Midseason prospect lists: Corey Seager atop the heap, Jose De Leon rising fast

It is midseason prospect list time, and the Dodgers are well represented by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus in their respective lists this week. The themes are consistent with both - Corey Seager is the best prospect in baseball who is still in the minors, Julio Urias isn't far behind, and Jose De Leon is a rapid riser on the national radar.

Four Dodgers made the Baseball America top 50 list, with Seager No. 1, Urias No. 4, 30-year-old Hector Olivera at No. 16, and De Leon at No. 20.

The Baseball Prospecuts midseason list also has 50 prospects, with four Dodgers making the cut - Seager is No. 1, Urias No. 3, Grant Holmes is No. 37 and De Leon No. 42.

Seager, who was ranked No. 5 by BA and No. 7 by BP in the preseason, is hitting .280/.331/.466 with eight home runs and 17 doubles in 58 games since his promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Seager, 21, was named a reserve for the Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A All-Star Game, to be played on Wednesday, July 15.

Urias has a 3.00 ERA in seven starts this season for Double-A Tulsa, with 46 strikeouts and only nine walks in 36 innings. He is close to returning to the Drillers after surgery on his left eye in June.

"Scouts and coaches can’t believe someone this polished is only 18 years old," said the Baseball America report.

Urias turns 19 on Aug. 12. He was ranked 10th on both lists in the preseason.

De Leon, who turns 23 on Aug. 7, is 6-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 15 starts this season between Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa, with a whopping 112 strikeouts and 29 walks in 83 innings.

"He always had plus arm strength, but he now consistently sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, occasionally touching 98," wrote Christopher Crawford at BP. "The slider is a plus pitch with hard, downward tilt, and the change shows the makings of being a solid-average offering"

De Leon did not rank in the top 100 (or 101) in either preseason list.