Organization ranking: 2
I've ranked every farm system, as well as the top 100 MLB prospects of 2016. Below, I've ranked at least the top 10 Dodgers prospects, plus an overview of the system and any other names of note. I also discuss any prospects who might help the big league club in 2016, prospects whose stock have taken a big hit in the past year and a sleeper prospect (or two) I think can jump into the main top 100 list for 2017.
A few quick notes: (1) Just as in my other prospect files, I use the 20 to 80 grading scale when scouting these prospects; and (2) if the prospect is in my top 100, clicking on his ranking will take you to the page his scouting profile is on.
Non-Insider subscribers: Check out the free Baltimore Orioles top-10 prospects report to see what these entail.
Top 10 prospects (Top 100 rank in parentheses)
1. Corey Seager, SS (1)
2. Julio Urias, LHP (5)
3. Alex Verdugo, OF (51)
4. Jose De Leon, RHP (60)
5. Grant Holmes, RHP (71)
6. Yusnier Diaz, OF (77)
7. Cody Bellinger, 1B/CF (92)
8. Austin Barnes, C/2B
9. Omar Estevez, 2B/3B
10. Frankie Montas, RHP
Overview
Austin Barnes was a tough omission from the top 100 as a catcher who receives and frames really well, who gets on base at a high clip (.393 career OBP in full-season leagues), and who has maybe average power. He's already 26 years old and has never caught 80 games in a season, so while he has a high floor and is too good to be rated just as a backup, it's a stretch to rate him as a full-time catcher; he could end up being a catcher/utility infielder who's on the roster for his bat as much as his glove. Another Cuban outfielder signed along with Yusnier Diaz is Omar Estevez, a polished hitter with a compact swing who stays inside the ball well and lets it travel on him. Estevez lacks Diaz's upside or projectability, but he has a bat that should be ready for the majors pretty quickly. He'll also need to find a position but should be capable at second.
Frankie Montas can throw 101 mph in relief, mid-90s as a starter, but has below-average command, a rough delivery and a history of knee problems (he's a big guy); I think he has to end up in the bullpen and even there is going to have to improve his command of the fastball. Second baseman Micah Johnson (11) was a top-10 prospect in the White Sox's system, acquired with Montas in the three-team deal that sent Todd Frazier to the south side. Johnson is a fleet-footed infielder with a short swing and some upper-body strength, although he's been pretty inconsistent on defense at second and could end up in the outfield. They also picked up Trayce Thompson (14), at least a good fourth outfielder who's a plus defender in center and has plus raw power. He did cut down on his whiffs last year, shortening his swing a little and tightening up his plate discipline just enough where you think he might end up a regular.
Cuban right-hander Yadier Alvarez (12), signed over the summer for $16 million, is an easy 97-98 mph with a wipeout slider, repeating his delivery well … and still hasn't pitched in the U.S. because of visa issues. I hear he's good, though. Willie Calhoun (13), the team's fourth-round pick in 2015, is iffy at second base but has always hit, and shows more power than you'd expect from a 5-foot-9 kid. Even if he ends up in left he'll probably hit his way to some kind of major-league role, and he could be a star if he ever learns to play average defense at the keystone. Right-hander Yasiel Sierra (15), another Cuban who just signed this offseason, has plus sink at 93-94 mph, a reliever profile now but physical enough and with a clean enough delivery that he could develop into a starter.
Jharel Cotton (16) throws 92-95 mph with a plus changeup that has huge tumble to it, with a cutter as his third pitch; it's a third-base side, short stride, slight cutoff delivery that will probably force him to the bullpen but with big upside there because of the two plus pitches. Right-hander Walker Buehler (17) was the Dodgers' first-round pick in 2015 but his post-draft physical revealed a torn elbow ligament and he will be out until midsummer after Tommy John surgery. Chase Dejong (18), added from Toronto in a midseason deal for international slot money (ha!), is a command right-hander who'll show three average pitches and has missed bats in A-ball but doesn't have the weapon to keep that going into Double- or Triple-A.
2016 impact
Thompson could make the club as the fourth outfielder; Barnes could make it as the kind of bench bat/backup catcher I described above.
The fallen
Zach Lee was a projectable, super-athletic right-hander who turned down a scholarship to play quarterback at LSU (or, to carry a clipboard for a year or two and then play quarterback) when he signed with the Dodgers, but his delivery got shorter and his fastball went backward rather than forward. He can still fill up the strike zone but doesn't have anything now that will miss many major-league bats. Their 2013 first-rounder, right-hander Chris Anderson, has been even worse, walking way too many batters and no longer missing bats in Double-A, and almost certainly has to go to the pen, where he might start hitting the upper 90s at least.
Sleeper
Scouts described Alvarez to me as someone who might belong in the top 20 prospects in the game, assuming he is what he was in workouts and actually comes to pitch in the U.S. at some point.