Dodgers' farm system getting better-than-expected praise from prospectors

Keith Law is the third noted prospector to rank the Dodgers' farm system in the middle-third, joining John Sickels of Minor League Ball and Baseball America.
Law ranked the system 18th, while Sickels and BA ranked it 19th.

This is what Law had to say about the Dodgers' system:

"They are a little underrepresented in the top 100, but with a lot of guys who'd either be in the next 50 or who could jump into the top 50 next year. That group is led by Yasiel Puig, who barely played in 2013 before surgery to address a staph infection kept him out of the Arizona Fall League."

Honestly, this is better than expected. The Dodgers have a lot of impact potential, but not a lot of depth. And since there isn't a lot of tape on guys like Puig and Onelki Garcia, it's safe to assume the system wouldn't rank in the top half in the majors.

The system lacks depth and true 5-star prospects, but that could all change after the 2013 season. Guys like Zach Lee and Chris Reed are what they are. However, the additions of Puig and Corey Seager -- both of whom could be 5-star guys -- coupled with the emergence of Joc Pederson and Matt Magill could lead to a better ranking come 2014. And this doesn't even take into account the myriad of international signings the Dodgers have made in recent months.

I'm extremely high on the Dodgers' 2012 draft class. That's no secret if you've listened to any episodes of "Dugout Blues." There are players with impact potential in that class, and it will be interesting to follow their progression through the minors.

The system's praise isn't that much better than expected, but a low-to-mid-20s ranking is where I thought most would have it.

I'll do an in-depth look at all the notable prospect rankings in a future post.

Sickels also has a brief write-up on Ross Stripling, who is a personal favorite of his. It's encouraging.

Photo credit: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue