Los Angeles Dodgers have a great young core to win for years to come

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in the MLB Playoffs the last six seasons and are sure to make it for years to come with the team’s great young core.

There are fans out there that think the Los Angeles Dodgers title window has closed. Clayton Kershaw is 30 and looks like he is 40 and the likes of Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen are not getting any younger.

The team traded one of the four players that have been there for every year of the six-year run, Yasiel Puig, and lost a valuable catcher in Yasmani Grandal.

After falling short in two consecutive seasons, it is easy for the average fan to get disappointed and expect the worst. After all, it is very rare for a team to make three straight World Series, and after losing two, Dodger fans might not even want to experience another heartbreak.

And while the foundation of the last six years is starting to show its cracks, the Los Angeles Dodgers are set up nicely to continue the success that they have had the last six years and turn that into another six years of success.

Why? The Los Angeles Dodgers have an extremely talented young core, arguably one of the best in baseball, that is already great now and is only going to get better with time.

Those five names are the foundation of the Los Angeles Dodgers moving forward. On offense, the Dodgers have Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Alex Verdugo.

Seager has already proven that he has MVP potential as he finished as a finalist in his rookie campaign. He has not even scratched the surface of his ceiling yet and in three years could be one of the three best players in the National League.

Bellinger too has MVP potential if he can hit for more contact, which will certainly improve as he is only a sophomore in the league. Bellinger has 40-home run potential once his ceiling is reached and even next season we should see a turnaround of 30 home runs and a .270 average.

Oh, and let’s not forget that he is an elite defender at first base, has wheels and actually hustles. Bellinger is the closest thing to a five-tool player that the Dodgers have.

Alex Verdugo has not yet proven anything in the league but he has so much potential and could contend for National League Rookie of the Year in 2019. Verdugo has a smooth swing that should lead to an average around .300 once he gets in stride with pop in his bat that will lead to plenty of doubles in the gap and 15-20 home runs.

He has great speed, great range in the outfield and an arm that might be as good as Yasiel Puig. If potential turns into reality for Verdugo, he will be the Dodgers’ five-tool player.

On the mound, the Dodgers have Walker Buehler and Julio Urias to carry the load once Kershaw either leaves or calls it quits (which, remember, still might be for a long time).

Buehler came out last season and absolutely dominated and was the Dodgers best arm in the postseason. He has already proven that he is all-star-caliber and it would not be surprising to see him receive Cy Young votes in 2019.

Urias, on the other hand, has been out of action but has an even higher ceiling than Buehler. The Dodgers signed Urias when he was just 15 and he made his MLB debut at 19 and was efficient. Just imagine what he can do as he gets older and progresses.

We might still be two years away from it but Urias has the ceiling of a perennial all-star and Cy Young winner. If Kershaw rebounds and Urias progresses faster than expected, the Dodgers could have three guys getting Cy Young votes in 2020.

Then we mention the core of Gavin Lux, Keibert Ruiz and Dustin May. Those are just the current highly-touted prospects and you know with the Dodgers there will be a new crop or a surprise prospect that follows up on these guys as well.

Lux should be the long-term solution for second base and could even be ready by 2020. Lux is a nice mix of Corey Seager’s smooth swing and pop with Max Muncy‘s patient approach at the plate. Heck, if you watch Lux, his stance looks pretty identical to Muncy’s.

Keibert Ruiz is the catching prospect that everyone knows about because of the rumors around J.T. Realmuto. Ruiz has the potential to be a truly special offensive catcher that would be above average behind the plate.

If the Dodgers trade him he obviously would not be part of the core but Realmuto is also young and could be extended past his current deal.

Finally, we have the Dodgers top pitching prospect in Dustin May. May will probably be called upon at the end of the 2020 season and will be ready at the start of 2021. He is a hard-throwing lengthy right-hander that has stuff that could already get big league hitters out.

He does need to work on his command, which is something natural that needs improvement as prospects rise, but May has the stuff to be the second-best pitcher on an above average staff.

On the Dodgers, he would be the third-best young arm. That shows how special this young core is.

So, if you are worried about the Los Angeles Dodgers falling into a rebuilding stage in the next few years and having to go years without playoff baseball, don’t. The team is going to be just fine.