Eduardo Quintero won't turn 20 until September. Joendry Vargas won't turn 20 until November. MLB Pipeline already ranks Quintero as the Dodgers' eighth-best prospect, and Vargas as the eleventh. They are not secrets, but what is not well known is that these two have already teamed up as a teenage dynamic duo with a double championship legacy, and shooting for a third.
The Dominican Summer League is a rookie-level league, operated by Major League Baseball in the Dominican Republic. There are fifty teams in the league, and they play a roughly 54-game season. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs, and all series are best-of-three. In 2023, the DSL Dodgers Bautista had the best record in the league at 42-11. Led by two 17-year-olds, Quintero and Vargas. Quintero was top-five in the league in most offensive categories, including RBIs and stolen bases. In 212 at-bats, Quintero hit .353/.472/.618. His 1.089 OPS was second in the league for qualified players. Vargas was not far behind him. His hitting line was .328/.423/.529. His seven home runs were tied for fifth in the league. The DSL Dodgers Bautista would go on to win the championship, sweeping the quarter and semifinals, and beating the DSL Pirates Gold team 2-1 in the finals. Quintero and Vargas each had three hits, driving in two runs in the title clincher, including a home run for Vargas.
The ACL is a rookie-level league that plays a 60-game schedule with games running from May to late July. There are fifteen teams, the top four teams play a one-game sudden-death semifinal, and the two survivors play a best-of-three finals. In 2024, the ACL Dodgers had the best record in the league at 40-20 and swept the ACL Diamondbacks team in the finals to win the championship. Quintero put up a batting line of .330/.459/.449, was second in the league in stolen bases (29), second in runs scored (49), and seventh in RBIs (37). Vargas' line was .303/.406/.493. In a total of ten playoff games over the last two years, Vargas has three home runs.
Essentially, Quintero and Vargas teamed up to lead their teams to the best regular-season records and playoff championships during their 17- and 18-year-old seasons. Now, in their age-19 seasons, they are teaming up once again in Low-A ball, and Rancho Cucamonga is, take a quick guess, leading the league with a 33-17 record. These two are once again filling up the stat sheets.
Dodger fans can fantasize about what might happen if Eduardo Quintero and Joendry Vargas team up one day in Los Angeles.