Going back four years to the 2020 World Championship team, it appeared that the Los Angeles Dodgers had an incredibly solid outfield foundation at the major league level. Mookie Betts was among the elite right fielders in the game, and despite his offensive inconsistencies, Cody Bellinger was an extraordinary defender in center. Although Joc Pederson was drifting past his prime as a hitter and defender, Chris Taylor produced the second-best OPS of his career at .843.
Fast forward four years, and it’s hard to even guess what the complexion of the Los Angeles outfield might look like in a year or so. Teoscar Hernandez is the anchor of this year’s outfield, but his contract expires at the end of the season. If he continues to impress with the bat, the 31-year-old will certainly draw attention and receive many multi-year offers that exceed his current AAV of $15 million.
Andy Pages might be around for a while, but it’s tough to cement him in as the future of the Dodgers based on what we saw happen to James Outman in the early part of 2024. And that’s not to say that Outman won’t rebound and return as a regular in the big-league lineup soon. Additionally, Miguel Vargas has seen some quality time in left field and could continue to receive more playing time as the season progresses.
And, although it’s not likely, Betts could easily slide back into right field if there’s ever a drastic need.
Bottom line — there’s no telling how the Los Angeles outfield might look from one month to the next.
One of the most intriguing outfield prospects on the Los Angeles farm is 19-year-old Josue De Paula. The cousin of former NBA stars Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, the lefty hitting and lefty throwing De Paula has pure athleticism written all over his pedigree. Born in Brooklyn, he was signed as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2022.
Last year, De Paula hit .284/.396/.372 in Single-A as an 18-year-old, leading scouts to believe that he could eventually develop into a perennial .300-plus hitter.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder still may have a few more years to go in terms of physical development. Although his arm is decent, he still lacks good instincts in outfield judgement, bringing back memories of Yordan Alvarez’s early years on the Los Angeles farm as an outfielder. However, he has played all three outfield spots over the past two years at Rancho Cucamonga, showcasing his potential versatility.
This year, De Paula is hitting .259/.378/.457 through 43 games, but MLB Pipeline likes him so much that they moved him to No. 2 in the most recent version of the Dodger prospect rankings. His 28 walks already this year suggest that he’s becoming more patient and developing more discipline at the plate.
According to MLB Pipeline, “De Paula is built to hit with a sweet left-handed stroke and advanced aptitude to recognize pitches and make quality swing decisions. He spent the offseason training with Juan Soto and Elly De La Cruz in Florida, adding significant muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame that should translate into increased power in 2024. With his hitting ability, bat speed and projectable strength, he could develop into a .300 hitter with 30 homers on an annual basis once he learns to drive balls in the air more consistently.”
Of course, it’s too early to say whether De Paula will emerge as an everyday MLB player — see Outman, Vargas and Pages. However, on paper, he currently has one of the best chances of anyone on the prospects list.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
DePaula is one of relatively few prospects we have that I wouldn’t trade and, of course, that means he’d be one of the first players other teams would ask for.
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Right now, he is their best position player prospect. Apologies to Dalton Rushing. Dodgers have maybe one player at AAA besides Outman who might be an asset for the team, Lipcius. But they have another, Chris Owings, who has played enough at the MLB level to maybe be of some help. He at this point would be a better option that Chris Taylor who has completely gone in the tank. Also why is Vargas even on the roster? He has only played in 7 games since his recall.
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Almost any team who discusses trades with LA is going to ask for DePaula or Rushing. Especially if it is for a name player. Congrats to Teo, named NL player of the week. Judge took home the honors in the AL.
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I have no problem including Rushing in a trade for the right return, but DePaula is a definite no for me. I think he could be really special. Of course we all felt that way about Cartaya a couple of years ago and today he has almost no trade value. That said, I’m holding on to DePaula until I see how he develops over the next year or so.
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Keibert Ruiz was untouchable for about four years. So was Verdugo.
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At least we got something worthwhile for those two. Not sure we’ll ever be able to turn Cartaya into an asset, either as a Dodger player or a trade piece, and there are others who fit the same description.
I know Andrew’s job isn’t easy so I will bow to his superior judgement.
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Not sure jordan alverez had any early year (s) In the dodgers system did he? Thought he was signed and traded shortly after sighning.
I’ve always been of the opinion that I would trade almost any prospect for a proven mlb player, if we need a player, and we have several needs right now and are farm is lacking. We have a handful of pitching prospects that would make good trade bait.0
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The Dodgers signed Alvarez in June, 2016 as one of their international signings and traded him to the Astros in August of that year for reliever Josh Fields.
They gave Alvarez 2 mil to sign so they must have liked him but they were in the middle of a pennant race in 2016 and needed a reliever, so…………………………………..
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I heard Fieldsy opened up a resort down in Maui with Tony Cingrani. Big Jon Broxton and Ronald Belisario are the heads of security.
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Did you know that Giovanni Carrara is the head chef?
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Jesse Orosco is one of the senior bartenders.
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Star-studded cast.
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I think we should book a Think Blue gathering at the resort. I’m sure you could get discounted rates for remembering all those names.
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Dodgers acquire utility man, Gavan Biggio from the Blue Jays for Braydon Fisher. Biggio has played 1st, 2nd,3rd and LF this season. Hitting .200 with 2 homers.
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Milton Bradley could be the Matier Di. I can just see him handing out water bottles.
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Handing them out or throwing them at people?
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You knew exactly where I was going with that. Still hard to believe they got Ethier for that clown.
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That turned out to be one of the best trades in Dodger history.
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