Dalton Rushing
Dalton Rushing is the highest-rated prospect in the Dodgers organization, and for good reason, he can hit. We all know that, but his intangibles are what set him apart, and played a large part in him being awarded as the Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year for this past season.
Rushing is a leader on the field and holds his teammates to a very high standard. He’s fiery, and he breathes that fire into those around him. When pitchers pitch to him, he ensures they compete with an edge.
Rushing started his career in 2022 as the Dodgers 1st pick in that year’s draft and spent just two games at the Complex before being shipped out to Rancho. That was a stretch of his career where he was unconscious at the plate, both to finish his college career and then to start as a Pro.
He hit .442 in his first full month in professional baseball, and his play made folks take notice.
On the flip side of things, he got injured in 2023 and experienced an 0-36 stretch, so he’s also shown the ability to grind through failure. And for prospects who have had as much success as he has, knowing they can handle failure is a valuable piece.
He’s always handled the high prospect ranking in stride and embraces that he is in an organization that emphasizes winning. That allows him to focus on his job and not feel he has to do anything more than that.
Rushing made it to AAA in 2024 and hit .273, had a walk rate of 15.4%, and a K% of just 20%. He posted a WRC+ of 128 and had an ISO (Power Index) 4 points higher than his K%. Typically, and especially for hitters that can slug, an ISO that is in the same ballpark of a K% indicates a positive tradeoff between power and swing and miss. The fact that his ISO was 4 points higher shows how elite his tradeoff was between slugging and striking out.
When Rushing moved up to OKC that club already had Hunter Feduccia, Diego Cartaya, and Chris Okey at the catcher’s position. So, the Dodgers moved him to left field for much of his time to end last year, and he made progress.
That’s a good move considering the Dodgers have Will Smith locked up for a long time, so positional versatility will be needed to get Rushing’s bat in the lineup.
Over the off-season, the Dodgers DFA’d Cartaya, so Rushing will likely catch more to start 2025. He is not on the 40-man roster, and it is at 100% capacity, so finding an opportunity, as the roster currently sits, will require someone to get injured.
But he is too talented and has too elite of intangibles to leave in AAA for too long, and the Dodgers are very creative, so stay tuned to this situation. You can start that process by watching him in Spring Training, which is quickly approaching.
Alex Freeland
Alex Freeland is a shortstop prospect with a tremendous amount of talent. Freeland hit 18 home runs last year and posted a strikeout % of 21.6% and a WRC+ of 132 over both the AA and AAA levels.
After dominating AA, he came back to earth a little when getting to AAA OKC in August, then rebounded with a very good September. He figured things out at the AAA level towards the end of last year and carried a lot of momentum into the off-season.
Despite his power potential, Freeland is also a ++athlete, as evidenced by his stolen base numbers. Freeland has stolen 31 bases in each of the last 2 seasons.
Shortstop is a position where, in my opinion, the Dodgers haven’t put a long-term plan together. Mookie Betts is penciled in to play there this year, but we’ll see how long that becomes the answer. So, there is likely an opportunity for someone to become the future of that position, and there is no one more capable of doing that than Freeland.
Freeland, like Rushing, is much more than just a treasure trove of tools. He also has a presence to him that is all business, and he is all about winning. As his coaches will tell you, he is not afraid to hold his teammates accountable if the competitive edge isn’t to his satisfaction. Freeland is laser-focused, and no one will ever outwork him.
Josue DePaula
Josue DePaula is a 19-year-old outfield prospect from Brooklyn who has a pizazz to his game that is enjoyable to watch. He is very confident, and he builds that confidence into his style.
DePaula reminds a lot of Dodgers fans of Yordan Alvarez, who the Dodgers traded back in 2016 for Josh Fields. That trade has haunted Dodgers fans ever since, so when trade talks come up and DePaula is the first one mentioned because he’s a headliner, it makes Dodgers fans shiver.
DePaula is known for his advanced plate discipline, especially for someone who is just 19, and his exit velocities. Josue has an advanced feel and understanding of which pitches to swing at, and when he does hit the ball, he hits it very hard.
He hasn’t put up incredible home run numbers because the ball comes off of his bat at lower launch angles, and that is something the Dodgers will likely try and tweak. The Dodgers typically favor higher launch angles to maximize the effect of harder-hit balls, so it will be interesting to see how much if at all, his swing gets reworked to add lift.
To show how elite his swing decisions have been, his K% was barely 2 points higher than his BB% last year. Hitters that have K% and BB% that are somewhat similar are typically the “table setting” and “contact-oriented” type offensive players. So, to have someone who hits the ball as hard as DePaula does and then has such a crazy positive ratio between walking and striking out is rare.
DePaula hit .268 across two levels, Single A and High A, last year, hit 10 home runs, posted an OPS of .809 and a WRC+ of 130.
One of the big questions surrounding DePaula is what position he will play. He does not have elite speed, and although he does hit the ball hard, he doesn’t hit a lot of home runs. So, his foot speed would suggest corner outfielder, but one could make the case that his offensive profile suggests a position that doesn’t revolve around hitting home runs and slugging.
Regardless, few prospects have garnered the attention that DePaula has, so keep your eyes out for him, we’ll have it covered every day.
Zyhir Hope
Zyhir Hope is a 20-year-old outfielder who is creating as much buzz as any young player in the game. The Dodgers acquired him in the trade with Jackson Ferris that sent Michael Busch and Yency Almonte to the Cubs, and he has been rising up the prospects charts ever since.
Hope hit .290 last year, posted an OPS of .904, hit nine home runs, and had a WRC+ of 144, which is ridiculous. His power potential is unlimited because this dude can flat-hit tanks, and he clobbers the ball. As an illustration, Hope hit a 470-foot BOMB while playing in the Arizona Fall League this off-season.
Hope can run, too, has above-average arm strength, and is just now tapping into his tools. He was a 2-way player when drafted and has transitioned to full-time as a position player, so this has been the first time where he’s been able to dedicate full time to his outfield skills and hit tool.
Hope spent all of last year at the Single-A level, so there is a long way to go to determine how he handles the adjustments of the increasing talent levels of pitchers as he moves up. High A is a big jump, and AA many times is the biggest jump, so it will be fun to watch his progress over the next year or so.
First things first, though, and that is Spring Training, where he got a “non-roster” invite. That simply means he’s not on the 40-man roster but is still invited to participate in Big League Camp, at least to a certain extent. So, we’ll almost assuredly get to see him on the main field, and hopefully a lot.
Kendall George
Click to Watch Our 1st Interview with George
Kendall George is the most electric young prospect in the organization. Of course, that is a matter of opinion, but that certainly is mine. I love watching this young man play, I love his confidence, how he’s not afraid to show it, and his understanding of what makes him good.
George has what some would call an “old school” game, meaning a game that is built on speed and not power. But, when you have 80-grade speed and can impact the game in as many ways as he does, there is no such thing as Old School or New School, just the “Right School”.
He was the Dodger’s 1st pick of the 2023 draft and for many, it was an indication that the Dodgers were transitioning to placing more value on his type of skill set built around speed.
He hit .270 last year, had 36 stolen bases, and despite only hitting 1 home run, the one was an absolute bomb. So, he’s capable of hitting home runs, it’s just not an emphasis, and rightfully so with his kind of speed.
Thirty-six stolen bases are good, but it is just scratching the surface for someone with his speed. George is in the process of learning the finer details of how to read pitchers and become a good base runner, and not just someone who is fast.
Click to Watch Our Latest Interview with George
As an example of how he uses his speed to impact games, George has been known to score from 2nd base on a routine ground ball to shortstop, he’s walked off a game by stealing home and he’ll go 1st to 3rd on fairly routine fly balls in the outfield.
George was drafted straight out of Atascosita High School, which is in Houston area, so he is still just 20 years old and has plenty of time to continue to shape his game in a way that maximizes his tools.
He spent all of last year at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, so will likely start this year at High A Great Lakes. Great Lakes plays in the Midwest League in very cold environments, which isn’t ideal for offense, especially power, or scoring runs. So, it will be fun to watch how his speed is utilized in those cold-weather games where offense is limited and runs are at a premium.
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