Top 5 Dodgers Prospects
All the Dodgers prospects survived the trade deadline that expired Thursday after much speculation of bringing in another ace to the Blue Crew. Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has valued his farm system so much that not even David Price could change his mind. The Dodgers have arguably the best farm system in the majors. However, these players will need to be patient as the current team leads the whole NL, leaving no room for the kids. The Mexican prospect Julio Urias could be the next exciting thing, behind Kershaw, as the best pitcher in baseball. At 17-years-old, MLB ranks the left-handed pitcher as the top prospect in his position.
Joc Pederson – CF
Drafted in the 2010 MLB draft, Pederson is arguably the Dodgers' top outfield prospect. At Triple-A this season, he is dominating in Albuquerque, hitting .319/.448/.587 with 23 home runs, 56 RBI and 25 stolen bases. The Palo Alto native will hopefully move up to the majors once the Dodgers expand their roster to 40. If he does, he'll most likely just be available to pinch hit since the outfield is already crowded enough.
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Corey Seager – SS
The 20-year-old shortstop was recently promoted to Double-A after the All-Star break and had at least one hit in his first six games with Chatanooga. Before moving to Double-A, the kid from North Carolina batted .352/.411/.633 along with 18 bombs and 70 RBI. Seager, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, played in the 2014 Futures All-Star game in Minnesota, where he went 0-for-1 and was hit by a pitch.
Julio Urias – LHP
The 17-year-old phenom could be the closest pitcher to Fernando Valenzuela. They're both from Mexico and both throw left-handed. Julio-mania could be coming to Dodger Stadium as soon as next season. Urias is already throwing heat, topping speeds at 97MPH. So far in Single-A in Rancho Cucamonga, Urias has a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 3.03. MLB ranks Urias as the top left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball.
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Alex Guerrero – 2B/SS
The Cuban infielder returned recently to action with the Isotopes after being sidelined with a bitten ear. Yes, a bitten ear. Before he got his ear bitten off by Miguel Olivo, Guerrero was hitting .376/.417/.735 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI. Guerrero, along with Seager, are the players most likely to move up to the big leagues when the rosters expand in September.
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James Baldwin III – CF
Baldwin isn't likely to be in the Dodgers' top prospect lists, but with his speed and athleticism, he will definitely make CBSLA's Top 5 Dodger prospects. Baldwin's weakness is hitting, but his defense and speed is already at a major-league level. He resembles Dee Gordon but plays center field. If Baldwin has a turnaround season like Gordon did this past year, he could quickly move up the ranks.
