In addition to a star-studded MLB roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a young pool of talent in their farm system.<\/p>\n
Six of the Dodgers\u2019 prospects are ranked in MLB Pipeline\u2019s top 100 prospects. Eight are ranked in ESPN\u2019s top 100.<\/p>\n
Right fielder Josue De Paula ranks third among all Dodgers prospects and 40th across MLB on MLB Pipeline. He\u2019s No. 20 in MLB according to ESPN.<\/p>\n
ESPN MLB insider Kiley McDaniel compared De Paula to three-time American League All-Star Yordan Alvarez. McDaniel added that an unnamed rival team also drew the comparison between the two outfielders.<\/p>\n
De Paula, who will turn 20 in May, signed with the Dodgers for $400,000 in the 2022 international signing class. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League and reached the High-A level in 2024.<\/p>\n
Like Alvarez, who is a Cuban native, De Paula came from the international market. He was born in Brooklyn, New York but moved to the Dominican Republic before signing with the Dodgers.<\/p>\n
The left-handed hitter recorded a career-high 10 home runs this season. Meanwhile, Alvarez has logged at least 31 homers across the last four seasons.<\/p>\n
Although De Paula\u2019s home run frequency is less than that of the 2022 AL Silver Slugger, Alvarez\u2019s home runs were also limited in his early career.<\/p>\n
Alvarez did not break into the 20-homer mark until his third minor league season. In his second season, Alvarez hit 12 home runs in 90 games, mirroring De Paula\u2019s 10 in 74 games in 2024.<\/p>\n
De Paula led Class-A in on-base percentage (.404) last season. He was also the second-youngest regular in the High-A Midwest League in the second half of the season.<\/p>\n
De Paula\u2019s MLB prospect profile predicts the 19-year-old to make his MLB debut in 2026. Despite currently lacking speed, defense, and a strong arm, as McDaniel points out, De Paula\u2019s powerful bat will be impactful to the Dodgers\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n
\u201dThe downside of that comp is De Paula doesn\u2019t offer much in terms of speed, defense, or arm,\u201d McDaniel wrote. \u201cThe upside is that he isn\u2019t just raw power projection; he\u2019s also an above average hitter with plus pitch selection and current plus in-game power, though he hasn\u2019t fully leaned into pulling and lifting the ball as much as he probably will in a few years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In addition to a star-studded MLB roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a young pool of talent in their farm system. Six of the Dodgers\u2019 prospects are… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29856,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n