The way the Dodgers have spent money in recent years, one area that often gets overlooked is their ability to draft, trade for and develop prospects.
The Dodgers boast five prospects in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 rankings, tied for third-most among teams. The group includes four outfielders — Josue De Paula (No. 15), Zyhir Hope (No. 27), Eduardo Quintero (No. 30) and Mike Sirota (No. 60) — in the top 60. Two of those prospects, De Paula and Quintero, were international signings, and the other two, Hope and Sirota, were acquired via trade.
Sirota came over in last year’s trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds. A year earlier, the club acquired Hope and promising young pitcher Jackson Ferris from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for infielder Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte, who recently returned to the Dodgers on a minor league contract.
Ferris, who pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings in his second Cactus League start Saturday in the Dodgers’ 7-6 split-squad loss to the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, noticed the contrast going from the Cubs to the Dodgers.
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“It was different,” Ferris said last month at his locker at Camelback Ranch. “It was honestly a breath of fresh air. Getting to know these coaches, they just understand exactly what they wanted for me and how they were going to go about it.
“It was cool to see how different things were. The Cubs [are] a great organization, good minor league system and everything, it was crazy to see how different the Cubs are from the Dodgers. The Dodgers are just as good, if not better, at everything in the minor leagues and in the big leagues.”
Ferris arrived at Cubs minor league camp in early January 2024, ready to get to work. A few days later, he was surprised when the team told him he had been traded.
“I definitely wasn’t expecting it after only throwing like 55-ish innings in my first year and doing well,” Ferris said. “So, I didn’t really know how to react. The Cubs coaches were talking highly of the Dodgers coaches, so then I was pretty excited.”
Ferris credits the Dodgers for being more detail-oriented than the Cubs and helping him improve as a pitcher.
“It was my first year of pro ball, so maybe it was just like being a high schooler, I didn’t necessarily get a whole lot of coaching,” Ferris said of his time with the Cubs. “I’d say it was more like, ‘Go out there and let’s just see how you do in your first year.’ Whereas whenever I came here, they studied my throw, everything and it was like, ‘Here, we think these drills are going to help you,’ and we just kind of took off in our first year of being here.”
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That season, Ferris posted a 3.20 ERA across 34 starts between high-A Great Lakes and double-A Tulsa, earning minor league pitcher of the year honors from the organization. Last year, Ferris logged a 3.86 ERA across 26 games and 126 innings at double-A Tulsa.
This year Ferris could be knocking on the door of a big-league promotion. He’s impressed through his first two Cactus League starts, with just four baserunners and no runs over 2-2/3 innings, while working with a versatile five-pitch mix that features a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a “bullet slider,” a straight changeup and a 12-to-6 curveball.
“I like Jackson,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently. “I like the player. He’s a good kid. A lot of talent. I think for me, it’s just trying to harness his arsenal. It’s a good fastball. He needs to continue to get ahead, be able to put hitters away with the secondary pitches, be efficient with his pitches per inning, but I like Jackson.”
Mookie Betts makes Cactus League debut
Shortstop Mookie Betts played in his first spring training game Sunday, reaching on a fielder’s choice and grounding out in two at-bats while scoring a run in the Dodgers’ 4-3 win over the Angels at Camelback Ranch.
“I know I had an 0-for-2, but I got two good swings,” Betts said after he was lifted from the game. “I was prepared, I was ready to go. Couldn’t ask for anything more than what I’ve been doing.”
Left-hander Alex Vesia pitched a scoreless fourth inning, striking out the side. Vesia has struck out five of the nine batters he has faced across three appearances this spring.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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