2017 MLB Draft

[Ranma]

Bubba Thompson may end up being my second preference as a prospect projected to be available with the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 draft. He sounds like a rawer version of Trayce Thompson but with more speed.

Also, Cody's little brother, Cole, looks to be draft eligible. He's listed as both a RHP and 2B but is currently more advanced as a pitcher. I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on him in the late rounds (7th and beyond) if he's signable at that point. Not really keen on his chances as a pitcher but I'm hoping to develop him as a prospect for the keystone position. Kid may actually be better off in college. Admittedly, I'm interested in Cole primarily because of his bloodlines more than anything. To me, he's basically Gavin Lux but at 2B.

Jim Callis, MLB.com (5/26/17)

23. Dodgers: Bubba Thompson, OF, McGill-Toolen HS (Mobile, Ala.)

Los Angeles will also consider many of the college hitters and pitchers, though the demand for players who can help quickly may make a high schooler the way to go. Given their success with an SEC first-rounder who bounced back strong from Tommy John surgery in Walker Buehler, the Dodgers could see if lightning strikes twice with South Carolina right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who had his elbow reconstructed three weeks ago.

Mock Draft: Will Twins Make Wright Top Pick?


John Manuel, Baseball America (5/26/17)

MLB Mock Draft 3.5

[Ranma]

Spoiler:

[Ranma]

Keith Law, ESPNinsider.com (5/30/17)

Keith Law's Mock Draft 2.0: No. 1 Pick Could Have the Wright Stuff

Read on Twitter

[Ranma]

Nosler still has Heliot Ramos atop his rankings, but I still like other options which should be available over him. Jordon Adell makes his debut on the list even though Nosler said he had him on it initially before taking him off due to concerns of unavailability. Everyone in baseball seems to be convinced that the Dodgers are targeting both Evan White and Bubba Thompson. I actually really like both White and Thompson but still prefer Alex Scherff over either of them right now. However, Nosler mentioned that he's reading that the Dodgers are shying away from high school arms in the first-round, which is a little bit discouraging only in that Scherff is a prep RHP.

Generally, I prefer prep arms, but admittedly this class has more quality college arms, so I hope that approach only applies to this class, but that's doubtful given that Billy Gasparino has yet to take a high school pitcher in the first round in his drafts. Still, outside of Scherff, I'm only interested in Hans Crouse and Hagen Danner as prep arms with the 23rd overall pick as neither Hunter Greene or MacKenzie Gore will be available at that draft slot. Both Crouse and Danner are ranked higher than Scherff but I like Scherff the best of that trio. Crouse is a big body with a big fastball but there are concerns about his delivery and secondary stuff while Danner could arguably be a better catcher than pitcher.

If White and Thompson are indeed our primary targets, then I can only hope Scherff drops to the second round but his rankings currently makes that doubtful. Funny enough and despite my general disagreement with Gasparino's first-round takes, my interest in both White and Thompson is actually bolstered by the Dodgers' interest given our developmental track record and their respective prospect profiles. Between the two, I prefer Thompson over White but they've been interchangeable on draft boards,
though Thompson seems to get more of the higher rankings.

Keston Hiura seems to be getting more love in the rankings and mock drafts. Seth Romero is dropping despite his top-10 talent due to concerns about his mechanics and questionable character. The kid was kicked off his college team twice with the final time involving a physical altercation with a teammate, which ended his time with Houston University. I'm still very much interested in Tristan Beck but now hoping signability concerns pushes him down to at least the third round and maybe the Dodgers considering blowing up beyond their draft budget even at the expense of losing a first-round pick next year. If Scherff is unavailable in the second round, then Mark Vientos would be a decent consolation prize as would Beck.

Dustin Nosler, DodgersDigest.com (5/30/17)

My Big Board, v 2.0

1. OF Heliot Ramos, Alfonso Casta Martinez HS (P.R.)
2. OF Jordon Adell, Ballard HS (Ky.)
3. LHP David Peterson, Oregon
4. OF Bubba Thompson, McGill-Toolen HS (Ala.)
5. 1B/OF Evan White, Kentucky
6. RHP Griffin Canning, UCLA
7. RHP Tanner Houck, Missouri
8. RHP Tristan Beck, Stanford
9. 3B/SS Mark Vientos, American Heritage HS (Fla.)
10. SS Logan Warmoth, North Carolina
11. RHP Corbin Martin, Texas A&M
12. LHP Brendon Little, State JC of Florida-Manatee
13. RHP Hans Crouse, Dana Hills HS (Calif.)
14. RHP Alex Lange, LSU
15. 3B/1B Jake Burger, Missouri State

2017 MLB Draft: Dodgers’ Big Board, v 2.0

[Ranma]

I can't believe that I forgot that the Dodgers can actually trade for compensatory picks in the first round. I'm sure the organization is looking into such options, but I'd love to nab at least one of them to get a chance at Alex Scherff.

[Neddy]

my god... just watched Hunter Greene's videos during lunch at work. I am blown away. a second coming of Doc Gooden?

the kid's fastball sails high and hard, his breaking balls break hard, although a little early with his slurve. not sure if he meant to have two distinctively different sliders or he has a cutter along with a slider, but what appears to be a cutter or tight slider breaks late. his two seam fastball looks like a goddamn Fernando's Screwball, or Shuu-to as Japanese calls it.

I don't like how he rushes into pitching motion, but with that big body I don't think his mechanics are all that much flawed at all. I wish he would slide all the way down to us although there is zero chance... I am salivating watching this kid. amazing.

[Ranma]

Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com (6/1/17)

23. Dodgers: Tanner Houck, RHP, Missouri

If the Dodgers want to go ceiling, Bubba Thompson's name often gets mentioned, but we'll look arm for now. That could be Houck, who did not throw well in his SEC Tournament start, or perhaps LSU's Alex Lange.

Mock Draft: Wright, Greene Go 1-2; Pearson's Stock Soaring

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

[Ranma]

Also, Cody's little brother, Cole, looks to be draft eligible. He's listed as both a RHP and 2B but is currently more advanced as a pitcher. I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on him in the late rounds (7th and beyond) if he's signable at that point. Not really keen on his chances as a pitcher but I'm hoping to develop him as a prospect for the keystone position. Kid may actually be better off in college. Admittedly, I'm interested in Cole primarily because of his bloodlines more than anything. To me, he's basically Gavin Lux but at 2B.
...

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com (6/8/17)

Read on Twitter

That's right, there's another Bellinger coming. While Clay's older son Cody makes his mark as a rookie witih the Dodgers, his younger one, Cole, is a senior at Hamilton High School in Arizona. And while he does have enough talent to be drafted -- scouts say based on ability, probably in the 10th-15th round -- he's more likely to head to Grand Canyon and come out in three years as a much more viable Draft prospect.

And it will be as a right-handed pitcher, not a second baseman. Right now, his stuff is a little fringy. His fastball was in the upper-80s, though he was touching 91-92 mph later in his season. He can really spin a breaking ball as well and really has an idea of how to pitch. While he's not super tall and projectable, there could be more in the tank, with area scouts thinking a few years of tutelage in the college game the most likely route he'll take.

Inbox: Looking Ahead to the Draft

[Ranma]

MLB.com just released its list of top 200 draft prospects and I noticed a couple of names who were thought to be first-round picks last season: J.J. Schwarz and Cole Turney. Both are surprisingly low towards the latter quarter of the rankings and I also noticed quite a lot of catching prospects in the second half of the top 200 rankings as well.

Schwarz is a hit-first catching prospect who hasn't hit well until recently nor has played the backstop position with regularity recently as he was beat out by a college teammate. Dude was talked about being the top overall pick in this class for a while before last year's draft. The fact that he's this low raises questions about his consistency to me as it seems that he should be able to generate big interest otherwise. There has to be other issues at play here.

Turney is a batting-cage stud who apparently can't translate his power to in-game performance. He needs work on his mechanics but has a good arm since he's also pitched from the mound. However, he has fringy speed so he projects as a RF prospect. He sounds like Joc Pederson in his approach with Billy Ashley's speed but with comparable power to both. The kid has signability concerns as he likely won't be drafted early enough to forgo college unless a team blows out its designated budget as an overslot signee; he's probably better off in college given his lack of polish.

Dustin Nosler's latest big board has a couple of prep RHP prospects as newcomers in Sam Carlson and Blayne Enlow, but I'm not familiar with either and I continue to be unimpressed with his list of priorities. However, both Carlson and Enlow have great size and displayed high-velocity fastballs along with advanced breaking pitches. Carlson's slider and changeup look like plus pitches while Enlow's curveball supposedly might be the best breaking pitch in this draft class.

Eric Longenhagen puts together a mock draft for FanGraph based on factors such as rumors, front-office members in attendance at certain games, each team's respective MO among other things. He has Bubba Thompson to the Dodgers based on the buzz he (and everyone else) is hearing. Tristan Beck is apparently still highly regarded by others besides myself but his lowered rankings are due to his lack of performance as he recuperates from injury. Mark Vientos is also apparently a signability concern given the "expensive" tag Longenhagen has placed on him.

2017 MLB Pipeline Top 200 Draft Prospect Watch
(Each Prospect Profile Embedded with Link to Corresponding MLB.com Video)





Dustin Nosler, DodgersDigest.com (6/5/17)

My Big Board, v 3.0

1. OF Heliot Ramos, Alfonso Casta Martinez HS (P.R.)
2. LHP David Peterson, Oregon
3. OF Jordon Adell, Ballard HS (Ky.)
4. RHP Griffin Canning, UCLA
5. 1B/OF Evan White, Kentucky
6. OF Bubba Thompson, McGill-Toolen HS (Ala.)
7. SS Logan Warmoth, North Carolina
8. RHP Sam Carlson, Burnsville HS (Minn.)
9. 3B/SS Mark Vientos, American Heritage HS (Fla.)
10. LHP Brendon Little, State JC of Florida-Manatee
11. RHP Corbin Martin, Texas A&M
12. RHP Tristan Beck, Stanford
13. RHP Tanner Houck, Missouri
14. 3B/1B Jake Burger, Missouri State
15. RHP Blayne Enlow, St. Amant HS (La.)

2017 MLB Draft: Dodgers’ Big Board, v 3.0


Eric Longenhagen, FanGraphs.com (6/5/17)

23. Los Angeles NL – Bubba Thompson, OF, McGill-Toolen HS (AL)
Thompson to LA has been a rather ubiquitous rumor.
...

25. Washington – Tristan Beck, RHP, Stanford
Beck is the best prospect who has fallen solely because of injury, a well from which Washington has been glad to draw several times in the past.

26. Texas – Mark Vientos, SS, American Heritage HS (FL)
The Rangers have two picks quite close to one another (26 and the Ian Desmond comp pick at 29 overall), and they can take a projectable, expensive, high schooler here and then go under slot with their next pick.

FanGraphs’ 2017 Mock Draft

[Ranma]

Yikes! J.J. Schwarz is 375th on Baseball America's top 500 prospect rankings compared to 172nd for MLB Pipeline's top 200. Seriously, what is up with the guy? Cole Turney fared batter at 129th for BA compared to 183rd for MLB Pipeline.

A couple of other familiar names are K.J. Harrison and Mitchell Stone. Neddy is familiar with Harrison as a former catching prospect who currently profiles at 1B given that he's a bat-first proposition who's shown both power at the plate and a refined approach in taking what opposing pitchers give him instead of trying to smash everything. He's also right-handed with really slow foot speed. While he could return behind the plate to increase his value, his batting development is prioritized at 1B. Harrison is 69th for BA and 76th for MLB Pipeline at the moment.

Stone is a 6'9", 240-lb. LHP prep prospect currently at 229th for BA but not listed among MLB Pipeline's top 200. He has impressive size but there are concerns about his back holding up given that his torso and back are heavily involved in his delivery. While he's filled out, there may still be projection given his immature body composition. His fastball peaks at 90 mph and he shows decent feel for a curveball and changeup, though his arm-speed slows when throwing them. I'll post a couple of scouting reports on him in the following post.

Spoiler:

[Ranma]

Eric Longenhagen, FanGraphs.com (8/22/16)

Watch on YouTube

Mitchell Stone, LHP, Deer Creek High School (OK)

Height: 6’10, Weight: 240, Commitment: Oklahoma State

Lefties normally don’t come in a XXL but Stone is an absolute leviathan, which makes him interesting and relevant even if his present stuff is more pedestrian than it is exceptional. His fastball sits 87-90 with the kind of downhill plane that requires a runaway truck ramp every few miles. Stone’s back and torso are heavily involved in his delivery and there’s some effort to it, but I’m comfortable projecting him as a starter and think he’ll throw an acceptable number of strikes. I am a bit worried about how Stone’s back will hold up as he ages, perhaps because he shares some physical and mechanical traits with A.J. Puk, who had back issues this year, but I think Stone is a slightly better athlete than Puk and think injuries like that can be guarded against with good conditioning.

At 240 pounds, Stone isn’t especially projectable in the traditional “tall and skinny” sense, but his body composition is immature and I think there might be more velocity in there as he tightens things up and gets stronger. His sweeping 71-78 mph curveball shows good shape and depth and was more reliably average as my viewings over the past several weeks went along. He has some changeup feel and, while his arm acceleration isn’t special, I don’t think projecting an average change is irresponsible. An average three-pitch mix, average control and an outlier frame probably place Stone in the third- to fourth-round range.

An Early Look at the Left-Handed Pitchers in 2017 Draft


PerfectGame.com (6/15/16)

PG Grade: 10
Mitchell Stone is a 2017 LHP with a 6-9 240 lb. frame from Oklahoma City, OK who attends Deer Creek HS. Extra large build, every bit of his listed size if not more. Very well coordinated and repeated delivery for his size and age, high 3/4's arm slot creates big plane with good extension out front, good lower half rotational, arm comes through smooth and easy, low effort release. Fastball topped out at 90 mph, has been steadily gaining velocity over the past few years, gets nice run and sink on his fastball and throws it for strikes. Curveball has good shape and depth, tends to slow his body a bit on it and can add more power to the pitch in the future. Developing change up. Has a feel for pitching and challenges hitters aggressively. Has been compared to A.J. Puk by some scouts. Very good student, verbal commitment to Oklahoma State. Selected for the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

Mitchell Stone: 2016 National Showcase


Kevin Askeland, MaxPreps.com (6/8/17)

Mitchell Stone, Deer Creek (Edmond, Okla.)
At 6-10, Stone is one of the tallest players in the high school ranks. He throws in the low 90s and has a sweeping curve. He is harder to project than others due to his size (240 pounds), but is seen as having good athletic ability.
Potential selection: Third round

MLB Draft Preview: Left-handed Pitchers

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

Jim Callis, MLB.com (6/5/17)

Best hitter: Keston Hiura, OF/2B, UC Irvine.

He has all of the ingredients to hit for average, including a compact right-handed swing, plenty of bat speed and tremendous feel for the barrel. Hiura led the U.S. collegiate national team in slugging (.553) last summer and tops NCAA Division I in hitting (.442) and on-base percentage (.567).

Also in the running: Brendan McKay, 1B/LHP, Louisville; Pavin Smith, 1B, Virginia; Adam Haseley, OF, Virginia
...

Strongest arm: Hunter Greene, RHP/SS (Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks, Calif.)

No one throws a better fastball off the mound or across the infield in this year's crop than Greene, whose power and arm would make him a mid-first-round pick as an infielder if he didn't offer more upside on the mound. If a team chose to develop him as a position player, his quickness likely would dictate a move to third base but he wouldn't have any trouble profiling there.

Also in the running: Adell, OF, Ballard HS (Louisville, Ky.); Donovan Casey, OF, Boston College; Austin Beck, OF, North Davidson HS (Lexington, N.C.)
...

Best curveball: Blayne Enlow, RHP, St. Amant (La.) HS

Enlow, who didn't allow an earned run in 13 innings for Team USA's gold medal-winning Pan American Championships team last October, has a 12-to-6 hammer in the low 80s. It's a good year for curveballs in the Pelican State, as Louisiana State's Alex Lange has the best bender in the college ranks.

Also in the running: D.L. Hall, LHP, Valdosta (Ga.) HS; Lange, RHP, Louisiana State; Gore, LHP, Whiteville (N.C.) HS

Which Draft Prospects Have Best Tools?

[Ranma]

Minor League Ball's 2017 MLB Draft: Player Profile Index

John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall.com (5/16/17)

Opinions are mixed about how much home run power he’ll show at the highest levels. That said, his pure hitting skills are among the best in the college ranks and he’s expected to hit for average everywhere.

As interesting as the bat is, White stands out for his defense: he is a terrific defender at first base, a possible gold glover if he hits enough to play regularly in the majors. Both his arm strength and running speed are impressive and he would be an above-average defender at either outfield corner.

2017 MLB Draft Profile: Evan White, 1B, University of Kentucky


John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall.com (5/15/17)

In high school Houck showed an 89-92 MPH fastball. That increased with physical maturity and he was clocked as high as 97-98 MPH (with movement) in 2016. He hasn’t thrown as consistently hard in 2017, with reports of his fastball dipping back into the 90-93 range. Even in the lower velocity band the fastball is a plus pitch due to power sink low in the zone.

Reports on his secondary pitches are mixed. On the right day he’ll show a plus slider and a solid-average change-up, and he’s never had trouble throwing his pitches for strikes. His delivery has some sweep that crosses up right-handed hitters and adds deception to his arsenal. Makeup is another positive and he’s held up well to a college starter’s workload.

2017 MLB Draft: Tanner Houck, RHP, University of Missouri


John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall.com (5/8/17)

First class athletic tools are the draw here: he’s a 65-70 runner with a 60-arm. His raw power was rated 40 or 45 heading into the spring but he’s shown more pop in recent months as he’s matured physically, earning some 50 grades now. His range, arm strength, and instincts profile well in center field, and if his power continues growing he could fit in right as well.

On the spring he’s hitting .404 with nine homers with 18 strikeouts and 15 walks, while checking in at 19-for-19 in the stolen base department. High school stats are difficult to interpret, of course, given differences in competition. His makeup and work ethic are considered strong.

2017 MLB Draft Profile: Bubba Thompson, OF, Mobile, Alabama


John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall.com (6/2/17)

As you’d imagine from a pitcher/catcher, Danner’s best physical tool is his throwing arm. On the mound he shows a 90-94 MPH fastball, occasionally a bit higher. He also has an above-average curveball and has refined his change-up, giving him three pitches which project as at least solid major league average. His control is also very good for his age and his mechanics are consistent.

As a position player, Danner’s arm works well behind the plate where he also shows impressive mobility and athleticism. He also has the leadership skills necessary for backstops. His best hitting tool is power.

2017 MLB Draft Profile: Hagen Danner, RHP-C, Huntington Beach, California

[Ranma]

Read on Twitter

[Ranma]

Wasserstrom does it again with another great write-up this time on Logan White, which gives some insight into why I favor his approach of going with best player available with regards to our early picks.

Read on Twitter

Chuck Wasserstrom, MLBTradeRumors.com (6/6/17)

Upon joining the Dodgers’ organization, White brought with him a very high school-centric draft philosophy.

“I think my approach developed from watching others,” he said. “Having been around Don Welke – who was a mentor of mine and worked for Toronto for a long time, and being around Pat Gillick, and in watching the Atlanta Braves during that period of time … when you look at them, they drafted a lot of high-ceiling players and high school players. What I found out was … if you’re picking in the top 10 of the draft, there’s a lot of good scouts and evaluators out there, so teams generally will take the good college player up there.

“We were picking 19th in 2002 and 24th in 2003. My research showed that you’d better know the high school player there because the quality college players that everyone knows have already been taken. Now, there are exceptions to that rule, of course. Mike Mussina went 20th for the Orioles when I was there (in 1990), that type of thing. But there was some philosophy behind it; I didn’t look at it as analytics at the time, but I did research on it.

“The other thing … there was a dynamic that happened in 2002 and 2003. That was the beginning of the ‘Moneyball’ years where teams – it wasn’t just Oakland – were drafting heavily from college. That was their philosophy and a lot of teams did well at it. So maybe 10 or 15 of them weren’t drafting from the high school pool. It just left a bigger pool of talent for us at the high school level in those years. So it was kind of by design and by circumstance, if that makes sense.

“At the same time, we were just trying to draft the best available player who we thought had the highest ceiling. For example, let’s say there would be a college player we liked. We mixed our high school and college players together on the draft board. The college player would be pushed down a little further. Well, now you take another team and they’re only ranking college players. The college player gets ranked higher on their board. Say there’s a college player we would have liked to take in round three. But shoot, he went in round two or at the end of the first round to one of the teams selecting only from the college pool.

“It left us more high school players. It’s really how the draft fell because we liked a number of college guys. Heck, we liked Nick Swisher, but Swisher went before we picked.”

Swisher, who had attended Ohio State, was taken at No. 16 in the 2002 draft by Oakland.

“That’s kind of how those drafts unfolded,” White said. “But we did focus on the high school player. That was definitely by design.”

Inside the Draft Room: The 2002-2003 Dodgers

[Ranma]

Special Correspondent Frankie Piliere, USA TODAY High School Sports (6/6/17)

8. Jo Adell, OF, Ballard (Louisville) HS

Adell has superstar potential but will require patience. He hit 25 home runs this spring, has electrifying arm strength and speed and has a game-changing skill set. But he will require polishing.

MORE: Adell Turning Into a True Louisville Slugger

Height, Weight: 6-3, 205

Could Go: Throughout the spring, the Royals have been all over Adell, who has also been linked with the White Sox.
...

10. Sam Carlson, RHP, Burnsville (Minn.) HS

Carlson has highly advanced command of his 91- to 93-mph fastball. He has late life on his fastball and has flashed above-average bite on his breaking ball.

MORE: Carlson May Be Best Minnesota prospect Since Joe Mauer

Height, Weight: 6-4, 208

Could Go: Carlson has gotten interest all over the first round, including from the Mets and Texas Rangers, who have two first-round picks (No. 26 and No. 29).

11. Bubba Thompson, OF, McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) HS

Thompson has one of the best assortments of tools of any player in the class. He has true center-field tools, is a two-sport athlete (baseball and football) and has shown rapid improvement with the bat. The Dodgers are said to be looking for tools and upside to add to their system, and Thompson fits that description.

MORE: Thompson Commits to Alabama to Play Baseball

Height, Weight: 6-2, 180

Could Go: The Yankees, Royals, Dodgers and Giants have shown heavy interest.

MLB Draft: 12 High School Players Who Could Be Selected in Round 1

[Ranma]

Draft Preview: Dodgers - 06/07/17 | 00:53
MLBPipeline.com's Jonathan Mayo shares his thoughts on who the Dodgers may pick in the upcoming 2017 Draft




Callis, Mayo on Players to Watch - 06/07/17 | 00:02:21
Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo join MLB Central to select their "Helium" 2017 Draft players to look out for in the Top 100

[Ranma]

Jim Callis, MLB.com (6/8/17)

23. Dodgers: Bubba Thompson, OF, McGill-Toolen HS (Mobile, Ala.)

It seems like everyone's recent mock draft has Thompson at No. 23, though there's enough interest ahead of here that Los Angeles could miss out. The Dodgers also like Warmoth and several other collegians projected to go right before here. Hiura and Houck are two more potential college picks.

Round 1 Forecast: MLB Draft Starts Monday!


Mike Axisa, CBSsports.com (6/8/17)

23. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Pick: OF Bubba Thompson, McGill-Toolen High School (Alabama)

It's not often you hear a team picking this late in the draft tied heavily to one specific player, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have been all over Thompson this spring. He's an exceptional athlete -- Thompson had Division I scholarship offers to play football -- who runs well and plays splendid center field defense. Thompson has shown increased power potential this spring, which has helped put him in the first-round mix.

2017 MLB First Round Mock Draft: Vandy Right-Hander Goes No. 1 Overall to Twins

Read on Twitter

Ken Gurnick, MLB.com (6/8/17)

Shopping List
Although lefty Julio Urias is the most cherished of their young pitchers, the Dodgers don't have a left-handed hurler listed in MLBPipeline's top 30 club prospects, while they have 13 right-handers listed. And they remain thin at third base, although sliding shortstop Corey Seager there when a replacement for Justin Turner is needed is a logical option, especially if Lux emerges at shortstop.

Trend Watch
In his first Draft for the Dodgers, Gasparino took college pitchers with his first two selections and went with collegiates with five of the first six selections, four of them pitchers. But last year, he started off with Lux, followed by a college catcher (Will Smith), the highest Dodgers pick of a catcher since Paul Konerko in 1994. In two Drafts for San Diego, Gasparino took college position players first both times, and both years five of the first six players he selected were position players.

Dodgers May Target Lefty Pitchers, Third Basemen

[Ranma]

John Manuel, Baseball America (6/9/17)

2017 MLB Mock Draft 4.0

Read on Twitter