{"id":113111,"date":"2026-01-29T19:30:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=113111"},"modified":"2026-01-29T19:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T00:30:08","slug":"dodgers-top-prospects-observations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/29\/dodgers-top-prospects-observations\/","title":{"rendered":"Observations about the Dodgers Top Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>One of the reasons the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a juggernaut the last several years is their tremendous depth. As a result, they have won back-to-back World Series. However, the major-league <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/20\/offseason-dodgers-news-rumors-roster-construction\/\" target=\"_self\">roster<\/a> isn&#8217;t the only place the depth is featured. Keith Law of The Athletic released his list of the top prospects a few days ago, and the Dodgers are tied with the Seattle Mariners for having seven players in the list, the most of any team.<\/p>\n<h2>Observations about the Dodgers Top Prospects<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Every Dodgers prospect ranked in a Top 100 + their highest ranking.<\/p>\n<p>9) Eduardo Quintero (Athletic)<br \/>\n15) Josue De Paula (Pipeline)<br \/>\n27) Zyhir Hope (Pipeline)<br \/>\n45) Mike Sirota (Baseball America)<br \/>\n55) River Ryan (Athletic)<br \/>\n65) Emil Morales (ESPN)<br \/>\n87) Alex Freeland (Athletic) <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bluMHcsRUA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/bluMHcsRUA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BlakeHHarris\/status\/2016225506761572780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 27, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Position Heavy<\/h3>\n<p>The Dodgers are loaded in the outfield. Five of the seven players roam the farthest away from the plate. However, since the Dodgers <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/01\/15\/report-dodgers-sign-all-star-outfielder-kyle-tucker\/\" target=\"_self\">recently signed<\/a> right fielder <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/tuckemi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Tucker<\/a>, it appears they feel these players are a bit green and not quite ready for the major leagues yet. Los Angeles&#8217; standard operating procedure is to let these prospects get as much seasoning as possible before promoting them. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=ward--010rya,ward--003rya,ward--005rya,ward--009rya&amp;search=Ryan+Ward&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ryan Ward<\/a> is the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/11\/06\/dodgers-designating-former-all-star-for-assignment\/\" target=\"_self\">latest example<\/a>, despite his incredible offensive production. This landed him the Pacific Coast League&#8217;s player of the Year, but he was still behind veteran <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/confomi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Conforto,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/05\/13\/dodgers-patience-michael-conforto-being-tested\/\" target=\"_self\">who struggled<\/a> mightily in a Dodger uniform. The fact that Ward had no options forced the Dodgers&#8217; hand, and they added him to the 40-man roster last month. Word is, he may be on the trade block.<\/p>\n<h3>Where are the Pitchers?<\/h3>\n<p>The Dodgers are known for their pitching depth. \u00a0However, only one of the prospects toes the rubber. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/ryanri01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">River Ryan<\/a> has raised eyebrows since he was acquired from the San Diego Padres. He spent some time in the big leagues and showed that he was up to the challenge. Unfortunately, he had a season-ending injury. If he stays healthy, he is the most likely candidate for the major league roster.<\/p>\n<h3>A Star in the Making?<\/h3>\n<p><a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=morale003emi&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emil Morales<\/a> is a newcomer to the list. He joins <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/f\/freelal01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Freeland<\/a> on the list. If he develops physically, he may not stay there. He ended the 2025 season in Low A with a batting average of over .300. He has a penchant for power. But he has room and time to grow. He hits the fastball well, but his contact rate on off-speed pitches needs improvement. His non-contact rate is over 40 percent. His jump into the rankings has been impressive for one so young. Morales may be the hidden gem of the Los Angeles class.<\/p>\n<h3>A Coveted Quarry<\/h3>\n<p>Michael Sirota has also jumped into the ratings after a breakout season and was originally drafted by the Dodgers. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. However, he was reacquired in return for Gavin Lux<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2025\/01\/06\/dodgers-trade-gavin-lux-reds\/\" target=\"_self\">.<\/a> His defense may be suspect. However, his ability rake may overcome fielding inefficiency. \u00a0He has been able to hit at every level thus far, and his progress has only been interrupted by a knee injury last year. <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=depaul002jos&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josue De Paula<\/a> has a similar makeup to Sirota. His offensive progress was put on hold due to a hamstring injury. He made the top 100 list last year as well.<\/p>\n<p>However, the name that draws the most attention, both inside and outside the organization, is <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=quinte000edu&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-29_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eduardo Quintero<\/a>. Of this class of potential stars, Quintero is the most major-league-ready. His defense is as polished as his offense. He is in the top ten of this class after not making the list in 2025. If the Dodgers make a major trade this season, Quintero will be on other teams&#8217; radar.<\/p>\n<p>It appears the Dodgers are not only set to win this year but are also well-positioned for the future.<\/p>\n<p><span>Main Photo Credits: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the reasons the Los Angeles Dodgers have been a juggernaut the last several years is their tremendous depth. As a result, they have won back-to-back World Series. However, the major-league roster isn&#8217;t the only place the depth is featured. Keith Law of The Athletic released his list of the top prospects a few [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5226,"featured_media":113129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33,1071],"tags":[29076,2055,28619],"class_list":["post-113111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dodgers","category-mlb","tag-alex-freeland","tag-gavin-lux","tag-river-ryan"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113111"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113130,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113111\/revisions\/113130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}