Selected in the 12th round of the 2011 Draft, O’Koyea Dickson has produced at a steady and at-times impressive level at various stops in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system. Yet, it never amounted to his being widely considered one of the organization’s top prospects.
Coming off a year in which he missed prolonged time and was limited to 101 games because of injuries, Dickson received a non-roster invitation to big league camp this year. He appeared in a career-high 28 Cactus League games, only hit .205/.279/.410 but had two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
One of his doubles was of the walk-off variety against Japan. Once the regular season rolled around, Dickson reported to Triple-A Oklahoma City for a third time. He batted .246/.328/.484 with 22 doubles, 24 home runs and 76 RBI in 116 games with the affiliate.
Dickson set career highs in home runs and RBI, was part of the Dodgers’ first wave of September call-ups.
He was quickly thrust into the action, starting in left field and batting seventh in the first game of a doubleheader against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. The MLB debut added to what already was a memorable week as Dickson welcomed his first child.
The 27-year-old went on to appear in seven games for the Dodgers, notching one hit, drawing two walks, and striking out twice in in nine plate appearances. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list at the end of September due to a subluxed left shoulder.
2017 Highlight:
Dickson played in 736 Minor League games and made 2,964 plate appearances before making his MLB debut. The wait for his first career hit stretched to seven plate appearances over five games, before Dickson knocked a single off San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.
2018 Outlook:
Dickson was one of the Dodgers’ several Minor League players who reached free agency this month. The club has depth in the outfield at Oklahoma City, but presumably would have interest in re-signing Dickson.
He may not be quite as amenable because of the said depth, and could seek an opportunity elsewhere.
