Fantasy Baseball Insiders

The Los Angeles Dodgers promoted outfield prospect Jerry Sands on Monday after the 23-year-old hit a whopping .400/.422/.875 with five HRs and 17 RBI in 10 games (40 at-bats) at Triple-A Albuquerque.

He made his major league debut later that night, going 1-for-3 with a sac fly. He then went 1-for-4 on Tuesday night with an RBI groundout.

The Dodgers have installed Sands as their starting left fielder, and he could even relieve left-hander James Loney at first base against southpaw pitchers.

So what can Sands offer to fantasy managers in 2011 and beyond?

Here’s what Baseball America had to say about him earlier this spring:

Sands has plus power to all fields. He focused on shortening up his swing coming into last year, and he now has a sound stroke with some loft and above-average bat speed. While he has trouble laying off high fastballs at times, he shows an aptitude for handling breaking pitches, so he shouldn’t just be a one-dimensional slugger.

Sands was a 25th round pick in 2008, and began his pro career at the rookie level Gulf Coast League. Three and a half years and nearly 70 homers later, Sands graduated to the majors.

• 2008 (Gulf Coast League): 146 at-bats, 29 runs, 10 HRs, 33 RBI, .205/.346/.438
• 2009 (Pionner League, Single-A): 267 at-bats, 63 runs, 19 HRs, 58 RBI, .315/.401/.618
• 2010 (Single-A, Double-A): 502 at-bats, 102 runs, 35 HRs, 93 RBI, .301/.395/.586

Sands does have below-average speed, though he did steal 24 bases in 28 tries (including 18 of 20 last year) in the minors.

The 6’4″, 220 pound slugger has enough power potential to stick as a corner outfielder, though he’s unlikely to offer a spectacular batting average.

Sands has hit seventh in the Dodgers lineup in his first two major league games. His fantasy value will be somewhat limited, but his scorching hot bat will likely attract some adds. The reality is, however, he’s unlikely to be useful in a 14-team mixed league. He has some value in deep keeper/dynasty formats, but for now, he’s not worth an add.

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