Ryan Falla
The Dodgers have once again hit pay dirt with another hit draft as a number of hot prospects come into the organization ready to power their way up the depth chart. One such draftee is University of Virginia’s all-time home run leader Jake Gelof, a power-hitting right-hander famous for the big bat reputation he established during his time in college.
Getting Started With The Quakes
His short time with the Low-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes so far has already seen Gelof establish his presence as a clutch, situationally advantageous hitter. While he has just over a week’s worth of games in Low-A about half of them have seen him rope critical RBIs for his team, and interestingly enough each game in which he’s logged an RBI has also been a multi-hit affair. When Gelof is on he’s as dangerous as they come, and when you add in his exceptional defense at 3B you have all the makings of a future big league All-Star. The raw power upside with Jake Gelof is massive, and there exists no better organization to tap into it than the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“How are you feeling coming into the [Dodgers] organization out of the draft?”
“I’m feeling great, making some adjustments. Getting some pro ball reps under me. Working defensively and offensively, it’s been great meeting some of these great coaches they have in the organization”
College Background
Jake Gelof comes out of the University of Virginia where he spent three seasons with the school as he amassed numerous offensive records (including breaking his own). Some of those records include single-season RBI with 81 in 2022 and 90 in 2023, five multi-homer games in 2022 (breaking Jon Benick’s 2001 record), single-season HRs with 23 in 2023 (first with two 20 HR seasons for UVA), and six career NCAA tournament home runs (most in school history). Gelof’s affinity for the big hit in spotlight situations was on full display during his career with Virginia and continues on with the Dodgers.
His ability to maintain discipline while working the zone is as good as you could ask from a young ballplayer as he posted 48 walks to 50 strikeouts in 2023 and 41 walks to 49 strikeouts in 2022. Gelof is the type of hitter who never gets cheated at the plate, and with his aggressive style of play in the box you can be sure he won’t ever let a mistake go unanswered.
His Brother On The A’s
Baseball excellence clearly runs in the Gelof DNA as Jake’s older brother Zack Gelof is currently starting off his career on a tear with the Oakland Athletics. The elder Gelof is running through Major League opposition as noted by his impressive .939 OPS through his first 114 PAs. With the younger Gelof being the more power-attuned hitter of the two you can expect more of the same, but with bigger pop from Jake. It would not be out of the question to consider whether he can continue his record-smashing trends from college and find himself atop numerous offensive categories as a member of the big-league Dodgers.
Got a good glimpse of Jake Gelof at 3B. Saw two difficult plays that he made. Looked good out on defense. He’s a good one.
— Tim Rogers 2080 ✝️🇺🇸⚾️ (@TimRogers2080) August 14, 2023
Gelof has made a great impression on defense with the Quakes. He has the ability to play second base and first base but should stick at third. The Dodgers will not take his premium defense out of a premium position. When also considering fellow prospect Joe Vetrano‘s developmental presence at 1B, and the fact they will likely climb the ranks together, it makes more sense to allow Gelof development time at third.
“What’s going through your head when you’re in the middle of a season like [2023 in Virginia]?”
“Nothing, it’s really no different than any other season. You just go out there and grind every day, trying to help the team win every day you can”
At best Gelof projects as a legitimately dangerous, well-disciplined power hitter, especially when covering the pull side of the plate, and at worst a power-over-hit swinger with walkability. Gelof slides into the Dodgers’ Top 30 prospect list at 16 while sitting at 35 overall across the 2023 draft class. Considering his selection as the 60th pick you can fully consider this another steal by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Plate Approach
Gelof’s advanced approach+power stroke projects him as a right-handed Andre Ethier type; high propensity for doubles with the ability to take it over the wall, a strong strikeout-to-walk percentage, the ability to consistently stay within the 20-30 HR range (though a deeper tap into his raw power could easily escalate those numbers). Overall he projects as an All-Star caliber talent and lineup anchor as a #2 hitter, though his talent profile could easily slot as a #5 hitter should a manager prefer to tap into his RBI ability in the middle of the order.
“Now that you’re with the Dodgers do you have your eye on their all-time home run record?”
“[laughs] One step at a time.”
Gelof enters the Dodgers amidst a talent core featuring the likes of Joe Vetrano, Wilman Diaz, Josue De Paula, Rayne Doncon, and Thayron Liranzo among others. This is a core fully worth building a big league lineup around as it features top-tier defense, speed on the base paths, consistent power out of the box, and general high-grade hit-ability. The only difference between Gelof and the other names as mentioned above would be his experience producing ridiculous power numbers at a high level of competition over multiple years. It is not unwise to think this may be one of the best-hitting cores to come through the organization in a long time, strong enough to rival the days of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, and James Loney.
The Future
The versatile talent of Jake Gelof will soon come as a boon to the Dodgers as they can effectively implement him across multiple defensive positions should the need arise, and with a potent multi-dimensional bat you can bet on him wherever he hits in the lineup. No doubt a soon-to-be fan favorite for one of the most prestigious franchises in sports.
