Los Angeles Dodgers: Reranking the Dodgers top ten prospects
By Jason Reed
4. RHP Yadier Alvarez (MLB Pipeline: 1)
The thing that may jump right off of that bat here is that MLB Pipeline has Alvarez as the best prospect in the Dodgers system, meanwhile, I have him as the fourth best. Touted as the 41st best prospect in baseball, Alvarez has had a very high ceiling ever since the Dodgers signed him in the international signing period back in 2015.
Los Angeles did sign Alvarez when he was only 18 years old, showing the faith that the team had in his development. Out of Cuba, Alvarez has the potential to be a top of the rotation guy in the future, perhaps being the one-half of the future one-two punch including phenom Julio Urias. While Alvarez undoubtedly has the highest ceiling in the farm, he shouldn’t be ranked first.
The fact of the matter is that Alvarez has struggled in Class A Rancho Cucamonga. In 45.2 innings thrown Alvarez has a 1-4 record with a 5.32 ERA. His strikeout rate has fallen from 12.3 to 9.3 K/9, and his walk rate has risen by 15%. Many can argue that Alvarez is still the best prospect because of his ceiling, but I do not think he has earned it yet.
There are a lot of people that are huge fans of Alvarez, and likely will disagree with this assessment entirely. However, the Dodgers also have three other phenomenal prospects in their system, and they have proven their worth. Alvarez should not yet be handed the honors of the top prospect in the Dodgers system, instead, he should settle in at fourth.