The Dodgers made 42 overall picks in this year’s draft, selecting 23 pitchers (21 right-handers, two left-handers), seven outfielders, nine infielders (one baseman, four second basemen, three shortstops, one third baseman) and three catchers. Of the 19 drafted position players, 12 are right-handed hitters and seven are left-handed. Thirty-four were selected from the college ranks, while eight were drafted from high school.
On the opening day, the Dodgers selected Indian Trail High School (Kenosha, WI) shortstop Gavin Lux with their first pick (20th overall) in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound left-handed hitting shortstop hit .531 (43-for-81) with six home runs, 10 doubles, four triples, 31 RBI and stole 23 bases this spring. He also drew 29 walks, while only striking out twice in 26 games in 2016. Lux, 18, was rated by Baseball America as the fourth-best shortstop in the 2016 draft and was the 36th overall prospect. He was also named the Gatorade State player of the year for the state of Wisconsin.
“We’re really excited that we were able to select Gavin,” said Dodger Director, Amateur Scouting Billy Gasparino. “We think he’s a bright young man with a lot of ability and comes from a baseball family. He is a pure shortstop that can run, hit, and hit with power from the left side.”
Lux’s uncle, Augie Schmidt, was the second-overall pick in the 1982 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and is currently the coach for Division III Carthage College.
This marks the first time that the Dodgers have selected a position player with their first overall pick since Corey Seager in 2012. Los Angeles has selected a pitcher with their first pick of the draft in 10 of the last 12 years.
Lux was scouted by Dodger area scout Trey Magnuson.
With their second selection of the first round, the Dodgers selected University of Louisville catcher Will Smith. The right-handed hitting catcher was rated by Baseball America as the sixth-best catcher in the draft and became the first catcher since Paul Konerko in 1994 to be drafted in the first round by the Dodgers. Smith, 21, was scouted by scout Marty Lamb.
Smith had a breakout junior season, hitting .380 (57-for-150) with eight doubles, seven home runs and 43 RBI in 53 games along with a .476 OBP and a .573 SLG for the Cardinals this year. He was also named third-team All-ACC this year, while leading the Cardinals to the 2016 NCAA Super Regional, where they will face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, June 11. During the course of his three-year college career, Smith has posted a .289/.389/.410 slashline with 20 doubles, seven home runs and 43 RBI, along with a .991 fielding percentage.
“After converting from shortstop to catcher when joining Louisville, it took him a while to sync in at that position in the college level,” said Gasparino. “But we think he is a great athlete with a plus arm, and he can really receive and throw the ball well. He has always had a short compact swing with good bat speed and controls the zone very well. He is a great leader on the field, and his intangibles are off the chart.”
With their third pick before the second round (officially Lottery Round A), the Dodgers selected Vanderbilt University right-handed pitcher Jordan Sheffield, who was rated by Baseball America as the 12th-best pitcher in the draft and the 23rd-overall prospect. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound redshirt sophomore and Golden Spikes Award semifinalist went 8-6 in 16 starts this season. posting a 3.01 ERA (34 ER/101.2 IP), and struck out 113 batters against 40 walks. The Tullahoma, TN, native went 13-8 with a 2.84 ERA in 38 games (22 starts) during the course of his career at Vanderbilt. The 21-year-old was also scouted by Lamb.
“He is very athletic, maybe one of the better athletes in the draft at any position. and he is up to 96 and has big arm strength,” said Gasparino. “He is a highly competitive kid, and he knows the game and understands professional baseball really well. His changeup has really developed this year into a plus pitch, and the breaking ball has always been a calling card for him.”
1965 John Wyatt (INF)
1966 Larry Hutton (RHP)
1967 Don Denbow (INF)
1968 Bobby Valentine (OF)
1969 Terry McDermott (C)
1970 Jim Haller (RHP)
1971 Rick Rhoden (RHP)
1972 John Harbin (INF)
1973 Ted Farr (C)
1974 Rick Sutcliffe (RHP)
1975 Mark Bradley (INF)
1976 Mike Scioscia (C)
1977 Bob Welch (RHP)
1978 None
1979 Steve Howe (LHP)
Steve Perry (RHP)
1980 Ross Jones (INF)
1981 Dave Anderson (INF)
1982 Franklin Stubbs (1B)
1983 Erik Sonberg (LHP)
1984 Dennis Livingston (RHP)
1985 Chris Gwynn (OF)
1986 Mike White (OF)
1987 Dan Opperman (RHP)
1988 Bill Bene (RHP)
1989 Kiki Jones (RHP)
Tom Goodwin (OF)
Jamie McAndrew* (RHP)
1990 Ronnie Walden (LHP)
1991 None
1992 Ryan Luzinski* (C)
Michael Moore* (OF)
1993 Darren Dreifort (RHP)
1994 Paul Konerko (C)
1995 David Yocum (LHP)
1996 Damian Rolls (INF)
1997 Glenn Davis (1B)
1998 Bubba Crosby (OF)
1999 Jason Repko* (INF)
2000 Ben Diggins (RHP)
2001 None
2002 James Loney (1B)
Greg Miller* (LHP)
2003 Chad Billingsley (RHP)
2004 Scott Elbert (LHP)
Blake DeWitt (3B)
Justin Orenduff* (RHP)
2005 Luke Hochevar* (RHP)
2006 Clayton Kershaw (LHP)
Bryan Morris* (RHP)
Preston Mattingly* (INF)
2007 Chris Withrow (RHP)
James Adkins* (LHP)
2008 Ethan Martin (RHP)
2009 Aaron Miller* (LHP)
2010 Zach Lee (RHP)
2011 Chris Reed (LHP)
2012 Corey Seager (SS)
Jesmuel Valentin* (SS)
2013 Chris Anderson (RHP)
2014 Grant Holmes (RHP)
2015 Walker Buehler (RHP)
2016 Gavin Lux (SS)
Will Smith (C)
By Staff of the TheDailySportsHerald
No comments:
Post a Comment
We encourage all intelligent, passionate comments. Please refrain from any ignorant, racist, or offensive rants.