Three Dodgers among MLB.com top 100 prospects

It’s been a busy week for national prospect lists, with MLB Pipeline the latest to reveal their top 100. The Dodgers placed three players among the top 52 on this list, unveiled on Saturday night on MLB Network.

Walker Buehler leads the pack at No. 13, with Alex Verdugo ranked 33rd, followed by catcher Keibert Ruiz at No. 52.

A clear pattern is beginning to emerge with those three among the top 100 prospects in baseball on the three main national lists to date, including Baseball America and ESPN. Buehler and Verdugo have ranked first and second among Dodgers on all three lists.

Verdugo made his major league debut in 2017 after a season that saw him hit .314/.389/.436 with 27 doubles in Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was 4-for-23 (.174) in his 15 games in the majors in September. Verdugo’s MLB.com scouting report remains high on his bat:

One of the best pure hitting prospects in baseball, Verdugo recognizes pitches and controls the strike zone better than most players his age. He uses the whole field, repeatedly barreling balls with a quick left-handed stroke geared for line drives. Though he homered just seven times in 132 games last season, his hitting ability, bat speed and strength should translate into average power if he adds some loft to his swing.

Buehler was ranked 93rd before last season and as noted by Jonathan Mayo is the highest riser on this season’s list, climbing 80 spots.

Buehler pitched in relief in his first major league stint in September, but will be stretched out as a starting pitcher in spring training. After throwing just 88 innings combined in the majors and minors in his first full season back after Tommy John surgery, Buehler will likely have his workload limited in 2018.

“We have to find a way to maximize his impact over the full season,” general manager Farhan Zaidi said on Saturday.

Here are the composite rankings so far this offseason with all Dodgers to appear on a top-100 list, including pitchers Yadier Alvarez and Mitchell White.