Dodgers’ Prospect Watch: 2017 MLB Spring Training Recap

ALEX VERDUGO

Verdugo is another Dodgers’ top prospect that is considered, by many, to have a chance to be a real star in the league one day. His combination of defense, hitting for contact, and speed make him a foreseeable force in the outfield for years to come. He didn’t get a ton of playing time in the 2017 spring, but certainly enough to mention him here.

Verdugo’s most memorable moment came early in the spring, for me at least. A towering bomb over the right field fence that’s scheduled to land sometime around Mid-May. A lot of reports you read on Verdugo talk about him as a contact guy, but maybe this was just the start of the power flash.

His line from the spring campaign isn’t anything to brag about, but he did slug .538  while putting up a respectable OPS. However, based on his stats from the last few years in the minors, there won’t be much stopping him once he gets his timing in tune with major league pitching.

The beauty of Verdugo is that he can already play every outfield position as well. The Dodgers decided to make him a position player rather than a pitcher when they drafted him, but the mid-90s arm that originally caught teams’ attention is still in tact and a legit weapon in the outfield.

It’s only a matter of time before the prospect from Arizona makes his impact in Los Angeles. It could be as soon as 2017 if things go his way.

Bottom Line: He might just make you forget about Joc Pederson.