Dodgers Have New Third Base Prospect Turning Heads in Minor Leagues

For all its prowess in player development, the Los Angeles Dodgers' farm system has not yielded many useful major league third basemen in the last decade.

Fortunately, they haven't needed any. Justin Turner took over for a fading Juan Uribe. Max Muncy took over for a fading Turner. Muncy, who leads the team in home runs (14), recently extended his contract through 2027 with a team option for 2028.

Against this backdrop, it's easy to forget the Dodgers have seen only two third basemen rank among MLB Pipeline's Top 10 prospects in their system since Uribe's first year (2011) in Los Angeles.

Neither of the two is still in the organization. Former first-round draft pick Kody Hoese topped out at Triple-A, and now works as a private hitting instructor in Florida. Miguel Vargas was struggling in a utility role through parts of three seasons with the Dodgers when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in July 2024.

Enter Chase Harlan. The Dodgers' third-round pick (98th overall) out of a Pennsylvania high school in 2024 is tearing up the California League a month shy of his 20th birthday.

In 45 games for the Ontario Tower Buzzers this season, Harlan is slashing .335/.455/.571 with eight home runs. MLB.com chose Harlan as the Dodgers' hottest-hitting prospect in May — no small honor in one of baseball's deepest farm systems.

Harlan is "tapping into [his raw power] more and more now that he's chasing fewer pitches and making better in-zone contact," according to Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra.

Harlan ranks among the California League leaders in batting average (fifth), on-base percentage (fourth), and OPS (third). Every batter ahead of him in each category is older.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel elevated Harlan to No. 10 in his updated organizational prospect rankings.

"Harlan was a toolsy, young-for-the-class prep prospect in the 2024 draft and has posted big exit velos and homer totals since turning pro," McDaniel wrote. "He's now hitting for average (.325 as of publication, underlying stats to match) along with that same power (seven homers, .221 isolated power through 41 games) and exit velos to show that isn't an aberration (max EV of 116 mph as a 19-year-old)."

Harlan's major league ETA might line up perfectly with the end of the 35-year-old Muncy's run at third base in Los Angeles. He might also find himself in a trade package ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline. Either way, he's suddenly become a name to remember.

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