2014 MLB Draft: Dodgers’ Big Board, v 2.0

Kodi Medeiros screencap
Kodi Medeiros might have the best fastball-slider combo of any lefty in the draft.

This is the second version of my 2014 MLB Draft Big Board. There have been changes, but not significant changes. The draft is nine days away, and I’ll do one more Big Board update (either June 3 or 4).

This is a ranking of the players I think could be realistically available at the Dodgers’ selection (No. 22). There’s no sense in ranking guys like Brady Aiken, Carlos Rodon and Alex Jackson, because they’re three of the top prospects in the draft and wouldn’t fall outside the Top 5.

My Big Board, v 2.0

1. RHP Touki Toussaint, Coral Springs Christian HS (Fla.)
2. OF Derek Hill, Elk Grove HS (Calif.)
3. SS/3B/RF Jacob Gatewood, Clovis HS (Calif.)
4. LHP Kodi Medeiros, Waiakea HS (Hawaii)
5. RHP Erick Fedde, UNLV
6. RHP Spencer Adams, White County HS (Ga.)
7. RHP Luis Ortiz, Sanger HS (Calif.)
8. RHP Sean Reid-Foley, Sandalwood HS (Fla.)
9. 1B/OF Braxton Davidson, T.C. Robertson HS (N.C.)
10. LHP Foster Griffin, The First Academy (Fla.)

I removed Jeff Hoffman and Grant Holmes from my previous big board. Hoffman, despite his needing Tommy John surgery, hasn’t dropped as much as I (or others) expected. I’d be surprised if he got out of the Top 15, and could still be a Top 10 pick. Holmes has some helium and I’ve seen him mocked in the Top 12-15. He hasn’t been near No. 22 for quite awhile.

Toussaint moves into the No. 1 spot. I profiled him yesterday. He, like Holmes, has a lot of helium. I’ve seen him mocked as high as No. 7 and as low as 22. At this rate, it’d be a big surprise if he made to the Dodgers.

Hill is also a guy with some helium, but not enough to put him completely out of the Dodgers’ range. He’s a legitimate center fielder with plus-plus defense and speed. He doesn’t swing-and-miss much and could develop average power. And let me put this out there: James Baldwin is not a good comparison for him. He’d be a worthwhile choice at No. 22.

Everyone else moved up one slot with the removal of Hoffman and Holmes, but there were two new entries to the Top 10 in the form of Davidson and Griffin.

Davidson is a sweet-swinging lefty with projectable plus-power and a potentially above-average hit tool. He’s athletic enough for the outfield, but his fringy arm could relegate him to first base. He’s a polished hitter in the mold of former Dodger prep draftees James Loney, Blake DeWitt and Corey Seager.

Griffin is a, say it with me, “tall, projectable lefty,” also known as a prospect who intrigues Logan White. He’s 6’3 or 6’5 (depending which publication you believe), 210 pounds, throws in the 88-92 MPH with the ability to touch 94 MPH. He could have an above-average changeup and a curveball. He has some kind of athletic bloodline, as his dad was a professional golfer.

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I’ll try to do a new big board every week leading up to draft day (June 5). I’ll also have much more in-depth profiles on the guys on my big board, and others who aren’t (yet) on the big board.

About Dustin Nosler

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Dustin Nosler began writing about the Dodgers in July 2009 at his blog, Feelin' Kinda Blue. He co-hosted a weekly podcast with Jared Massey called Dugout Blues. He was a contributor/editor at The Hardball Times and True Blue LA. He graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with his bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in digital media. While at CSUS, he worked for the student-run newspaper The State Hornet for three years, culminating with a 1-year term as editor-in-chief. He resides in Stockton, Calif.