Josue De Paula isn’t just heading to Dodger Stadium on Sunday to hang out, he’s walking onto that field as the Dodgers’ 2026 minor league player of the year, an honor he shares with pitching phenom Christian Zazueta. This dude is legit, man. We’re talking about the best prospect in the entire Dodgers system, and MLB Pipeline just updated their rankings this week, slotting De Paula as the fourth-best prospect in the *sport*. Yeah, you read that right.
De Paula’s Monster Season and September Call-Up
This 21-year-old absolutely tore it up for Double-A Tulsa, putting up a ridiculous .303/.401/.547 slash line with a 145 wRC+. He smashed 37 doubles, launched 27 home runs, swiped 31 bases, scored 106 runs, and drove in 104 RBI. What’s even crazier? He nearly walked as much as he struck out, with 81 walks against just 87 strikeouts. That kind of plate discipline is just insane for a guy his age. He more than doubled his career highs in homers and extra-base hits, which totally earned him the Texas League MVP award. Then, in September, when Shohei Ohtani was on the injured list, De Paula got the call to the big leagues. And he didn’t miss a beat, hitting a robust .323/.500/.581 with three home runs, a triple, and a double in 11 games. He racked up 11 walks against only five strikeouts during that stint. Before that, he reached base five times in three postseason games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, helping them snag both the Pacific Coast League title and the Triple-A national championship. There’s a really good chance this guy is active on the Dodgers’ roster for the NLDS against the Braves.
Zazueta Dominates the Mound, Again
On the pitching side, Christian Zazueta grabbed his second straight Branch Rickey Award as the Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year. He didn’t win a specific league award, but that’s only because he split his time almost evenly between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa. Across both stops, he posted a 3.65 ERA in 23 games, including 22 starts. The numbers are wild: 144 strikeouts against only 20 walks in 103 2/3 innings. Among 264 pitchers with at least 100 minor league innings in 2026, Zazueta’s 30.4-percent strikeout-minus-walk rate was the absolute best. He was especially dominant in his 12 starts for Double-A Tulsa, with a 3.44 ERA and 78 strikeouts against only eight walks. This Mexican right-hander, who turns 22 on Wednesday, was acquired from the New York Yankees for Caleb Ferguson back in February 2024. Winning this award twice puts him in some elite company, joining only three other Dodgers who have done it since 1989: Chad Billingsley (2004-05), James McDonald (2007-08), and Zach Lee (2013, 2015).
What an absolutely wild year for both these guys. With De Paula likely suiting up for the NLDS and Zazueta celebrating his 22nd birthday soon, the future for these young studs looks incredibly bright.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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