Los Angeles Dodger left fielders are hitting .250/.273/.344 with no HR’s in 66 plate appearances in 2011. Those left fielders have been Xavier Paul, Tony Gwynn, and Marcus Thames. Not exactly Murder’s Row.
Tired of their porous offensive production, the Dodgers decided to do something about it.
The Dodgers called up Jerry Sands from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday. In turn, the Dodgers gave Paul a hot dog from Pink’s and designated him for assignment.
Not only are the Dodger LF’s struggling, but their entire lineup hasn’t been anything special to start the season. The Dodgers rank 13th in OPS in the NL and dead last in ISO (Isolated Power) with a .101 mark.
The Dodgers are hoping Sands, who jacked 35 home runs in the minors last season, can add to the that lackluster offense. Sands could also find himself playing first base against lefties or if James Loney continues to the poor man’s Casey Kotchman.
Here are some other things you need to know about Jerry Sands…
Age: 21
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
College: Catawba College in North Carolina
Drafted: 25th round of the 2008 Draft
Minor League Stats:
| Year | Lev | G | PA | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rk | 46 | 185 | 146 | 29 | 30 | 10 | 33 | 5 | 29 | 43 | .205 | .346 | .438 |
| 2009 | Rk-A | 73 | 308 | 267 | 63 | 84 | 19 | 58 | 1 | 37 | 60 | .315 | .401 | .618 |
| 2009 | Rk | 41 | 185 | 163 | 41 | 57 | 14 | 39 | 0 | 22 | 28 | .350 | .427 | .687 |
| 2009 | A | 32 | 123 | 104 | 22 | 27 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 15 | 32 | .260 | .361 | .510 |
| 2010 | AA-A | 137 | 590 | 502 | 102 | 151 | 35 | 93 | 18 | 73 | 123 | .301 | .395 | .586 |
| 2010 | A | 69 | 287 | 243 | 48 | 81 | 18 | 46 | 14 | 40 | 61 | .333 | .432 | .646 |
| 2010 | AA | 68 | 303 | 259 | 54 | 70 | 17 | 47 | 4 | 33 | 62 | .270 | .360 | .529 |
| 2011 | AAA | 10 | 45 | 40 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .400 | .422 | .875 |
| 4 Seasons | 266 | 1128 | 955 | 206 | 281 | 69 | 201 | 24 | 142 | 229 | .294 | .390 | .584 | |
| A (2 seasons) | A | 101 | 410 | 347 | 70 | 108 | 23 | 65 | 15 | 55 | 93 | .311 | .411 | .605 |
| Rk (2 seasons) | Rk | 87 | 370 | 309 | 70 | 87 | 24 | 72 | 5 | 51 | 71 | .282 | .386 | .570 |
| AA (1 season) | AA | 68 | 303 | 259 | 54 | 70 | 17 | 47 | 4 | 33 | 62 | .270 | .360 | .529 |
| AAA (1 season) | AAA | 10 | 45 | 40 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .400 | .422 | .875 |
Keith Law Ranking and Analysis:
Ranking: N/A
Analysis: N/A
Since Sands wasn’t ranked in Keith Law’s Top 100 Prospects of 2011, let’s go to our friends over at Baseball Prospectus. Here is the good and the bad courtesy of Kevin Goldstein:
The Good: “With his performance at Double-A, Sands has sold scouts on his ability to hit. He has a relatively patient approach to go with a swing that is not only sound, but features considerable power and leverage without the need to pull or load up to hit home runs. He’s a good athlete for his size, and can hold his own at both first base and a corner outfield slot.”
The Bad: “Sands’ value lies primarily in his bat, as his size and below-average speed limits him to the right side of the defensive spectrum. Multiple scouts noted how surprisingly bad he can look at times against good breaking balls, and he did strike out 123 times in 137 games.”
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