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MLB Minor League System Ranks – The Elite

By Benjamin Chase

Dec 7, 2016; National Harbor, MD, USA; A general view of stage microphones on day three of the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2016; National Harbor, MD, USA; A general view of stage microphones on day three of the 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Los Angeles Dodgers

Coming into 2016, there wasn’t much argument about the top farm system in the game. The Dodgers were pretty clearly the top system, with two of the top 10 prospects in the entire game, along with as many as 8 top 100 guys along with many guys right on the cusp of top 100 lists.

Even with the graduation of Corey Seager and Julio Urias to the major leagues and off of prospect lists, the Dodgers are still ripe with elite prospects. They are one of the few teams that are elite in team performance and their minor league system right now, and while their financial position has a lot to do with that, the Dodgers have made very smart investments lately as well to build up their system.

Elite prospects – I considered 7 Dodger prospects for my top 125 list, but 3 of those were top 25, and 5 were top 75 type of guys. The Dodgers definitely have the elite of the elite, even after graduating two elite guys in 2016.

System depth in legit prospects – The Dodgers saw guys like Andrew Toles and Brock Stewart come up and offer production for the team, and they have a number of guys just like that still in their system on top of those elite players.

Proximity to majors of legit prospects – The AA/AAA rosters are fairly stacked with guys who can help the major league roster as bullpen or bench pieces at the very least. Of their top 10 prospects on my list, 4 reached at least AA in 2016.

System reputation – The Dodgers have invested well into their coaching and scouting, and they’ve really seen this in their drafting and in the Cuban markets, getting excellent production from their drafts and Cuban signees.

The Dodgers have an industry reputation for working well individually with players rather than forcing a system method on players. That has shown in their ability to maximize guys with skill sets like Stewart and Toles that are often lost in many organizations’ systems.

Top 5 Born 1991 or since (age 25 season this year)
1. Corey Seager
2. Julio Urias
3. Joc Pederson
4. Alex Wood
5. Trayce Thompson

Next: #6

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