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3 top prospects (and 1 young star) who'll take major steps forward for 2024 Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers were not messing around in the 2023-24 offseason. L.A. added RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, RHPs Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, and OFs Teoscar Hernández and Manuel Margot to a roster that has won 100 games in each of the last four full seasons. The Dodgers also will benefit from bringing back pieces like relievers Daniel Hudson and Joe Kelly, as well as Jason Heyward in the outfield. L.A. will also see returns from Gavin Lux and Walker Buehler, who are coming back from season-long injuries in 2023.
With the ridiculous roster the Dodgers have constructed for 2024, it could be hard for prospects and youngsters to make it onto the major league roster. However, injuries are an inevitable part of baseball, and the Dodgers are going to need players to step up when more experienced players aren't able to contribute. L.A.'s farm system was not changed too heavily in the offseason as a result of making more free agency signings than trades, but for a few of the Dodgers' young players, it is time for a breakout season.
4 Dodgers youngsters poised for breakout seasons in 2024
RHP Nick Frasso
Nick Frasso was acquired in the Dodgers' trade with the Blue Jays that sent Mitch White to Toronto. Looking back on that trade, the Dodgers will definitely be on the right end of it if Frasso can live up to the high expectations placed on him. Frasso is currently the No. 3 prospect in the Dodgers' system and was projected to potentially be a back-end starter in the 2025 season, depending on what the Dodgers did in the offseason this season and next season. Given the signings the Dodgers made in the offseason, his path to becoming a starter has been obscured, but Frasso still has the talent to be a major league starter.
From a statistical standpoint, Frasso's numbers don't blow anyone away. He had a 3.77 ERA across 25 starts in Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. But, while in Double-A, Frasso struck out 94 batters in 73.2 innings while only walking 24. If he can keep up that kind of a ratio in Triple-A this season, he will earn a call-up to the majors and will compete.
Frasso has a fastball that can touch 100 MPH, and with the ability to still control his stuff, he can grow into a pitcher that profiles similarly to Bobby Miller (who still has room to grow himself). Unfortunately, the Dodgers' pitching staff seems to encounter the injury bug annually, and Frasso may be called into action sooner than L.A. would like him to be, but I believe in his ability to perform when he gets the chance.
OF Andy Pages
The outfield was viewed as a potential weakness of the Dodgers after L.A. signed Ohtani and announced Mookie Betts would be transitioning to a full-time role at second base. But then the Dodgers signed Teoscar Hernández and traded for Manuel Margot, seemingly filling that gap in the roster.
Andy Pages, however, has been waiting for his chance to factor into the major league roster for a long time. His ETA to make his debut was 2023, but Pages has still never seen any action in MLB.
There will be a time this year when Pages' services are needed, and I think the player once seen as the future in the outfield will make a big impact when given his chance. Pages' year was cut short after only one game in Triple-A last year due to injury, but in 33 Double-A games, he had a .925 OPS and 12 doubles. Although his call-up might not come until later in the year due to his recovery, I think when Pages is healthy, he will be ready to step up.
RHP Kyle Hurt
Kyle Hurt made a brief, but very impressive MLB debut for the Dodgers towards the end of the 2023 season. Hurt tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. Even with such a small sample size in the majors, Hurt had a strong second half of 2023 in the minor leagues, posting a 3.33 ERA in 27.0 innings in Triple-A after a midseason promotion from Double-A. Hurt seems like to have a strong Spring Training, and although he won’t make the Opening Day roster, he’ll be waiting in the wings to be an injury replacement.
The Dodgers' rotation seems very set in stone with Yamamoto, Buehler and Glasnow joining young arms Emmet Sheehan and Bobby Miller. However, spots will open up eventually and Hurt will also likely work out of the bullpen even if the rotation stays healthy. Hurt started in most of his appearances before his promotion to Triple-A, but in Oklahoma City, he only started one game out of his seven appearances. The Dodgers will probably piggyback him off a guy like Sheehan when the opportunity presents itself, and Hurt will impress fans when he gets his chance.
SS Gavin Lux
Last, but certainly not least on this list is Gavin Lux. It has been well established that Lux will start for this team and will be a major contributor, but Lux's injury in 2023 made people forget just how good he was in 2022, and how much room to improve he still has as a young player. Lux's speed will show out even more on the base paths in 2024, thanks to all of MLB's rule changes that made stealing bases easier and a more common part of the game. The Dodgers will get major value out of Lux's speed in 2024, and I think his bat will continue to progress as well.
Lux posted a .745 OPS in 2022, with a .346 OBP and .399 SLG. Lux certainly has the power to raise his slugging numbers even higher, and with the increased lineup protection he will have this year, I expect Lux to get more quality pitches and start hitting for power more. His speed and plate discipline are the cornerstones of his game, as he ranked 77th percentile in chase rate, 74th percentile in walk rate, and 89th percentile in sprint speed in 2022 according to Statcast. Those qualities are a great baseline for Lux's game, and if his bat continues to progress with an uptick in power, Lux can ascend to All-Star status this season.
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