Dodgers Dugout: Special draft edition
The Dodgers chose both these guys in the first round of the draft, one in 2006 (Kershaw) and the other in 2012 (Seager).
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and this is a special bonus edition of the newsletter, focusing on the first-year player draft. We'll look at the Dodgers' offense in tomorrow's newsletter.
The past
Today is the first day of the first-year player draft, and the Dodgers have the 20th, the 32nd (as compensation for Arizona signing Zack Greinke) and the 36th (as compensation for not signing their 2015 No. 35 pick, Kyle Funkhouser) picks.
But before we look at who the Dodgers might pick today, let's look at who they have chosen in the first round the last 10 years.
2015
24th overall pick: RHP Walker Buehler, Vanderbilt
Buehler had Tommy John surgery, and we're sure will throw a pitch in the minors one day.
35th overall pick: RHP Kyle Funkhouser, Louisville
Funkhouser did not sign with the Dodgers and returned to Louisville for his senior year.
Best overall player chosen in 2015 first round: Too soon to tell
2014
24th overall pick: RHP Grant Holmes, Conway HS, S.C.
Holmes is pitching for Class A Rancho Cucamonga, where he is 4-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 11 starts. He is currently listed as the Dodgers' No. 3 prospect in the minors.
Best overall player chosen in 2014 first round: Aaron Nola, RHP, Philadelphia. Nola, chosen seventh overall, is 11-6 with a 3.12 ERA in 25 starts with the Phillies.
2013
18th overall pick: RHP Chris Anderson, Jacksonville University
Anderson is pitching for double-A Tulsa, where he is 2-2 with a 5.79 ERA in six starts. He is currently listed as the Dodgers' No. 14 prospect.
Best overall player chosen in 2013 first round: Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs. Chosen with the second overall pick, Bryant won the Rookie of the Year award last season and was a member of the NL All-Star team. This season, he is hitting .282 with 13 homers and 41 RBIs.
2012
18th overall pick: SS Corey Seager, Northwest Cabarrus HS, N.C.
Seager is the starting shortstop this season and a candidate to win Rookie of the Year.
51st overall pick (supplementary pick for losing Rod Barajas to free agency): SS Jesmuel Valentin, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
Valentin was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 7, 2014, as part of a deal that brought pitcher Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers. He is currently playing for double-A Reading and is not listed among the Phillies' top 30 prospects.
Best overall player chosen in 2012 first round: Carlos Correa, SS, Houston Astros. Correa won the AL Rookie of the Year award last season.
2011
16th overall pick: LHP Chris Reed, Stanford
Reed was traded to the Miami Marlins on July 15, 2015, for LHP Grant Dayton.
Best overall player chosen in 2011 first round: Jose Fernandez, RHP, Miami Marlins. Really, you could go with Fernandez, Gerrit Cole of the Pirates or George Springer of the Astros.
2010
28th overall pick: RHP Zach Lee, McKinney HS, Texas
Lee was a two-time minor league pitcher of the year for the Dodgers, struggled in his only appearance with the team last season and is currently 6-4 with a 4.65 ERA for triple-A Oklahoma City. He is the No. 21-rated prospect for the Dodgers.
Best overall player chosen in 2010 first round: Bryce Harper, Washington. Harper was chosen first overall and just edges out Baltimore's Manny Machado (third overall), New York Met Matt Harvey (seventh overall) and Chicago White Sox Chris Sale (13th overall).
2009
36th overall pick (supplemental pick for losing Derek Lowe to free agency): LHP Aaron Miller, Baylor
Miller went 20-19 with a 4.03 ERA in five minor league seasons with the Dodgers before converting to first base and hitting 14 homers for Class A Rancho Cucamonga in 2014. He then played in the Australian Baseball League as a first baseman before announcing his retirement in 2015.
Best overall player chosen in 2009 first round: Mike Trout, OF, Angels. Trout was chosen with the 25th overall pick, behind such legends as Donavan Tate, Bobby Borchering and Jiovanni Mier.
2008
15th overall pick: RHP Ethan Martin, Stephens County School, Ga.
Martin ended up in the majors, with Philadelphia, in 2013 and 2014, going 2-5 with a 5.93 ERA. He had been sent there in the July 31, 2012, trade that sent Shane Victorino to L.A. He went from the Phillies to Atlanta, which released him before the 2016 season.
Best overall player chosen in 2008 first round: Buster Posey, C, San Francisco Giants. Posey was chosen with the fifth overall pick, behind Tim Beckham, Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer and Brian Matusz.
2007
20th overall pick: RHP Chris Withrow, Midland HS, Texas
Withrow showed promise in the bullpen, going 3-0 with a 2.73 ERA in 2013 and 2014 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. While recovering, he was traded to Atlanta along with Juan Uribe for Alberto Callaspo, Juan Jaime, Eric Stults and Ian Thomas. He is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA for the Braves this season.
39th overall pick (supplemental pick for losing Julio Lugo to free agency): LHP James Adkins, Tennessee
Adkins never really pitched well in four minor league seasons with the Dodgers, and he was released in April 2011. He ended up with Cincinnati, which released him after the 2011 season. He spent 2013 with two independent baseball teams and has been out of the game ever since.
Best overall player chosen in 2007 first round: David Price, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays. Price was chosen with the first overall pick. Of special note: Josh Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, was chosen with the 48th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs as compensation for losing Juan Pierre to free agency.
2006
7th overall pick: LHP Clayton Kershaw, Highland Park HS, Texas
Whatever happened to this guy? I can't find out much info about him on the Internet.
26th overall pick (supplemental pick for losing Jeff Weaver to free agency): RHP Bryan Morris, Motlow State CC, Tenn.
Morris spent two seasons in the minors for the Dodgers before he was packaged in the deal that put Manny Ramirez in L.A. His best season in the majors came in 2014, when he went 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA in 60 games split between Pittsburgh and Miami. In five seasons in the majors, he is 18-12 with a 2.80 ERA in 211 games.
Best overall player chosen in 2006 first round: Kershaw. Others of note: Evan Longoria (third overall), Tim Lincecum (10th overall), Max Scherzer (11th overall) and Ian Kennedy (21st overall).
This year
So, who will the Dodgers choose this year? As you can see, they have chosen only two players, Corey Seager and Clayton Kershaw, who have had any real impact on their team. With three first-round choices, you have to hope they can get at least one future contributor.
There are several sites that do mock drafts, so let's take a look at what some of them predict the Dodgers will do. Note: Most sites will only predict what happens in the first 23 picks, and not what happens with the supplemental picks, which are first-round picks 24-41. Click on the player's name to learn more about him.
It’s predicting the Dodgers take RHP Jordan Sheffield of Vanderbilt.
No. 20: RHP Robert Tyler of Georgia
No. 32: SS C.J. Chatham of Florida Atlantic
No. 20: RF Alex Kiriloff, Plum HS, Pa.
No. 32: 3B Drew Mendoza, Lake Minneola HS, Fla.
No. 36: RHP Logan Shore, Florida
No. 20: RHP Cal Quantrill, Stanford
No. 32: OF William Benson, the Westminster School, Ga.
So, as you can see, this is not an exact science. They all chose someone different. We'll take a closer look at who the Dodgers do take in a newsletter next week.
And finally
Danny Kaye sings the Dodgers song. Watch and listen here.
Have a comment or something you'd like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me and follow me on Twitter: @latimeshouston
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