Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
| PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | wRC+ | HR | SB | WAR | |
| MLB | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | -100 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
| Minors | 534 | .308 | .383 | .454 | 126/161 | 10 | 34 | N/A |
What Happened In 2017: Surprise last-week addition to the 40-man roster after a strong season between Double-A and Triple-A.
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If you know who Tim Locastro was before Sept. 29, congratulations. He was one of the players (Chase De Jong being the other) the Dodgers acquired for international slot money in 2015.
After a solid 2016 season, he really took a step forward this past season. He showed more power than he ever had before and was still as consistent stealing bases. Locastro established career-bests in home runs, doubles, slugging percentage and OPS. He fared better in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League with Oklahoma City, but he was surprisingly good with Tulsa in the Texas League. After coming into the season as a fringe prospect (whom I apparently didn’t rate in my Top 100), he has established himself as a potential major-leaguer. Now, he might be a 24th or 25th man on the roster, but he has the speed and defensive versatility teams (especially the Dodgers) look for in a player.
A second baseman by trade, Locastro actually played more outfield — center field, to be exact — in 2017, giving him even more utility going forward. He’s also the best base-stealer the Dodgers have who’s anywhere close to the majors. Locastro’s somewhat similar to Chris Taylor in a way, but he’ll never hit for as much power. He got three innings of work in left field and had one plate appearance. He was also able to steal his first base in the majors on Sept. 30.
Locastro was a midseason All-Star in the Texas League, joining eight of his Drillers’ teammates at the game. He had three 4-hit games in the minors this season, one in which he hit two doubles and stole a base. But his biggest hit of the season was a walk-off infield single on June 2 that showcased his speed.
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2018 Status: Locastro is on the 40-man roster and could be removed if the spot is needed, but his speed and versatility might keep him on.
