Los Angeles Dodgers: 5 Players Doing Suprisingly Well in Spring Training

The Los Angeles Dodgers are less than a week away from their Opening Day game against the World Champion San Francisco Giants.

Some of the Dodger players haven’t seen an extended period of time on the field because of injury and other issues. But, there have been some standouts that fans should be aware of—if they aren't already.

Some of these players might not make the 40-man roster, because of lack of spots for them, and will have a few more years in the Dodgers farm system before getting called up.

Other players are newly acquired transactions that performed well in the Cactus League.

Here are five Dodgers that surprised fans through spring training:  

Yasiel Puig's Big Bat This Spring

Yasiel Puig easily had the best spring training of any Dodger hitter.

The Cuban outfielder recorded a .527 batting average with three home runs and 11 runs batted in. Puig was able to show his power hitting ability with his 6'3'' height and 245-pound frame. Also, he fields the ball very well for his size.

Manager Don Mattingly even compared Puig to Bo Jackson in a recent Los Angeles Times article.

Puig showed off some speed with his four stolen bases in 25 games. The 22-year-old is still very young and there are veterans that have the outfield occupied for the next few years. 

But, Puig will eventually receive time because of injuries to other outfielders.

And honestly, he has just too much talent to leave off the field. 

Skip Schumaker's Versatility Shines

When Skip Schumaker was traded in December for minor league shortstop Jake Lemmerman, the Dodgers knew they had a quality utility player on their hands. Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire was positive that Schumaker would be able to make contributions this season.

At spring training, the California native showed off some solid hitting and fielding skills that will help the Dodgers. Schumaker proved to be a double hitting machine (six of his 13 hits were doubles) and a reliable infielder.

His experience from the Cardinals should give Mattingly another option at second base, as well as a solid backup at all three outfield positions.

Solid Pitching from Hyun-Jin Ryu

The expectations were high for pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, but the public didn't know much about his pitching style.

Through six spring training games with the Dodgers, Ryu posted a 2-2 record with a 3.86 ERA. He was also second on the team with 23 strikeouts behind Clayton Kershaw.

The Korean pitcher was able to show a solid mid-90s fastball, decent curveball, nasty slider and a deceptive change-up in his arsenal. Ryu showed off a variety of pitches in his top spring training start against the Milwaukee Brewers on St. Patrick's Day.

Ryu pitched 5.2 innings where he struck out six, walked two batters and allowed one run. Hopefully, Ryu can continue to have pitching performances like this because the Dodgers will need quality efforts from him this season.

Elian Herrera's Improved Numbers

Outfielder Elian Herrera has really bounced around the Dodgers minor league system through his seven seasons a part of the organization.

The progression from Rookie class baseball to the big leagues has taken some time because he is young and still needs experience on the next level.

However, Herrera had his best spring training season over the last two months.

The Dominican Republic native had a .311 batting average, .378 slugging percentage and four runs batted in through 25 games. Herrera was posting solid numbers for a player that struggled at times last season in the majors.

Even with the improved stats, Herrera probably won't receive as much playing time as he did in 2012 because Mattingly has a lot of options.  

Nick Punto's Role Increases

Infielder Nick Punto didn't get as much time at bat during spring training with the Dodgers because he was playing for Italy in the World Baseball Classic.

 In 14 spring training games, Punto recorded a .226 batting average, .333 on-base percentage and three runs batted in.  

Other Dodger infielder Hanley Ramirez ended up winning the WBC with the Dominican Republic, but also tore his thumb ligament in the championship game. The injury will leave Ramirez sidelined for the first two months of the season and Punto will have to take his place.

The Dodgers have Punto starting at third base on their depth chart in Ramirez's absence. Mattingly and the Dodgers will need solid numbers from Punto to start the season.