Even after last summer’s blockbuster trade for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, the Los Angeles Dodgers still have one of the most talented Minor League pipelines in all of baseball. The Dodgers farm system was ranked No. 8 in MLB heading into the 2022 season by Baseball America.
The Seattle Mariners earned the top spot on the list and are followed by the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds. The Texas Rangers (No. 9) and Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 10) round out the top 10.
The Dodgers’ farm system ranked No. 9 on the publication’s annual list last year and placed as high as No. 2 in 2017. In the years between, L.A. was No. 3 (2020), No. 10 (2019) and No. 9 (2018).
Baseball America cited the Dodgers’ “impact talent” that led to their farm system being ranked No. 8 this season:
The Dodgers’ player development machine continues to hum along. Even after a copious number of recent prospect graduations and trades, the Dodgers still have a deep, balanced system featuring impact talent in the lineup (Diego Cartaya, Miguel Vargas, Michael Busch) and on the mound (Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Landon Knack).
Baseball America specifically pointed out Diego Cartaya, Miguel Vargas and Michael Busch as impact position players; and Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot and Landon Knack as impact pitchers. The publication ranked included all but Knack in their top-100 prospect rankings for the 2022 season.
Cartaya enjoyed an excellent, albeit injury-shortened 2021 season with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga in which he hit .298/.409/.614 with 10 home runs and a 157 wRC+ in 31 games.
Vargas, who was named the organization’s 2021 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year, batted .314/.366/.532 with 11 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 16 RBI over 47 games with High-A Great Lakes.
Busch, in his second professional season in the Dodgers organization, hit .267/.386/.484 with 27 doubles, 20 home runs and 67 RBI over 107 games with the Drillers.
Miller went 2-2 with a 1.91 ERA over 14 games (11 starts) for High-A Great Lakes, then struggled a bit with Double-A Tulsa as he pitched to a 4.82 ERA in three starts.
Pepiot posted a 3-4 record with a 2.87 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) with the Drillers before earning a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City. That came with a bit of a learning curve as he went 2-5 with a 7.13 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 11 appearances (nine starts).
Knack compiled a 7-1 record, 3.18 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over 62.1 innings in 16 combined appearances (11 starts) between the Loons and Drillers.
Baseball America’s top 10 Dodgers prospects list for 2022 season
1. Diego Cartaya
2. Bobby Miller
3. Miguel Vargas
4. Michael Busch
5. Ryan Pepiot
6. Andy Pages
7. Landon Knack
8. Eddys Leonard
9. Andre Jackson
10. Wilman Diaz
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