Dodgers Top Prospect Lists

MLB Pipeline published their Dodgers Top 30 prospects earlier this week.  They were the last of the top 6 Baseball Publications to publish their top prospect lists.  The publications I reference are:

• MLB Pipeline – Top 30
• Baseball America – Top 40
• Fangraphs – Top 53
• Athletic (Keith Law) – Top 20
• ESPN (Kiley McDaniel) – Top 10
• Baseball Prospectus – Top 21

The first 4 prospects were the same in 5 of the 6 publications albeit in differing orders: Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and Mike Sirota.  Fangraphs had Sirota at #6.  Emil Morales and Alex Freeland were the other two consensus top 10 prospects.

Interestingly, Charles Davalan was included in top 10 in 5 of the 6 publications.  Only ESPN left him out of top 10.

Two pitchers were named on 4 of the 6, River Ryan and Jackson Ferris.  Ryan was #13 with Baseball America and #17 with Baseball Prospectus.  Ferris was #13 with Fangraphs and #15 with Baseball Prospectus.

Christian Zazueta and James Tibbs III were named on 2 top lists.  7 other players were named on one of the six lists: Zach Root, Chase Harlan, Ching-Hsien Ko, Zach Ehrhard, Adam Serwinowski, Landyn Vidourek, Joendry Vargas.

Here is a compilation of the Dodgers top 10 prospects by publication.

While all the lists are subjective, MLB Pipeline is the most referenced top prospect list.  Below is the MLB Pipeline Top 30.

Baseball America identifies 28 of the same prospects on their top 30.  BA included relievers Ronan Kopp and José Rodríguez replacing RHP Payton Martin and INF Elijah Hainline.

10 prospects are outfielders, 7 are RHP, 4 are LHP, 4 are SS, 2 are OF/1B, 2 are infielders, and 1 is a 3B.

Of the 30 MLB prospects14 were drafted, 10 were acquired by trade, and 6 were signed as International Free Agents.  For the drafted prospects, 4 were drafted last year, 4 in 2024, 3 in 2023, 2 in 2022, and 1 in 2019.

3 prospects have reached MLB, 3 in AAA, 10 in AA, 6 in A+, 5 full season A, 1 in Rookie Arizona Complex League (ACL), and 2 did not play.

Keith Law (Athletic) on Alex Freeland – “He doesn’t have the upside of most of the players on this list, but he would be a regular on at least 25 teams right now. It’s too bad the Dodgers aren’t one of them.”

I am going with Law on this.  He is not going to be a star, but he could be a regular on some team.  He is not going to make the Dodgers team this year.  The team will always find a “star” over the kids.  IMO, the best case for Freeland is to get traded before any more trade value evaporates.  Nick Senzel can be the emergency 3B at OKC if he does not have an opt out.  Noah Miller can play defensively at 2B or SS right now.  Ryan Fitzgerald can play all over the infield.

Is Alex a Jo Adell or Nick Senzel?  Adell was horrible until age 25, when something clicked.  Freeland is just 24.

Keith Law on River Ryan – “The only real knock on him as a prospect is that at age 27, he’s the oldest player on the top 100 and I think the oldest I have ever put on one. I said last year he could be a No. 2 starter if healthy, but with his stuff looking better than ever, maybe he could be even more than that.”

Besides Ryan, the Dodgers have 2 other prospects who have reached a baseball age of 28.  Ryan Ward is the oldest prospect at 28. Kyle Hurt will turn 28 on May 30.  Three prospects age 27 and older is not common.  The other prospects are all under 25.

The Dodgers have 3 teenage prospects (19): Emil Morales, Ching-Hsein Ko, and Chase Harlan.  Morales is not only the highest rated of the three, he is also the youngest. Ko is 42 days older, and Harlan is 75 days older.

Charles Davalan has received a lot of early hype with the team.  Some publications have him on a fast track to Top 100 status.  RHSP Christian Zazueta is also giving that vibe.  Davalan was drafted last year at #41 overall, while Zazueta came from NYY in the Caleb Ferguson trade.

We have already been advised that James Tibbs III will start his season with OKC.  I have to believe that Zach Ehrhard will also.  We will wait and see on that one.

Which one of De Paula, Hope, or Sirota get off to the best start and find a quick path to AAA?  Will Kendall George start with AA or will he return to A+?  What happens to Chris Newell?   Damon Keith?

I am anxious to see LHP Zach Root, and RHP Cam Leiter pitch this year.  Neither pitched after being drafted last year.

The Dodgers have recently signed another IFA, 18-year-old Dominican pitcher Delio Centeno after he had a showcase in New Balance’s Future Stars Series last month.

International Player Spotlight – Delio Centeno

Plays In: Dominican Republic
Trainer/Agent: Chulo, Class of 2026
Position – RHP; B/T – R/R
Measureables – 6'4", 205 lbs #WeGotNow @NB_Baseball @_JeremyBooth pic.twitter.com/FiV036yDBD

— New Balance 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (@ftrstarsseries) February 18, 2026

For now, Centeno is a lottery ticket. Best case, he turns into a dude and becomes the next top pitching prospect in the Dodgers’ system. If not, the Dodgers will chalk this gamble up as a loss and move to the next project.