Do the Dodgers Develop or Acquire Their Superstars
As I said on my first post back at LADT, I am a contrarian. While I am not a contrian just to be one, I do have strong takes on the Dodger Farm system, and they do not always ally with the LAD faithful. Over the years, I have fully acknowledged and reported that the Dodgers have…
As I said on my first post back at LADT, I am a contrarian. While I am not a contrian just to be one, I do have strong takes on the Dodger Farm system, and they do not always ally with the LAD faithful.
Over the years, I have fully acknowledged and reported that the Dodgers have put more players into MLB than any other team. Not long ago I did a research project on the Dodgers who were drafted during the AF era and made MLB, and learned that they indeed put more players in the League than any other organization. Houston had the 2nd most. It is probably time for another project.
But my bar goes higher. How many home grown LAD prospects have gone on to become All Stars? A team can develop them, trade for them, or sign them as a FA. LAD does all three, but puts more emphasis on the second two.
The current LAD 26-man roster has 9 home grown players: Will Smith, Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Emmet Sheehan, Jack Dreyer, Edgardo Henriquez, and Alex Freeland. While only two are potential All Stars this year, all will be counted on to produce enough to pull off a 3-peat.
Please do not misunderstand. I completly agree with Mark that Will Smith is a HUGE success when it comes to LAD development. The same appears to be true with Andy Pages, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and Justin Wrobleski. I will also include River Ryan in that group. He may not have been drafted by LAD, but it was LAD that has fostered his development as a pitcher.
Smith and Pages are absolutely stars who have been developed by the Dodgers system. I was in Smith’s corner when the discussion was Smith or Keibert Ruiz. I have been in Pages’ corner, even to the dismay of many regarding my comments that I prefer Pages over PCA. But let’s not pretend that every organization does not develop stars. They all do.
LAD home grown All Stars since the AF era: Walker Buehler, Tony Gonsolin, Will Smith, and Zach McKinstry (Detroit). Hopefully this year, Andy Pages and Michael Busch (Cubs) will be added.
OTOH, Ned Colletti was the top LAD baseball executive from 2006 to 2014. He drafted, or signed as Amateur Free Agents, multiple players who later became MLB All Stars: Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, Nathan Eovaldi, Yasiel Puig, Julio Urías, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and Ross Stripling…Kenley Jansen was signed two years prior to Colletti as a catcher, but he was converted to a HOF reliever and was developed as such under Colletti’s development team.
Home grown Washington Nationals developed under Mike Rizzo from 2009-2019: Stephen Strasburg (2009), Bryce Harper (2010), Robbie Ray (2010), Anthony Rendon (2011), Lucas Giolito (2012), Nick Pivetta (2013), Erick Fedde (2014), and Jesus Luzardo (2016).
Billy Beane and The Athletics have developed Mason Miller, Sonny Gray, Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, and Yoenis Cespedes. Only Kurtz has not made an All Star team…YET.
The difference is that the latter two do not have the necessary $$$$ to retain them, while the Dodgers do, if they choose to. It is hard to develop a consistent contender if you cannot retain your young stars, and are constantly rebuilding.
Now if you want to say that no team scouts better than the Dodgers, you will get no push back from me. From advance scouts at the MLB and MiLB level and amateur scouts (national and international), the Dodgers are at the top of the pyramid. I am not about to do the research, but I find it hard to believe that there are many amateur scouts better than Marty Lamb.
I also fully recognize that where the Dodgers draft, it is difficult to develop superstars compared to teams that are consistently drafting in the top ten. This year, the Dodgers will lose 4 draft picks (2, 3, 5, and 6), and $1MM in International bonus pool $$$. I do not think they are complaining about the losses when compared to adding Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz.
The Dodgers generally draft or sign (IFA) players with higher floors. That works for them, extremely well. No team in MLB comes close to the depth the Dodgers have. Is that scouting or development? Undoubtedly both, but to what degree?
For the majority of stars on the team, they look at trades for All Stars (Mookie and Glasnow) and All Star Free Agents/Purchased (Shohei, Yamamoto, Freddie, Muncy, Teoscar, Tucker, Snell, and Díaz).
I am passionate about the prospects, and I follow them religiously. I root for every one of them, even Maddux Bruns. So I am hopeful that the next group coming up makes more of a mark. But even if you look at the top LAD prospects, 7 of the top 12 came to LAD via trade (Hope, Sirota, Ryan, Ferris, Zazueta, Tibbs III, Serwinowski). Three other Top 30 prospects were acquired via trade: Ehrhard, Hurt, and Miller. I still consider them all home grown.
Which one of De Paula, Hope, Sirota, Quintero, Tibbs III, or Ehrhard will be developed enough to stick with LAD? Some have to be moved, right? Or do they languish in MiLB like Ryan Ward and Kody Hoese?Right behind them is Davalan, Ko, Vidourek, and Tunink. And probaably Chase Harlan whose best position may be a corner OF.
So it is true that the Dodgers do develop players, but they rely more on other avenues to acquire their superstars at the MLB level.
MiLB WRAP
OKC Comets pounded out 18 hits and scored 13 runs on their way to a 13-8 victory over the Las Vegas Aviators (A’s) in Las Vegas. OKC sent 5 pitchers to the hill, and only Keynan Middleton was unscored on in 1.1 IP.
The hitting star in this one was Zach Ehrhard who went 4-6 with a pair of doubles and RBIs. Ryan Fitzgerald also with a big night going 4-6 night and 3 RBIs. The big RBI bat belonged to Nick Senzel who went 3-6 with 7 RBIs, including a Grand Slam in the 6th.
Eliézer Alfonzo had 3 hits and a walk. James Tibbs III continued his hot bat with 2 hits, including his 3rd HR and 4th double.
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (120)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Number saved and just messaged you my man
Received my friend
I thought HPU, Quinn Walcott had a really good night last night behind the dish. Ump Scorecard had him with 5 misses. I saw 3 according to the Magic Rectangle on the screen; 2 in the first and 1 in the 9th. Nice to see a quality job back there. And only one late WTF challenge.
In this lineup I think his character will fall in line. It’s good to be back (morphometically)
The Great Lakes opening day roster is not final, but it sure looks to be very close to being so. It looks like Kellon Lindsey and Ching-Hsien Ko are being held back in extended spring training. However, Mike Sirota and Charles Davalan are on the opening day Great Lakes roster. I am with Mark on Sirota. He should not start in A+. He hit better than both Hope and De Paula at Great Lakes. Yes, much smaller sample size, but in 155 PA, Sirota batted .316/.458/.556/1.014, 33 BB, 36 K, 36 RBI. With 271 additional PA, De Paula had only 44 RBIs with a sub Mendoza BA wRISP and 2 outs. Hope struck out 139 times (26.6%). De Paula struck out 20.2% and Sirota struck out 21.9%. Sirota’s batting line wRISP and 2 outs,.316/.469/.684/1.184. Hope was in between the Sirota and De Paula. Sirota (RH hitter) hits RHP well, but crushes LHP. Hope (LH hitter) has very even splits, while De Paula (LH hitter) had reverse splits. He hit LHP well, but was not very good against RHP. AB/HR: Sirota – 19.5 De Paula – 28.5 Hope – 33.62 Sirota is primarily a CF who can play RF and LF, and is considered a better defensive OF than both Hope and De Paula. With Quintero on the GL roster, Sirota will probably be more RF, but will get some CF time. Sirota is 2 years younger than Chris Newell and Kole Myers, and 1 year younger than Kyle Nevin. He is certainly a better prospect than any of the three. That is not just my opinion, but also every baseball publication rating prospects. I do not see any way that any of Newell, Myers, or Nevin make the LAD OF. Damon Keith has to be pleased that he is now in the Brewers organization. I can hear the argument now. What is the big deal? Sirota is going to get moved up at some point. Maybe it is not a big deal to fans, but believe me when I say it matters to the players. They see what is ahead of them and wonder why. Sirota knows he belongs in AA. I am sure he got the big pick me up speech, and again I can tell you that does not help that much. I believe that Ryan Ward’s tough start was partly due to having to go back to the PCL after being the PCL MVP in 2025. What does he have to do to get a chance? Players see this. Other Great Lakes players – I am still semi-bullish on Victor Rodrigues behind the dish. He is two years younger than Yeiner Fernandez, who probably plays more 2B now, and three years younger than Nelson Quiroz, both at Tulsa. Rodrigues has not disappointed at any level yet. Sirota and Quintero headline a good OF. The infield looks to be middling at best. Great Lakes pitching should be good with Zach Root, Aiden Foeller, Sterling Patick, Jakob Wright, and Christian Zazueta as starters. Patick gets the opening day start. Reynaldo Yean, Justin Chambers, and Alex Makarewich should be in the pen. Yean and Makarewich both throw very hard, but both have a real problem finding the strike zone. They could decide to lengthen Chambers into a starting role. Logan Tabeling could move between the SP and RP. I look for Root to get moved to AA by summer, with Patick and Zazueta before the end of the season
I go with your last comment. I do not think Will Smith is the most out-going or fiery player. He just quietly goes about his business. Not every player can be Kiké or Teoscar. I only care about results, and after 6 games, I am not about to make any kind of judgement. I think the pomp and circumstances revolving around opening week had a lot to do with the slow start. Let’s see what they do on the road trip.
With the Minor League season opening this week, here’s where the Dodgers’ Top 30 Prospects are projected to start: Dodgers Top 30 prospects 1. Josue De Paula (MLB No. 13), OF — Tulsa (Double-A) 2. Zyhir Hope (MLB No. 25), OF — Tulsa (Double-A) 3. Eduardo Quintero (MLB No. 28), OF — Great Lakes (High-A) 4. Mike Sirota (MLB No. 58), OF — Great Lakes (High-A) 5. Emil Morales (MLB No. 89), SS — Ontario (Single-A) 6. River Ryan, RHP — Extended spring training 7. Jackson Ferris, LHP — Extended spring training 8. Alex Freeland, INF — Los Angeles (MLB) 9. Charles Davalan, OF — Great Lakes (High-A) 10. Christian Zazueta, RHP — Great Lakes (High-A) 11. James Tibbs III, OF/1B — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 12. Adam Serwinowski, LHP — Tulsa (Double-A) 13. Zach Root, LHP — Great Lakes (High-A) 14. Kendall George, OF — Tulsa (Double-A) 15. Ching-Hsien Ko, OF — Extended spring training 16. Kellon Lindsey, SS — Extended spring training 17. Chase Harlan, 3B — Ontario (Single-A) 18. Zach Ehrhard, OF — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 19. Marlon Nieves, RHP — Ontario (Single-A) 20. Ryan Ward, OF/1B — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 21. Joendry Vargas, SS — Ontario (Single-A) 22. Cam Leiter, RHP — Ontario (Single-A) 23. Sterling Patick, LHP — Great Lakes (High-A) 24. Kyle Hurt, RHP — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 25. Payton Martin, RHP — Tulsa (Double-A) 26. Elijah Hainline, INF — Tulsa (Double-A) 27. Landyn Vidourek, OF — Ontario (Single-A) 28. Brendan Tunink, OF — Ontario (Single-A) 29. Noah Miller, SS — Oklahoma City (Triple-A) 30. Patrick Copen, RHP — Tulsa (Double-A)
At the baseball age of 20, and after a one year and a total of 500 MiLB AB, Pittsburgh is promoting SS Konnor Griffin to the Big Club. I have not looked forward to a MLB SS making his debut since Bobby Witt Jr.
I am sure he will get moved at some point
“Dodgers have lowest draft bonus pool in MLB $3.95 million to spend is LA’s lowest since slotting system was implemented in 20 Major League Baseball on Wednesday unveiled its recommended slot values for the 2026 MLB Draft, which determines the bonus pools that each team has to spend this July. After signing star free agents Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker this offseason, the Dodgers in this year’s draft have the lowest bonus pool in MLB and their lowest bonus pool in the 15 years of the slotting system. Bonus pools are determined by adding up the recommended slot values for every pick through the 10th round. Because both Díaz and Tucker rejected qualifying offers from their former teams in November, and because the Dodgers were a competitive-balance-tax-paying team, Los Angeles lost a pair of 2026 draft picks with each signing. For Díaz, the Dodgers forfeited their second-round and fifth-round picks, and for Tucker they lost their third-round and sixth-round picks”. “That leaves only six picks in the first 10 rounds of the 2026 draft, and the Dodgers have a total bonus pool of $3,951,500 . Round Overall pick Slot value 1 40 $2,504,200 4 132 $575,300 7 223 $260,300 8 253 $218,500 9 283 $201,700 10 313 $191,900 Total $3,951,500 The Dodgers’ previous lowest bonus pool was in 2022 with $4,223,800 to spend. “The depth of our system put us in a position where, while the cost is still meaningful, it wasn’t as significant. We have a very strong system up top,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in January. “But even more than that, I think the depth of our system allows us this one year to have our food budget for the draft meetings exceed our signing bonuses. It’s not great by any means, but just trying to balance that with doing everything we could to put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026.” “The 2026 MLB Draft place will be held from July 11-13 in Philadelphia, the host city for this year’s All-Star Game”.
Hope you are well my friend.
RHP Chris Campos and RHP Antonio Knowles have both been placed on 7-day IL by OKC. LHP Jake Eder is taking one spot. Grant Holman was assigned to ACL Dodgers. River Ryan is still with the ACL Dodgers as of this AM.
First round draft pick dropping down to #40 was always going to happen. Losing the 4 draft picks certainly is not helpful, but how many 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th draft picks will match what Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz will do for LAD. Their lower level talent should be enough to offset the looming losses from this year’s draft. They also have multiple prospects who might be flipped for others who could make up for the draft pick losses. I suspect we will see a lot of underslot picks. BTW the Dodgmore ers did fairly well in the 2022 draft: 1. Dalton Rushing (#40) 2. Alex Freeland (#105) 7. Chris Campos (#225) 11. Kyle Nevin (#345) 13. Chris Newell (#405) 17. Payton Martin (#525)
Update Per MLB,com: “The system’s two best pitching prospects, Ryan and left-hander Jackson Ferris, got a little extra time in extended spring training to prepare for the season. Ryan will start for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday and Ferris should join the Comets next week. Likewise, outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko (quadriceps tweak) and shortstop Kellon Lindsey (shoulder impingement in 2025) also are getting extra reps before heading to Single-A Ontario by the end of the month.”
The game, tomorrow in the series opener against the Washington Nationals, has the first pitch set for 1:05PM ET.
Tucker will be fine. Freddie has been stinging the ball. Teo is starting to hit. Pages is HOT! Smith will hit. The only concern I have is second base. Who knows, Freeland might start to hit, especially if the rest of the team gets it going. No worries! It’s going to come! Supermoto made 2 pitches last night he would like to have back! Other than that he was good! Scott grooved one. He still looks like a different pitcher to me than last season. Klein could be a sleeper! He could become a valuable late inning guy! Good for him! Vesia? I want him to be a Dodger for life!!
Thanks for that comprehensive update, Andrew.
Very close. Cup of Coffee in the A’s system
Still won 4 of 6 which is pretty good. They are all going to hit.
Luke Fox has grown so much since last season as a pitcher. He is dominating at Tulsa tonight. Another LH Starter!