Spring training is almost here, which means that there are going to be an ample number of amazing Los Angeles Dodgers prospects in the mix for a spot on the team. The Dodgers are regarded as a team with one of the best farm systems in the league, behind teams like the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. Still, most of the Dodgers prospects turn out to be amazing studs on other teams in the league (Michael Busch, Cody Bellinger).
So, let’s rank the five prospects that we need to watch as Dodgers fans, and I’m going to predict if they make the MLB this year if they make any impact, or if they’ll get traded.
Dodgers Prospects to Watch (Part 1); Ohtani-Mizuhara
5. Austin Gauthier
This guy isn’t on the top 100 baseball prospects list, but Austin Gauthier is 25 years old, at the triple-a level, and is one of the more patient guys at the plate. He’s 5″10, 188 lbs. He rarely ever gives away an at-bat just for free. He batted .316/.435/.475 with 12 homers and 19 steals while reaching Double-A in 2023. Gauthier slashed a .247/.355/.330 after he got to triple-A this season.
He was invited to spring training last year, and that’s most likely going to happen this year as well. Even with the addition of HyeSeong Kim, that middle infield is wide open for anyone to take the job, and all he needs is an amazing showing, and he’s got that spot. Also, even though the Dodgers brought back Teoscar Hernandez this season, Gauthier could shore up an outfield spot (yes, he’s an outfielder too), or he could take a position of a utility player on the bench. There are a lot of possibilities with this guy.
Now, I do feel like there are only two possibilities with Austin. One, is he’ll make the team and be in a utility role, replacing Chris Taylor. This is only possible if Taylor does an extremely bad job in spring training. I would say there is around a 41 percent chance this is actually happening. Two, if he’ll get traded, which would be around 59 percent. Gauthier just has too much talent to stay in the minor leagues for another year, and time is really ticking for him because he’s 25 years old. He could help teams like the Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, or even the Tampa Bay Rays, who are stockpiling young talent for their team.
According to MLB.com, his ETA in the big leagues is 2025.
Shohei Is Innocent
I’m not sure exactly why Shohei Ohtani was even accused of gambling in the first place, but last week, audio was released showing that it was really his former translator, and friend, Ippei Mizuhara. Now, originally, Mizuhara asked for an 18-month sentence, instead of the five-year one, because he was “remorseful”, and blamed the crime on a “long-standing addiction to gambling”.
Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million by getting into Shohei Ohtani’s bank account and wired it to an illegal bookmaker.
Here is the conversation that was released last week:
“Who am I speaking with?” the bank employee asked in the recording.
“Shohei Ohtani,” Mizuhara replied.
“I tried to make a wire transfer a couple of days ago. They told me that’s probably the reason, they transferred me to this number,” he said.
After Mizuhara recited a six-digit code she texted him for two-factor authentication, Mizuhara told her he needed to send $200,000 for a car loan.
“What is your relationship to the payee?” the agent asked.
“He’s my friend,” Mizuhara responded.
“Have you met your friend in person?” she asked.
“Yes, many times,” Mizuhara said.
“I just ask because we haven’t been able to verify the transaction,” the agent said before asking how Mizuhara received the wire information.
“Will there be any future wires to your friend?” the agent asked.
“Possibly,” Mizuhara replied.
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“Usually when a Japanese baseball player makes the move to the United States, they would bring over multiple staff members to take care of various tasks such as a driver, trainer, chef, off the field interpreter/support member, etc. but I was the only person Shohei brought along so naturally I had to support him on most of the above mentioned tasks,” Mizuhara wrote.
Mizuhara also wrote that Ohtani paid him about $2,500 a month from October to January and $125 to $130 a month from February to September, for a total of $11040. That is absolutely not enough for someone in California. Plus, he had to pay for his wife’s travel between the U.S. and Japan and rent accommodations while traveling with Ohtani to Japan in the offseason.
“All of these extra expenses were taking a huge toll on me and I was living paycheck to paycheck, I would have to borrow money from family and friends some months to make ends meet,” Mizuhara wrote.
He also added that his wife helped Ohtani a lot.
“She truly supported both Shohei and I to the best of her abilities throughout the years and she never complained through all of this as she knew my priority was to support Shohei to the best of my ability,” Mizuhara wrote.
“Lastly, I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and a human being and I was committed to devote my life so Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field,” Mizuhara wrote. “I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.”
Conclusion:
Well, there you have it folks. It’s a great time to be a Dodgers fan. While the team up in the major leagues is already stacked, the team in the minors is even more. I’ll get part 2, 3, 4, and 5 out before the regular season begins! Thanks for reading!
Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
