Former Dodgers Top Pitching Prospect Makes First All Star Team for New Club

He could end up being the one that got away for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers have consistently had one of baseball's best farm systems for the better part of the last decade. No one in baseball is better at drafting and developing talent, so the Dodgers are always loaded throughout the minor leagues.

That makes for tons of exciting top prospects playing for the Dodgers — like we've seen this season — but also tons of exciting top prospects being shipped off to other teams.

Over the course of the last handful of years, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has had his fair share of hits and his fair share of misses in terms of trading top prospects.

This year, though, one of his recent trades is starting to look like a real miss for LA.

This weekend, the MLB announced the full All-Star Game rosters, and Nationals RHP Josiah Gray made the team.

LET'S GOOOOO, JOOOOsiah!!

Josiah Gray is an All-Star. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/CwpviCJ86s

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 2, 2023

If you recognize that name, it's because Gray was a top prospect in the Dodgers' organization, before he was traded to Washington in the trade that brought Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to LA.

Gray, who headlined the package with catcher Keibert Ruiz — another guy who's been great since getting to Washington — has really taken a leap this season.

In 17 starts, Gray has a 3.30 ERA in 95.1 innings. His ERA was sub-three until a couple rough starts in June, but he's gotten back to his dominant ways in his last two outings. And, of course, he capped it off with his first career All-Star appearance.

Gray is turning into a real ace-caliber pitcher at just 25 years old, and he and Ruiz are becoming a dynamic duo in Washington.

Obviously, the Dodgers had to make that trade at the time, and they were expecting it to bring a World Series to Los Angeles.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, but it's hard for LA to have regret from that move considering they get a dominant Scherzer for the rest of 2021 and an All-Star in Trea Turner for 2021 and 2022.

But still, as Gray and Ruiz continue to flourish, it will always sting a little bit. But that's just the nature of the game.