Baseball America’s new Dodgers prospect ranking conspicuously leave out fan favorite outfielder

The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best farm systems in baseball. That doesn't even take into account the major-league product, which has won back-to-back World Series.

In short, the Dodgers have an embarrassment of riches, literally and figuratively. They can afford any free agent or trade asset they want, and have a conveyer belt of MLB talent on the way. Baseball America (subscription required) more than backed that up with their updated team farm system rankings.

Among the list of Dodgers top-100 prospects are the usual suspects, like Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, Emil Morales, Christian Zazueta, and Charles Davalan. Notably missing from that list, however, is fan favorite James Tibbs III.

Baseball America leaves James Tibbs III off Dodgers top prospects list

For most organizations, Tibbs would be a star prospect, perhaps on his way to the majors shortly. He was slashing .286/.410/.565 with a .975 OPS, 21 home runs, 68 RBI, and 88 hits in 308 at-bats. His average exit velocity was over 92 MPH. He has all the makings of a quality contact hitter who can star in the Dodgers outfield (or at first base, as MLB Pipeline notes) for years to come. However, he gets lost in the conversation of LA's top outfield prospects in part because there are so many of them.

Of the Dodgers top-100 prospects per Baseball America, four are outfielders, including the top-3 in De Paula, Sirota and Quintero. If you prefer MLB Pipeline as a prospect database to BA, all four of those players are ranked atop the Dodgers farm system.

What sets Tibbs apart in the minds of Dodgers fans is how close he is to the major leagues. The 2024 first-round pick is raking in Triple-A, and is projected to make his MLB debut in 2027, if not sooner.

James Tibbs III could be an All-Star in the making — or Dodgers trade bait

What BA's ranking suggests is that Tibbs may not be valued by the Dodgers as much as the other four prospects that were listed. That's just fine and not all that surprising, as he has a daunting road to become an MLB starter ahead of him. Even should he have timing on his side, is he really going to unseat Andy Pages or Teoscar Hernandez? And even so, how long until the likes of De Paula or Sirota, two outfielders ranked in Baseball America's top-20, take his job?

This makes Tibbs a possible trade asset, especially with the Dodgers linked to starting pitchers like Tarik Skubal at the deadline. The Tigers are in search of MLB-ready talent, and Tibbs has proven everything there is to prove at the minor-league level. The Dodgers, as previously mentioned, have a surplus of young outfield talent just a couple of years away from reaching the bigs, barring injury or a performance hiccup.

Dodgers fans believe in Tibbs. He's done nothing but hit in Oklahoma City. That's also what makes him so valuable, and it could be a tough pill to swallow for the fanbase.

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