Dodgers: Top 10 Prospects Right Now

1.Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Triple-A

ETA: 2017

Best Tool: Defense

Since Julio Urias made his debut for the Dodgers’ last season, Cody Bellinger has taken over as the most talked about prospect in the system and with good reason. He is that rare hybrid of both a gifted all-around hitter and an elite athlete on defense, even more notable because he isn’t a short stop or center fielder.

Essentially, he’s a potential 5-tool-player that is major league ready and all that is holding him back is just a contract detail that will allow the Dodgers’ to keep him under their control longer, explained eloquently by my colleague Michael Wittman here. 

An anomaly in regards to first base prospects, the Scottsdale, AZ product is just as gifted with the leather as he is with the stick. Defense is usually an after thought when it comes to top prospects because once an OPS is high enough, the errors could matter less.

To add to that, first base is usually where the prospects with no true position but size end up. Bellinger, the son of a former big leaguer who played every defensive position besides catcher and pitcher, is not that player. MLBpipeline.com rates Bellinger as a 70 on the 20-80 scale for defense, which says a lot about his potential as a Gold Glove winner down the line.

The offensive numbers are equally as impressive, having seen the 21-year-old hit a combined 61 home runs over the last 2+ seasons in the lower levels. So far this year in Oklahoma City, he has batted .339 with a 1.087 OPS and five home runs in just 16 games. His strike out rate is concerning, having been rung up in close to a third of his at-bats this year, but he has been trending in the right direction for that statistic for the past few years and will only continue to improve his plate protection and pitch recognition.

Any way you spin it, Bellinger is a multi-talented prospect who will be playing at the major league level before it even gets too hot in Los Angeles this summer. As sad as it is to think about for Dodgers’ fans, Adrian Gonzalez’s days may be numbered with Bellinger ready to go.

2. Walker Buehler, Starting Pitcher, Advanced A

ETA: 2018

Best Tool: Maturity

The first round draft pick for the Dodgers in 2015, Walker Buehler has quietly been working his way to the top of this list. While most others project Yadier Alvarez as the top pitching prospect because of the potential, Buehler deserves this spot not because of what may happen, but because of what already has.

After battling back through injuries during his senior year at Vanderbilt and his first year in professional baseball, Buehler started flashing signs of excellence last season in side sessions where his fastball was clocked near triple-digits. So far this year in High-A Rancho Cucamonga, the Kentucky native has twirled nine innings of scoreless baseball, with 15 punch outs and one walk.

The most projectable sign that he will be a success is his ability to throw all of his pitches at an elite level, which is why his best tool is his maturity. Most prospects have one tool and are working on developing the rest, which is very common among young pitchers. Despite being only 22-years-old, Buehler already has the fastball and two plus off-speed pitches with his slider and curve. This speaks to his maturity on the mound and is a quality that is distinguishable to any ace in the grande leagues.

With three major league-ready pitches, the next step is just preparing his arm for the work load of a major league starter. After two injuries, there will be no rush with him, but if he keeps pitching this well, he won’t be in the minors for too much longer.

3. Yadier Alvarez, Starting Pitcher, Advanced A

ETA: 2018 (Bullpen)

Best Tool: Fastball

Yadier Alvarez may end up being the best player included in this list when this is all said and done. He’s the type of baseball player that other baseball players hate to play catch with because it is just that intimidating when that fastball gets going. The Cuban born right-hander lives around the triple-digits with the cheese, and his arm strength certainly has not reached its peak.

He’s listed at 6’3, 175 pounds and they must have taken that while he was soaking wet. Nicely put, the kid has room to grow and add muscle. As his body develops, the Dodgers are hoping that his secondary pitches will do the same. He has three of them and they all seem to have shown potential to be that pitch that gets him to the next level because essentially no pitcher can make it in the big leagues with one pitch – shout-out to Mariano Rivera and Kenley Jansen.

So far this year, Alvarez has struggled in High-A after two starts, with an ERA above 13.00 in six innings and opponents hitting .500 against him. Clear evidence that professional hitters can turn around fastballs at any speed when they don’t fear another pitch.

Orel Hershiser may have said it best last year during a broadcast when discussing what makes pitchers successful in the MLB. To paraphrase, he noted that a pitcher with the ability to throw one pitch at a high level will compete, a pitcher that can throw two pitches at that level will win, but a pitcher that can throw three at that level? They will dominate.

With that in mind, Buehler skips Alvarez on this list, but only for now. Alvarez can be a front-of-the-rotation-guy for a long time if it all works out for him.

4. Gavin Lux, Short Stop, Single-A

ETA: 2020

Best Tool: Athleticsm

Throughout any advance baseball league, it’s easy to find an infield composed almost entirely of players that at one point were shortstops. The theory that their athletic ability will just be enough to get them by anywhere is a smart one and is part of the reason we see Gavin Lux on this list as high up as No. 4.

The first round draft pick in 2016 had a solid rookie campaign, hitting close to .300 and a solid .775 OPS. At 6’2 and 190 lbs, he has room to add to an already solid frame and looks to be a second base option for the future of the Dodgers.

He is an athlete above all else, flashing some speed already this year after being assigned to the Great Lakes Loons. He has three stolen bases in as many games this year and is definitely skilled enough to make it to the big leagues as a shortstop. The issue is, if it will be the Dodgers, they have that spot filled for a few years already.

Another thing that speaks highly of Lux is his instinct for the game. He comes from a baseball family, his uncle was the second pick of the 1982 draft and parlays that mental ability to showcase baseball knowledge well beyond his years.

Lux still has a lot to prove on the offensive side, but the potential is certainly there to be a mainstay in the infield for a long time to come. Don’t expect him to be a shortstop moving forward, but that doesn’t speak negatively of him. It is more a move to showcase his bat and get him in the lineup as quickly as possible.

5. Willie Calhoun, Second Base, Triple-A

ETA: 2018

Best Tool: Hit for Power

Second base has been one of the most intriguing questions for the Dodgers to answer over the last few years, and although the short term answer of Logan Forsythe is a solid one, the future is still in question. Willie Calhoun is the best true second baseman in the Dodgers’ system and one of the best in all of baseball.

The Vallejo, Calif. product has had a winding road just to get to professional baseball, but once there, has done nothing but hit the baseball very hard.

Last year in AA Tulsa, Calhoun bust onto the scene after dropping 27 bombs and tacking on 88 riblets during an impressive 2016 campaign. He has started the year with the AAA Oklahoma City All-Star team and is hitting .316 over 57 at-bats.

Calhoun isn’t necessarily going to hit above .300 going forward, having seemed to have made a transition to trying to put the ball in the air more, which fans of the game should just simply embrace as the way the game is going for many players. As his power and OPS numbers increase, the average may go down to look more like his 2016 stat line, but that is a trend the Dodgers have all over their lineup, so it shouldn’t scare the front office.

The biggest questions for Calhoun is if the power will translate to the big leagues and if the Dodgers will be the team to give him a shot. With the Dodgers’ lack of starting pitching and Logan Forsythe and Chase Utley controlling the time at second, Calhoun could be moved by the end of this year.

6. Alex Verdugo, Outfield, Triple-A

ETA: 2017

Best Tool: Defense

Alex Verdugo is one of the best defensive outfielders in the Dodgers’ organization, and that includes the players at the big league level. The 20-year-old can swing the bat too, currently hitting .345 in AAA over 60 plate appearances. Our second Arizona native on the list, and also the third to play in the Arizona Fall League last year, Verdugo is one of the most interesting prospects on this list.

He certainly has the skill to be an everyday outfielder in the MLB but is in a tough situation with the Dodgers’ crowded outfield. If there was one player I would trade to get back some premium pitching, it would be Verdugo, but that also says a lot about how good he will be one day. At the moment, however, he is also a lefty that can’t hit lefties, currently hitless against them so far in 2017.

7. Yusniel Diaz, Outfield, Advanced A

ETA: 2020

Best Tool: Speed

Yusniel Diaz was another prized international signing for the Dodgers and has been a solid addition since landing stateside. He is quick, athletic, and can play all three positions in the outfield.

Even as the trend of putting the ball in the air continues, Diaz is more like the players of old, putting the ball in play and using his speed to make the most of it.

It will be interesting to see where he ends up in the outfield. He certainly has a long road before he reaches the majors, but the potential is definitely there.

8. Brock Stewart, Relief Pitcher, Triple-A/MLB

ETA: 2017

Best Tool: Experience

Despite starting the year off on the DL, Stewart will be a part of the Dodgers’ major league pitching plans this year. He made his debut last year and logged some solid innings for the boys in blue, and that should only continue with the way their starting rotation is looking at the moment.

Stewart is just about aged out of this prospect list, but he certainly hasn’t reached his potential. Wherever he ends up in a rotation, you can expect excellent fastball command and a lot of strikes.

His best tool is his experience, allowing him to separate himself from other minor leaguers simply because he has already been to The Show and knows what it takes to make it there.

9. Trevor Oaks, Starting Pitcher, Triple-A

ETA: 2017

Best Tool: Command

The Opening Day starter for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Oaks is believed by many to be the next pitcher to get his shot in the big leagues this year. He has been solid so far this season, posting a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings and striking out 21 while walking only five.

Oaks has great command of his fastball, rarely missing with it over the heart of the plate. His lack of a true strikeout pitch is his only downfall, but that can be worked on and shouldn’t hold him back from being an excellent major league starter.

Don’t be surprised if he is starting for the big league club within the next month or so.

10. Mitchell White, Starting Pitcher, Advanced A

ETA: 2019

Best Tool: TBA

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• Dodgers still dominating Baseball America prospect rankings with MLB’s best record

Mitchell White has burst onto the Dodgers’ prospect list over the last year after being drafted as a redshirt sophomore from Santa Clara University. With a solid fastball and outstanding cutter to match, he has been making hitters in High-A look silly. He opened the year as part of a combined no-hitter from the team, throwing the first four innings of the game before the pen finished it off.

White is really the dark-horse of this list, having never really been a major prospect due to Tommy John in high school and the slow development of his fastball velocity, but he is now certainly here to stay.

Next: No Need To Worry Quite Yet

White still has a ways to go, but he certainly has made a name for himself when discussing the future of the Dodgers.