Ryan Falla
The Dodgers once again have seen their young pickups flourish in a highly competitive environment as 2023 first-round pick Kendall George began his professional baseball career on a high note with the organization. Despite many seeing him as a “speed first” type athlete going into the draft George has lit Single-A ablaze with a red-hot bat to finish the year. Although the lefty hitter was drafted near the end of the first round his performance appears more in line with a top-10 pick over anything else. Many scouts have him pegged to Juan Pierre as an MLB comp. with many going as far as to say his speed rates at a “90” on the 20-80 scale, and while initial belief was that his bat was behind his legs regarding development he has shown no stutters while coming into professional form.
George is still just 18 years of age and if things continue to progress as he tracks for a Major League callup before he can legally take his first sip of alcohol. There is truly no better organization at scouting and development than the Los Angeles Dodgers as they once again have found the steal of the first round with the 36th pick of the 2023 draft.
Kendall George – First Professional Season
George finished off the 2023 regular season at Single-A swinging a vicious .381/.469/.429 slash with six stolen bases in eight attempts, one of those steals being a swipe of home to walk off a late-season game for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. His eye at the plate is beyond his age as the young star adeptly finds his pitch in each at bat, often refusing to give in to the whims of the opposing pitcher. Despite being initially labeled as a speed-over-hit guy George has shown the ability to make hard contact.
Beyond just dinking and dunking, George is putting pressure on the defense and forces them to make great plays and work to get him out. He has the ability to develop into a high-average hitter who features as a major threat on the base paths at the Major Leagues. Regardless of any modern-day infatuations with big power ability, there will always be a place for high-quality talents such as George who can easily be featured as a lineup anchor in the bigs.
“I’m just trying playing the same game I’ve been playing for a long time. The environment is a little bit different [Single-A], but I’m used to adapting to changes and fighting the adversity. Coming out here was no big problem for me, it’s what I was made to do.”
Speed To Burn
Kendall George’s knack for the stolen base is not lost on any of the opposition as he burns pitcher after pitcher for extra bases. He’s already managed 17 stolen bases across his first 28 games of professional baseball, 11 of them being with Rookie Ball and 6 with Single-A. One of George’s most exciting moments in his short time with the Quakes was a walk-off steal of home against the Visalia Rawhide on September 9th. Consider the fact that the stadium was packed to see Dodgers rehabbing big league reliever Joe Kelly make an appearance, yet George came away the star of the show.
This speaks volumes to both his ability as a professional ballplayer as well as his legitimate star power potential. The current culture of baseball may be in a place where some might consider “small ball” ballplayers secondary to power hitters, yet George is clearly and confidently the type of player you build a lineup around. With someone like him setting up the top of a big league lineup you can almost guarantee the hitters behind him will post career-best RBI numbers. This is not an ability to be taken likely, and clearly, the Dodgers saw likewise as they drafted him in the 1st round with 35 players being taken before him.
“I’ve been sticking to my approach that I’ve always stuck to for a long time. It’s been paying off. I’m trying to stay true to who I am and compete every day as hard as I can.”
A Future Path
While it is best to have most 18-19-year-olds spend a fair share of time building confidence in Single-A George’s developmental path could easily see a boost given his performance out of the draft. While it is likely he will start next year at Single-A given his short time in the minors (16 games in Rookie Ball, 12 in Single-A) he could easily slot into High-A to start 2024 if the Dodgers are feeling confident.
Going from there, should his High-A time be a repeat of what he’s done through this season you can guarantee Double-A will quickly be on the books. It is very likely we could see a 20-year-old Kendall George get his first taste of Major League work as long as his bat continues to play well enough to allow his speed to be leveraged. Considering how things are going there is little doubt his bat will continue to play.
“Just been going out there and having fun. No one is trying to make me change or expect too much out of me. [The Dodgers] just want me to get my feet wet and see me perform.”
Final Thoughts
Some first-round draft picks take a little time to develop into their first-round potential, yet Kendall George is already there right out of the draft. Despite being drafted in the bottom end of the 1st he is performing at a level that would make you think he was taken first overall. This is an exciting player to see come through the system in a year that has already seen an inordinate amount of talent come out of the draft class. You can guarantee this will be one of the most talented cores to come up through the system in recent memory, not to disparage previous crops, but to highlight the pure talent making its’ way through this system.
There are few big league squads that are as exciting as the Los Angeles Dodgers, and will athletes like Kendall George leading the next youth wave you can be sure future teams will continue to fit the bill. His MLB ETA seems to be about 2025 at the earliest with 2026 being the most likely landing spot. There is little standing between Kendall George and a Major League callup, and with a little patience we will see him establish himself as a big league star sooner rather than later
