MLB Twitter reacts to analysts' farm system rankings: "How the Yankees not in the top 10?" "This is beyond painful to look at"
Who has the best minor league system in MLB? It's one of the debates that helps make baseball fun. MLB insider Keith Law took a stab at it in an article for The Athletic on Thursday.
The team at the top of the list is a familiar one for MLB fans: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
.@keithlaw ranked all 30 MLB farm systems.
Once again, the Dodgers rise to the top.
Read more: theathletic.com/4138444/2023/0… https://t.co/YTgh3uf53b
"It's Dodger Devil Magic," Law said of Los Angeles' ability to not only have the best team record-wise at the end of the 2022 regular season, but also the top farm system heading into 2023.
Of course, with 30 MLB teams worth of opinions, there's plenty of opposition to Law's rankings.
This is beyond painful to look at. twitter.com/TheAthletic/st…
This is absolutely ridiculous. The dodgers continue to buy their team. I will no longer be watching. Goodbye MLB, you lost a longtime loyal fan twitter.com/theathletic/st…
Fully convinced Keith Law is on the dodgers payroll to juice up their prospect rankings so they can trade slapdick prospects for stars all the time.
I’ll put on the tin foil hat twitter.com/theathletic/st…
There was a considerable amount of baseball fans lobbying for their team being placed higher in Law's rankings. Again, everyone has to be a critic, but it is the debate that makes rankings enjoyable.
@TheAthletic @keithlaw @TheAthleticMLB @MLB How the Yankees not in the top 10?
Eury Perez is in the Marlins system.
For that alone, the Marlins are a top 10 farm.
Eury is that good. twitter.com/theathletic/st…
Cleveland rightfully top 5, but reds should be up there as well twitter.com/TheAthletic/st…
Los Angeles Dodgers fans, as warranted, were showing plenty of hubris about their lofty spot atop Law's rankings. While Los Angeles has been accused of "buying" its success, and admittedly has spent more than its share of money, the Dodgers farm system has traditionally been a role model for others to follow.
Built not Bought twitter.com/theathletic/st…
But, I thought the Dodgers buy their talent? twitter.com/theathletic/st…
As for Detroit Tigers fans, well, things weren't good last year – and they don't look to be getting better any time soon. Usually when a team performs as poorly at the major league level as the Tigers did last season, they have some hope for the future as prospects come up to the big leagues. However, with Detroit placing dead last in Law's rankings, that hope may be fleeting.
we have the worst farm system in the league and our active roster is shit LMFAOOOOOO, give me one good reason i should keep following this league twitter.com/theathletic/st…
Tigers are dead last while also being tied for the current longest Playoff drought in MLB lol. What a disaster. Avila will go down as one of the worst GMs in Detroit sports history. twitter.com/theathletic/st…
MLB teams on the rise?
The top 10 of Law's farm system rankings feature a number of MLB's top, or at least long-standing, organizations. The Dodgers, Cleveland Guardians, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals are all in the top third of the rankings.
But fans of some of the more downtrodden teams in recent history can point to the rankings and smile.
The Baltimore Orioles, who put on a schockingly strong playoff push after years of mediocrity, are No. 3 in the rankings. This should add weight to the argument that the Orioles may be ready to challenge in the ultra-competitive American League East for several years to come.
The Arizona Diamondbacks faithful can also look at the rankings with optimism that a return to the competitiveness of the organization's early years – Arizona won the World Series in just its fourth season in 2001 – may not be far from returning.