The Dodgers’ system remains strong even though they’ve traded some prospects and they always draft at the tail end of the first round — and it’s not just a function of money, as they continue to find value in later rounds, taking guys every team has passed on at least once and developing them into better prospects. There’s still a lot of pitching depth here, and a few guys who could be impact bats at skill positions, with enough surplus talent that the Dodgers could make another big trade if need be.
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To be eligible for these rankings, a player must still be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award in 2021, which means they may not have more than 130 at-bats, 50 innings pitched or 45 days on an active roster heading into this season.
1. Josiah Gray, RHP (Top 100 rank: No. 39)
From the Top 100: Gray came to the Dodgers along with Jeter Downs (since traded to Boston) as part of a big salary dump by the Reds, a trade in which the Dodgers used their resources to essentially buy two very good prospects, and Gray has emerged as the best part of the deal. A second-round pick out of Division II Le Moyne College in 2018, Gray has a four-pitch mix and has worked to improve his deception by maintaining a consistent release point for all of his pitches. His fastball is 93-95 with good run and carry despite the low release height, generating a lot of swings and misses on the pitch. The Dodgers saw more consistency and quality to the curveball in 2020, adding depth against left-handed batters. Gray was just so-so at the alternate site over the summer, but the Dodgers chose to bring him to their playoff bubble in case they needed another right-handed arm in the bullpen. He’s still developing and talks quite a bit about working with different grips to improve the characteristics on his pitches like spin efficiency. As a converted guy who was primarily a shortstop until 2018, he has a lot of room for continued growth as a pitcher.
2. Michael Busch, 2B/1B (Top 100 rank: No. 74)
From the Top 100: Busch was a first baseman at the University of North Carolina when the Dodgers took him in the first round in 2019, but they had seen him play a little bit of second base on the Cape before that and decided to try him at the position after he signed. He has looked OK over there, enough that the Dodgers plan to keep him at the keystone going forward, where his hit tool gives him a chance to become an All-Star. Busch can really hit, with a fast bat and rotational swing that generates strong contact, although he didn’t hit for average while he was with the Tar Heels. He was a high-walk guy in college and could be an impact regular even just as a walks/power guy, but I think he’s going to hit for average as well. We’ll see how his glove looks at second when he’s playing at game speed, but there’s some unexpected upside here now that he has moved to a harder position.
3. Diego Cartaya, C (Top 100 rank: No. 75)
From the Top 100: Cartaya might be a top-50 prospect if he’d had a summer of performance — and of scouts seeing him — but the Dodgers have seen him and seem to like him enough that they’re willing to discuss Keibert Ruiz in just about every major trade proposal. Cartaya is an advanced hitter for his age with tremendous bat speed and plus power, potentially a 30-homer guy who’ll also hit for average because of how well he can go the other way. He’s improving behind the plate, with the tools to end up above-average there and a plus arm, playing with a lot of energy and setting a good target for pitchers. Like any teenage prospect learning a skill position, he needs reps in game settings, although at least in the alternate site he could catch major-league-quality stuff. With a strong season in 2021 that proves he’s the hitter he appears to be, he’ll be much higher in everyone’s estimation.
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4. Keibert Ruiz, C (Top 100 rank: No. 80)
From the Top 100: Ruiz made his major-league debut in 2020, hitting his first big-league homer, and earned rave reviews from how well he hit at the Dodgers’ alternate site, although we still have to see him do that in games. Ruiz has always been a great hitter for contact, with a career strikeout rate under 10 percent in pro ball, but that contact hasn’t translated into any in-game power yet. The Dodgers, who have an excellent track record of altering swings to improve launch angle (Max Muncy, Chris Taylor, Will Smith), are working with him to generate more leverage at the plate. He’s an adequate receiver with a fringy arm, but does enough behind the plate to stay at the position, where his potential high batting average/moderate power/low strikeout bat would make him an above-average regular.
5. Andy Pages, OF
Pages’ name showed up in trade rumors last winter, although no trade ever took place, and the Dodgers have to be relieved after seeing Pages progress last year. Pages has enormous tools, with grade-70 power and an 80 arm. Average speed is his one real deficiency in an otherwise highly athletic package. Even with a sizable leg kick, Pages has a very balanced swing with obvious hand strength, and it’s very rotational, making good use of his lower half to produce that plus-plus power. There’s going to be some swing and miss, just given how hard he swings, but I don’t think the 28 percent rate from his time in Ogden as an 18-year-old is indicative of a long-term issue. I’d expect a 55 hit tool here, and with his power and arm in an outfield corner, he could end up a frequent All-Star.
6. Bobby Miller, RHP
Miller was their first-round pick in 2020 out of Louisville, where he missed bats with a mid-90s four-seamer that has touched 99 and a slider that, while inconsistent, could flash plus. He worked well with the fastball up and slider down to change eye levels, even though his command and control were both below average. The fastball quality was better in instructs, while the slider was more a consistent 55, and there’s enough off-speed stuff here to think he can be a mid-rotation starter. He lands very stiffly on his front leg, however, which may be holding back his command and does give him reliever risk.
7. Andre Jackson, RHP
Jackson might be the next high-upside starter prospect out of the Dodger system, which seems to keep producing them (Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Gray). He’s still relatively new to pitching but is already in the low 90s with the potential for a plus changeup and plus breaking ball if he really hits his ceiling. He’s an excellent athlete who was a two-way guy at the University of Utah but didn’t pitch much for the Utes (did you say Utes?). The changeup is ahead of the curveball in terms of consistency, and he needs more experience to improve his command of everything, but there’s at least league-average starter ceiling here, and perhaps more given his inexperience for his age.
8. Mitch White, RHP
White would be a Top 100 prospect if he were consistently healthy and showing the multiple plus pitches he can show when he is completely healthy. White averaged 93-94 mph in the majors and can touch 97 showing above-average (but not elite) spin on both the curveball and slider, both of which can at least look like plus pitches when he’s throwing at full strength and finishing his delivery to get the breaking stuff down in the zone. He still has the elements of a starter, but not the history of health.
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9. Ryan Pepiot, RHP
Pepiot spent the summer at the alternate site and wowed the Dodgers’ more experienced hitters with a high-spin fastball and grade-70 changeup, throwing more strikes in those sim games than he had in college or his brief stint in pro ball in 2019, where he walked more than a man every other inning. His breaking ball is just fringy, but if he has average control now, he’s a back-end starter with league-average ceiling, and any improvements in his walk rate beyond would bump him up to a 55.
10. Miguel Vargas, 3B
Vargas is a polarizing name when you ask scouts about him — well, you may not ask them, but I do — with some profiling him as a hit-over-power first baseman and others who see a guy who “can fucking hit” (actual quote) while playing a passable enough third base. The native of Cuba isn’t a great athlete, but his ability to square up the ball, even against decent stuff, is toward the top of the scale, and it’s hard contact even if it’s not 25-30 homer type of power. I think he’s a regular, maybe a 55, with a chance to get to a plus hit tool.
11. Kendall Williams, RHP
Williams was the return from Toronto for Ross Stripling and, while it’s early, that deal looks pretty good for the Dodgers. Williams was touching 96 mph in instructs with a four-pitch mix, including a curveball that has improved to the point that it flashed plus in the fall and a changeup with which he’s gotten more comfortable. He has adopted a high leg kick like Dustin May’s, and apparently is trying to emulate May’s hairstyle (note to Kendall, sorry, this is impossible, May has 80 hair). The hair part is fine, but Williams may not have May’s incredible athleticism to make that kind of delivery work. It’s four pitches, some projection and control that should be a 55 or better down the road — good raw material for a mid-rotation starter.
12. Alex De Jesus, SS
De Jesus probably isn’t a shortstop in the long term, but he should play somewhere on the dirt — most likely third base, given his strong throwing arm — and with a swing this good, it shouldn’t matter. De Jesus is short and direct to the ball with excellent hand acceleration. He might not hit for power for a few years, as he won’t even turn 19 until March, but if he has any pitch recognition at all, he should hit for high averages at every stop. He’s high-risk just given his youth and inexperience, but there aren’t many kids this young with swings this good who can also play a skill position.
13. Jake Vogel, OF
Vogel really impressed scouts with how well he handled advanced pitching in instructs, even though he turned 19 in October. The Dodgers’ third-round pick is a 70 runner with a plus arm and should be at least a plus defender in center, maybe someone who eventually saves double-digit runs out there. At the plate, he has a short approach with no load that should lead to low strikeout rates, but between the swing and his relatively small size, he will have to show he can make enough hard contact to hit for average. If he does, he’s a regular, maybe an occasional All-Star, even without power.
14. Michael Grove, RHP
Grove pitched at the alternate site and showed velocity toward the higher end of his range, more 94-96 mph, with a plus slider, although that could be a function of working in shorter stints. He has a high arm slot that’s deceptive and lets him get more vertical movement on his breaking stuff, but the delivery has head violence in there that more often than not pushes guys to the bullpen.
15. Jimmy Lewis, RHP
Lewis was a classic projectable high school right-hander when the Dodgers took him in the second round in 2019, if a little bit generic — arm strength, decent delivery, could spin it a little, nothing plus, needs time and repetitions. He has made solid progress since then, especially on the changeup, which was plus for him in instructs, while the slider is solid-average and he’s still touching the mid-90s. He could eventually settle in at 93-95 mph or so and, with a delivery that should let him throw strikes, end up a league-average starter or just below it.
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16. Clayton Beeter, RHP
Beeter is an oft-injured starter who has an 80 curveball that’s an absolute hammer and can run his fastball into the mid-90s, although the latter pitch plays below that because of its lack of life. He comes from a very high slot that’s deceptive but may limit his chances to start, and he’s already had multiple arm issues dating to high school. He didn’t pitch in instructs this year because of a forearm problem but is expected to be ready to go for spring training.
17. Sheldon Neuse, IF
A perfectly cromulent utility infielder, Neuse can play third or second, fill in at short or in the corner outfield, and put the ball in play enough to help off the bench or as an injury replacement. Although he hit 27 homers in Triple A in 2019, that was probably an artifact of the Pacific Coast League and it’s not likely to be part of his game long term. The Dodgers acquired him last week in a four-player deal that sent Adam Kolarek to Oakland.
18. Kody Hoese, 3B
Hoese was the Dodgers’ first first-round pick in 2019 (Busch was the second), a 22-year-old junior who posted big numbers that year against younger competition. He has power, but the consistent refrain from scouts is that he can’t hit better stuff and isn’t going to stay at third base. It doesn’t help that he’s an “old” 24 this year and has only 22 games of experience in full-season ball.
19. Jacob Amaya, IF
Amaya can play shortstop and has good feel to hit but doesn’t show impact on either side of the ball, which could make him an emergency regular for someone or a utility infielder for just about any team. The Dodgers love his makeup and the way he plays. With some teams especially valuing contact skills, he may have more worth to the team in trade.
20. Gerardo Carrillo, RHP
Carrillo is up to 100 mph with a power curveball around 79-81 mph, but he’s 5-10 with a max-effort delivery and doesn’t have the control to start. His stuff should be unhittable out of the pen, though, especially if the breaking ball gets a little more power to it.
Others of note
Venezuelan outfielder Luis Rodriguez signed for $2,667,500 in 2019, but he has yet to come to the United States, even for instructs. So while he’s a potential hitter for average and power with good bat control, and has an outside chance to stay in center, the 18-year-old is more of a hypothetical construct until he plays somewhere — although I will say he has a solid swing that could lead to power if he keeps his weight back. … Donovan Casey will play at 25 this year but could be a fourth outfielder for someone, playing passably in center with enough arm for right and some line-drive power for doubles, but not enough hit or power to make him a regular in a corner. … Left-hander Robinson Ortiz was sitting in the mid-90s in the first spring training but didn’t come back for the alternate site or instructs due to COVID-19 restrictions. … Landon Knack was a senior at East Tennessee State but more than just a senior sign as he jumped up to the mid-90s last spring and walked just one of the 91 batters he faced while striking out more than half. He’s a fastball/slider guy who has a changeup that could improve enough to make him a starter, but he has a clear path to the majors as a reliever.
2021 impact
White could serve in some role on the 2021 staff, maybe in long relief, and Ruiz could end in the majors if Will Smith gets hurt or needs a break.
Sleeper
Take your pick: Last year’s was Jackson, and that still applies, but Pages, De Jesus and Pepiot are all candidates for big jumps forward this year.
(Photo of Josiah Gray during spring training in 2020: Norm Hall / Getty Images)
