Prospect of the Day: Jerry Sands, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

by John Sickels on Apr 18, 2011 7:00 AM EDT

Prospect of the Day:

Jerry Sands, OF-1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
A year ago, Jerry Sands was a fairly anonymous prospect, a former 25^th round pick just making his way through A-ball. All of that changed with an excellent 2010 season that saw him hit 35 homers between Low-A and Double-A, culminating with a strong '11 spring training and a terrific start this year for Triple-A Albuquerque (.400/.422/.875 with five homers in 10 games). A college star for Division II Catawba, Sands didn't have the kind of athletic tools that interest scouts and earned just a $5,000 bonus entering pro ball in 2008.

He broke out with a .333/.432/.646 mark in the first half for Low-A Great Lakes in '10, then continued hitting for power after moving up to Chattanooga with a .270/.360/.529 mark, hitting 28 doubles and 35 homers overall. Refinements to his swing give him power to all fields, and he has enough bat control and plate discipline to hit for a decent average and draw some walks. He's not especially fast but can pick up a steal if the defense ignores him. Though he may fit best at first base in the long run, he's not terrible in the outfield and can certainly hit enough to stick at a corner. He's also seen a few innings at third base. His makeup and work ethic are highly-praised.

Sands is ready for the majors now and is the obvious choice to promote when the Dodgers need an outfielder. He rated as a Grade B prospect pre-season, ranked Number 39 on the Top 50 hitters list in the 2011 Baseball Prospect Book.

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Comments

How about James Darnell

…as a “Prospect of the Day”

Dude is flat-out raking: .514/.591/.771 with 6 of his first 9 games against the team, the Royals’ NW Arkansas Naturals – who BA said would be the best team in the minors. He has a 8/1 BB/K ratio (no, that’s not a typo).

-peter

by PeterF on Apr 18, 2011 11:45 AM EDT reply actions

"when the Dodgers need an outfielder"

Sometimes, the punchlines write themselves.

by realitypolice on Apr 18, 2011 1:14 PM EDT reply actions

Lol

Is this a reference to Tony Gwyn Jr. or, am I missing something?

"If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game." - Rickey Henderson

by casejud on Apr 18, 2011 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Well...

really, it’s a reference to all three of their “left fielders.”

by realitypolice on Apr 18, 2011 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Why isn’t he up right now? The Dodgers are playing some dreck in LF at the moment.

by ldd233 on Apr 18, 2011 2:44 PM EDT reply actions

Sands was called up today

According to the Dodgers twitter feed.

by FI2 on Apr 18, 2011 6:16 PM EDT reply actions

Yep

Dodgers purchased the contract of INF-OF Jerry Sands from Triple-A Albuquerque.

Sands will start in left field Monday and bat seventh against Tim Hudson. The 23-year-old was batting .400/.422/.875 with five homers and 17 RBI over his first 45 plate appearances with the Isotopes this season. He has enough pop to potentially be a respectable regular in either left field or at first base, both positions where the Dodgers could use some help right now. Go ahead and pick him up in NL-only leagues.

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by Sethy on Apr 18, 2011 6:49 PM EDT up reply actions