Dodgers have 3 of top 20 prospects on Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus midseason lists

The 2014 midseason prospect lists are out at both Baseball Prospectus and Baseball America, and two things are clear: everybody loves Julio Urias, and with Corey Seager and Joc Pederson the Dodgers have three of the top 20 prospects in baseball.

Urias was the highest-ranked Dodgers on both lists, checking in as the No. 13 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, and No. 15 at Baseball Prospectus. In the preseason, the 17-year-old left-hander was ranked 51st by BA and 35th by BP, and 14th by Keith Law at ESPN (Law tweeted that his midseason prospect rankings will be released on July 17).

Urias has a 3.51 ERA in the hitter-friendly California League, with 55 strikeouts and 24 walks in 51⅔ innings for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, with only three home runs allowed. The Baseball America blurb about Urias calls him a "precocious 17-year-old with plus stuff and advanced feel is dominating high Class A hitters."

Seager is ranked No. 16 by BA, No. 19 by BP, up from 37th and 44th respectively, thanks to dominating the Cal League. The 20-year-old shortstop is hitting .353/409/.628 with 17 home runs, 31 doubles and 65 RBI in 76 games with the Quakes.

Seager is leading the Cal League in hits, total bases, doubles, slugging percentage and OPS and is second in batting average and tied for third in RBI. He was named to the California League All-Star team in June.

"The question now becomes whether he can stay at shortstop, and by some accounts, including my own, it appears he can—for the time being, at least," wrote Chris Rodriguez at Baseball Prospectus. "His glove is above average and he plays the position with the smoothness of a seasoned veteran, not of a 20-year-old."

Pederson was ranked No. 17 by BP and No. 18 by BA, up from 50th and 44th, respectively, in the preseason. The 22-year-old center fielder is hitting .319/.437/.568 with 17 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 57 walks in 74 games with Triple-A Albuquerque. Pederson was named to the Pacific Coast League team for the Triple-A All-Star Game that will be played on July 16 in Durham.

Baseball America said of Pederson, "Power/speed prospect will force the Dodgers to clear room for him—or trade him—before long."

For both lists, 2014 draftees were not eligible, though at the end of the Baseball Prospectus rankings, Jason Parks wrote about a few draftees and where they might rank. Dodgers first-round pick, RHP Grant Holmes, was mentioned as a definite candidate for a top 101 prospect during the 2014 offseason, described as a "high school power arm with potential for high effort plus-plus fastball/breaking ball combo to go with a bulldog mentality and build."