Once upon a time, fitting in at a new school -- or with a new club -- meant adapting to its particular form of social currency. Making friends took some trial and error. Fortunately for Chase Harlan, his move from Single-A to High-A was relatively simple -- put up some monster numbers, and you’ll fit in just fine.
On Saturday at Jackson Field, he put together his best game yet, going 4-for-5 with two home runs in Great Lakes’ 12-8 win over Lansing.
After his promotion on Tuesday, the Dodgers’ No. 16 prospect immediately collected his first and second High-A hits in his Loons debut. But the first homer at the level was still looming. That came in the second on a 1-1 count against left Griffin Kirn (Athletics). The second came just two innings later, this time off the right-handed Gerlin Rosario on a 1-0 pitch.
“I know that as you go up in levels, pitchers throw more strikes,” Harlan said of his homers coming early in the count. “[My approach was] finding my pitch early in the count and seeing the ball and hitting it hard.”
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In addition to the home runs, Harlan added a single and a double for his second four-hit game of the season.
The other major contributor for Great Lakes was fellow top prospect Eduardo Quintero (LAD No. 3), who crushed his fourth dinger of the year. In addition to the support he has provided in the run column, he has been among the players helping Harlan get his feet wet against Midwest League pitching.
“It’s always good to gain knowledge from players who are really good, so I’ve kind of been picking their brain a little bit,” Harlan said of his new teammates. “They have been helping me adjust to High-A and let me in with open arms.”
While Harlan played with much of the Great Lakes lineup last season in Rancho Cucamonga (then the club's Single-A affiliate), his reputation in the Dodgers' organization has been growing beyond individual clubhouses.
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The 19-year-old hit the ground running at Single-A this year, winning California League Player of the Month in May. At the time of his promotion, his numbers put him fourth in the league in batting average (.329), third in on-base percentage (.438) and fourth in slugging (.571). He racked up 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 57 games for Ontario.
Not skipping a beat, Harlan is 6-for-18 with four extra-base hits and eight RBIs in his first four games at High-A.
“I’m definitely getting adjusted to the pitching,” Harlan said of his first week. “It’s a little different here. As you go up in levels, obviously, it gets a little more challenging.”