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The #21 prospect in the Dodgers’ top 30 is Alex De Jesus, a 19-year-old shortstop for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. De Jesus stands 6’2 weighing 170 pounds. Alex was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 as one of the best 3rd base prospects in the international free agency and has since been moved to shortstop.
De Jesus is currently hitting .246 with 10 homeruns and 49 RBIs for the Dodgers Single-A affiliate. In his 232 ABs, he has 85 strikeouts and 47 bases on balls. His Slugging Percentage of .435 shows signs of things to come for the 19-year-old shortstop.
His quick hands combined with a balanced batting stance helps him hit the ball all over the field. Alex struggles sometimes with pitch recognition and plate discipline, which can be attributed to his young age and still developing. It is nice to see De Jesus already have plus power, and he is still a teenager. If he spends time bulking up in the gym and combines that with his current high leg kick he incorporated this year, power can be a special tool for him.
Defensively, Alex De Jesus doesn’t move very well laterally which is an issue for a shortstop. He also lacks explosiveness, so don’t look for speed to be one of his attributes. He does have advanced glove work and understands defensive schemes very well, which is a plus for the young prospect. His best weapon defensively is his arm and that is the reason the Dodgers see his future playing shortstop.
De Jesus’ projected time to arrive at the MLB Dodgers is 2023. If he continues developing as he has, I’m sure he will be MLB ready by then. That said, I don’t see the Dodgers calling him up. The situation looks a lot like Keibert Ruiz’s, who is blocked by young MLB talent in Will Smith. De Jesus is similarly blocked with Corey Seager in the shortstop role for now. If he reaches his true power potential, he can be a monster player for the Dodgers. The question is where he is going to play. It all depends on if he improves his lateral movement. If that doesn’t improve, he’ll likely end up back at 3rd base. Of course, if MLB implements the DH rule in the National League, he would fill that role for the Dodgers nicely.