Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers selected a whopping 14 collegiate players and only one prep player in rounds 11-25 of the 2014 MLB Draft. Time to temper expectations in these rounds, so only a couple of them should be Hall Of Famers.
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With the No. 339 pick (11th round) the Dodgers selected RHP A.J. Vanegas, a senior out of Stanford. Vanegas had a 2.33 ERA in 38.2 innings of relief with 28 strikeouts and 14 walks. Also, he was ranked as the #144 draft prospect by Baseball America.
MLB.com said this about Vanegas:
A year ago, a Stanford senior was selected as the No. 1 overall pick. Vanegas won’t go nearly as early as his former teammate Mark Appel did in 2013, but his power arsenal out of the bullpen is still bound to interest some teams. Vanegas suffered through an injury-plagued junior season in 2013 and opted to return to Stanford rather than sign with the A’s as a 19th-rounder. He’s rebounded as the Cardinal’s closer, showing a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and a slider that shows flashes of being a biting strikeout pitch. He’s almost certainly destined for a bullpen, with his overall command and two-pitch repertoire well-suited for late-inning work. If Vanegas’ injury concerns are behind him, he could be a quick-to-MLB short reliever, something always in high demand, especially in the form of a senior sign.
The 2013 injury during his junior year was surgery for a herniated back, and he also missed time with mono. Was a bad year for him, basically. The Dodgers will hope he can get signed and move quickly in the system with the two-pitch mix of a mid-90s fastball and hard slider that flashes plus.
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With the No. 369 pick (12th round) the Dodgers selected RHP Kameron Uter out of Pace Academy in Atlanta, GA. Uter is a three-star WR recruit to Wake Forest for football along with baseball, so signing him will take some work.
Uter has clean mechanics that he should be able to repeat and adjust due to athleticism (obviously). Has shown only two pitches so far: a high-80s fastball that has touched 92 and a high-70s curve. Plenty of room for development.
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With the No. 399 pick (13th round) the Dodgers selected RHP Ryan Taylor, a senior out of Arkansas Tech University. Taylor started 15 of his 16 appearances and struck out 86 in 88.2 innings with a 3.55 ERA.
Not much information out there on him, but was apparently was 93-95 mph during a workout with the Dodgers. A college starter but the Dodgers might be looking at him as another relief possibility.
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With the No. 429 pick (14th round) the Dodgers selected SS Kelvin Ramos, a freshman out of San Jacinto College. In 48 games, Ramos posted a .288/.392/.311/.703 line with 29 stolen bases in 38 tries.
Dodgers have been taking a lot of college players with mediocre lines and not much scouting hype, so I’m assuming there’s a specific tool profile they’re looking for or they just need depth and easier signs.
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With the No. 459 pick (15th round) the Dodgers selected RHP Joe Broussard, a junior out of LSU. In 32 games as a closer, he pitched 34.1 innings and posted a 1.05 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 17 walks.
Broussard had Tommy John surgery in 2012, but is apparently back to health, as he’s now throwing in the mid-90s with a curve that flashes plus. Yes, another college reliever for the Dodgers.
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With the No. 489 pick in the 16th round, the Dodgers selected Devan Ahart, a junior out of University Of Akron. In 56 games, Ahart hit .311/.395/.404 with 27 stolen bases in 33 tries.
Indians Baseball Insider had this to say about him:
Devan Ahart is a personal favorite of mine who no one else seems to be very high on. He has a near 2:1 walk to strikeout total, he stole 26 bases, hit over 300, and hit 8 doubles. He is a guy who on the surface fills up a box score, and in terms of tools shows plus speed. He did it all for Akron and was the top player for them this year.
Yet his stock weirdly is lower on some sites now than it was at the start of the year. I don’t get it. Yes, his doubles are down, but everything else is up quite a bit. He showed pretty big improvement in his pitch recognition this year, he doubled his walk and steals totals from a year ago and after two years with no homeruns he hit three this year.
I am an Ahart fan. I think he is a guy who can have a future in the majors. I see a fourth outfielder with his speed and athleticism.
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With the No. 519 pick (17th round) the Dodgers selected SS Tyler Wampler, a senior out of Indiana State University. Wampler started 52 games and hit .275/.364/.311, but there’s not much else out there about him.
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With the No. 549 pick (18th round) the Dodgers selected 1B Clint Freeman, a senior out of East Tennessee State. Freeman hit 13 homers and put up a .348/.412/.620 line and was ranked as the #408 prospect by Baseball America. Robinson also pitches in relief, but I assume he was taken for his bat.
Baseball America had this to say:
He has started 15 games on the mound in his career, but has worked mostly as a reliever, and his 86-88 mph fastball likely means his pitching career will end in pro ball. The lefthanded hitter is a bat-first player at the bottom end of the defensive spectrum. He has taken advantage of a cozy home park to hit .343/.398/.570 for his career. His best tool is his above-average raw power that produced a career isolated slugging of .227. Freeman, 23, has shown an ability to control the strike zone and make contact at an above-average clip, with a 12 percent strikeout rate against an eight percent walk rate, but scouts worry about how his hand hitch will play against professional competition. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder fits best at first but moves and throws well enough to handle an outfield corner.
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With the No. 579 pick (19th round) the Dodgers selected RHP pitcher Gary Cornish, a sophomore out of Palomar College. Cornish started two games but appeared 16 times in relief, striking out 44 and walking just six in 35.2 innings while posting a 2.78 ERA.
Cornish primarily uses a fastball that tops out around 91-92 and a high-70s slider, but he also has shown a change. Either way, another college reliever for the team.
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With the No. 609 pick (20th round) the Dodgers selected OF Brian Wolfe, a senior out of University Of Washington. Wolfe hit .352/.419/.494 with five homers in 59 games.
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With the No. 639 pick (21st round) the Dodgers selected SS Osvaldo (Ivan) Vela, a junior out of Oklahoma Baptist University. In 64 games, Vela hit seven homers and posted a .347/.391/.566 line.
Not much else info out there, besides the fact that he’s actually listed as Ivan on the team’s roster.
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With the No. 669 pick (22nd round) the Dodgers selected RHP Bubby Rossman, a senior out of Cal State Dominguez Hills. Rossman slugged seven homers in 49 games and posted a .261/.383/.455 line.
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With the No. 699 pick (23rd round) the Dodgers selected OF Andrew Godbold, a junior out of Southeastern Louisiana University. In 63 games, Godbold hit .349/.448/.515 line with nine homers.
Godbold has a bunch of videos of him playing on his own YouTube channel.
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With the No. 729 pick (24th round) the Dodgers selected 2B Jimmy Allen, a senior out of Cal Poly. Allen posted a .298/.337/.455 line and was ranked as the #414 prospect by Baseball America.
Baseball America had this to say about him:
He put on some weight and has shown less arm strength and speed than he did a year ago, when both tools rated as 55s. Now his arm grades out as average, and his speed is fringy. Still, he’s a good athlete with sound infield actions, and he figures to make a seamless transition to second base in pro ball, with enough versatility to fill in all over the diamond. Allen is an aggressive hitter with a pull-to-middle approach, and he has never walked much, posting a 12-39 BB-SO mark this spring. But he has bat speed and sneaky pop to the pull side, as well as a knack for barreling up line drives.
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Matt Jones, a redshirt freshman outfielder out of Hutchinson Community College, was taken in the 25th round with the No. 759 overall pick. Jones hit 10 homers in 60 games and ended up with a line of .372/.538/.611.
At 6’7″ and 250 pounds, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say he’s known for his power.
