Los Angeles Dodgers: MLB Player Comps for Each Top Spring Training Prospect

The Los Angeles Dodgers have clung tightly to their top-tier prospects in recent years, despite plenty of rumors on the trade market.

Joc Pederson, Corey Seager and Julio Urias have all emerged from the minor league ranks to make an impact at the MLB level, and they'll be a key part of the team's core going forward.

And there's more young talent on the way.

While many of the team's current top prospects are still in the lower levels of the minors and won't be present in big league camp this spring, five of them are in camp with the big boys.

Ahead is a closer look at those five players, including a pro-player comparison for each to provide a better idea of what they might become.

Note: To be included in this article, a player needed to be ranked among the organization's top 10 prospects by Baseball America or Baseball Prospectus.

C Austin Barnes

Norm Hall/Getty Images

Pro Comparison: Chris Herrmann, Arizona Diamondbacks

Outlook

Austin Barnes is not your typical backup catcher.

"Barnes is more athletic than most catchers and somewhat underrated as a defender. He's agile behind the plate, receives well and has an average arm. He's also capable of playing second and third base, providing a unique utility profile if he's not a regular," MLB.com's Prospect Watch noted.

The 27-year-old doesn't offer much upside at this point in his development, but he'll finally have an opportunity at the MLB level this year when he'll serve as the backup to Yasmani Grandal.

Barnes hit .295/.380/.443 with 22 doubles, six home runs and 39 RBI in 85 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City last season, and he has the bat to make an impact in a utility role.

Finding someone capable of catching and lining up at other spots defensively is rare, but it's something that Chris Herrmann did for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season.

Herrmann has a different defensive profile as a backup catcher who also played in the outfield—including two games in center field—but he provides similarly valuable versatility with a good bat to boot.

The 29-year-old hit .284/.352/.493 with 15 extra-base hits in 166 plate appearances last season for a 1.3 WAR.

If Barnes can emerge as that kind of contributor for the Dodgers this coming season, they'd welcome it with open arms.

OF Andrew Toles

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Pro Comparison: Juan Pierre, Retired

Outlook

The No. 28 prospect in the Dodgers' system at the start of last season, per Baseball America, Andrew Toles emerged as a surprise MLB contributor down the stretch.

The 24-year-old hit .314/.365/.505 with 13 extra-base hits in 115 plate appearances, earning a platoon role during the team's postseason run.

That level of production might not be sustainable, though.

Toles' impressive debut numbers were propped up by a .385 BABIP that ranked sixth among players with at least 100 plate appearances.

Still, his speed and defensive ability give him a chance of carving out at least a part-time role, and he seems to have a fan in manager Dave Roberts.

"He's just so calm and cool," Roberts said, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. "It's just like a young player going out there and playing baseball in his backyard."

Toles knows how to use his plus wheels with a slap-hitting approach at the plate that is reminiscent of retired speedster Juan Pierre.

He may never be an elite base-stealing threat like Pierre was, but FanGraphs gave him 70-grade speed, and he does have a 62-steal season to his credit at the Single-A level back in 2013.

2B Willie Calhoun

Harry How/Getty Images

Pro Comparison: Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians (minus the speed and defense)

Outlook

Willie Calhoun packs a wallop into his 5'8", 187-pound frame.

The 22-year-old has hit .277/.345/.487 with 48 doubles and 38 home runs in 883 plate appearances since being selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft out of Yavapai College in Arizona.

"This is a guy that can really, really hit," Jonathan Mayo said in a video on MLB.com. "The ball just makes a different sound off of his bat. I think the biggest question is where is he gonna play defensively."

Calhoun is currently lining up as a second baseman, and he's worked hard to improve defensively, but most agree his future home is in left field.

Regardless, his bat will play anywhere.

"A left-handed hitter, he has a quick bat and a knack for making contact, and he might do even more damage once he learns to wait a little better for pitches he can drive. He could be a .280 hitter with 20 or more homers per season at his peak," MLB.com's Prospect Watch noted.

Looking at players lining up at his current position, Jason Kipnis looks like the best comparison for Calhoun, at least offensively.

The Indians standout hit .275 with 41 doubles and 23 home runs last season, and he, too, has good contact skills and somewhat surprising power from the left side of the plate.

That said, Kipnis is an above-average defender with a pair of 30-steal seasons to his credit, so the comparison doesn't stretch beyond the batter's box.

OF Alex Verdugo

Pro Comparison: Nick Markakis, Atlanta Braves

Outlook

Alex Verdugo had some intriguing potential as a pitcher coming out of high school, with a fastball that touched 94 and a promising slider.

He preferred to be an everyday player, though, and that big arm is now a significant weapon in right field. The 20-year-old has tallied 33 outfield assists over the past two seasons.

His bat has also progressed nicely since he joined the Dodgers organization as a second-round pick in 2014.

MLB.com's Prospect Watch noted:

"

An extremely advanced hitter for his age, Verdugo excels at recognizing pitches, managing the strike zone and squaring up the ball. He exhibits plenty of bat speed from the left side of the plate and an affinity for using the opposite field. The only concerns with him offensively are whether his line-drive approach will limit him to average power and whether he makes contact so easily that it will cut into his walks.

"

A line-drive swing with good contact skills from the left side and a plus arm in right field sounds a lot like a young Nick Markakis.

Markakis is a .289 career hitter who has been a consistent double-digit home run threat but has never tallied more than 23 long balls in a single season.

He also ranks second among active players with 101 outfield assists in right field.

As an 11-year MLB veteran with a career 29.1 WAR, a Markakis-type career would be nothing to sneeze at.

1B/OF Cody Bellinger

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

Pro Comparison: Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants (with more power)

Outlook

With Corey Seager and Julio Urias exhausting their rookie eligibility last season and Jose De Leon traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, there's a new top dog in the Dodgers system.

I'm actually partial to hard-throwing Yadier Alvarez for that No. 1 spot, but both Baseball America and MLB.com rank Cody Bellinger as the team's top prospect and a top-15 prospect in all of baseball.

There's a lot to like about the 21-year-old.

"Bellinger focused on hitting for average when he broke into pro ball, displaying a smooth left-handed stroke and patient approach. He since has added loft to his swing and gotten more aggressive about pulling pitches, becoming one of the best power prospects in the Minors," MLB.com's Prospect Watch recorded.

That developing approach was on full display last season when he hit .271/.365/.507 with 26 home runs and 71 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A.

Bellinger has long been viewed as the heir to Adrian Gonzalez at first base and that's still where he figures to wind up in the long term.

However, with Gonzalez under contract through the 2018 season, Bellinger could break into the league as a corner outfielder where he has the athleticism to be a capable defender.

Brandon Belt took a similar path to the everyday first-base job with the San Francisco Giants, and he still sees the occasional start in left field when Buster Posey plays first base.

Bellinger should develop more pop than Belt, who has thus far maxed out at 18 home runs, but they have similar frames and athletic profiles.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted.