The Los Angeles Dodgers farm system was well-represented on the annual Baseball Prospectus Top 101 prospects list for the 2020 season, having six members of the organization ranked.
Gavin Lux has been at or near the top of most prospect lists over this past offseason, and he placed No. 3. Lux is followed by Dustin May (No. 8), Josiah Gray (61), Miguel Vargas (65), Keibert Ruiz (79) and Tony Gonsolin (81).
In 113 games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, Lux batted .347/.421/.607 with 25 doubles, 26 home runs, 99 runs scored and 76 RBI. He made his MLB debut and had a more modest showing, hitting .240/.305/.400 with four doubles, a pair of home runs and nine RBI in 23 games.
Lux projects to be the Dodgers’ starting second baseman in 2020.
May is another top prospect who made his big league debut in 2019. In 14 games (four starts) for the Dodgers, the right-hander went 2-3 with a 3.63 ERA, 2.90 FIP and 1.10 WHIP with 32 strikeouts and five walks in 34.2 innings.
The 22-year-old projects to be a starter and in 20 of those outings between Tulsa and OKC, he went 6-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.13 WHIP while striking out 110 and walking 29 in 106.2 innings.
The only other prospect of the bunch that has seen time at the big league level is Gonsolin. The right-hander appeared in 11 games (six starts) in 2019 and went 4-2 with an impressive 2.93 ERA, 3.86 FIP and 1.03 WHIP. He struck out 37 compared to 15 walks in 40 innings.
Gonsolin struggled a bit at the Minor League level due to some injuries though, yielding a 4.35 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 41.1 innings for OKC. Both May and Gonsolin have an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation during Spring Training, but given the organization’s rotation depth, they could also start the season at Triple-A.
The Dodgers acquired Gray in the trade that sent Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer to the Cincinnati Reds in December 2018. He was a breakout star in the Minor Leagues in 2019, going 11-2 with a 2.28 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 147 strikeouts and 31 walks in 130 combined innings between three levels.
Gray is just 22 years of age, but it is not out of the question that he makes his Major League debut in 2020 if he continues his success from a season ago.
Vargas was perhaps the most surprising to make the list, although the 20-year-old that the Dodgers signed out of Cuba is also coming off a solid season. In 124 games between Low-A Great Lakes and High-A Rancho Cucamonga, the third baseman slashed .308/.380/.440 with 38 doubles, seven home runs, 76 runs scored and 77 RBI.
If Vargas’ power comes around as many expect it, he could be a future star in Los Angeles.
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