3 Dodgers players most likely to have a breakout season in 2023

Gavin Stone

This one's a bit of a wild card, but feels like a distinct possibility. Gavin Stone, 24, is the No. 51 prospect in the game per MLB.com and sits at No. 4 in the Dodgers system.

Last year, he burst onto the scene in the minor leagues, making 26 appearances and posting a sparkling 1.48 ERA across 121.2 innings. He struck out 12.4 batters per nine innings, allowed just three home runs and did an exceptional job of limiting walks as well. The season he was able to have in the minors would've easily gotten him Cy Young consideration in the majors, which is wild to think about.

While the first few outings in Triple-A haven't gone the way Stone would've liked them to, he has still managed to strike out batters at a high rate, and overall does not merit much concern behind the slow start. In spring training, he struck out 14 batters and walked just two across four appearances and 6.2 shutout innings.

Slow start aside, Stone already feels like a better option to man the No. 5 spot in the big league starting rotation than Michael Grove. Grove, 26, has a career 6.63 ERA in 36.2 innings for the Dodgers, and has yet to show anything worth getting excited about. As of right now, his 12 earned runs in 7.1 innings of work leads the entire National League.

Sure, Stone has yet to experience an outing in a big league game, but he has shown time and time again that he has what it takes to succeed, regardless of what level he's at. Don't be surprised to see him up in The Show soon. He's not going to look back once he makes it.