Dodgers surprisingly reclaim crown atop MLB Pipeline’s farm system re-rankings

Or perhaps it's not all that surprising?
Los Angeles Angels v Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Angels v Los Angeles Dodgers | John McCoy/GettyImages

A slew of injuries and faltering production saw the Los Angeles Dodgers take a bit of a tumble in the National League West standings prior to last weekend's series against the San Diego Padres, but it's not all doom and gloom for the reigning World Series champions. Not only did they sweep the Pads, but they got good news on the state of their farm system.

In a rather unexpected development, MLB Pipeline's midseason re-rankings of every MLB farm system saw the Dodgers land the No. 1 spot for just the second time in the rankings' 10-year history. This represents a three-spot jump from their preseason ranking of No. 4, leapfrogging the Detroit Tigers (No. 1), Tampa Bay Rays (No. 2) and Boston Red Sox (No. 3).

The Dodgers have five prospects in MLB Pipeline's Top 100, including Josue DePaula (No. 12), Zyhir Hope (No. 19), Alex Freeland (No. 43), Eduardo Quintero (No. 55) and Mike Sirota (No. 66). All except Freeland are outfielders, giving Los Angeles the deepest collection of talent at the position in all of baseball – and that's not to mention trade deadline acquisition James Tibbs III, whom they acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Dustin May trade, as well as Ching-Hsien Ko.

Dodgers surprisingly reclaim crown atop MLB Pipeline’s farm system rerankings

The Dodgers keep winning at the Major League level – they have a pair of World Series titles in the last five seasons, and 12 straight postseason appearances – but they also keep developing talent in their farm system. They know how to identify talent when they see it, with several of their top prospects arriving via trades.

Indeed, much of the Dodgers' recent activity on the trade market has focused not only on improving the team's playoff chances but also on replenishing depth in their farm system. Four of the Dodgers' top five pitching prospects (Jackson Ferris, River Ryan, Adam Serwinowski, Christian Zazueta) arrived via trades, as did Hope, Sirota and Tibbs.

Yes, the Dodgers have one of the biggest budgets in baseball, but that has not been the sole reason for their success. Their continued investment in their farm system through a number of developmental avenues has allowed them to remain the gold standard of baseball, and as long as Andrew Friedman is running the show it appears it'll remain that way for quite some time.

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