Mark Timmons TOP 30 Dodger Prospects
The Dodgers then have an extraordinary six-man upper tier: De Paula, Quintero, Sirota, Zazueta, Morales and Davalan, with Root right behind them. Baseball America had seven Dodgers in its overall Top 100 in August: De Paula, Quintero, Sirota, Zazueta, Morales, Root and Davalan.
Today is an off day, so I thought it might be a good time to look at the Dodgers Farm System and, in particular, the Top 30 Dodger Prospects, before the Dodgers start the three-game series with the Friars.
Jeff Dominique is the unquestioned Minor League Genius, and I am sure he will have a list like this too, but here is mine, and I have to confess that I used a lot of AI on it. When he posts his... we can see how we compare. If I did all the necessary research without AI, it would have taken days. This took a few hours. AI is a great tool, but it also has a danger. Are we teaching kids how not to think for themselves? It's like any tool, you have to use it properly... but I digress!
Baseball America and MLB Pipeline are the two top prospect ranking sites on the web. I thought it would be interesting to compare their rankings. Here is the latest apples-to-apples look I can assemble as of September 20, 2026. Baseball America’s final in-season Dodgers Top 30 was updated after the Draft/Trade Deadline in August; MLB Pipeline also did its full post-deadline re-rank, with its current list subsequently indexed in September. Some of the stats are slightly off (as of today) because I have been working on this for a while.
Dodgers Top 30: Baseball America vs. MLB Pipeline
The Baseball America ordering above matches its August post-deadline list as reproduced immediately after BA released it, including Quintero at No. 2, Zazueta at No. 4, Root at No. 6, George at No. 9 and Tibbs at No. 11. BA’s own subsequent coverage confirms that De Paula, Quintero, Sirota, Zazueta and Morales headline the system and that the August list was its final in-season Top 30 update.
Where they really disagree
The top is remarkably similar. Both have De Paula No. 1, both have Sirota/Quintero immediately behind him, and both view Morales, Zazueta, Davalan and Root as premium prospects. Baseball America currently has seven Dodgers in its overall Top 100: De Paula No. 4, Quintero No. 16, Sirota No. 19, Zazueta No. 24, Morales No. 29, Root No. 67 and Davalan No. 89.
The fun starts farther down the board. The biggest differences among players by rank are Adam Serwinowski: Pipeline #14 vs. BA #27, and Aidan West: BA #16 vs. Pipeline #28. Pipeline is also substantially higher on James Tibbs III (#7 vs. #11), while BA is higher on Jacob Kmatz (#19 vs. #25) and Nico Perez (#18 vs. #23). Pipeline’s current list places Serwinowski at No. 14.
And there are six players on each list that the other outlet leaves out entirely:
That divergence at Nos. 18-30 tells you something about just how deep this system is. BA itself recently gave the Dodgers' 2026 farm performance an A, citing position-player depth and the development of De Paula, Quintero, Sirota, Zazueta, Morales, Tibbs, and Ehrhard.
I used the latest 2026 in-season lists. Baseball America’s August update was its final major Top 30 update of the season, while MLB Pipeline’s list was refreshed after the Trade Deadline.
For the composite, I simply average the two rankings. If a player is NR on one list, I use 31 for the calculation. That gives us one big 36-player board without pretending NR means the player is actually 31st. I thyought it would be fun to do it this way...
Just outside the consensus Top 30
What jumps out to me
De Paula is the undisputed king of the hill. Both services have him No. 1, and MLB Pipeline had him No. 6 overall in baseball when its August rankings were released.
The Dodgers then have an extraordinary six-man upper tier: De Paula, Quintero, Sirota, Zazueta, Morales and Davalan, with Root right behind them. Baseball America had seven Dodgers in its overall Top 100 in August: De Paula, Quintero, Sirota, Zazueta, Morales, Root and Davalan.
The two most interesting arguments are Adam Serwinowski and Aidan West. Pipeline is dramatically higher on Serwinowski, #14 versus BA's #27, while Baseball America is dramatically higher on West, #16 versus Pipeline's #28. Pipeline's current prospect data confirms Serwinowski at No. 14 and West at No. 28.
And James Tibbs III is sneaking into very interesting territory. Pipeline has him #7, BA #11, which makes him #9 on the consensus board. Given what he has done offensively in 2026, I think he is one of the names worth taking a much closer look at.
Here’s the Mark Timmons' LADodgerTalk Top 30 right now, as of September 20, 2026.
I’m weighting it roughly 35% long-term ceiling/scouting, 25% 2026 performance, 20% age relative to level, 10% positional value and 10% proximity/risk. This is deliberately not just an average of Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
The top of this system is ridiculous. MLB Pipeline currently has De Paula, Sirota, Quintero, Morales, and Zazueta all among its top 36 prospects in baseball, while Baseball America has seven Dodgers in its Top 100.
Where I depart from the services
Jaron Elkins at #11 is my biggest statement. I don't think #18 adequately reflects his 2026 breakout. The official prospect data showed him hitting .336/.427/.541 with a .968 OPS, 13 HR, six triples and 38 steals across two levels at age 21, while playing center field. Pipeline itself called him the biggest riser in the entire Dodgers system. That's a prospect, not a statistical mirage I would bury in the high teens.
James Tibbs is #7 and knocking on the door of #6. The reason is simple: he has now reached 30 home runs at Triple-A, and earlier official data had him at .304/.422/.566 with a .988 OPS. At 23, he's essentially standing outside Dodger Stadium rattling the doorknob. His corner-only defensive profile keeps me from putting him with the elite five-tool guys.
Ferris is back up to #13 for me. His season numbers were ugly enough to justify the rankings drop, but what he's doing now changes the equation. On September 16, he retired the first 19 hitters and threw 7⅔ innings of one-hit ball with 13 strikeouts, while his fastball velocity had climbed back into the mid-90s. That's much more like the Jackson Ferris who once looked like a future mid-rotation or better starter.
Kmatz jumps to #17. His prospect line showed 84 strikeouts against only 11 walks in 60⅔ innings, a 2.52 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. Pipeline grades his slider as a 70. Even accounting for relief work, those numbers are screaming for attention.
Serwinowski drops to #20. The arm talent is why Pipeline can put him at #14, but production matters to me. He had 61 walks in 109⅔ innings with a 5.33 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, and Baseball America specifically listed him among the Dodgers' 2026 disappointments. The ceiling remains considerable, but the probability of reaching it has to enter the equation.
The three I have a hard time separating
Quintero vs. Sirota is almost a coin flip. Sirota's 2026 performance has been spectacular, including roughly a .315/.468/.551 line in the official prospect data, and he just reached Triple-A after moving through three levels this season.
I still put Quintero #2 because he's three years younger, is a legitimate center fielder, and posted roughly .310/.444/.493 with 42 steals at age 20 before reaching Double-A. The combination of age, athleticism, defense, plate discipline, and developing power gives him the slightly higher ceiling in my book.
And Morales vs. Zazueta is another beauty. Morales produced 24 HR and a .932 OPS at age 19, while Zazueta finished with a 3.65 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 103⅔ innings, reaching Double-A at 21. Zazueta allowed no more than two runs in 14 of his final 16 starts.
Six guys who just miss
My next group would be Sterling Patick, Marlon Nieves, Ryan Ward (I'm sure he's gone next year), Easton Shelton, Patrick Copen and Brendan Tunink. In particular, I'm much lower on Ward than Pipeline's #20 because he's already 28 years old. A .833 minor-league OPS at that age doesn't carry remotely the same prospect weight as Elkins doing what he's doing at 21.
One final caveat: De Paula is now a Major Leaguer. The Dodgers called him up September 11, so once he exhausts rookie eligibility, this entire list slides upward and Quintero becomes my No. 1 Dodgers prospect.
My favorite sleeper on the whole board? Jaron Elkins. He has the ingredients that often produce a sudden leap onto national Top 100 lists: center-field defense, speed, power, on-base ability and performance at an appropriate age. He'd be the guy I'd circle in red ink heading into 2027.
All-Time Favorite Movies
I was too busy to comment yesterday, but the discussion about movies and actors was very interesting. Of course, it is all subjective. I admit that I liked John Wayne's character, but it was almost always the same. I have seen parts of all his movies, but never watched one from beginning to end. That's just me. I do have some favorite movies, and my wife loves, loves, loves good movies.
My favorites:
The Shawshank Redemption
The Last of the Mohicans (Daniel Day-Lewis)
Legends of the Fall
The Mule
(Tie) Tombstone, 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Quick and the Dead, Bone Tomahawk, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
OKC Comets 2 – El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego) 1
In a “Do we really have to play this game” game, OKC pulled out a 2-1 victory. OKC won 18 of their last 21 games and appear ready to go into the playoffs.
DH Zach Ehrhard drew a leadoff BB and moved to 3rd on a single from CF Alek Thomas. Ehrhard scored groundout hit by 3B Ryan Fitzgerald.
RHSP Ryder Ryan pitched a scoreless 1st. In the 2nd, he gave up a single to open the inning. The runner moved to 2nd on a groundout and scored on a game-tying single.
Ryan pitched to the minimum over the next two innings. RHRP Bobby Miller relieved Ryan in the 5th. He pitched a scoreless 5th with a BB and 2 K. Miller got the first two outs in the 6th but gave up a single. LHRP Ronan Kopp relieved Miller and got the 3rd out.
The score remained 1-1 into the OKC 8th inning. Ehrhard hit a one out double, his 30th double of the season. Ehrhard scored his 2nd run when Thomas hit the go-ahead triple (5).
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LHRP Garrett McDaniels, RHRP Jonathan Hernández, and RHRP Jerming Rosario pitched the final three innings on no runs, no hits, 2 BB, and 2 K. Rosario got his 4th save.
· Alek Thomas - 2-4, 1 RBI, triple (5)
· Zach Ehrhard – 1-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, double (30)
Next game, Tuesday in Las Vegas vs the Aviators (A’s) at 7:05 PM. Will RHSP Christian Zazueta join them in the desert? Just me spit balling. And maybe a little hoping.
Looking forward to this:
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Discussion (91)
Disagree, not disagreeable
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The Bourne Film Franchise. Star Wars, A New Hope. 1977 Oh Brother Where Art Thou. My Fair Lady. Paint Your Wagon. West Side Story. How The West Was Won. Dances With Wolves. Three Days of the Condor. Centennial. Schindler's List. The Red Violin. The Graduate.
Surprised it wasn’t mentioned with this crowd; a slow burn but great character study:
The Hustler (1961)…I didn’t mind the The Color of Money either
Goodfellas mentioned quite a bit, and I like it, but I always preferred Casino
Other than that, I’m too indecisive to pick or have a top 5 or 10
Cheers…
Just my quick list of movie favorites: Casablanca Shawshank Redemption The Outlaw Josie Wales Jeremiah Johnson Major League I Godfather I
River Ryan started for Detroit today.
3ip, 0 runs, 3 hits, 1bb, 3k. Good to see.
In case you missed this below:
While I would not make the case that Josue De Paula is going to become a Gold Glove left fielder, I think there is a very reasonable case that he can improve enough to become a competent, playable major-league left fielder, and there are plenty of precedents.
The most encouraging thing is that he already has improved. Baseball America graded his fielding 30 in 2024, 40 in 2025 and 45 entering 2026. Its current report says he made enough progress for evaluators to believe he could become a fringe-average corner outfielder. Even more interesting, BA reported today that the Dodgers' internal view of his 2026 defensive progress remains positive and that they believe he can develop into an MLB-quality left fielder.
His problems appear to be predominantly reads, routes, jumps and instincts, rather than something like having an unusable throwing arm. MLB Pipeline says his arm is average but that his reads, routes and range remain below par. Those first three things are precisely the areas an outfielder can improve through repetition, coaching, positioning and experience.
And the Dodgers aren't merely hoping. They've been working on it deliberately. De Paula worked with outfield coordinator Daniel Nava, and the organization has involved Jason Heyward, one of the better defensive outfielders of his generation, in his development. BA says improving De Paula's defense was a major organizational emphasis in 2025 and 2026.
There are also three reasons I'm more optimistic than the old "future DH" scouting reports suggest.
First, he's only 21. A 21-year-old who has spent most of his development concentrating on becoming an elite hitter isn't a finished defensive product.
Second, left field doesn't require center-field speed. De Paula doesn't have to become Kevin Kiermaier. He needs to make the routine plays, eliminate bad routes, get a better first step and position himself intelligently. In left field, that can turn a below-average runner into an acceptable defender.
Third, he's more athletic than the "40 runner" label makes him sound. He stole 31 bases at Double-A this season after stealing 32 in 2025. That doesn't make him fast, but it does show body control, anticipation and baseball instincts in another part of the game.
My "top ten" movie choices would include several of the usual suspects, but not "The Usual Suspects.' (Which is a phrase, remember, from "Casablanca," to take the heat off Rick after he shoots the Nazi rat bastard--and it's the start of a beautiful friendship.) So, yeah, "Casablanca" is on my list and I usually cry tears of joy at the end of "It's a Wonderful Life." So let just make a few recommendations. "Wings of Desire," by Wim Wenders. Bruno Ganz is an angel who flits around black-and-white Berlin, doing angelic stuff--and then he falls for a beautiful, mortal trapeze artist and desires to return to the earthly realm to pursue his love. Peter Falk has a memorable appearance in which he plays Peter Falk, more or less. (He walks past some young Berliners and one does a double take: "Columbo!") "The Third Man," directed by Carrol Reed from a story by Graham Greene. In post-war Vienna, an American hack novelist arrives in search of his friend Harry, played by Orson Welles. Harry turns out to be a very bad guy, and his comments on the Ferris Wheel always gives me chills. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?", directed by Lasse Hallstrom. To me, this was Best Picture material--but it happened to come out in same year as "Schindler's List." A young grocery clerk played by Jonny Depp seems trapped in small-town rural America, with responsibilities to support his morbidly obese mother and three siblings, including his "special needs" brother. Great story, great cast, satisfying resolution. Five stars!
I filled out one of these things on Facebook once about films that made a big impact. "The Deer Hunter" was one. But it was more fun recalling "MASH." I was in the eighth grade, and my prim mother agreed to take me and some classmates. She was scandalized by "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the shower. We loved it.
Mark's prospect rankings look 98% fine. I would just add a couple of comments. First, I don't think there are "questions" about Kendall George's power. He lacks power. But so what? Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson hasn't had a HR all season but he has a chance at the batting title. A very valuable member of a contending team. George doesn't neatly fit the Dodgers' power-heavy bias, but if he can consistently get on base he'll be coveted by several teams. I get the impression that Aiden West is floating on hype. He hasn't even reached Ontario yet, right? Yet he's rated No. 20, above fellow SS Noah Miller, who could make to the big leagues in 2027, and several others who have done more to prove themselves. Zack Geloff, for example. He was an all-star 2B for Tulsa, and he slugged more than 30 HRs--but for some reason the prospect rankers consider him chopped liver. Nary a mention.