MLB fans ripping Dodgers for favoritism after The Athletic releases new prospect rankings

The Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system is one of the best in the sport, and Keith Law's newest top-100 prospect list emphatically agrees with that sentiment. One of the top talent evaluators in the country, Law recently re-ranked the top prospects in baseball for The Athletic (subscription required) and it's an unapologetically a pro-Dodgers list, with five prospects among the top 25.

Law's top-50 included Dodgers' prospects Eduardo Quintero, Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, River Ryan, James Tibbs III, Zyhir Hope, and a top-100 honorable mention for outfielder Charles Davalan.

As Dodgers fans can imagine, this latest prospect ranking didn't sit well with the overwhelming majority of other fanbases; most of whom already consider LA to be the golden goose of Major League Baseball.

Dodgers' farm system gets ultimate (and maybe unearned) praise

The obvious takeaway from Law's list is that the Dodgers' cadre of young outfielders is even more impressive than fans thought. With the inclusion of Davalan, the Dodgers have six outfield prospects in the top 100, which is an embarrassment of riches considering Los Angeles' big-league roster already employs Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, and Teoscar Hernández.

Still, this shouldn't be taken as gospel. Quintero, De Paula, Sirota, and Hope are consensus top-50 prospects, but Law is higher on them than most other outlets. It's also not like they're all doing something so spectacular to force the issue; Quintero has a 101 wRC+ in High-A this year, while Hope is striking out in a quarter of his plate appearances in Double-A. At least De Paula (.904 OPS) and Sirota (175 wRC+ are laying waste to minor-league pitching.

Tibbs is the real surprise of the group -- he doesn't even appear on most other top-100 lists. He's hitting .310/.413/.616 in Triple-A this season, but concerns about his defense and contact rates remain prevalent. He could prove Law right once promoted to Los Angeles, but there's no telling when that may come.

Of course, other fans have been quick to call out The Athletic for participating in the Dodgers' prospect propaganda machine, which has produced more than a few busts in recent years. For whatever reason, the organization seems to have the favor of most scouting scribes.

To be sure, not all of these players will live up to the hype they're being set up for. But that certainly won't hurt their trade value this summer.

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