Friday, February 21

Welcome back to the Dodgers Beat newsletter! While much of the attention has been on the team's big leaguers at Spring Training, we've also had the chance to look toward the future. Let's get into it …

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Outfield prospect Zyhir Hope likes to mix in a little extra color with his Dodger Blue: a vibrant array of bracelets on both wrists, many of them inscribed with inspirational sayings and Bible verses.

Hope has worn bracelets like these dating back to his high school days -- which weren't so long ago -- and now, he dons them proudly at his first big league Spring Training.

"I never take these off, unless they break or something," Hope said. "It's just motivational stuff for me to look at, and for other people to see."

Since he joined the Dodgers' system a little more than a year ago, Hope has gained traction as a prospect to watch. He was MLB Pipeline's No. 21 Dodgers prospect before the 2024 season (now No. 11) and is slated to make a big leap in the '25 organizational rankings, as he's now one of six L.A. prospects on the overall Top 100 list at No. 75. 

Hope, along with No. 71 overall prospect Jackson Ferris, was part of the Dodgers' return in the January 2024 deal that sent Michael Busch and Yency Almonte to the Cubs. Hope was selected by Chicago in the Draft the year prior out of Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, Va., falling to the 11th round in some part because organizations were unsure that he would forgo his commitment to North Carolina.

In his first full season as a pro, Hope lost nearly three months to a stress fracture in his rib, but he still hit .287 with a .905 OPS, nine homers and eight steals across 54 games with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. It was in last year's Arizona Fall League, though, that Hope really showed how dynamic he can be. 

Hope made headlines for hammering a 470-foot blast for the Glendale Desert Dogs, and he showcased an intriguing combination of power and speed while providing quality defense in center field. He earned a spot in the Fall Stars Game as one of the Arizona Fall League's top performers after posting a .747 OPS with five homers, 21 RBIs and 16 runs scored across 23 games.

Back in Arizona, Hope is thrilled to have the opportunity to spend time around the Major League club and learn from the depth of experience in the Dodgers' organization.

"It's been amazing," Hope said. "I'm truly grateful and blessed for the opportunity this org gave me. I'm just playing ball, having a good time, trying to get better each and every day."

The growth mindset that Hope expressed has been echoed throughout a Dodgers clubhouse that is dead set on avoiding complacency coming off the eighth World Series title in franchise history. In the early days of camp, there's been plenty of talk on the Major League side about setting the right tone in spring in order to become a team capable of repeating as champions. 

That mindset certainly trickles down to the Minor Leaguers in camp, to those like Hope, who at 20 years old is likely a couple of years away from making an impact in the big leagues. 

"We all grind," Hope said. "We all just want to be the best version of ourselves. No matter what level we're on, we just continue to build each other up."

The Dodgers signed three additional players to Minor League deals with invites to big league camp late last week: outfielder Eddie Rosario, right-hander Luis García and infielder Michael Chavis. 

Of the trio, Rosario surely looms largest in the minds of Dodgers fans. The 33-year-old earned MVP honors in the 2021 National League Championship Series, hitting a blistering .560 (14-for-25) and delivering a dagger of a three-run homer in the decisive Game 6 that sent his Braves past the Dodgers.

Now, a little more than three years later, Rosario finds himself wearing the uniform of the team whose postseason dreams he helped to thwart, reunited with fellow 2021 World Series champion Freddie Freeman.

It will be a long shot for any Dodgers non-roster invitees not named Roki Sasaki to break camp with the big league club. If there's any spot to crack the Opening Day roster, it may be in the bullpen, as Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech were a little behind entering camp due to lingering injuries.

• While there's some question of how Hyeseong Kim will adjust to Major League pitching, he seems to be finding his footing with the Dodgers.
  
  
• In Blake Snell, the Dodgers are not only getting a proven ace, but also a mentor figure for Bobby Miller.
  
  
• There's still plenty of buildup ahead on the pitching side, but Shohei Ohtani's return to being a two-way player keeps inching closer.
  
  
• Freeman can now look back at 2024 and fully appreciate the high points -- but he's ready for a "smoother ride" for him and his family this season.

Spring baseball is nearly here. The Dodgers kick off Cactus League play at home against the Cubs at 1:05 p.m. MST on Thursday, a little less than a month before the teams meet in the season-opening Tokyo Series. 

Tickets for the spring opener, and the rest of the Dodgers' slate at Camelback Ranch, can be found here.

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