The way the Dodgers have spent money in recent years often overshadows one of their key strengths: their ability to draft, trade for, and develop prospects. The Dodgers currently boast five prospects in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 rankings, tied for the third-most among all teams.
This impressive group includes four outfielders—Josue De Paula (No. 15), Zyhir Hope (No. 27), Eduardo Quintero (No. 30), and Mike Sirota (No. 60)—all ranked within the top 60. Notably, Mike Sirota was acquired in last year’s trade that sent Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds.
A year earlier, the Dodgers made a trade with the Chicago Cubs that brought in Zyhir Hope and promising young pitcher Jackson Ferris. In exchange, the Dodgers sent infielder Michael Busch and right-hander Yency Almonte, who has recently returned to the Dodgers on a minor league contract.
Jackson Ferris has quickly made an impression with the Dodgers. In his second Cactus League start this past Saturday, he pitched 1-2/3 scoreless innings, helping the Dodgers in a 7-6 split-squad loss to the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium.
Reflecting on his transition from the Cubs to the Dodgers, Ferris shared, “It was different. 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.”
Ferris went on to compare the two organizations: “The Cubs [are] a great organization, good minor league system and everything, but 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 the Cubs’ minor league camp in early January 2024, ready to get to work. A few days later, he was surprised to be traded. “I definitely wasn’t expecting it after only throwing like 55-ish innings in my first year and doing well,” he 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.”
He credits the Dodgers for being far more detail-oriented in their coaching approach compared to the Cubs. “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 explained. “It felt 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.”
During his time with the Dodgers organization, 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 club. Last year, he logged a 3.86 ERA across 26 games and 126 innings at Double-A Tulsa.
This season, Ferris could be knocking on the door of a big-league promotion. He’s impressed through his first two Cactus League starts, allowing just four baserunners and no runs over 2-2/3 innings. Ferris works with a versatile five-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a “bullet slider,” a straight changeup, and a 12-to-6 curveball.
With this depth of young talent and a strong focus on player development, the Dodgers continue to build a promising future, complementing their pursuit of success at the major league level.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2026-03-01/dodgers-jackson-ferris-pitching-prospect