Erisbel Arruebarrena

The Dodgers have been very aggressive signing Cuban-born players over the last two years, and Arruebarrena was the team's final addition for the 2014 campaign after he signed a five-year, $25 million deal in February. Although he was a star in Cuba, the expectations for Arruebarrena were significantly lower than what the Dodgers were seeking from Yasiel Puig and Alex Guerrero. At age 24, Arruebarrena was moved quicky through the lower levels of the Dodgers' farm system, and then promoted in mid-May when the big club needed infield depth and Guerrero was sidelined with an ear injury sustained in a dugout confrontation with Miguel Olivo. Defensively, Arruebarrena is expected to be an above-average option at shortstop, which may ultimately carry him to the big league roster, but there are major questions about his bat. Between four minor league levels, Arruebarrena hit a combined .259/.304/.417 in 2014 with poor plate discipline (16:91 BB:K in 272 plate appearances). Even if he's trusted with regular playing time in Los Angeles in 2015, the limited projection in his bat puts a huge damper on his upside.

Arruebarruena is a Cuban defector who plans to sign with an MLB team this offseason. He's been a star in Cuba's top professional league, the Serie Nacional, for six seasons and was on Cuba's team for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Arruebarruena is a shortstop who is seen as a defensive wizard, but he may not have a big impact with his bat. He hit .275/.324/.366 with two home runs in the first half of last season's Serie Nacional and .317/.415/.495 with four homers in the second half that was broken up by the WBC.