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| Richie Shaffer, future Dodger? Kevin Goldstein says no. |
Happy MLB Draft day!
The Dodgers choose at No. 18 an No. 51 today, and expect them to choose at least one pitcher with their first two picks.
It's anyone's guess as to who the Dodgers will take. Chad Moriyama has a quick draft preview on his site. The consensus is the Dodgers will nab a high school player with their first pick -- most likely a pitcher.
The name that has been bandied about for the last couple weeks is Ty Hensely. Hensley is a right-hander out of Santa Fe High School in Oklahoma. Jim Callis, Keith Law and Jonathan Mayo all have the Dodgers tabbing Hensley the pick.
Jared Massey said in the most recent episode of 'Dugout Blues' Hensley reminds him of Chad Billingsley (not physically, but the way he pitches).
Hensely has a good low-90s fastball and a power curveball -- the same beginning repertoire as Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Chris Withrow and Ethan Martin.
Hensley would be a solid pick and is definitely on my big board.
I probably sound like a broken record, but the Dodgers just need to choose the best player available. If Hensley is that guy, sobeit.
Without further adieu, here's my Dodgers' big board. Take note: I'm including guys who have a shot to be there at No. 18, so players like Mark Appel and Byron Buxton won't be on this list.
My Dodgers' 2012 MLB Draft Big Board
- 3B Richie Shaffer, Clemson University
- SS Addison Russell, Pace High School (Florida)
- 3B Corey Seager, Northwest Carrabus High School (South Carolina)
- RHP Ty Hensley, Santa Fe High School (Oklahoma)
- RHP Michael Wacha, Texas A&M
- 3B/OF Stephen Piscotty, Stanford
- C/OF/3B Stryker Trahan, Acadiana High School (Louisiana)
- LHP Matt Smoral, Solon High School (Ohio)
- RHP Lucas Sims, Brookwood High School (Georgia)
- 3B/1B/RHP Joey Gallo, Bishop Gorman High School (Nevada)
- I'm obviously leaning position player, but I won't be upset one bit if the Dodgers come away with a good SP prospect.
- Russell is a bat-first prospect, but has shown he might be able to stick at shortstop. Shortstop has evolved from an all-glove/no-hit position to a position that values offense. If he doesn't pan out at short, he should be able to make the move to the hot corner. Would be a high-ceiling pick in my eyes.
- Wacha is viewed as a potential Top 12 prospect, but FanGraphs and Kevin Goldstein had him slipping to the Dodgers at No. 18.
- Gallo is a big-time power prospect, but he has a lot of swing-and-miss in his swing. Teams view him as a power-hitting third baseman or flamethrowing right-handed pitcher. Sounds like Martin, no?
Giolito might have the highest ceiling of any player in this draft. However, injury concerns (sprained UCL, might ultimately need Tommy John) have dropped him on many teams' draft boards. If he's there at No. 18, I could definitely see Logan White pulling the trigger on him.
The latest from Mayo:
"Lucas Giolito remains a huge wild card. There’s been a lot of conjecture about him going somewhere in the middle of the first round, but I don’t have a firm feel from anyone where he’s going to go. One team that picks in the middle of the round said that Giolito priced himself out from their slot. The assigned values on picks 11-20 start at $2.625 million for No. 11 and go down to $1.85 million at No. 20. So someone would have to get creative."Yeah, that's another thing. Giolito has a commitment to UCLA and could easily go there if he doesn't get the kind of bonus he's looking for if a team in the teens drafts him. I've seen him mocked to Toronto a lot, which holds the No. 17 pick.
If Giolito is there at No. 18, despite what I said in the podcast about the Dodgers not necessarily having the luxury of taking a chance on a guy like this, I'd like to see him be the pick ... if they can get him signed.
If the Dodgers end up with any of the 11 names mentioned above, I'd be happy. And so should Dodger fans, even if they select another prep pitcher.
Some names to keep an eye on at No. 51
- RHP J.O. Berrios, Papa Juan XIII High School (Puerto Rico)
- 3B/RHP Carson Kelly, Westview High School (Oregon)
- C Peter O'Brien, University of Miami (FL)
- RHP Duane Underwood, Pope High School (Georgia)
- LHP Hunter Virant, Camarillo High School (California)
- RHP Walker Weickel, Olympia High School (Florida)
- OF Jesse Winker*, Olympia High School (Florida)
Roster moves
Juan Rivera was activated from the disabled list today and Scott Van Slyke was optioned back to Triple-A Albuquerque.
At least Van Slyke will get consistent playing time. He's been slumping since hitting that mammoth pinch-hit home run against St. Louis a couple weeks ago.
This just in (12:40 p.m.): Shawn Tolleson was promoted from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Javy Guerra. Guerra went on the 15-day disabled list with right knee inflamation.
To make room for Tolleson on the 40-man roster, Matt Guerrier was transferred to the 60-day DL.
Oh happy day.
News from the front office
From the good news department, and Ken Rosenthal's latest column:
"Dodgers scouts are telling their rival counterparts that new club president Stan Kasten told his front office, 'Get what you need and send me the bill.'Kevin Youkilis, anyone?
Kasten said he wouldn’t go that far, but added, 'If that's the word on the street, I kind of like that. I want fans to understand we’re going to be aggressive – aggressive, but not reckless.'"
Seeing the Quakes live, again
I'll be in attendance on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes' annual visit to Stockton to play the Ports. Jon Michael Redding and Zach Lee (!) are scheduled to pitch (by my account), so that'll be cool.
Follow me on Twitter for updates and photos from the game. I'll definitely have some posts about it, too.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Clemson University Sports Information
Excellent post Dustin. I can't wait for the drafty to start.
ReplyDeleteDraft that would be. It is a bit drafty here today for June 4.
ReplyDelete