Former UVA baseball player Chris Newell making strides in Dodgers organization.
The former 13th round pick in 2022 led the Midwest League (A+) in homeruns before receiving his August 6th promotion to Double-A Tulsa.
Although he’s yet to join 2023 second-round pick Jake Gelof in MLB.com’s top 30 prospects list for Los Angeles, former Virginia Cavaliers baseball player Chris Newell is certainly garnering some attention in the Dodgers organization after his 23 home runs in 97 games with the Great Lakes Loons.
An August promotion was in store for Newell who took home Midwest Player of the Week honors for the week of June 2nd in which he went 8-for-21 (.381) with three homers, two doubles, six runs driven in, and five stolen bases.
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Nobody in the High-A classification has more long balls than the former Virginia outfielder and with his July 28th stolen base against the Lake County Captains, Newell became the fifth fastest player in professional baseball to secure a 20/20 season.
The four athletes to do it faster this year: Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, and Shay Whitcomb, a Triple-A shortstop in the Houston Astros organization. With a little over a month’s worth of games left on the schedule for Tulsa, the 2023 organizational All-Star eyes a 30/30 season, a feat only five minor leaguers have managed over the last decade.
With todays stolen base, @C_Newell20 becomes the first Loon to have a 20/20 season since Kyle Russell in 2009. pic.twitter.com/qn3b5fgS85
— Great Lakes Loons (@greatlakesloons) July 28, 2024
From a statistical standpoint, the only thing keeping Newell from skyrocketing up every scouting board is his inability to hit for average (.215 across 498 High-A at-bats in 2023-24). If you tether that number to a career-high strikeout rate of 33.9% (11.7% above league average) it’s easy to see why scouts are hesitant to give Newell higher marks.
The good news is a simple stat query into his first 154 at-bats after graduating from rookie ball will show a .312 average and .351 ISO in Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, so there’s evidence suggesting that Newell can hit for both average and power and that the two are not mutually exclusive.
But what’s impressive is even with his paltry average the past two summers with Great Lakes and a significant chunk of time missed due to injury, Newell’s career OPS sits at .841 thanks to the 36 doubles and 45 homeruns some 193 games into his professional career.
Los Angeles loves their imposing left-handed bats at the top of their order at the big-league level, two of which finished top three in MVP voting a season ago. Newell, at 6-3, with his high exit velocity swing and surprising speed could very well be a corner outfield option for the Dodgers in the coming years.
We also know how popular of a destination L.A. tends to be around the deadline and at 23 years young, Newell has absolutely raised his own trade stock this season. Looking back at L.A.’s 2021 top 30 prospects list, 16 have found new homes.
In two games thus far with Double-A Tulsa, Newell is 1-for-6 with a double and a stolen base. High-A to Double-A is arguably the biggest step a hitter is forced to make in their career, time will tell if Chris Newell’s slugging is able to carry over with the Drillers.
How is Miguel Vargas Doing Since Dodgers Traded Him to the White Sox?
Based on the viral photo of Miguel Vargas after the White Sox’s 21st consecutive loss on Aug. 5, the former Dodger seemed anything but content with his recent move to Chicago.
Vargas, whom the Dodgers signed as an amateur out of Cuba, had carved out a valuable role in the Dodges’ organization. He appeared in 27 games in left field this year, playing 166 innings and making 20 starts. With Teoscar Hernández in right field and no left fielders doing their best to take away Vargas’ job, his path looked clear to be a regular contributor on a potential playoff roster.
Along with the handful of players traded at the deadline, Vargas saw his circumstances drastically change on July 30. The Dodgers packaged Vargas in a three-team trade involving the Cardinals and the White Sox, sending Vargas to Chicago in exchange for reliever Michael Kopech. After the move, the 24-year old found himself on the worst team in the major leagues.
Since July 30, the White Sox have lost 11 out of their last 13 games. They’ve fired their manager, tied the American League record for consecutive losses, and are well on their way to setting the modern record for most losses in a season. It’s a steep fall for a player who came from an organization that leads its division annually. The Dodgers were six and a half games ahead of second place the day before Vargas was traded.
It is important to look at the bright side in disappointing situations. For Vargas, joining Chicago has allowed him to gain more experience in the Major Leagues. He is getting significantly more playing time than he did with the Dodgers.
