Dodgers notes: Diego Cartaya, Freddie Freeman, The Infield

The Dodgers farm talent is beginning to showcase their abilities at the big league level, with Jonny DeLuca and Nick Robertson making their major league debuts Wednesday night against Cincinnati. The Dodgers have already seen five players make their debuts this season, and it begs the question to when their top prospect, Diego Cartaya, will become the latest Dodgers rookie to get his chance at the top stage.

The 21-year-old Cartaya has stumbled out of the gates for Double-A Tulsa this season, amounting to a .204 batting average and a .683 OPS in 38 games played. Cartaya has demonstrated his power potential during this career, notably mashing 22 home runs in just 95 games last season split between Rancho Cucamonga and Great Lakes. Cartaya also possesses a 60-grade arm behind the plate, though he has thrown out 11 attempted base stealers so far this season, a 26-percent caught stealing rate.

The path to Cartaya’s major league debut already has two road blocks, as Will Smith is potentially gearing up for his first All-Star selection in his career and backup Austin Barnes signed through 2024. Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times notes how Cartaya has felt about the timetable surrounding his eventual major league debut:

“‘My goal is to be healthy and continue learning,’ Cartaya said in Spanish. ‘Let them or God decide when it’s my opportunity to get there — whether it’s this year or next year or in two years or tomorrow.’”

Links

• Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic breaks down why Freddie Freeman would be considered the Dodgers’ MVP of the 2023 season, noting how he has posted numbers that replicate his MVP season from 2020.
• Cary Osborne of Dodger Insider writes about how the Dodgers will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their “legendary infield” on June 23 against the Astros, with Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes, and Steve Garvey being honored.