Dodgers: Checking In on the Organization’s Top Ranked Prospects

The debut of Walker Buehler as a starter on Monday gave a lot of people a good idea of the future the Dodgers could have. He was electric, dominating, and exciting. Whatever you want to call it, there was certainly a buzz in the air. And more of a buzz than the usual post-World Series crowd noise. So who else is waiting in the wings? Well, there is plenty of talent in the minor leagues just waiting to break out, and these prospects look great already.

Keibert Ruiz hits clutch 3 run homer in the 9th to give the Drillers a 5-4 lead, but Arkansas scores 2 in the bottom of the 9th facing Tulsa shortstop Michael Ahmed who took the mound in the 9th.

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— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) April 24, 2018

Keibert Ruiz

He has had the baseball world buzzing since he left his Venezuelan home to pursue dreams of becoming a major league player. At just 18 years old, Keibert Ruiz hit 316 with 8 home runs between Rancho Cucamonga and Great Lakes last season. His age 19 seasons is no different. Just 13 games in and Ruiz has hit three home runs at a 286 mark. He is also crushing right-handed pitching, hitting 310 from the left side of the plate. He could be a big part of the Dodgers lineup very soon. Especially if Yasmani Grandal is picked up elsewhere in free agency this Winter.

Connor Wong

The name might ring a bell, as he has picked up a lot of hype in the first few games of the season. In his 12 games at Class A Advanced, Wong is hitting an absurd 396 with eight home runs. Wong was taken in the third round of the 2017 draft and will be 22-years old in a few weeks. All the makings of a superstar at the big league level. He is almost certain to play into the team’s long-term infield plans. Imagine that sort of bat paired with the likes of Bellinger and Seager.

DJ Peters

The big man made a name for himself during Spring Training this year, mashing a couple of home runs in his limited appearances. He keeps doing it at AA ball as well, hitting 4 in his 15 games. Peters is now at a 306/397/565 mark on the season and looks primed for a huge year at the minor league level. He has already hit 44 home runs since the start of his 2016 rookie-ball season, so he should be getting big league opportunities within the next year or so. DJ certainly looks to be a potential everyday outfielder and a huge one at that. He currently measures in at 6’6″ and 225 pounds.

Dennis Santana

So much offensive talent at the minor league level that you almost forget about the Dodgers overabundance of young arms. Dennis Santana has always had star potential but is truly breaking out this year. The right-handed flamethrower has pitched four games at AA Tulsa and allowed just three runs. He has also struck out 25 batters compared to just 5 walks in his 18 innings pitched. Santana will likely join Walker Buehler in the Dodgers big league rotation one day, but he will require some seasoning. He had a 4.11 era in 24 games last season and struggled with his command in a big way.

Analysis

It’s always exciting to see the potential that your future roster has, and these guys have it. The Dodgers look to be set up to compete for a very long time, and hopefully, these are guys that can help contribute to a string of World Series titles. Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager, Austin Barnes, Kyle Farmer and Joc Pederson are already at the big league level. Just wait until these guys arrive.