Dodgers: Top Prospect Cartaya Praises Pair of Up and Coming Superstars
Catcher Diego Cartaya is the highest-rated prospect in a stacked Dodgers farm system, but he's far from the only youngster expected to turn into an MLB star. Ranked second and third in the system by nearly every outlet are two guys with similar potential to Cartaya and likely to beat him to the big leagues by quite a big margin.
Right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller is the top pitching prospect in LA's system, a 6-foot-5 fireballer with three pitches that might be better than his triple-digit fastball. Ranked in the 20s in all of baseball by Baseball America, MLB, and Baseball Prospectus, Miller has 215 strikeouts and just 50 walks in 168.2 career minor-league innings and should debut with Los Angeles at some point this season.
Cartaya sat down with Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation recently, and he had nothing but good to say about Miller, both on and off the field.
“Oh, for sure. I’m so glad that I don’t have to face him. Well, I face him in the Spring Training, but I’m happy that I don’t have to face him playing on another team. He’s so good. His stuff is very good. He’s a great guy.
Another top prospect is 23-year-old Cuban star Miguel Vargas, who ranks in the 30s on all three outlets' Top 100 lists. Vargas has batted .313/.390/.488 in his four seasons in the minors, including a .304/.404/.511 performance in Triple-A last year. He's slated to be LA's starting second baseman in 2023, so he'll get a full season to show what he can do in the big leagues.
McKain asked Cartaya if Vargas will be a star in the big leagues, and the answer was short and sweet:
“Oh yeah, for sure. One hundred percent. I’d bet on it.”
As the old saying goes, "It takes on to know one." That might be true for future MLB stars, because all signs point to Cartaya being a star, and his scouting reports on Miller and Vargas look outstanding. The young blood in Dodger blue will be exciting to see.
