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Los Angeles Dodgers: Three minor leaguers that could impact 2019

By Jason Reed

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 15: Keibert Ruiz #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the World Team leaves the game injured in the seventh inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 15: Keibert Ruiz #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the World Team leaves the game injured in the seventh inning against the U.S. Team during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Dodgers
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Dodgers /

3. Keibert Ruiz

The Los Angeles Dodgers undoubtedly have the deepest farm system at catcher in the major leagues and still find themselves in a weird in-between year where Yasmani Grandal is likely going to leave but the top prospects don’t seem ready.

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The team’s best catching prospect is also the team’s second-best prospect in Keibert Ruiz. Ruiz is a bonafide top-100 prospect and is the third-best catching prospect on MLB Pipeline.

The Dodgers also have Will Smith, who is the organization’s fifth-best prospect and is the eighth-best catching prospect overall. Smith is further along in his progression than Ruiz but did struggle in AAA and does not have as high of a ceiling as Ruiz.

Smith, being the second-best of the two, is a prime candidate to be traded this winter as the Dodgers potentially chase starting pitching or help at second base. That does not solve the catching problem, though, as the team still has just Austin Barnes to rely on.

Instead of having someone like Rocky Gale being the backup and relying solely on Barnes, the Dodgers can do something that the team has done before and get Ruiz to the bigs sooner rather than later.

I understand why big league teams are hesitant to bring guys up too early but I also think that concern is a bit overstated. Just look at Cody Bellinger, who was called up way earlier than we expected.

He did have a down year in his second season but is still a star and has one of the highest ceilings in the major leagues.

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Instead of being overly cautious, the Dodgers can pull the trigger and bring Ruiz up to help alongside Barnes. He showed in Spring Training last season that he is ready to face big league pitching and even be a candidate for Rookie of the Year.

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