Black MiLB Players #20: CF Kendall George, Los Angeles Dodgers

19-year-old Kendall George is an athletic and skilled centerfielder who falls into the old school leadoff archetype

Introduction + Path to Professional Baseball

Kendall George is a 20-year-old center fielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization from Humble, Texas, a small town almost twenty miles northeast of Houston. He was drafted in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Atascocita High School by the Dodgers front office after a standout career as one of the best position players in his high school class. He impressed scouts with an advanced approach from the left-handed batter’s box and top-tier athleticism that gave him an almost sure future in center field.

He forewent a commitment to Arkansas’s baseball program and signed with the Dodgers organization to begin his professional career during the 2023 MiLB season. He played 16 games with the Dodgers affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League before a late-season promotion to the Low-A level California League. He went .370/.458/.420 with 17 stolen base across 121 plate appearances, impressing the Dodgers front office with his advanced offensive skill set against older competition.

During the 2024 MiLB season, George played in 86 of a possible 110 games with the Dodgers Low-A affiliate because of an injury in the middle of the season. He slashed .279/.384/.328 with 36 stolen bases and 75 runs scored across 404 plate appearances. The 20-year-old center fielder will most likely begin the 2025 MiLB season with the Dodgers High-A affiliate in the Midwest League.

Player Profile

Kendall George is a left-handed hitting and throwing center fielder who stands around 5’9’’ and weighs around 165 pounds. Despite falling into the undersized outfielder archetype, he is an elite athlete with a prototypical frame.

Hitting

George works from the left-handed batter’s box with a slightly squatted stance and his hands held perpendicular to his ear. His swing is quiet, simple, and well-balanced. His approach is oriented around putting balls in play up the middle and to the opposite field for singles, as he frequently lets the ball travel deep into the strike zone. He virtually offers no power because of the lack of lower body implementation in his swing and a bat path that is geared towards hitting the ball on the ground despite producing decent bat speed. His ability to discern between balls/strikes appears to be advanced and he possesses the ability to made adjustments on a pitch-by-pitch basis. While he as posted double digit walk rates throughout his brief time in the lower minors, it will be important to observe how much his on-base skills stand out as he climbs into the upper minors and faces better pitchers.

Fielding

Kendall George’s future as a center fielder is almost guaranteed due to his elite athleticism. He has top-of-the-scale range that gives him plenty room for error but needs to work on making better reads in a more timely manner and taking better routes when the ball is put in play. The first three to five steps in a dash towards a ball put in play are the most important for a center fielder, and George has to correct himself often. The lack of throwing arm strength and route running prowess puts some legitimate left field only risk in George’s profile.

Baserunning

George’s base stealing process is hinged around sheer athleticism instead of strategy and timing, although he has plenty of time to develop a sound technique. He has shown the key traits of an elite table setter, scoring 75 runs in a little over 400 plate appearances during the 2024 MiLB season despite missing a substantial amount of time due to injury. If he makes it to the majors and finds a way to stay there as a full-time player, George has a tangible chance to be one of the most productive baserunners of his generation.

Conclusion

Kendall George has rightfully drawn comparisons to Juan Pierre because of their similar physical similarities and play styles. While he has a very high ceiling, I believe that he has more work to do to improve as a defender to achieve the high floor he is capable of reaching. He has the tools and skills to thrive in the Brett Gardner/Steven Kwan mold if he winds up in left field, but he has more viability as a full-time center fielder than they ever did. It will be interesting to see how George fares in the upper minors and whether or not he fits into the 25-man roster construction of the Dodgers if he winds up being MLB ready one day.