The Dodgers typically trade away top prospects, but in the 2023 off-season acquired two of the best from 2024. Zyhir Hope and Jackson Ferris were two of the best prospects in the Dodgers prospects in 2024. Acquired for Michael Busch and Yency Almonte, both prospects showed why they belong in every top-100 prospect list. Ferris was highly rated as a former second round pick, but Hope was mostly projection. After just 11 games in 2023, the Dodgers took a chance on Hope and now have another promising toolsy bat in the system.
The Power Tool:
Hope was limited to just 61 games in 2024 with a shoulder injury. The good news is that Hope didn’t let the shoulder injury hamper his production on the field. A .290/.419/.484 slash line with nine home runs and nine stolen bases, Hope did it all. The other good news is that you can still grab Hope in dynasty leagues before his major breakout. The 6-foot, 190-pound lefty showed off his quick and powerful swing that could threaten 30 home runs yearly. Hope has a massive lower half which he uses paired with good bat speed for power. The power is the second best tool for Hope at the moment, but could easily move to his best tool. While unlikely due to the plus speed tool, Hope is trending into more of a hitter than an athletic baseball player.
The exit velocities are over 100 MPH consistently and it’s obvious when he pulls the ball. Hope drives the ball to the opposite field with plus power, but the beautiful left-handed swing showcases more on pulled home runs. The barrel finds the ball no matter what part of the field Hope uses. As a pull-heavy hitter at just over 50% in 2024, Hope hits the ball the opposite way with ease as well. Nearly 32% of his hits go to left field, making him a bit drastic of a pull or push hitter. Hope registered a 19.1% home-run-per-fly-ball rate in 2024, which would rank him 13th among MLB hitters in 2024. Tied with Elly De La Cruz, the ground ball, line drive, and fly ball percentages are all nearly identical. With the raw tool and great home-run-to-fly-ball rate, Hope is looking like an above-average power hitter.
The Hit Tool:
To me, the most impressive statistic for young, specifically left-handed hitters are splits. If left-handed bats can handle left-handed pitching early on in their career, they can shut down the platoon question. Hope handled left-handed pitching better than right-handers in 2024, with a .296 average against lefties, compared to a .284 average against righties. Not only did Hope maintain a higher average, but he held a lower strikeout rate by two percent, which was roughly 23% against right-hand pitching, and 21% against left-handed pitching, quickly proving the bat will play. Tying back into the power tool, three of his nine home runs came against left-handed pitching in the small 70-plate appearance sample. In 204 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, Hope managed six of his nine home runs. By not selling out for power, Hope was able to repeat success against both LHP and RHP as a complete hitter.
Before he was sidelined with a shoulder injury, Hope also reduced his strikeout rate. In 43 plate appearances in July, Hope struck out five times and walked six. The only other month Hope had fewer strikeouts than walks was in September when he had 28 plate appearances. Hope succeeded at the Low-A level in his age-19 season with a mini breakout. 20 years-old for the entirety of the 2025 season, Hope should see a mix of Low and High-A. Given his age and limited playing time, the Dodgers could move Hope slowly in 2025. The bat played well enough to start 2025 at High-A, but the strikeout rate could reduce in Low-A before getting that bump. Hope could see the same type of timeline as Josue De Paula, where he repeated Low-A for the 1st half of the season.
The Speed Tool:
As the best raw tool at the moment, Hope has plus speed that should translate to 20+ stolen bases yearly. The tool is often ranked as plus-plus, but it has yet to translate to plus-stolen bases. Defensively, the speed is well on display. Hope covers plenty of ground in the outfield and should be able to play any of the outfield positions. A majority of his starts have come in left field, but he’s played both center and right as well. Hope has only attempted 15 stolen bases in his short MiLB career and stolen 12 of those 15. With a good success rate through 72 career games, the attempts should increase as he plays more games.
Right now, Hope would be on pace for around 20-25 stolen bases a year if his attempts stayed the same. Given the plus speed, Hope may not need the attempts to go up in order to steal 20+ bases a year. The speed could make up for some struggle with the bat or power from a fantasy perspective if needed. While it looks like it’s all coming together for Hope, look for the speed to stick out the most in 2025.
The Concern:
Strikeout rate. If there is a concern with Hope, it’s the potential swing and miss. The strikeout rate was 24% at Low-A with 60 strikeouts in 54 games. Given the fact that Hope hit for a great batting average and continued to walk, it’s less of a concern. Still, the strikeout rate needs to be highlighted as it was north of 30% in his short complex league stint with the Cubs. The swing and miss is something to monitor in 2025, paired with his BABIP. The BABIP was around ~.350/.360, so if that comes down, the strikeout rate could be more of an issue. All of his strikeouts in 2024 have come against older pitching, so as Hope faces same-aged competition it could even out.
Future Dynasty Outlook:
Overall, Hope is a promising prospect in dynasty leagues. The power/speed combination allows for some regression, especially with both being plus tools. Hope currently ranks outside of most top-100 prospect lists. However, a healthy breakout season would put him in the top half of those top-100 lists. The tools are very prevalent, as is the strikeout rate, but Hope is a top candidate to breakout. The time to grab and stash Zyhir Hope is this off-season, hoping for a full season in 2025.