Experts rank forgotten LA Dodgers prospect among top minor-league power bats

Every season, Baseball America surveys minor league coaches in search of the best players in the game, ranked by their respective attributes. BA's search for the game's "Best Tools" brought them to one Los Angeles Dodgers prospect

This year, managers among the three High-A leagues recognized one LA Dodgers prospect, naming Chris Newell as a "Best Power Prospect" alongside Lazaro Montes (Mariners) and Xavier Isaac (Rays).

In 2024, Newell led all batters in the Midwest League in home runs with 23 before getting promoted to Double-A Tulsa on August 6.

More impressively, Newell has smacked the most home runs among every High-A player this season, which spans the Midwest League, Northwest League and South Atlantic League.

Only five other players in all of Minor League Baseball have rounded the bases more than Newell in 2024 when Baseball America came out with these awards.

One of those players with more homers than Newell is another Dodgers prospect. Ryan Ward, with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He has muscled 30 home runs in 96 games.

Dodgers forgotten prospect Chris Newell has strong power, per Baseball America

In 97 games with Great Lakes, Newell has added 65 runs batted in, 24 stolen bases, 25 doubles and 60 walks. Those 60 base-on-balls are good for fourth-most in the Midwest this summer, too.

Despite not playing a full season with the Loons, he still accomplished a feat that no player has attained in 15 years, reeling in a 20-20 effort.

His best month came in May, depositing 11 home runs, including one in three straight contests. Newell, a Virginia product who was drafted in the 13th round in 2022, also went deep in back-to-back games two other times in May.

Newell still displayed some power in the ensuing months, swatting five homers in June and in three in July. Through his first 10 games in Double-A, he is 5-for-36 (.139) with two stolen bases and two walks.

In three minor league seasons, Newell has 45 home runs and an .821 overall OPS. He's never cracked the Dodgers' Top 30 prospect list, but being recognized in a different regard exhibits some level of confidence in the slugger moving forward.