Community Dodgers prospect profile: No. 6, Andy Pages

[Editor’s note: A total of 12 prospects received votes in our True Blue LA community ranking, which we are revealing in reverse order. Outfielder Andy Pages checks in at No. 6.]

Perhaps speaking to the embarrassment of riches that has become the norm for the Dodgers’ farm system, I was still surprised to see Andy Pages sitting at sixth in the community rankings. Pages showed no rust from the 2020 COVID layoff and continued clobbering baseballs in 2021, jumping a level to the typically tougher Midwest League but still managed to hit 31 home runs on the year. He’s more than just a slugger, with an outstanding throwing arm and enough athleticism to potentially stick in center field.

Pages burst onto the scene in 2019 thanks to his raw power display in rookie ball, and power is still very much his carry tool as he moves to Double-A in 2022. Pages shows extremely strong wrists in maximizing his extension to get the most out of his compact frame. While this creates a longer swing, he has plenty of bat speed and demonstrates enough athleticism and barrel control to cover all parts of the zone with power. He will still swing and miss plenty because of his power over hit approach, but his plate discipline and fluidity will allow him to make enough contact to continue to reach his raw power in games.

Though Pages will show power to all fields, his approach is typically fly ball heavy to his pull side. These numbers may come down a bit as he faces more advanced pitchers that will likely challenge him away more frequently, and double A might give him his best test in terms of making quick in-game adjustments. One area of concern that Pages will also need to address with Tulsa is a fairly large reverse platoon split, but it’s too early to gauge its significance. Because he already gets good plate coverage, I can see him settling into the .270 range as a pro with high on base and slugging totals, with 30+ home run seasons being the norm for him in a best case scenario.

The bat will be more than enough if Pages ultimately settles in a corner, but the Dodgers have little reason to stop trying him in center field. Pages has been filling out, and now has a build that resembles former Dodger Alex Verdugo. Pages hasn’t shown speed to be a big part of his game, but he has a good reputation as an outfield defender and an easily plus arm to handle center and right.

You have to wonder if the Dodgers are now thankful Arte Moreno nixed a 2020 trade that reportedly would have sent Pages to the Angels as part of the machinations of the Mookie Betts trade. Pages has the highest ceiling of any of the players involved in that move and a fairly straightforward patch to reaching it. As a right handed hitter, Pages is only preceded on the 40-man roster by Chris Taylor, AJ Pollock, and Mookie Betts. Should he simply maintain his production and development trajectory in Double-A, he’s likely an injury call-up away from the big leagues. Pages could also be one of the biggest trade chips at Andrew Friedman’s disposal in 2022, but given his upside and proximity to the bigs, Pages would be awfully tough to part with.