Nineteen-Year-Old Prospect Takes on Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Dodger Stadium Sim Game

Jaron Elkins walked onto the field at Dodger Stadium for the first time on Wednesday afternoon hours after getting off a plane.

The 19-year-old prospect was in the middle of his first full season in the Arizona Complex League when he got a phone call on Tuesday night, leading to an experience he will never forget.

“I got a phone call last night around 9 p.m. from one of our front office guys,” Elkins wrote in a text message to Dodgers Nation on Wednesday night. “He asked me if I wanted to get out of Arizona and hit off (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto. Of course, I said yes.”

Shortly after he hung up, Elkins got a text from another team employee with flight times and driver information. Before he knew it, he was boarding a plane bound for Los Angeles.

“It all happened pretty fast,” he added. “I’m super grateful for the opportunity, not just to face Yamamoto, but to see how veteran guys go about their business.”

Elkins was one of two hitters to face Yamamoto in a two-inning simulated game. The other batter was Hunter Feduccia.

“He’s obviously got some great stuff,” Elkins said of Yamamoto. “Velocity wasn’t a shock, his splitter definitely caught me off guard with how hard it was.”

The teenager from Madison, Tenn., wasn’t intimated. He had faced some big league pitchers before but none like Yamamoto. He struck out in his first two at-bats and hit a chopper to third before turning on an inside pitch and lining it to left field for a base hit.

When asked how it felt to get the base hit, he responded with: “It was a nice confidence boost.”

Elkins has no idea why he was chosen for this opportunity but he soaked up every minute of it.

When he arrived at Dodger Stadium, he was led to the locker room and introduced to right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller. After that, he got settled in and ate some lunch before starting his prep work and hitting routine.

“Once all that was done I got to watch Miguel Rojas hit and Tommy Edman warm up.” he detailed. “About halfway through that I went to the live and got four at-bats against Yamamoto.”

By the end of the sim game, he was offered a chance to stay for the game or catch a flight back to Phoenix. He chose the latter because he didn’t want to miss his game on Thursday.

Elkins was committed to Wright State and had just graduated from Goodpasture Christian School when the Dodgers selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 draft. When he arrived in Arizona last year, he had to adjust quickly and only played in one Complex League game.

“The start of pro ball was a bit of an adjustment but once I got my feet under me, got some confidence, and some games under my belt I started to adjust and find success.”

He has been successful this season. Through 57 games in the complex league, Elkins is slashing .285/.412/.457 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 43 runs scored, and 30 runs batted in.

Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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