Inside The Dodgers

How is the Dodgers' Top International Signee Progressing?

J.P. Hoornstra|
Jun 30, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers hats and gloves on the bench in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 30, 2019; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers hats and gloves on the bench in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports | Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Emil Morales isn't a household name among Los Angeles Dodgers fans — yet.

According to FanGraphs, the Dodgers' top international signee from the most recent signing period is not expected to arrive in the major leagues until 2030. Morales is 17 and, like most international signees, will begin his professional journey at the team's complex in the Dominican Republic with hopes of being assigned to a full-season minor league affiliate. That might not happen until next year at the earliest.

Still, it's never too soon to keep tabs on the Dodgers' latest multi-million dollar investment. Morales was among the most highly related prospects of the most recent signing period, and was paid accordingly — $1,897,500, according to multiple reports, the most given to any individual out of the team's $5.284 million pool.

According to Baseball America's Ben Badler, the early returns on Morales are strong.

He continues to grow, now 6-foot-3, 190 pounds with a mix of contact and impact from the right side of the plate. He has continued to tighten up what was already a sound swing with good rhythm and sequence, while his offensive approach is mature with the ability to discern balls from strikes and consistently work quality at-bats. He’s strong, has fast bat speed and has been hitting home runs in preseason games with the projection to develop 25-plus home run power.
via Baseball America

Morales was listed as a shortstop at the time of his signing, but as he continues to grow expect to hear many of the same opinions that surrounded Corey Seager during his minor league maturation — that someday, he'll need to be moved to a corner infield spot. That never happened for Seager and it might not happen for Morales, either.

Badler went on to praise Morales' intelligence, maturity and leadership skills. While those intangible "soft" traits are easier to overlook and harder to measure than a player's physical tools, they're no less instrumental in predicting if or when a player will arrive in the big leagues.

For now, Morales' name remains one to remember.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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