The Dodgers ACTUALLY have Five Top 100 Prospects

Some reported yesterday that the Dodgers have four Top Prospects in the MLB Top 100. Four would be great, but five is even better, and the fact of the matter is that the Dodgers do indeed have five top 100 Prospects in their loaded farm system:

• Josue DePaula – #15
• Zyhir Hope – #27
• Eduardo Quintero – #30
• Mike Sirota – #60
• Emil Morales – #92

Only the Mariners with 7 and the Guardians with 6 have more Top 100 Prospects than the Dodgers. Here’s a quick rundown of each prospect:

#15 Josue DePaula

Born in Brooklyn, De Paula moved to the Dominican Republic while in high school and signed for $397,500 in 2022. The second cousin of former NBA guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastain Telfair, he looks like a steal because he's the most advanced young hitter Los Angeles has had since Corey Seager. De Paula was named Futures Game MVP last July after homering off White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz and he spent most of his age-20 season in High-A, where he ranked second in the pitcher-friendly Midwest League in on-base percentage (.406), OPS (.827) and walks (82).

De Paula draws comparisons to a slightly smaller but more athletic version of Yordan Alvarez, thanks to his precocious combination of swing decisions and exit velocities. He offered at just 14 percent of pitches outside the strike zone last season -- by comparison, Juan Soto led the Majors with a 16 percent rate -- and is supremely comfortable working deep counts in order to find pitches he can punish. His sweet left-handed stroke produces hard contact to all fields that should translate into 30 homers per season and perhaps more if he learns to drive balls in the air more consistently.

Though De Paula has below-average speed, he has responded to the Dodgers challenging him to be aggressive on the bases by swiping 59 bags in 70 attempts (84 percent) the last two seasons. They hope he can do the same in the outfield, where his instincts are still raw on the corners. He needs to improve his reads and routes, and he recorded just two assists in 76 games last year despite average arm strength.

#27 Zyhir Hope

Because Hope didn't spend much time on the high school showcase circuit and appeared strongly committed to North Carolina, he went unselected during the first two days of the 2023 Draft, and the Dodgers were ready to pounce on him in the 11th round. While the Cubs beat them to the punch 14 picks ahead of them and signed Hope for $400,000 (fifth-round money), Los Angeles got him and lefty pitching prospect Jackson Ferris six months later in a trade for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte. A stress fracture in a rib slowed him in first full year as a pro, but he starred in the Arizona Fall League that offseason before playing in the Futures Game and ranking in the top three in the High-A Midwest League in doubles (27), extra-base hits (43), total bases (188), walks (81) and RBI (75) in 2025 at age 20.

Hope has added significant muscle since turning pro, is built like a running back and possesses well above-average raw power from the left side of the plate. His bat speed and strength produce high-end exit velocities, and he has no trouble driving balls in the air to his pull side. He executes good swing decisions as well but swings and misses at strikes much more than he should, especially at the top and bottom of the zone.

Hope accelerates quickly and possesses solid speed along with aggression on the basepaths and in the outfield. He's a fearless defender capable of handling center field, though he spent more time on the corners in High-A playing alongside speedster Kendall George. He has a strong arm and drew interest as a left-handed pitcher in high school, flashing a mid-90s fastball and spinning a promising curveball.

#30 Eduardo Quintero

Quintero trained as a catcher in Venezuela, but the Dodgers made him a full-time center fielder after signing him for $297,500 because they wanted to make the most of his athleticism and offensive potential. He dominated Rookie-level pitching while winning championships in the Dominican Summer and Arizona Complex leagues in his first two years as a pro, then earned California League MVP and Prospect of the Year accolades at age 19 in 2025. He slashed .306/.426/.533 with 14 homers and 35 steals in 81 games, leading the Single-A circuit in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS (.959) and longballs and placing third in batting before spending the final six weeks in High-A.

An advanced hitter for his age, Quintero has a quick right-handed stroke and rarely chases pitches out of the zone. He makes hard contact to all fields and is launching balls in the air more regularly as he gains strength and experience, displaying at least 25-homer potential. While his discipline is admirable, he can get passive at times and had a 23 percent strikeout rate last year in part because he worked so many deep counts.

One of four Dodgers outfielders on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, Quintero is a better athlete and a bigger lock to stay in center field than Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope or Mike Sirota. He features at least plus speed and stole 101 bases at an 81 percent success rate in his first 245 pro games. He has acclimated quickly to the outfield, making good reads and taking efficient routes, and his strong, accurate arm has allowed him to record 18 assists in 170 starts in center.

#60 Mike Sirota

The Dodgers took an unsuccessful 16th-round flier on Sirota in the 2021 Draft but eventually acquired him in a January 2025 trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Reds. In between, he became Northeastern's best prospect since 1998 No. 10 overall pick Carlos Peña and had a chance to go in the same area before a junior season slump dropped him to the third round in 2024. The grand-nephew of Hall of Famer Whitey Ford made a spectacular pro debut, batting .333/.452/.616 with 13 homers in 59 games between two Class A stops before he injured his right knee on a slide, which ended his season in July but didn't require surgery.

Sirota's timing at the plate got out of sync for much of his final college season, but Los Angeles helped him fix it and has reaped the benefits. A right-handed hitter with an extremely disciplined approach that can get passive at times, he makes hard contact to all fields and can homer to any part of the ballpark. His bat speed and wiry strength create plus raw power and his hitting ability enables him to get to most of it, though his tendency to swing through curveballs and changeups bears watching in 2025.

Sirota has plus speed, and though he wasn't as aggressive on the bases in his pro debut as he was at Northeastern, he does have 20/20 potential. Though he divided his time between all three outfield positions last year, that was because the Dodgers had an abundance of center-field prospects at Class A. He's an instinctive defender with solid range up the middle and arm strength to match.

#92 Emil Morales 

Born in Spain and trained in the Dominican Republic, Morales had one of the highest ceilings in the 2024 international class and signed for $1,897,500. He was named Rookie-level Dominican Summer League MVP and top prospect during his pro debut that summer and continued rake when he came to the United States last year. He topped the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League in hits (70), extra-base hits (25) and total bases (116) before batting .339/.420/.548 in the final six weeks at Single-A at age 18.

Morales is more physical and hits the ball much harder than most teenagers, and he could have well-above-average power once he's a finished product. He already displays aptitude for lifting and pulling the ball, and while he looks to do damage, he keeps his approach under control. He had a 17 percent swing-and-miss rate against fastballs compared to 41 percent against everything else during his brief time at Single-A, so he'll have to prove he can handle secondaries from more advanced pitchers.

Morales moves well for his size -- 6-foot-3 and at least 15 pounds stronger than his listed 191 -- and is an aggressive runner with average speed. He's not the rangiest shortstop but moves well and puts himself in position to make plays. His instincts, hands and arm help his chances of sticking at short, though he'll wind up at third base if he loses any quickness as he continues to mature physically.

Conclusions

All five of these prospects are legit. I see DePaula as a First Baseman, although he has not played there. Hope can play RF or LF, and in my opinion, is most likely to be traded. Quintero is perfect for RF. Sirota is a centerfielder, and Morales could possibly play SS, but most likely ends up at 3B.

The Dodgers’ farm system is in great shape, and undoubtedly, there will be some prospects moved in the near future. Of course, Alex Freeland is also ready, but only as a utilityman. That’s likely his ceiling. Jackson Ferris is not far off… he just needs to develop consistency, and the following players are fast flyers:

• James Tibbs III
• River Ryan
• Ching-Hsien Ko
• Joendry Vargas
• Adam Serwinski
• Zach Root
• Charles Davalan

… and many more. I am watching Logan Wagner, a 21 year-old switch-hitting 3B.