LOS ANGELES DODGERS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. DIEGO CARTAYA, C
AGE: 20. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-3. WT: 219. SIGNED: Venezuela, 2018. SIGNED BY: Luis Marquez/Roman Barinas/Cliff Nuiter/Jean Castro.
TRACK RECORD: Cartaya signed with the Dodgers for $2.5 million on the first day of the 2018-19 international signing period. He impressed in the Rookie-level Arizona League in his pro debut and was the youngest player the Dodgers invited to their alternate training site in 2020. A back muscle flareup delayed his full-season debut in 2021, but he reported to Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in late May and became an instant star. He hit 10 home runs in 31 games while showing poise and maturity behind the plate. He went on the injured list with a strained hamstring in July and re-injured his back in August while he was rehabbing. The Dodgers shut him down for the year.
Cartaya is a big, physical masher who is a force at the plate. He is a mature hitter who expertly manages the strike zone, recognizes pitches out of the hand and makes ear-ringing contact with controlled, powerful swings. His efficient swing and natural strength create booming, all-fields power with remarkable ease, and he stays through the big part of the field in his approach to hit towering drives from left-center to right-center. Cartaya turns around premium velocity, stays on breaking balls, covers the entire plate and rarely chases out of the strike zone, giving pitchers little recourse to avoid damage. He struggles at times with changeups and pitches fading down and away from him, but he still projects to be an above-average hitter with plus power,
