Josue De Paula’s breakout season just keeps piling up honors.
After turning into a major league stretch-run contributor over the last week and a half, the Dodgers’ top prospect was named Texas League MVP on Monday following a standout year at Double-A Tulsa. Baseball America also selected De Paula as the Dodgers minor league player of the year.
The numbers explain why. In 124 games with the Drillers, De Paula posted a .303/.401/.547 line with a 145 wRC+, along with 27 home runs, 37 doubles, 106 runs scored, 104 RBI and 31 stolen bases. He established career highs across the board, and his power jump was especially striking: he more than doubled his previous best in home runs, going from 12 to 27, and in extra-base hits, rising from 30 to 66.
He also finished as one of the league’s most complete offensive players. De Paula led the Texas League in runs scored, RBI, hits and doubles, and placed in the top five in OPS, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, batting average, home runs, stolen bases, total bases (274) and extra-base hits.
His production has carried over immediately to the majors. In his first 10 big league games, De Paula has hit .286/.474/.500 with three doubles and a home run, reaching base 18 times in 38 plate appearances. His 10 walks have more than doubled his four strikeouts.
Tulsa’s talent was spread all over the Texas League All-Star roster, too. The entire All-Star outfield came from the Drillers, with De Paula joined by Zyhir Hope - who was traded on August 2 to the Detroit Tigers in the Tarik Skubal deal - and Mike Sirota. Tulsa also sent infielder Jake Gelof, who was selected at designated hitter, and relief pitcher Nick Robertson.
Eric Wedge added another honor to the season, being named Texas League manager of the year. He became the fifth Tulsa Drillers manager to win the award and the first since Tim Ireland in 2002, when Tulsa was still a Texas Rangers affiliate. It also came 19 years after Wedge won American League manager of the year with Cleveland in 2007.
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For Los Angeles, Skubals appearance comes at an interesting moment. He was recently placed on the Dodgers bereavement list and is currently expected to start the final regular-season game, though that could still change. Even with the season winding down, the Dodgers are keeping an eye on anything that might affect the rotation, and a night out around the NFL only added another layer to the intrigue around Skubals week. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Letting Ryan Ward Go Took An Unexpected Turn
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For the Dodgers, Wards recent minor league production had already made his standing uncertain, and the roster rules created an unusual layer to his departure. He was only eligible to play for the Dodgers in the 2026 postseason, which meant Los Angeles still had some control over his future in a narrow sense, even as the organization opened the door for him to continue his career abroad. [Read more 🡒]