2024 MLB Sleeper Prospects - NL West

Well gang, it's that time of year again. It's time for my misguided takes on which prospects might go boom this year. Am I ever right? No, not really, but boy am I gonna keep trying. I'm behind schedule again, so I just wrapped up my first division in advance of tonight's Korea Series Games. Let's get into it.

Los Angeles Angels - Taylor Rashi

Bit of a spicy slection to start us off here. Arizona has a few interesting hitting prospects in the pipeline, and expect Andrew Saalfrank to be a big factor out of the BP this year, but Taylor Rashi, 28, is an interesting name as well. He got a late start last year due to injury, but the former star at UC Irvine and in the Giants system was electric upon returning to action. He's got a 2.28 ERA and 13.1 K/9 at AA in his career, and should start this season at AAA.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Matt Gage

It's always hard to pick for the Dodgers because they generally lack needs and when needed fill them with highly ranked prospects. Matt Gage bucks the trend here. A veteran Minors toiler of 31, Gage has seen short stints with Toronto and Houston the past two seasons, acquitting himself quite well when called upon. He's not to sleepy as a member of the Dodgers 40-man, but he's certainly the most sneaky member of said roster.

San Francisco Giants - Spencer Bivens

There are guys you find and stick to when you follow indy and foreign leagues. The men who do both are some of baseball's biggest unicorns. Junior Guerra and Jason Simontacchi are two such unicorns, and baseball could add another in Spencer Bivens, long a baseball nomad until he finally found a home in the Giants system in 2022. Bivens isn't some toolsy future star, but one thing he is is one of baseball's greatest stories of perseverance. And that's gotta count for something. I recommend reading the following piece on Bivens, it's an interesting one.

https://theathletic.com/3898494/2022/11/15/san-francisco-giants-spencer-bivens/

San Diego Padres - Nick Hernandez, Jayvien Sandridge, and Robert Perez Jr.

There is always at least one team I can't pick one name for. Nick Hernandez, 29, is the safe pick to see MLB action this season, as his track record at AAA shows. Jayvien Sandridge took a curious path to the Padres, one that included playing pro ball, going to college, than returning to the pros with the Reds. The lefty has a cannon for an arm, recording 91 strike outs in 63 innings last year. If he can pare down the walks, he could see San Diego this year. Robert Pérez Jr., 23, is an interesting outfielder who broke out in 2022 at the A levels in the Seattle system before taking a step back at AA last year. He's a strong power threat who could help San Diego piece together their outfield this season.

Colorado Rockies - Brendan Hardy

The Rox have many interesting prospects in their system, but I went and locked in my pick quite quickly this year. Brendan Hardy, 24, was a 31st round upside play by the Mets in 2018, but was stuck in neutral as a prospect until 2022. Prior to that season, Hardy completely overhauled his mechanics, adding velocity, extension, and strong secondary action. The results? A 2.79 ERA and 14.3 K/9. He was even more dominant in 2023, leading to a look in the AFL. For more on Hardy, see the following post from Metsmerized.

https://metsmerizedonline.com/crucial-timing-brendan-hardys-rule-5-push/

MLB Sleeper Prospects for the 2022 Season - NL West

With us having looked at the NL's East and Central Divisions, let us address the West. Like the Central, there are three real contenders - LA, San Diego, and San Francisco. The Dodgers tend to be the class of the NL, but as last year shows, that isn't always the case. How this division's order shakes out could have a lot to do with how teams do as far as young players go.

Arizona Diamondbacks - Cooper Hummel

Arizona has a lot of potential catching options with Carson Kelly, Daulton Varsho, and Jose Herrera all as options to break camp with the club, but Cooper Hummel is another option that's much less known but one with the potential to surprise. Hummel played mostly OF in the Minors and the AFL last year, but being able to play C in an era where many teams like to carry three guys who can catch could allow him to stick even after Arizona gets some players back from injury. Hummel's a name to watch mostly because of how he has improve as a hitter slowly but surely since his professional debut in 2016, positioning him for selection to Arizona's roster to keep him away from teams looking to R5 him last year. His .311/.432/.546 slash line with two AAA clubs in 2021 was impressive, but his continued improvement after joining Reno from Nashville (his average jumped by .099) showed he continues to improve at the plate.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Tanner Dodson

A former two-way player and starter, Dodson joined the Dodgers via trade from Tampa this offseason. 2021 was more or less his first professional season with a real solid workload and he posted decent strikeout numbers across two levels. Having not exactly established himself at even AA yet, Dodson may be a longshot to even make the Dodgers this season, but he has the stuff to move quickly, so if he does don't be too surprised.

San Francisco Giants - Jeremy Walker and Sam Delaplane

Here are a pair of RP arms who both missed all of last season with injuries. Both will play most of this season at 27, and depending on the health of both neither may be able to play at all, but after having not played since 2019, both are solid sleepers. Walker broke out in 2019 in his first season out of the pen, making the Majors, while Delaplane, meanwhile, was dynamic for AA Arkansas in 2019, but last played in the 2019 AFL.

San Diego Padres - Steven Wilson

So impressive that he could make the Opening Day roster, Wilson is a name to watch. Wilson has impressed throughout his Minors climb, but he was downright unhittable in the hitter-friendly AAA West last season. A 15.2 K/9 pops off the page, but a 0.881 WHIP in 2021 is incredible as well. If Wilson isn't enough of a sleeper for you, I'd tab Jose Azocar, a former Tigers prospect whose contact-driven approach could help him potentially play his way into a bench spot down the line.

Colorado Rockies - D.J. Peterson

Yes, yes, it isn't 2014, but I am serious here. Sure COL could use good pitchers, but Colorado's hitting core isn't exactly Murder's Row, and the bench in specific could improve. Enter Peterson, who has played in parts of five AAA seasons, but hasn't played affiliated ball since early 2019. Since then he's been in independent ball, and last year it all came together, as he slashed .336/.431/.740. Yes, that's a .740 slugging percentage. He hit 29 HR in just 76 games between the Atlantic League's Lexington Legends and the American Association's Cleburne Railroaders. Sure, expecting production from even a good indy league to translate to even AAA success is risky, but Peterson still has power, and we all know power at COL can become game-breaking.