2017 Los Angeles Dodgers Midseason Top 10 Prospects
All the years of the Dodgers holding on to their elite prospects is starting to pay off.
| Dodgers Midseason Top 10 |
| 1. Walker Buehler, RHP |
| 2. Alex Verdugo, OF |
| 3. Yadier Alvarez, RHP |
| 4. Willie Calhoun, 2B/LF |
| 5. Yusniel Diaz, OF |
| 6. Mitchell White, RHP |
| 7. Jeren Kendall, OF |
| 8. Dustin May, RHP |
| 9. Brock Stewart, RHP |
| 10. Will Smith, C |
The Dodgers resisted the urge to trade Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and others in previous years for David Price, Chris Sale or other big-ticket names, keeping the prospect cream of the crop for themselves while trading away other good but not elite prospects.
It proved to be a wise decision. Pederson, Seager and Bellinger have starred as rookies three consecutive years and helped elevate the Dodgers into the powerhouse of the National League. The Dodgers are presently on an historic run with 31 wins in their last 35 games, and own the majors’ best record at 66-29.
Bellinger has earned the headlines with an historic rookie campaign, but it has been more than a one-man show in Los Angeles. The Dodgers’ offense ranks second in the NL in runs, thanks not just to star turns by Bellinger and all-star third baseman Justin Turner but the entire lineup. The pitching staff has delivered the lowest ERA in the majors. Both their starters ERA and bullpen ERA are the best in the NL, even with a down year by former top prospect Julio Urias before he had season-ending should surgery.
Oh, and they also possess one of the best pitching prospects in baseball in Walker Buehler and two of the minors’ most advanced hitters with Alex Verdugo and Willie Calhoun waiting in Triple-A.
The Dodgers are a complete organization firing on all cylinders. They could very well be a buyer at the deadline, but with no gaping holes and a track record of holding onto their top prospects, it is very possible they hold serve with the group they have to try and reach their first World Series since 1988.
1. Walker Buehler, RHP
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Age: 22
Buehler’s meteoric rise has been one of the season’s main storylines, having gone from undersized injury risk to earning true No. 1 starter grades from some evaluators. Buehler had Tommy John surgery in 2015 shortly after the Dodgers drafted him in the first round and he pitched only five innings in 2016. He has returned this year firing 96-99 mph fastballs, a present plus curveball, a future plus slider and a usable changeup he can throw for strikes. Overall Buehler went 2-2, 2.89 with 90 strikeouts and 21 walks in 65.1 innings between high Class A and Double-A before earning the bump to Triple-A.
2. Alex Verdugo, OF
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Age: 21
Verdugo showed an advanced feel to hit beyond his years with Team Mexico at the World Baseball Classic and has continued in Triple-A. His status as a potential high-average, everyday-caliber center fielder remains intact, although the lack of loft in his swing has produced only three home runs and thrown his power potential into question.
3. Yadier Alvarez, RHP
High Class A Rancho Cucamonga
Age: 21
Alvarez throws 95-99 mph fastballs with remarkable ease, but his lack of fastball command or reliable secondaries has resulted in a 5.31 ERA and more than a hit allowed per inning. Rancho Cucamonga pitching coach Kip Wells recently adjusted Alvarez’s grip on his four-seam fastball to prevent it from cutting over the plate, in hopes that will stop the pitch from running into barrels.
4. Willie Calhoun, 2B/LF
Triple-A Oklahoma City
Age: 22
Calhoun is tied for the system lead with 20 home runs and increasingly has evaluators viewing him as a future 30-home run threat in the majors. He remains poor defensively at second base, however, and has started playing left field, where scouts note he tracks balls well enough to be potentially fringe-average.
5. Yusniel Diaz, OF
High Class A Rancho Cucamonga
Age: 20
Diaz got off to a poor start offensively before moving full-time into what used to be his two-strike stance, eliminating excessive pre-pitch movement and toning down his leg kick. The results have been outstanding. Since May 16, Diaz is hitting .328/.379/.534, and is increasingly cited as one of the brightest prospects in the California League.
6. Mitchell White, RHP
Disabled list
Age: 22
The Dodgers’ 2016 second-rounder did not allow an earned run in his first 32 professional innings before the streak ended in April at Lancaster. Overall White went 2-1, 3.72 with 49 strikeouts and 16 walks in 38.2 innings for Rancho Cucamonga before landing on the disabled list June 1 with a broken toe.
7. Jeren Kendall, OF
Not Yet Assigned
Age: 21
Kendall put on a show at Dodger Stadium as a member of the USA Collegiate National Team last summer, and the Dodgers remembered that as they drafted him No. 23 overall in June. He signed for just under $2.9 million at the deadline. Kendall brings power, speed, and defensive excellence in center field, but his propensity for striking out at Vanderbilt was a red flag for many.
8. Dustin May, RHP
Low Class A Great Lakes
Age: 19
The 2016 third-rounder has been the best of a talented group of pitchers at Great Lakes, going 5-5, 3.83 with 90 strikeouts and 19 walks in 91.2 innings as a 19-year-old. May is also proving increasingly durable, one of the main questions about him after he entered pro ball needing to add weight and strength.
9. Brock Stewart, RHP
Los Angeles
Age: 25
Stewart began the year on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis and did not make his season debut with the Dodgers until June 20. He is currently serving as the long man in their bullpen and has thrown 11 scoreless innings. With Scott Kazmir, Julio Urias and Hyun-Jin Ryu all down with injuries, Stewart is next in line to enter the rotation should another injury occur.
10. Will Smith, C
Double-A Tulsa
Age: 22
Smith was tasked with handling the flamethrowing arms of Buehler, Alvarez, White and Dennis Santana at Rancho Cucamonga and did so beautifully, earning plaudits for his plus receiving, blocking, and leadership. He did so while delivering consistent sub-1.95 second pop times, getting on base at a .358 clip and hitting 11 homers before being promoted.
RISING
• 1B/3B Edwin Rios led the Double-A Texas League with an .891 OPS before being promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City last week. He’s also started seeing time in left field.
• C Keibert Ruiz hit .317 with a .372 on-base percentage as an 18-year old in the Midwest League while maintaining his excellent defensive reputation, and earned a promotion to Rancho Cucamonga.
• OF DJ Peters has 19 homers and leads the California League with a .935 OPS while playing an above-average center field for Rancho Cucamonga. He strikes out a lot even for today’s style of baseball, ranking in the top 10 in the minors in punchouts.
FALLING
• SS Gavin Lux has failed to resolve concerns about his bat with a .204 average and .607 OPS at low Class A Great Lakes.
• RHP Josh Sborz ran into trouble against better competition as some scouts predicted, with nearly as many walks (38) as strikeouts (46) through 71 innings at Double-A Tulsa.
• OF Johan Mieses did not improve his penchant for wild swings and hit .133 with a 39.7 percent strikeout rate in Double-A before being demoted to high Class A.
HURTING
• Diaz is on the 7-day DL with an unspecified hand injury but is expected to return shortly.
• Smith suffered a small fracture in his right hand after being hit by a pitch in his Double-A debut and is out at least six weeks.
• White did not need surgery on his broken toe and began a rehab assignment in the AZL on July 6.
• OF Andrew Toles was starting in left field for the Dodgers before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee at the end of May.
GRADUATING
• 1B Cody Bellinger hit 25 home runs in his first 70 games with the Dodgers and made the NL All-Star team. He’s the impact rookie in L.A., but not the only rookie there.
• Toles exhausted his prospect eligibility shortly before his season-ending injury.
• C/2B Austin Barnes is hitting .288 with a .928 OPS as the Dodgers’ backup catcher, and he’s made two starts at second base to boot.
• LHP Grant Dayton has held lefthanded hitters to a .135/.250/.216 line out of the bullpen.
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