The Los Angeles Dodgers had a big run at the National League title in 2016, falling just short to the Chicago Cubs. Will they have more help coming from their farm system?
An Introduction
Our minor league top 10 series is coordinated by Benjamin Chase, one of our contributors at Call To The Pen.
He has poured over thousands of minor league games over the course of the year via milb.tv along with speaking with a number of team and independent scouts. These lists are based out of those conversations.
Each system will have prospects from 10 to 1, and then finish with one newcomer to the system that is worth keeping an eye on that is not in the top 10 at this time.
Conversations are certainly encouraged in the comments section on each system as we go along!
The Dodgers are one of the teams who will be in consideration for the very top of the list when I put together organizational rankings
Dodgers System Review
It really is not fair. When an ownership group spends billions of dollars to acquire a team, is willing to spend whatever it takes to get the best major league talent on the field, and backs up those claims by actually spending in that manner, it’s simply not fair when that organization also has a farm system oozing with talent.
Yet, coming into 2016, I had the Dodgers rated as the best farm system in the entire game, led by two of the top 10 prospects in the entire game in Corey Seager and Julio Urias. Urias had an up-and-down debut that finished very well. Seager, well, he just won Rookie of the Year and made a lot of noise for MVP. No big deal!
The thing is, the system was still a top 5 system even without those two last year. That’s how much incredible prospect depth that the Dodgers have built up over the years through excellent scouting and some well-timed international splashes, including their current #1 overall prospect.
That system allowed them to make a move last year to acquire Frankie Montas in a three-team deal that involved the Reds and the White Sox, eventually flipping Montas as part of a trade to acquire Rich Hill and Josh Reddick for their playoff push. Yet, that move really didn’t drastically change their system-wide depth.
The Dodgers are one of the teams who will be in consideration for the very top of the list when I put together organizational rankings after the top 10 lists are done, and Andrew Friedman and his staff have done an exceptional job of keeping the system at a very high level. That level of system depth is why you hear the Dodgers mentioned prominently as a destination for Chris Sale of the White Sox.
Let’s take a look at the top 10!
Next: #10