Dodgers’ Josue De Paula Keeps Climbing National Rankings
The Los Angeles Dodgers are no strangers to producing talent. If there’s one thing the Dodgers know how to do, it’s scouting amateur talent and developing it. While the Dodgers have many talented players they’ve signed via free agency or traded for, their homegrown talent is second to none, and that remains the case in 2024.
The Dodgers have one of the best farm systems in baseball, led by standouts including the organization’s No. 2 prospect, Josue De Paula. De Paula, 19, is already turning heads with the Single-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Recently, he landed inside the top 20 in The Athletic’s Top 50 MLB prospect rankings after the first two months of the 2024 season.
De Paula was the No. 25 prospect in MLB according to Keith Law when his preseason rankings were released. Law updated his rankings Monday and moved De Paula up to No. 16.
De Paula continues to play well beyond his age at the plate, with an extremely advanced approach for a teenager and plenty of hard contact already. With his physical projection remaining, he looks like a high-OBP, 25+ homer guy in the making. He’s a corner outfielder now and could end up at first base, which is really the only thing holding him out of the global top 10 at the moment.
— Keith Law, The Athletic
The teenager from the Dominican Republic is making a name for himself at an early age. De Paula is having showing signs of a special 2024 season, slashing .268/.374/.471 with an .845 OPS, five home runs, 42 hits, and 27 RBIs in 41 games and 157 at-bats.
The 19-year-old looks a step more athletic this year. The Dodgers hope his skill and twitchiness help him become more effective on the bases and in the outfield. De Paula possesses all the tools to potentially be a star in the major leagues. We could see De Paula donning the Dodger blue sooner rather than later at this rate.
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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