Dodgers Prospects: From Cartaya to Busch to Miller, LA System 'Has it All'
It's rare to have a great minor-league system and a great big league team at the same time, let alone for several years in a row. The Dodgers have pulled it off, though, being named the top farm system in baseball by Keith Law of The Athletic for the second year in a row.
This system has it all — potential superstars and near-to-the-majors help, long-term plays with more upside, with new prospects entering the system every year from successful draft after successful draft along with international free agents who find early success and player development success stories.
Eight of Law's Top 20 Dodgers Prospects made his Top 100 overall: Diego Cartaya, Miguel Vargas, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Dalton Rushing, Andy Pages, Michael Busch, and James Outman. River Ryan, Law's ninth-ranked prospect who came over from the Padres in the Matt Beaty trade, is one he expects to make the Top 100 next year.
Law's review of the system is full of superlatives. Here are just a few.
On Cartaya:
Cartaya hammers fastballs and offspeed, posting high exit velocities and often out-muscling pitchers with his pure strength, while already showing a good feel for the strike zone even before he turned 21 in September.
On Vargas:
Vargas was arguably the best hitter in the PCL last year, and certainly the best one under the age of 26.
On Miller:
For pure stuff, Miller has few peers, if any, among minor-league starter prospects. ... If he can hold [his command] better when he works from the stretch, he’ll be a top-10 pitcher in baseball.
On Stone:
Stone was the Dodgers’ fifth-round pick in 2020.... He’s since emerged as the Dodgers’ second-best pitching prospect and isn’t that far behind their top guy, Bobby Miller, who was their first-rounder in the same year.
On Outman:
He’s one of the best athletes in their entire system who might have four pluses on the scouting report, definitely a plus run, plus arm, plus power guy who might be a plus defender in center as well.
There's a lot more good stuff where that came from, so be sure to check out the whole list. It's pretty remarkable that the Los Angeles front office continues to be so successful, but it's no accident. They put more resources into amateur scouting, professional scouting, player development, and research and development than pretty much any other team, and the results speak for themselves.
