Since the hirings of president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Farhan Zaidi, the Los Angeles Dodgers have put an emphasis on fielding a competitive Major League product while simultaneously replenishing and sustaining a strong farm system.
Despite consistently being a perennial World Series contender, the Dodgers continue to sport one of the league’s better Minor League pipelines. That was evident when Baseball America rated the club’s farm system as the eighth-best in baseball for the 2018 season, as part of their annual rankings.
Last year, Los Angeles placed second on the list. Given the recent graduation of Cody Bellinger and trade of Willie Calhoun, it’s understandable why the Dodgers dropped a few spots in the rankings.
Leading the way for the organization this time around is Walker Buehler, who’s considered one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in all of baseball.
After an impressive Minor League campaign last season, followed by a September call-up, Buehler is slated for a larger role in 2018. Though, the organization will still keep him on an innings limit, similar to their handling of Julio Urias.
The Dodgers’ consensus top positional prospect is Alex Verdugo, who also received a promotion to the Majors last September after an excellent season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Breakout catching prospect Keibert Ruiz has additionally garnered national recognition and is one of three Dodgers prospects in Baseball America’s top 100 rankings.
While it’s been a quiet offseason for most of the league, Los Angeles has improved on the fringes by adding valuable depth to the organization.
The Dodgers also bolstered their farm system with the acquisition of utility man Jake Peter from the Chicago White Sox.
