The Daily Briefing — Friday, September 25
By Morgan Davis ·
Yesterday's best performances across the minor leagues, with scouting context from 80Grade.
De Paula's MLB Cameo Left a Paper Trail Worth Examining
Josue De Paula, the Dodgers' top prospect and #3 in the rankings, went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, his first game back at the affiliate level after the Dodgers optioned him on September 23. The return to OKC is a roster management move rather than a demotion with meaning, but it provides a natural stopping point to look at what the 21-year-old left-hander did in his 42 plate appearances with Los Angeles: a .323/.500/.581 slash with 1 home run, 3 doubles, a triple, 11 walks, and just 5 strikeouts. That 26.2% walk rate and 11.9% strikeout rate in an MLB cameo from a player who turned 21 this year is a legitimately unusual combination.
The zone feel that produced those numbers is the same skill set that drove his Double-A season: a 13.8% walk rate and 14.8% strikeout rate across 588 plate appearances in Tulsa, with 27 home runs, 37 doubles, and 104 RBI. His 84.2% contact rate and 45% swing rate reflect a hitter aggressive enough to do damage but patient enough to pick his spots, and the results at the MLB level suggest he was not overmatched. The 60-grade power and leveraged left-handed swing project for sustainable mid-20s home run totals as he fills out physically, and his 30 days back at Double-A before the call showed the approach holding even in a slight slump: .261/.405/.489 across 111 plate appearances with a 19.8% walk rate and only a 15.3% strikeout rate. The defensive profile at right field is functional rather than special, with enough arm and athleticism to stick there, but the bat is the whole argument and it has held up at every level he has faced this year. Thursday's 2-for-5 in his OKC debut is a footnote; the 42-PA MLB audition is the actual story.
Quick Hits
- Mike Sirota, CF, Dodgers (AAA, Oklahoma City) · #17 · in the rankings · went 1-for-5 with an RBI and 3 walks Thursday, his second game at Triple-A after getting promoted from Double-A Tulsa on September 18. The 23-year-old right-handed center fielder has drawn 3 walks in each of his two Triple-A outings, a continuation of a season-long 20.0% walk rate across 501 combined plate appearances. The last 30 days at Double-A showed a contact dip (65.6% contact rate on a 36.6% swing rate) and a 29.0% strikeout rate in 62 PA, so the plate discipline at Triple-A is the carrying skill right now. He grades as a plus runner and plus glove in center, and the everyday projection leans on those tools and his on-base ability more than his 50-grade power to carry weight.
- Andrew Pinckney, LF, Nationals (AAA, Rochester) · #388 · in the rankings · doubled and drove in a run in a 1-for-3 outing with a walk Thursday, his 16th double between Triple-A and the majors combined this season. The 25-year-old righty has hit .298/.370/.532 with 3 home runs over his last 16 games at Rochester, a stretch where the 55-grade power is showing up despite a 69.6% contact rate that reflects the long-swing profile. His season strikeout rate at Triple-A sits at 30.7%, and that number is the central question for a corner outfielder with a 45 hit-tool grade trying to hold an everyday role against upper-level pitching. Still, the recent pop is real, and a second-division regular outcome in right field remains on the table if the approach tightens.