The Los Angeles Dodgers' Sleeper Prospects to Watch in Spring Training

We all know the storylines to watch for when the Dodgers leave Los Angeles for Arizona next month: the health of Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson; new additions Jimmy Rollins, Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal; and how long Andre Ethier will remain on the roster. The stories that most fans don’t know of, though, take place on back fields or with players wearing jersey numbers in the 60s.

Two years ago, Yasiel Puig set spring training on fire and parlayed that into an early call-up. It is, of course, unlikely that any prospect will mimic Puig’s performance, but that doesn’t mean no one is worth watching. Several players will be in big league camp who could be impact players at the major league level quite soon, and these are names you might not have heard of who you should pay attention to.

Chris Anderson, RHP

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Chris Anderson, left, with Don Mattingly and former Dodger prospect Tom Windle

Anderson is the biggest name on this list; he was a first-round pick in 2013, and he is a non-roster invitee to 2015 spring training. This means he is not on the 40-man roster, but the Dodgers wanted him to have an opportunity to experience a more professional environment and have major league teammates.

The right-handed pitcher has demonstrated the ability to strike batters out (9.8 K/9), but he has had trouble keeping his pitches in the strike zone. His career 4.3 BB/9 is entirely unacceptable, so the Dodgers will be hoping he can harness his command a bit.

Austin Barnes, C

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Barnes was acquired this offseason from Miami in the Dee Gordon trade, and he will add catching depth to an organization that lost Tim Federowicz (but did gain Yasmani Grandal). One of the Dodgers’ biggest problems was their inability to replace A.J. Ellis (when he got hurt) or Federowicz (who could not hit), and Barnes is part of the new front office’s efforts to improve their depth at the position.

Unlike Federowicz, Barnes may have some offensive upside. Dodgers Digest did an excellent job breaking down his offensive profile—and you should read their whole piece—but essentially he walks and doesn’t strike out. FanGraphs doesn’t provide league averages for the minors—and such a generalization would be ineffective anyway because it wouldn’t differentiate between organizational filler and legitimate prospects—but Barnes’ walk and strikeout rates are quite impressive.

The right-handed hitter has posted a walk rate below 10 percent at just one stop in his career, and he’s walked more often than he’s struck out several times as well.

Enrique Hernandez, UTIL

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Hernandez is the other player on this list whom the Dodgers received from Miami, and he is equally intriguing as a utility player. He is just 23 years old but has been in the minors since 2009. He has a career .730 OPS, which isn’t great but is sufficient for someone who will be able to fill in at multiple positions and be a versatile option who provides better defense than Justin Turner.

Scott Schebler, of

A left-hitting, right-throwing outfielder, Schebler has emerged as a prospect in the past two years. He posted a .900 OPS in each of 2013 and 2014 and forced his way onto the scene. Given the logjam that already exists in the Dodgers’ big league outfield, it is unlikely Schebler is a significant contributor in 2015, but a rash of injuries could make his arrival necessary.

MLB.com’s scouting report suggests that “his arm will likely relegate him to left field,” which limits his flexibility and would make it unlikely he gets recalled unless Carl Crawford gets hurt and Andre Ethier is traded. However, whenever he does get an opportunity, his recent track record suggests he will make the most of it.

Darnell Sweeney, UTIL

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Sweeney is intriguing because he was a 41st-round pick in 2009 and has turned himself into someone worth paying attention to. He will be 24 when spring training starts, so he is not exactly young. However, he has spent the past three years making his case for a big league future.

He is going to have to be a solid all-around player because he does not excel at any one aspect. He has a career .814 OPS—which is good but nothing special—but that is buoyed by a good walk rate. His OBP in 2014 was nearly 100 points higher than his batting average, demonstrating an ability to boost his on-base skills by drawing free passes. If he can translate that skill to the big leagues, then he becomes a more viable prospect.

Notes: List of non-roster invitees is courtesy of True Blue LA, and the 40-man roster is courtesy of Dodgers.com. Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.