The Los Angeles Dodgers currently have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball, and that has become particularly evident this offseason with Jose De Leon, Corey Seager and Julio Urias being named on nearly every top prospect list.
Most notably, MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus ranked the trio in their top 100 and 101 prospects, respectively.
Seager received an opportunity to showcase his talent in the Majors last season as he was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City once active rosters expanded in September.
Over 27 regular-season games with the Dodgers, he batted .337/.425/.561 with four home runs, eight doubles, 17 RBIs, a .421 wOBA and 175 wRC+.
The 21-year-old shortstop went on to become youngest position player to start a postseason game in franchise history when he was penciled in the lineup for Game 1 against the New York Mets in the 2015 National League Division Series.
After naming their top 100 prospects for the 2016 season, MLB.com named a top Minor Leaguer for various toolsets. Seager was crowned the best-hitting prospect:
Best hitter: Corey Seager, SS, Dodgers
Seager’s combination of a sweet left-handed swing, advanced feel for hitting, bat speed and hand-eye coordination allow him to repeatedly barrel balls. He led the Minors in hitting with a .349 average in 2014, then sliced his strikeout rate to a career-best 14 percent last year, when he batted .337/.425/.561 as a September callup. The only shortstop with a higher offensive ceiling is Carlos Correa, who rated as the best hitter on the Top 100 Prospects list a year ago.
Meanwhile, Urias was given the honor of best changeup:
Best changeup: Julio Urias, LHP, Dodgers
Urias sells his low-80s changeup with fastball arm speed, and its deception, sink and fade generate repeated swings and misses. It’s part of what makes him baseball’s most precocious pitching prospect and would help him to hold his own in the Majors right now — at age 19. Urias has a better chance than any pitcher on the Top 100 to develop three legitimate plus offerings.
Seager was also a runner-up for “best power,” and De Leon was a runner-up in the “best changeup” category. Dodgers teammate Adrian Gonzalez recently gave Seager high praise, saying he sees Hall of Fame potential in the youngster.
Urias began last season with Double-A Tulsa, where he went 3-4 with a 2.77 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 13 starts. His final two starts of the season were with the OKC Dodgers, however there was little success to be had as Urias posted an 18.69 ERA over 4.1 innings pitched.
Urias and De Leon are part of the group of non-roster invitees who will be with the Dodgers’ big league camp during Spring Training.
