5 Top Prospects In Dodgers Camp
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — While they are likely to end up starting the season in Oklahoma, some of the Dodgers' top prospects got an invitation to spend the first weeks of spring training with the big club at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
Four of these names are already familiar to California League fans who saw them play for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes during the past couple of seasons, with the fifth a recently traded player with a solid bat and an interesting story. While by no means a comprehensive list of the prospects in camp, consider these five players as ones to keep tabs on the next few weeks.
1. Corey Seager, SS, Age 20
Seager, the younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, was a first-round draft choice of the Dodgers in 2012, and played parts of two seasons with the Quakes. He started his career with the Dodgers organization in Ogden in 2012, and split time with the Midland, Mich.-based Great Lakes Loons and Rancho Cucamonga in 2013, batting .269 between the two teams, but just .160 after his August promotion.
Returning to the Quakes in 2014, the left-handed hitting Seager would be named California League MVP as he batted .352, with 18 home runs and an OPS of 1.044 in 80 games, earning a promotion to AA Chattanooga in July. With the Lookouts, Seager hit .345, although he was limited to two homers.
His career fielding percentage of .947 could use a boost, but the Dodgers' acquisition of Jimmy Rollins in the offseason will buy the Kannapolis, N.C., native time to work on it, whether in Los Angeles or Oklahoma City.
2. Julio Urias, P, Age 18
A left-handed starter from Mexico, the Dodgers signed Urias just after he turned 16 in 2012 and sent him to the Great Lakes Loons to start his climb up the ladder the following spring. He was 2-0 in 18 starts with the Low-A club, striking out 67 batters in just 54.1 innings.
Urias was promoted to Rancho Cucamonga for the 2014 season, wearing jersey number 17 to match his age, and putting up more impressive numbers. He was 2-2 in 20 starts (and made five more appearances in relief), striking out 109 while walking only 37. Urias joined Seager as the Dodgers' representative in the Future Stars game in July.
The Dodgers invited Urias to the major league camp this spring so he will have a chance to learn from big guns like Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, and expect him to go to one of the farm clubs in Oklahoma, perhaps the AA Tulsa Drillers.
3. Scott Schebler, OF, Age 24
Unlike Seager and Urias, who are non-roster invitees to the big league camp, Schebler is already on the Dodgers' 40-man roster. He has also made a steady climb up the ladder, playing full seasons in the Arizona, Pioneer, Midwest, California and Southern leagues.
Schebler had a breakout season with the Quakes in 2013, batting .296 with 27 homers and 91 RBIs, and posting a .941 OPS. He played 77 of his 121 games in right field, and was named the Dodgers' minor league player of the year. He did not disappoint in the 2014 season either, batting .280, with 28 home runs and 73 RBIs, shifting primarily to left field as a member of the AA Lookouts. He then hit .310 with the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, which is often a finishing school for prospects.
With the Dodgers' crowded outfield, it's likely that Schebler will start the season with AAA Oklahoma City, but continued growth as a hitter means he has a lot of upside potential.
4. Chris Anderson, P, Age 22
A first-round draft pick in 2013, the righty from Jacksonville University was assigned to Great Lakes and posted a 3-0 record over 12 starts, striking out 50 and walking 24 in 46 innings while posting a 1.96 ERA.
Anderson's sophomore season had some pluses and minuses. While posting a 7-7 record with the Quakes, his ERA jumped to 4.62. But he struck out 146 batters in 134.1 innings while walking 63, and showed he could handle an increasing workload.
Don't be surprised to see Anderson as the staff ace in Tulsa to start 2015, with a possible invitation to the Futures Game and perhaps a stint in the Arizona Fall League.
5. Shawn Zarraga, C, Age 26
Part of a trade that sent minor league pitcher Jarrett Martin to the Brewers in the off-season, Zarraga gives the Dodgers some depth at catcher in the high-level minors.
A 6-foot, 248-pound righty from Oranjestad, Aruba, Zarraga hit .309 while splitting time between AA Huntsville and AAA Nashville in 2014. His stint in Huntsville was highlighted by a .330 average with 42 walks and just 23 strikeouts, posting an OPS of .858. His 17 games with the Nashville Sounds were his first in AAA, although he was held to a .213 average.
A 44th-round draft pick out of Trinity Christian Academy in Lake Worth, Fla., in 2007, Zarraga helped lead the Netherlands to the 2014 European championship.
Chances are he will land with one of the Oklahoma farm teams in April.
