise” in 2020, we looked at some of the young Dodger players with intriguing potential who’ve already made their Major League debuts.

In this second part, we go beyond the list of the most recognized Rookie of the Year contenders to provide some names of young Dodgers on the 40-man roster yet to debut who could surprise in 2020.

Zach McKinstry

(Photo by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

McKinstry wasn’t selected until the 33rd round out of Central Michigan in 2016. Last year, his name wasn’t on MLB.com’s list of top 30 Dodger prospects. This year, he’s moved up to №20.

And yet, the 24-year-old’s name was a hot topic early in camp — so much so that manager Dave Roberts said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the versatile position player up with the Dodgers at some point in 2020.

The Dodgers have demonstrated all they can do with multi-positional athletes such as Taylor and Kiké Hernández, and McKinstry fits that mold. He hit .300/.366/.516/.882 with 19 home runs between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, all while getting time at shortstop (which he calls his favorite position), second base, third base and all three outfield positions.

He said he harps on his defense, even teaching it through individual lessons with high schoolers in the offseason. This offseason, he also worked with a speed coach to improve his quickness and running. His defense at multiple spots, combined with the power surge (he only had seven home runs the previous year), make him an intriguing option going forward.

The attention didn’t seem to bother him, either: He proceeded to go 11-for-27 (.400) with five extra-base hits at the plate this spring.

Victor Gonzalez

(Photo by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Like McKinstry, Gonzalez began to make a name for himself with a tremendous jump in 2019.

Like McKinstry, that work caught the eye of Roberts in camp, who started to say he’d be “surprised” if the Dodgers don’t see Gonzalez sometime in 2020 before clarifying: “I’d be disappointed.”

And, like McKinstry, Gonzalez can serve multiple roles — though it’s as a pitcher, not a position player. While Gonzalez could be developed early in 2020 as a starter, his abilities particularly against left-handers — he allowed just three runs in 29 innings (0.93) to lefties in 2019 — could make him a candidate to help out of the bullpen sometime this year.

By the end of the 2018 season, the 24-year-old left-hander from Mexico had yet to pitch at the Double-A level. By the end of 2019, he was thriving at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Gonzalez vaulted from Single-A Rancho Cucamonga (1.65 ERA, 11.9 K/9 in eight games), to Double-A Tulsa (2.23 ERA, 8.2 K/9 in 15 games), to Triple-A (3.86 ERA, 8.4 K/9 in 15 games). All 15 of his appearances with Oklahoma City came out of the bullpen, but he also made 13 starts between Tulsa and Rancho Cucamonga.

He said this spring he focused on command and learning how and when to throw pitches for strikes and for balls after averaging 3.2 walks per nine innings last year. But the lefty has come a long way since Tommy John surgery in 2017.

D.J. Peters

(Photo by Jon SooHoo/Los Angeles Dodgers)

Take a look at Peters, and the intrigue is obvious. Standing 6 feet 6 inches, he literally towers above the competition. And at multiple levels, he’s displayed the power to match — enough so that the Dodgers put the 24-year-old on the 40-man roster.

There are areas Peters will need to continue to patch up, striking out 168 times in 542 plate appearances last year across Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, but the tools are too enticing to ignore.

He has blasted 92 home runs over four Minor League seasons, and the jumps in competition level haven’t bothered him. He hit better in 57 games last year with Oklahoma City (.260/.388/.490/.879) than in 68 games with Tulsa (.241/.331/.422/.753). The .879 OPS at Triple-A was his best mark at any level since posting an .886 OPS in 132 games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2017.