Dodgers: Top Prospects in the 2018 Arizona Fall League

Designed to celebrate and showcase talented minor leaguers; each MLB organization sends six lucky candidates to the Arizona Fall League so they can show off their stuff. This year, however, the Dodgers organization will be bringing eight. 

Altogether, 5 MLB organizations pull together and compile the allotted teams in the AFL. Therefore, the AFL amasses six teams total who play against each one another from October 9th-November 17th. Every year a different star emerges from the Arizona Fall League. 

The Glendale Desert Dogs are comprised of the best minor league talent that the Dodgers, Yankees, Orioles, Indians, and Chicago White Sox, have to offer. 

All of the players invited to the AFL have different stories. Some players are true-blue thoroughbreds, highly touted throughout the entirety of their baseball careers. Others have struggled after promising starts to their pro careers.

Some have trouble adjusting to a certain level (i.e., from AA-AAA or maybe from low-A to single-A Advanced) and some others simply deserve the opportunity to be on the biggest stage in minor league baseball.

Regardless of the vetting process behind every player invited, there’s one remaining constant. All invitees have shown promise one time or another within their organization and, they all deserve a chance to perform with the best-of-the-best at the Arizona Fall League.

Here are a few of the Dodgers’ representatives selected for this year’s All-Star showcase league. These are the players who I’m particularly excited to watch throughout this year’s version of the AFL.

Catcher – Keibert Ruiz:

The just turned 20-year-old is currently wrapping up an entire year spent at AA Tulsa. A hit-first catcher whose approach at the plate is seriously advanced for his age managed to make it to number two on mlb.com’s “Top Prospect” list in the Dodgers organization. Turning 20 just a month ago, Ruiz’s overall numbers at AA Tulsa don’t initially excite, until realizing that he was only 19 years old a full year in AA baseball at AA Tulsa.

It should be very interesting to see how he does in the AFL due to the opportunity of being on the biggest stage, with nearly a month to rest and gather himself before play begins, along with the possibility of hitting pitchers who’ve not yet made it as far as he up the MLB ladder, to AA. My bet, he’ll excel.

First/Third Baseman – Jared Walker:

Last but certainly not least, Jared Walker was the Dodgers’ 5th round pick in the 2014 draft. Walker is significantly larger than most of today’s prototypical third basemen. With that size comes prolific power, to the tune of a combined 23 HR’s through two levels of minor league baseball this season (low-A and A+).

MiLB.com has him listed at 6’2”, 195 pounds, but I’d say he’s closer to 6’2”, 215 pounds. The barrel-chested 22-year-old throwback hits from the left side of the plate but throws righty. Upon watching a few highlights of him going yard with the Quakes this season, he reminds of a younger Travis Shaw. His raw power is undeniable, and he lifts balls out of the park with unquestionable ease. However (as with Cody Thomas), he strikes out entirely too much.

Also for his age (22), beginning the year in low-A is a bit concerning. However, the way he stroked those HR’s this year was not concerning. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if, like Cody Thomas, we hear a whole lot more about Jared Walker this next year in 2019.  

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For a further look into the AFL and the Dodgers’ invitees who weren’t highlighted here, You’ll find the Glendale Desert Dogs entire roster on this page.  Along with the three players I’ve listed here, the other five top prospects invited to the showcase league are Ben Holmes, Jordan Sheffield, Nolan Long, Andre Scrubb, and Errol Robinson. 

Dodger’ fans should feel a good degree of comfort regarding the organization’s ability to, not only maintain home-grown talent but also, stay relevant in the MLB ranks, the postseason and (fingers’ crossed), finding their way into this year’s World Series once again.

The AFL’s eight selected players are an excellent testament showing how extremely well Dodgers’ management (at all levels) has managed both running a very successful MLB organization while excelling the future of the MLB team with devotion and attention paid to the farm.

I expect we’ll see, sooner rather than later, not only the three players highlighted fly into the spotlight upon the end of this year’s AFL but also, expect a further influx of Dodgers’ minor league talent to continue their ascent into the same promising situations that their predecessors have already found.

It’s only a matter of time.