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The stature of the Dodgers’ farm system within MLB took a dip this year, but only relatively so. In organizational talent rankings at both Baseball America and The Athletic, the Dodgers are still ranked in the upper third of the league heading into 2021.
Baseball America rated the Dodgers as the ninth-best farm system in MLB, and Keith Law at The Athletic ranked them 10th.
Dodgers Baseball America rankings
| Year | BA org rank |
|---|---|
| Year | BA org rank |
| 2014 | 14 |
| 2015 | 3 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 9 |
| 2019 | 9 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 9 |
Both sites ranked the Dodgers third last season, and a closer look reveals why the drop occurred. Last year the Dodgers had seven prospects rated in the top 100, and five of them played in the majors for the World Series winners, including Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin representing 40 percent of the starting rotation. Those two lost rookie eligibility, as did Brusdar Graterol and Gavin Lux, which meant graduation from prospect lists. This year the Dodgers still have three top-100 prospects at BA — Keibert Ruiz, Josiah Gray, and Michael Busch — but none in the top 50 for the first time in nine years.
Still, the depth remains a strength of the system. On a Baseball America podcast in January, Kyle Glaser estimated the Dodgers currently have 37 or 38 prospects in the system who could one day reach the majors.
Baseball America’s write-up of the Dodgers system reflects this: “While the top of their system no longer contains the same star power, the Dodgers immense depth has them primed to continue debuting impact players for years to come.”
This is the seventh straight year Baseball America ranked the Dodgers among the top nine farm systems in the game.
Law echoed the sentiment on the Dodgers depth, and remains high on Gray and catcher Diego Cartaya as potential future top prospects.
“As much as we talk about the Dodgers flexing their financial muscle, their successful draft strategy hasn’t revolved around money but good scouting and good player development after the fact,” Law wrote. “Buehler, May, Lux, Will Smith, now Michael Busch — these guys were all available to other teams, sometimes more than once. The Dodgers are a behemoth, not just rich, but well-run (and also rich).”