On Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies and Dodgers agreed on a trade to second long-time Phils second baseman Chase Utley to LA in exchange for a pair of prospects. Though the deal is not official yet, one of the prospects in the trade is known.
Hearing one prospect headed to Phillies in Utley deal is Triple-A INF/OF Darnell Sweeney. 13th in LA system, according to MLBPipeline.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) August 19, 2015
24-year-old Darnell Sweeney comes to the Phillies as the first player in the deal. Drafted in the 13th round of the 2012 draft by the Dodgers, the infielder/outfielder ranked as the 13th best prospect in the Dodgers organization according to MLB Pipeline. Sweeney is a switch-hitter and averages .270 against right-handers and .272 against lefties. Overall this season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, he's hitting .271 this year with 30 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 49 RBI's and 69 runs scored. His plate discipline leaves something to be desired, with 116 strikeouts and just 42 walks, but he does have 32 steals. Last season in Double-A ball, Sweeney hit .288 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI's.
Sweeney looks to have a lot of tools, but has yet to figure out exactly where he belongs on a team. He isn't the best defender, can hit for average and can play multiple positions. Whether or not he becomes a regular guy in the Phillies plans is still unknown, but at best he can provide some infield depth. Here's MLB's scouting report of him:
One of the more athletic college infielders in the 2012 Draft, Sweeney slumped as a junior at Central Florida and dropped all the way to the 13th round. Since signing with the Dodgers, he has produced at four different Minor League stops. In 2014, he led the Double-A Southern League with 88 runs and 77 walks before performing well in the Arizona Fall League.
Sweeney doesn't have a standout tool but can do a little bit of everything. He's a switch-hitter who has made strides in tightening his strike zone and possesses more power than most middle infielders. He has solid speed but is still figuring out how to use it after leading his leagues in getting caught stealing in each of the last two seasons.
He projects as an average defender at second base with similar potential in center, though he's fringy at shortstop.
During the offseason, True Blue LA said that Sweeney was blocked by guys in the Dodgers system with their talented infield prospects, especially since his primary spot is second base. They mentioned that the Phillies might be a perfect place for a guy like Sweeney to get some big league experience during their rebuild.
The biggest problem for Sweeney’s major league outlook is that the depth chart is full in front of him and he’s going to require a team that will give him time to figure out just what type of hitter he wants to be at the big league level. A team rebuilding, like Philadelphia, stands the most to gain from a player like Sweeney; where they can afford the patience of watching him strikeout at a 25-28% clip but might get the payoff of a .260/.340/.460 hitter. Someone will have to avoid the frustration of comparing what you’d expect him to be versus what he actually is.
Sweeney will likely join the Ironpigs once the deal is made final. The other prospect in the deal is hasn't been named yet.
