Dodgers notes: Farm system accolades, James Outman, Cody Bellinger

The Dodgers’ minor leaguers ranked second among 30 organizations in the Stuff+ category, a stat that measures pitch velocity, vertical break, horizontal break, arm angle, and release extension to determine how hard it is to hit a particular pitch.

According to Baseball America, L.A.’s farm system was No. 1 in velocity for four-seamers, sliders, and curveballs. Changeups ranked ninth, the system’s only ranking outside of the top five. They were second only to the Tampa Bay Rays’ system, which notched a Stuff+ of 119 to the Dodgers’ 116.

BA used Statcast data to understand how a ball’s velocity, movement, and more affect different pitches, providing highly-detailed context to assess the quality of one pitch compared to another. To weed out veteran pitchers on rehab stints to the minors and focus solely on developing talent, analysts only looked at data from pitchers ages 17 to 26.

Overall, BP’s data provides an objective analysis of pitchers’ efficacy, making it a strong indicator of how their repertoire could make an impact on the major league level. The focus on emerging talent is also telling: In short, we can expect some top pitching talent to make a big difference for the Dodgers in the years to come. That’s welcome news for a team that had to cobble together a starting rotation throughout the season thanks to high numbers of injuries.

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It wouldn’t be a news roundup without checking in on the latest Shohei Ohtani updates. The star could be interested in a short-term, high annual-value contract instead of a longer, $500-million deal, according to ESPN. MLB Network’s John Morosi reports that not only is Ohtani not picky about where his future team is located, but he’s also “intrigued” by the idea of playing for the Atlanta Braves.

FanGraphs’ Dan Szymborski broke down his Rookie of the Year ballot, writing that while James Outman was among the most valuable rookie hitters this season, his last vote came down to either Nolan Jones (Colorado Rockies) and Matt McLain (Cincinnati Reds).

Could Cody Bellinger return to the Dodgers? It’s possible, writes Mike Axisa at CBS Sports. Bellinger is among the best free agents available, and while the Dodgers have other major expenses on their radar, the former Dodger could make for a very beneficial reunion.

Dodgers commentator Jessica Mendoza, L.A. Lakers President Jeanie Buss, and other leaders in sports spoke at the Dodgers’ second annual Women in Sports and Entertainment Conference on November 12. The event, which saw 450 attendees after last year’s smaller group of 100, focused on broadcasting and media, content creation, and front office roles.