Yearly it appears to sneak up on me, however it's time once more to start out occupied with the 2024 MLB Draft. This 12 months the draft shall be held July 14-16 in Arlington, coinciding with the Rangers internet hosting the All-Star Sport.
The Dodgers choose twenty third general within the first spherical, their highest draft place since 2017. Their draft bonus pool is simply over $6.1 million, down 15.9 p.c from final 12 months thanks largely to shedding the his second and fifth time to signal Shohei Ohtani.
With draft season nearly upon us, some mock drafts have hit the digital cabinets. So right here's a take a look at a couple of gamers someway linked to the Dodgers with their twenty third general choose.
Slade Caldwell
OF, Arkansas Excessive College
That is from final week's mock draft on Baseball America, and if this occurs, it could make it two consecutive years with the Dodgers choosing a speedy highschool outfielder with their first choose, after Kendall George final 12 months.
“Caldwell is without doubt one of the greatest pure baseball gamers accessible on the market. He's an awesome middle fielder, he's a double plus runner and he has superior contact abilities,” wrote Carlos Collazo. “There's not a variety of energy or dimension, however he's well-rounded and appears to suit the expertise within the final third of the primary spherical.”
The 5'8 Caldwell is dedicated to Ole Miss for faculty if he doesn't signal with the group that drafts him this 12 months. MLB Pipeline ranked him the No. 19 prospect within the draft.
Dakota Jordan
OF, Mississippi State
Keith Regulation on the Athletic had his personal mock draft final week, and he had Jordan going No. 23 to the Dodgers, who’s hitting .347/.462/.662 with 17 house runs this season.
“The Dodgers have tended to swing for the fences with their first picks underneath Billy Gasparino, going for large ceilings and/or gamers with 80-grade instruments even when they're comparatively unpolished,” Regulation wrote. “Jordan is an explosive athlete who has nice energy, however he hits greater than any of his friends on this second tier of school hitters.”
Jordan made the 2023 All-Freshman group within the SEC. He was ranked the twenty fourth greatest prospect within the draft by MLB Pipeline, with this written:
Jordan could have extra bat velocity than anybody within the 2024 Draft, and his fast right-handed swing and energy produce great exit velocity and at the very least extra energy to all fields. He made strides along with his pitch recognition and plate self-discipline as a freshman, inspiring confidence that his pop will translate at greater ranges.
Billy Amick
3B, Tennessee
Baseball America did one other mock draft final week, however as an alternative of utilizing trade sources, that they had their workers break up the picks. which they take for those who select in that slot. On this train, Peter Flaherty at BA chosen Billy Amick, a 3rd baseman out of the College of Tennessee at twenty third general.
Amick is hitting .333/.401/.688 this season with 18 house runs in 50 video games.
He missed two weeks after having surgical procedure to take away his appendix, after which hit a house run on his first pitch again final week. From The Each day Beacon:
“It's confirmed – you don't want it,” Billy Amick mentioned concerning the want for an appendage to hit a baseball.
MLB Pipeline ranks Amick the Fifteenth-best prospect within the draft, noting, “Amick has a high quality right-handed swing and turns balls round, regardless of usually throwing out of the strike zone. His aggressive strategy makes for robust contact in any respect fields, however cuts in his stroll totals.His bat velocity and energy create extra uncooked energy that performs everywhere in the ballpark and may translate into 20-25 homers per season.
