Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Diego Cartaya has hit the ground running at Triple-A, hitting safely in five of six games and going 8-for-25 (.320) over that stretch. In his latest game, he ripped a double and his first home run for Oklahoma City. After hitting just .133 in April at Double-A, the 22-year-old turned it on in May, hitting .262 for the month, then .294 in June before his promotion. The Dodgers are set at catcher for the next decade after signing Will Smith to a long-term deal, so it's uncertain how Cartaya fits into their plans, but he's starting to live up to his once-forecasted potential.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Diego Cartaya is struggling to open the season in Double-A Tulsa. Cartaya, 22, was once one of the top prospects in all of baseball, but his struggles in 2023 lowered his ranking and thus far, he is hitting just .119 in his first 12 games for Tulsa. He also has one homer and six RBI over that span. It's still a very small sample size, but Cartaya is coming off a season that he hit .189 for in 2023. Cartaya shows plenty of power, but he has had issues making contact with off-speed pitches and has been very aggressive at the plate. He will need to improve his plate discipline to take the next step as a hitter and with Will Smith entrenched as the Dodgers catcher for the long-term and prospect Dalton Rushing also in the system, the Dodgers are certain to do what it takes to correct Cartaya's issues. He is only worth a look in dynasty leagues for now.
Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Diego Cartaya hit a home run in his third straight game for Double-A Tulsa. He started the season ice-cold, slashing .171/.288/.305 with a 35.2% strikeout rate in his first 29 games. But in his last four games, the 21-year-old is 7-for-15 with six runs and five RBI. The catcher's exceptional power makes him a hot commodity in dynasty leagues and has him as one of the league's best catching prospects. While he is a must-roster in dynasty leagues, he won't get close to the major-league squad this year.
Los Angeles Dodgers top prospect Diego Cartaya has been reassigned by the organization. Cartaya, 21, is the prize of a loaded Dodgers farm system, but struggled in limited action this spring with just one hit over 11 at-bats. Despite being added to the 40-man roster this offseason, it's no shock that Cartaya will start the season on the farm with All-Star catcher Will Smith behind the dish at the big-league level. Cartaya hit .254 with 22 homers and 72 RBI this past season between Single-A and High-A. Despite being one of the top prospects in the game, he is only a name for dynasty managers to consider at the moment.
The Los Angeles Dodgers added catcher Diego Cartaya, second baseman Michael Busch and outfielders Andy Pages and Jonny DeLuca to their 40-man roster on Tuesday in order to protect them from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Cartaya is the team's top prospect heading into next season, while Busch comes in at No. 4 and Pages at No. 5, according to MLB Pipeline. Cartaya is one of the best catching prospects in all of baseball, so it's no surprise the Dodgers don't want to lose him to another club. The 21-year-old Venezuelan backstop hit a combined .254/.389/.503 with an .892 OPS, career-high 22 home runs, 72 RBI, 74 runs scored and one stolen base in 95 combined games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes this season.
Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya is showing that jumping from the Rookie ball directly to full-season ball isn't that hard -- for some elite prospects. The 19-year-old catcher joined the Low-A club just two days ago and is already hitting .500 after going 3-for-5 in his second game of the 2021 season on Wednesday. Cartaya also added his first double and first home run. Known as an offensive-minded catcher, he hit .294 as a 17-year-old in Rookie ball in 2019 before missing a year of traditional development during the pandemic. The continued emergence of Cartaya gives the Dodgers some impressive catching depth along with Will Smith and Keibert Ruiz. He has a chance to be an above-average offensive catcher in fantasy leagues in a few years.
