While the Dodgers used much of their prospect capital to trade for players at the deadline, the system is still deep and good. Most of the talent is a few years away from Los Angeles, but the potential is sky-high.
It’s just a matter of time. Dalton Rushing is the closest player available to help the Dodgers next season. He took a big step forward and hit better in the Texas and PCL League than in the Midwest League. The Dodgers have played him in left field, and that is likely how he’ll break into the Major Leagues.
Josue De Paula is one of the best young prospects in the game, but he has yet to hit his stride. There’s going to be big-boy power with a feel to hit. Zyhir Hope, Eduardo Quintero, and Joendry Vargas are three teenagers who have significant upsides but are a few years away from making their Major League debut.
Their pitching continues to be extremely strong but with many significant injuries. River Ryan and Kyle Hurt had TJS, Nick Frasso was out all season with a shoulder issue, and Maddux Bruns missed half the season with a back injury.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Josue De Paula
- Biggest Mover: Zyhir Hope
- Biggest Disappointment: Maddux Bruns – can’t throw strikes and spent a lot of time on the IL
- Emerging Prospect: Emil Morales
1. Josue De Paula (OF)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 OF Top 15 1B
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He has excellent bat speed and an impressive feel for hitting as a teenager.
Josue De Paula has jumped up to the number one prospect in the Dodgers organization.
The Dodgers started him in Low-A to begin the 2024 season, and he more than held his own as a teenager, slashing .279/388/.447 with six home runs and 14 stolen bases. In the middle of June, he was promoted to High-A, and while he got off to a slow start, he wound up with a solid slash line of .254/.422/.356 with more walks than strikeouts. The contact quality wasn’t great, but it’s understandable when you consider the weather and the fact that he was the youngest player in the league by nearly six months. He didn’t turn 20 until May.
His carrying tool will be plus power. He has excellent bat speed, and as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-3 frame, it will start translating into the box scores. I can’t tell you when, but he will show up one season having put on 20 pounds, and then you will see it. He’s an average runner now, and as he continues to fill out his 6-foot-3 body, stolen bases will not be a big part of his profile in the future. That should not matter too much, as there is 25+ home run pop with a chance for him to hit with high on-base skills.
Defensively, he’s already moved to a corner outfield spot. However, given his size, a move to first base is not out of the question. Regardless, the bat will carry him no matter where he plays.
2. Dalton Rushing (OF/C)
- Highest Level: Triple-A ETA: 2025 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 40 Outfielder or Top 15 Catcher
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He has above-average power and high on-base skills. He’s also improved his contact skills.
With the change in environment from the cold weather of Midland, Michigan (Great Lake Loons—High-A) to the scorching heat of Tulsa, Oklahoma (Texas League—Double-A), Dalton Rushing’s game took off.
In 77 games, he slashed .270/.378/.512 with 17 home runs. He was rewarded with a promotion to Triple-A in early August, and more importantly, he’s primarily played left field. This is why the Dodgers are so good. They take an offensive player that is completely blocked but recognize he’s athletic enough to play somewhere else, and they move him. Could he catch in a pinch? Absolutely. Plus, they are still trying to get Diego Cartaya straight, and he was behind the plate.
Assuming he doesn’t fail in the outfield, I think that’s how he makes his way to the Major Leagues. The upside is a middle-of-the-order bat with high OBP and 20 to 25 home run power.
3. River Ryan (RHP)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 30 SP
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He has an extensive arsenal with a plus fastball, and enough control to pitch at the top of the rotation. He looked great in his four MLB starts before blowing out his elbow. He’ll likely miss the entire 2025 season.
Ugh. This was personally painful as I had River Ryan in several Dynasty Leagues. In his short time in the big leagues, he looked great. He’s athletic with a big fastball and five or six secondary pitches that missed bats. Plus, he was throwing strikes. He looked like a top-of-the-rotation starter. Then he blew out his elbow during his fourth start, missed the rest of the season, and will likely miss all of 2025. What a bummer!
He’ll likely float all next year on my Top 100, but he’ll be 27 years old when he pitches again, making him the oldest prospect I’ve ever ranked in my Top 100.
4. Justin Wrobleski (LHP)
- Highest Level: Majors ETA: 2024 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP with upside.
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: Athletic pitcher with a potential plus arsenal.
Justin Wrobleski had Tommy John Surgery after his junior year in college and fell to the eleventh round in the 2021 Draft. The Dodgers took the gamble and have been reaping the rewards.
The lefty started the 2024 season in Double-A. After 13 starts and a 3.06 ERA, he was promoted to Triple-A, where he started two games before getting the call to Los Angeles. He finished the season bouncing between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City.
He has impressive stuff, including a fastball that will touch 98 MPH (95.2 MPH average) with tremendous ride through the zone (2409 RPM). Since he’s a lefty, this is a nasty pitch and why he’s getting nearly a 30% whiff rate. It sets up his plus slider, which tallied a 30% whiff rate. He doesn’t throw his change-up often, but it has excellent shape and fade.
I have his ceiling as a number three starter, but based on the early returns, he might exceed that.
5. Zyhir Hope (OF)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2026-27 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 50 OF with upside
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He’s highly athletic with emerging power and a growing understanding of the strike zone.
When the Dodgers acquired Zyhir Hope in the Michael Busch trade over the winter, most Dynasty League owners said, “Who?” and ran to their waiver wire to place a bid. If you did that, congratulations. It appears the Dodgers, once again, knew what they were doing.
Hope was the Cubs’ 11th-round pick in 2023 and is one of the best athletes in the Dodgers system. He’s a 70-runner with excellent bat speed already translating into over-the-fence power. He expands the strike zone and makes questionable swing decisions, but he was one of the youngest players in Low-A. While he got off to a strong start, he missed 10 weeks with a fractured rib in the middle of the season. When he returned, he picked up right where he left off and looked great.
I love the setup here. While he only showed modest stolen base and home run production, don’t be fooled. He’s a 70 runner, and as he fills out, the power should come.
6. Eduardo Quintero (OF)
- Highest Level: Low-A ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 OF with upside
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He has speed, growing power, and an excellent understanding of the strike zone for a teenager.
Initially signed as a catcher, the Dodgers have moved Venezuelan Eduardo Quintero to the outfield, and he’s thriving. He’s showing an impressive understanding of the strike zone for an 18-year-old with more power than you would think. He’s also a plus runner.
He was one of the top performers in the Arizona Complex League, slashing .330/.459/.449 with three home runs and 29 stolen bases. The 29 stolen bases are noteworthy, as he didn’t steal a base in the first 15 games of the season and amassed the total in the final 41 games.
To end the season, he was rewarded with a promotion to Low-A. He continued showing great understanding of the strike zone but was overwhelmed and beat everything into the ground. It was a small sample size, and I have not changed my ceiling as a result.
Quintero is one of the more exciting players in the lower levels of the minor leagues. If he develops power, he could be an impact fantasy player. Even if his power is modest, he could post a high batting average and OBP with 30+ stolen bases.
7. Joendry Vargas (SS)
- Highest Level: Complex ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 SS
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He can potentially be a power-hitting infielder in the mold of Xander Bogaerts.
In 2023, the Dodgers spent over $2 million to sign one of the class’s top players, Joendry Vargas. The early returns are pretty impressive. He hit .328 with seven home runs in the DSL in 2023. The Dodgers assigned him to the Arizona Complex League in 2024, and he continued to perform well, slashing .303/.406/.493 with a .386 BABIP. He also showed patience at the plate with a few too many strikeouts (22.8% strikeout and 12.3% walk rate). At 6-foot-4, strikeouts will likely be part of the profile, but as he fills out, so could substantial over-the-fence power.
8. Jackson Ferris (LHP)
- Highest Level: Double-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 45 SP or Reliever
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: Intriguing arsenal who has trouble throwing strikes.
Jackson Ferris was the Cubs’ second-round pick in 2022 and was traded as part of the deal to acquire Michael Busch. The Dodgers have been aggressive with him in 2024, assigning him to High-A as one of the youngest pitchers in the league. While the strikeout-to-walk ratio doesn’t look great, he has an extensive arsenal with a fastball that will touch 96 MPH, a plus slider, and a change-up that has taken a step up. He can’t yet repeat his delivery as he still has the long arm swing that caused control problems with the Cubs. If the Dodgers can fix his delivery, the stuff points to a mid-rotation starter. He could become an effective bullpen piece if he continues to have problems throwing strikes.
9. Jose Rodriguez (RHP)
- Highest Level: High-A ETA: 2026 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 60 SP with upside
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: Tall, lanky pitcher with a fastball already touching 96 MPH with a decent-looking change-up and curveball.
The Dodgers have been on a slow burn with Jose Rodriguez. He was signed in 2019 and got a late start due to the Covid year. He then spent two seasons in DSL before making his stateside debut in 2023. He turned 23 in July.
In 2024, he split his time between Low and High-A and pitched exceptionally well. In 25 games (eight starts), he posted a 3.38 ERA, striking out 126 and walking 32. He did several piggybacks in his 25 games, and it appears the Dodgers are developing him as a starter.
Rodriguez is a tall, lanky right-hander at 6 feet 6 inches and is already throwing 96 MPH. As he puts on weight, he should add velocity. He throws a change-up and curveball that both show promise. Given his height, his control is not always there, but that should come over time, as with many tall pitchers.
I wish he were 19, but he’s not. However, the Dodgers are not afraid to move pitchers through their system slowly and have them make their debut at age 25 or 26. Using that logic, Rodriguez is right on schedule.
10. Emil Morales (SS)
- Highest Level: DSL ETA: 2027 Fantasy Ceiling: Top 15 3B with extreme risk
- Last Updated: 12/20/2024
- Tools Summary: He has the size and strength to develop significant future power. There are questions about how much contact he will make.
Emil Morales signed with the Dodgers for just under $1.9 million in January 2024. He’s an offensive-oriented player with size and excellent exit velocities. He led the DSL in home runs with 14 but also struck out 22.4% of the time. Once he faces better pitching stateside, contact might become a significant problem as his swing is long. He’s currently an above-average runner, but as he fills out, I do not believe speed will be a big part of his profile.
Defensively, I do not believe he will stay at shortstop; moving to third base or even first base is possible.
It will come down to how much he hits, and I’m worried that his swing and miss will become an issue. We should know much more as he competes in the Arizona Complex League in 2025. However, the power could be significant, and with the Dodgers’ history of developing players, he’s someone in which to invest.
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