Much has been made of the Dodgers and their often top rated farm system, and I have no reason to change those beliefs. The Dodgers have done an admirable job with developing pitchers, but position players is another issue.
Position players who have moved through the organization have not generally been stellar performers at MLB. To the best of my knowledge during the AF era, the only position players drafted or traded for, but developed in the LAD system, to make the All Stars have been Will Smith and Zach McKinstry. Smith is a 3 time AS, while McKinstry made his first All Star team last year. Michael Busch looks like he can join that group.
Many such developed prospects from LAD have made the jump to MLB. But that is mostly in a reserve or platoon role, but enough of them to allow for the continued praise.
Current position players developed in the LAD system on the 40 man include Andy Pages, Ryan Ward, Dalton Rushing, and Alex Freeland. One could add Hyeseong Kim, but the Dodgers did not develop him. Pages was a near miss last year.
But who are the next in line?
Catcher – The Dodgers are bereft of any true catching prospects. They have 16 catchers in the system, and will probably add more for ST. The best of the bunch is Chuckie Robinson, but he is not someone the Dodgers are going to count on. Currently the Dodgers have three in OKC with one who will also play a lot of 1B, Griffin Lockwood-Powell (GLP). They have 3 in Tulsa, 3 at Great Lakes, and 5 in rookie ball.
1B – The organization is even more barren at 1B than catcher. Roster Resource has the Dodgers with four 1B, but none higher than Great Lakes (A+), and none highly touted. As the rosters are now set, GLP will play most 1B in AAA.
2B – There are 8 listed as 2B in the system. They have one, Austin Gauthier, at OKC and one, Taylor Young, at Tulsa. Neither one are highly regarded, and both at best are utility players. Both were bypassed in Rule 5 drafts. They both figure to be holding down positions as organizational depth. until the SS prospects move up and some move to 2B. The only top 30 prospect listed as a 2B (actually 2B/3B) is Logan Wagner, #30 MLB Pipeline post 2025 season, but #45 per pre-season Fangraphs (35+ FV).
3B – There are 7 3B prospects in the system. Kyle Nevin is probably mislabeled as a 3B vs 1B. He will be at OKC and will probably move back to 1B if Alex Freeland is optioned back to OKC. Perhaps the best 3B prospect in the system is 19 year old Chase Harlan. He reached low A last year, and played (hit) decently. Do not know about his defensive play last year. He is #23 rated by MLB Pipeline and #24 by Fangraphs. Below is his Fangraphs scouting grades:
I know he is only 19, but his one tool that appears to be a plus is power. His 40 FV puts rates him to be a bench player, and with a 2030 ETA. Like 2B, 3B figures to be current SS prospects moving to 3B.
SS – Outside of the OF, SS appears to have the best and most prospects.
- Noah Miller – OKC – glove 1st defensive SS. He is a plus defender who can stick at SS, but will probably become a utility player once he reaches MLB.
- Sean McLain – Tulsa – best known as Matt McLain’s brother (Reds). Not highly regarded (not in Fangraphs top 52 LAD prospects).
- Elijah Hainline, Jordan Thompson, Jose D. Hernandez – Great Lakes – Hainline is the highest rated prospect (#36 prospect with a 35+ FV). He has already been moved to 2B and can probably make a better showing at 2B.
- Emil Morales, Joendry Vargas, and Kellon Lindsey – All three played at low A and all three are young and highly regarded. The most talented figures to be Morales (#7 MLB Pipeline, #4 Fangraphs), who is probably best suited for 3B. Lindsey (#11 Pipeline and #20 Fangraphs), lost almost a full year last year due to shoulder impingement. He is the most likely to stick at SS, but with his speed and he could be moved to CF. He was playing well at Rancho before he went on the IL. Vargas can also play 2B or 3B He is rated #12 by Pipeline and #19 by Fangraphs. He also spent a lot of time on the IL in 2025.
- Aiden West – 4th round draft pick last year. Did not play. Rated #37 by Fangraphs. Does not figure to stick at SS, and does not possess tools above average. West looks to be a true lottery pick, subject to Dodgers development team.
OF – We have already discussed in great detail the talent at the OF position. Besides the Fab Four (De Paula, Hope, Sirota, and Quintero), there is one OF who figures to perhaps make it to LA this year…James Tibbs III (23) (#8 Pipeline and #9 Fangraphs), played well at AA even though he was traded twice. Somewhat not ordinary for a very recent 1st round draft pick (2024, #13 overall). The Dodgers got Tibbs III from Boston in the Dustin May trade.
Others highly rated but also not close to breaking the 26 man:
- Charles Davalan (22) – #15 Pipeline, #10 Fangraphs –
- Zach Ehrhard (23) – #27 Pipeline, #14 Fangraphs – Also came to LAD with Tibbs III in the May trade with Boston. Had a good AA year at Tulsa. He could be blocked at OKC because of Esteury Ruiz and Mike Siani. If the Dodgers sign or trade for another OF, Ward could be back at OKC filling the OF roster.
- Kendall George (21) – #24 Pipeline, #15 Fangraphs – Could be the next Billy Hamilton or Justin Dean. If there is a reason to hire Brett Butler to work with hitters, it is George. With three of the Fab Four ticketed to Tulsa, it is going to be awfully tough for George to move to AA.
- Ching-Hsein Ko (19) – #10 Pipeline, #23 Fangraphs –
- Others – Landyn Vidourek (22) – #22 Fangraphs – Brandon Tunink (20), #19 Pipeline, Jarron Elkins (21), #26 Pipeline
Because of the glut of potential top OF prospects the lower level OF figure to be blocked. We will have to wait and see who is still with LAD and where they all start the season.
Outside of who is already on the 40 man, the only player close enough to be considered as possible help for the Dodgers is James Tibbs III, and that is probably a long shot. Otherwise the team does not have a lot of MiLB help on the way for 2026. The improvement is going to have to come from the outside, or they are going to play with the hand they are dealt.
When I wrote this and published the post, I did not realize that the Dodgers traded Esteury Ruiz to Miami. That will open up a 40 man spot and a AAA OF spot.
Good stuff, Jeff. I count 12 OF prospects in our top 30.
Latest report/rumor is that Boston wants too much for Jarron Duran… perhaps Tyler Glasnow.
So I find myself thinking again about Luis Robert Jr as a high-class rehab project. He’s a better center fielder than Duran, and his ceiling is higher. The White Sox seem likely to deal him. Surely the Dodgers could outbid the Phillies and Mets…or any other team.
An OF of Teo-Robert-Pages would could combine for more than 100 HRs…
Yeah, good stuff Jeff. Thank you.
Seems like we’ve been reading these same names for a while now. The big league team only needs one player for the starting lineup and they will get him one way or another. If it takes our top outfield prospects to do it then I say do it.
How many more years does the top 6 of that lineup have in them? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, shortstop is going to break Betts down a year or two faster than right field would. Freddie will be 37 for the playoffs, Smith has been hit in the face as many times as Smokin Joe, Muncy, 36 in August, has been a half year player for two years now and Teo looked older than he is. This $400 million team is obviously still the best on paper but it does feel to me the page might be turned relatively soon.
Robert Jr will be 29 in August. Duran will be 30 in September. Tucker will be 29 in January. Obviously any of those guys would work for a few years. It’s time to choose.
This Dodger team will be year to year for a while. One by one the top of this lineup, the best ever in this organization’s history, will drop off. Who will be first?
Good comment. Agree about the one more piece. Would be ideal–for me–if that piece filled a 2027 need too.
Now they have a 40 man roster spot open as well as a leas one OF spot in OKC.Could they be planning to move one or two of their OF prospects up to AAA?
And might this signal they are close to signing a free agent?
The second one
Made it back home to Colorado just in time to see the Ruiz trade. They got a young pitcher for him. Kid is 18, I think. Seems to me either a trade or free agent signing is in the works. Doubt they go for Okamoto the third baseman. I have waivered on this, but I think signing Bichette would be a huge plus for the offense. My problem with the roster is age and a ton of swing and miss.
It sounds like what we all know to be true is the Dodgers don’t have any “can’t miss” OF prospects in the pipeline for this year or the foreseeable future. It’s simply the result of poor draft positions and focusing more on pitching prospects.
If that’s the case, and I believe it is, AF understands this is not just a 2026 problem. And, knowing that next year’s free agent class is expected to be even leaner, all the more reason to make a bold move now.
The Dodgers (and fans) will always hype our top prospects–as we should. But the reality is help from the outside is needed to keep winning. Aside from young arms, the only farm product to contribute is Pages who proved that he is durable and can regular-season pitching, but we hold our breath on fly balls over his head and he laid an egg in the playoffs.
Thanks for the comprehensive report, Jeff.
Looks to me that the Dodgers have at least a dozen prospects, maybe two dozen, who have little chance of ever getting a locker at Dodger Stadium but might reach The Show with another club.
The Dodgers’ farm system is ranked among the top three in baseball. On the Dodgers, Kendall George is considered maybe the 7th or 8th best OF prospect. He’s a long shot with the Dodgers, but might be on a fast-track with the Angels, Twins, White Sox and others–and eventually a lead-off hitter.
I understand the desire to hug the top prospects, including the Dodgers’ four best OF prospects. Could we spare one or two? Sure. But having four increases the odds that one might be a star.
But the second-tier guys like George and Tibbs and Noah Miller would have considerable value to other teams. Many of these guys could be used in a blockbuster for talents like Buxton or Robert Jr. They also could be packaged to acquire, say, that young catching prospect the system now lacks.
Right now, the OF market is waiting on decisions from Tucker and Bellinger. Once they’re off the board, the focus will turn to Buxton, Robert Jr. and Duran.
Or, if Friedman can’t get position players he will again turn to pitching.
https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-perfect-trade-offer-for-brewers-freddy-peralta
Freddy Peralta for OF Zyhir Hope LHP Jackson Ferris
I just saw a report/rumor about the Peralta possibility. Might be clickbait… but who knows?
Perhaps this is the Skubal Lite alternative. Peralta might be 85% of what Skubal is–but at a fraction of the cost.
If the Brewers are shopping Peralta, several teams would be interested, including the Mets and Orioles. I think they could acquire a lot more than two prospects who have yet to succeed at the AA level. At the very least they’d want a new SP to take Peralta’s spot in the rotation, right?
Sheehan + Hope + Ferris seems closer to reality.
The Dodgers really don’t need pitching. But if stars like Peralta and Skubal are in play, the Dodgers shouldn’t ignore the opportunity.
If that deal was actually presented to AF/BG I think they would make that deal. I am not as sure that Milwaukee would. Maybe. There is no way I would trade Sheehan for one year of Peralta. It is two top 100 prospects. Could Milwaukee get more at the deadline?
What I found strange was the last sentence.
“The Dodgers land Peralta, immediately vaulting their rotation into rarefied air and ensuring sustained contention for years to come.”
How does one year of Peralta ensure sustained contention for years to come?
The author had to assume the Dodgers would extend him like they did Glasnow.
I think that’s reasonable. Or perhaps the Dodgers watch Peralta for a few months and then decide whether to offer an extension.
While I like Sheehan, I also suspect that some of us fans may be hugging him too tightly.
Two reasons:
–Right now he’s got competition from River Ryan and Gavin Stone for the sixth spot in a six-man rotation. (I think the brass will favor Sasaki… but perhaps it’s a four-man competition for two spots.)
–Not to be a pessimist, but I’d argue that Bobby Miller’s rookie season was stronger than Sheehan’s. Do we have a guarantee of Sheehan’s upward trajectory?
For the same reasons I’m OK with offering Sheehan for Duran or another OF upgrade.
De Paula Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 60
If De Paula is strictly a DH then as long as Ohtani is the DH the Dodgers should consider trading De Paula. I want a young CFer that plays great defense now and push Pages to RF and Teo to LF.
I want Lewis at third and Edmand at second.
I believe some of the outfield crop will soon be getting first baseman mitts. Others may be getting third baseman mitts. I thought I saw somewhere that Tibbs can play third.
seems crazy but just a year or two ago it seemed we had a glut of catching prospects. Things move fast.
James Tibbs III has not played 3B in MiLB or College.
Damn 60’s were rough on me. 😎
Ha! Tibbs has played some 1B, however.
There were reports that de Paula is getting some work at 1B, which could position him as Freddie’s successor.
Loved the 60’s until 68. Many terrible things happened that year.
I couldn’t believe it. I was 11 and remember being devastated by the MlK assignation and then a few months later Bobby was killed. Hell even George Wallace was shot. If JFK wasn’t killed we would have been out of Vietnam by 1965. If RFK wasn’t murdered we would have been out by 70. That period of time is what made me go into teaching. As an 11 year old I felt I knew more about Vietnam than most adults. People weren’t being told the truth. Things haven’t changed much politically. The major reason why I got out. That was only at the State level. I would live the Capitol upset more times than happy. It was time to go.
I was in the Army just recently returned from a 13-month tour in Korea. A lot of the wounded Nam vets wound up at the 121st Med Evac hospital in Seoul before being shipped home. In April when MLK was killed, I was in Virginia, TDY to Fort Lee. I was back at Ft. Bliss when Bobby was assassinated. Bad year all around, although I got married for the first time in December. I reenlisted for six years in October. At the end of 69 I was on orders for Germany.
Angels made a couple of moves today, first, they restructured Rendon’s contract. The 38 million he is owed will be deferred. He is not retiring as yet and will be counted against the Angels roster, but most likely he will be released ASAP. They also signed Kirby Yates to a 1-year, 5-million-dollar deal. The money is guaranteed.
Those poor Halos….
Sometimes I think the Dodgers should send a care package their way. I’m not sure if they have single player or prospect that is on the Dodgers’ wish list.
The day is not done. AF signed Scott Kazmir 11 years ago today.
148 minutes to go
I keep reading that the Esteury Ruiz trade was a precursor to a big FA signing by LAD. I do not understand that thinking. If the Dodgers are to sign Tucker, Bichette, or Bellinger they could have released Ruiz or Mike Siani when the signing occurs. It is not like they got a future star back in the Ruiz trade. It is more like Miami checked in to see if Ruiz was available, and the Dodgers said sure. They have a 40-man spot open, but I do not believe that it was done before a FA signing.
Sounds right to me.
Ruiz’s appeal to Miami, I think, illustrates how the Dodgers have plenty of second-tier prospects who could be valuable to small-market teams. (I know Ruiz isn’t a prospect, but he probably lower trade value than Kendall George, a similar talent.)
I also believe that nothing is immanent or in the works. Just believe they got what they could for someone who had zero chances of making the roster.
I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year! If you are going out to celebrate, have fun and be careful. I have always called this the “Night of the Nuts!” Some crazy people out there shooting off guns and fireworks. I will be up at midnight only if my bladder says so! Those days are long gone. Hope the Dodgers make some serious moves soon.
Happy New Year everybody!
Be safe out there….
Happy New Year (41 min early) from Dubai!! I’ll be toasting to all of you and our back to back champs!!