Dodgers 2018 top prospects: No. 15, Morgan Cooper

In a 2017 draft class heavy in pitching prospects, Morgan Cooper leads the way in being closest to the major leagues and most likely to stick as a starter. A 2014 Tommy John surgery and his age as a four-year college junior likely made Cooper available to the Dodgers at the 62nd pick, though I had him ranked considerably higher at 44 in my pre-draft rankings. Cooper has a combination of size, stuff, and performance that could see him pushed quickly through the ranks in hopes of him becoming a mid-rotation starter.

The book on Cooper remains largely unchanged from June as he was withheld from starting his pro career this summer after an extensive college workload in the spring. Two seasons removed from Tommy John surgery now and Cooper now looks the part of a solid starting pitcher with three pitches he can throw for strikes, leading with his plus curveball.

Cooper’s curveball is a late-sharp breaker that can look like a spike curve at times, but his command and ability to locate the pitch suggest it’s a purer curve. He can drop it over the shoulder of right handed hitters for strikes, but often times he chooses to attack hitters over the plate with the pitch, generating swinging strikes.

Cooper’s fastball generally hovered in the low 90s and would dip a little lower when fatigue set in, but he has the frame and athleticism to suggest that he will hold his velocity with more mound work post surgery. His fastball has some riding life to his glove side and even in the lower ranges of his velocity looks as if it’s sneaking past the hitter. Given the spin rate he likely needs to generate the sharp break on his curve, I would not be surprised if the spin rate was also fairly high on his fastball given the missed swings under the pitch.

The changeup is Cooper’s third pitch, but it’s a solid offering that still has room for improvement. Its best attribute is the command he exhibits on the pitch, but he does get decent fade and can use the pitch as a chase offering for left handed hitters.

While Cooper’s stuff passes muster as a potential big league starter, his college performance is what elevates his prospect status. Cooper led the Big XII with 110 strikeouts, with a rate of 11.08 per 9 innings. Given the level of competition Cooper faced (Big XII led the nation in conference RPI), his ability to miss bats at an elite level likely stood out for Dodger evaluators. Additionally, Cooper was extremely tough for hitters to square, allowing just two home runs and a .204 average against over 89 innings.

While the Dodgers may continue to work to limit Cooper’s workload in 2018, he has the build of the prototypical innings eater. Cooper is a listed 6’5 and 220 lbs, and controls his long limbs fairly well. He delivery has some effort with a slight stab in the back, but this has not hampered his ability to throw strikes. Cooper carries his weight well enough and is lean enough to suggest that some added mass is possible, but having spent four years at the University of Texas, he’s close to a finished product physically.

The best case scenario for Cooper is that a controlled pitching environment might help Cooper tap into his upper band velocity more frequently, and should he eventually settle into the 95-96 mph range with that late life, he could reach number two starter status. His strikeout production and swing and miss curveball at least given him a higher floor than his peers in the 2017 Dodger draft class.

Given his age, college production, and the colder early months in the Midwest League, it would not surprise me to see the Dodgers skip Cooper to the California League to start the season. Even with a brief stop in Low-A, I believe Double-A is an attainable goal for Cooper in 2018 even if he doesn’t exceed 100 innings. Cooper is already an advanced prospect despite having yet to make his professional debut, so I expect the Dodgers to push him quickly up the ladder, and could be in the big league picture as early as late 2019, health permitting.