Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
This is the third version of my MLB Draft Big Board. There will be one more of these on draft day (six days from today). Still no change at the top, but there are some new names and some names who have shifted a bit.
Previous Big Boards
The rumor is the Dodgers are interested in high-upside prep position players and college pitchers.
My Big Board, v 3.0
1. 3B/OF/RHP Josh Lowe, Pope HS (Ga.)
2. SS/3B Nolan Jones, Holy Ghost Prep (Pa.)
3. RHP Matt Manning, Sheldon HS (Calif.)
4. RHP Jordan Sheffield, Vanderbilt
5. RHP Ian Anderson, Shenendhowa HS (N.Y.)
6. RHP Justin Dunn, Boston College
7. OF/1B William Benson, The Westminser Schools (Ga.)
8. LHP Eric Lauer, Kent St.
9. RHP Cal Quantrill, Stanford
10. SS Gavin Lux, Indian Trail Academy (Wis.)
11. RHP Jared Horn, Vintage HS (Calif.)
12. RHP Cody Sedlock, Illinois
13. RHP Kevin Gowdy, Santa Barbara HS (Calif.)
14. LHP Joey Wentz, Shawnee Mission East HS (Kansas)
15. 1B/OF Alex Kirilloff, Plum HS (Pa.)
Josh Lowe is still the unquestioned and unchallenged No. 1 on my Big Board. His combination of power, athleticism, potential and upside are unmatched. He has a chance to be a star.
Nolan Jones has almost everything Lowe has, minus the power. He could be a Ben Zobrist-type player if he reaches his ceiling.
Matt Manning has just the slightest signability concern, meaning he could drop on draft day. If he makes it to 20, he might be the best player the Dodgers could take.
Jordan Sheffield has an electric arm and the stuff to go with it. He might have one of the highest ceilings in the draft … but also a higher risk factor than most because of injury history and not prototypical size for a starting pitcher.
Ian Anderson is a prep pitcher who could fall on draft day, but he has a ton of talent and a team in the 8-15 can afford to take a chance on him. If he goes that high, there’s almost no way he doesn’t sign.
Reliever-turned-starter Justin Dunn has some helium leading up to draft day. He could end up going much higher than No. 20 because he has shown quite a bit since moving into the Boston College rotation.
William Benson might have some of the loudest tools in the draft, but he’s also pretty raw and will take a bit of time to develop. But he could boom pretty loudly.
Eric Lauer might be the best college pitcher (but not MLB prospect) available. He finished with the lowest ERA in the NCAA since 1979. Oh, and he’s a surefire 1st-round prospect.
Cal Quantrill jumped up from 15 in the last update into the Top 10. His stuff before Tommy John surgery had him in contention for the first overall selection. I was high on Michael Matuella last year, and while the circumstances are a bit different, Quantrill could be a worthwhile gamble at 20 or 32.
Gavin Lux‘s ability to stick at shortstop overshadows his overall talent. He’s a solid prospect offensively, but not an offensive dynamo by any means. But a good shortstop is hard to find.
Jared Horn falls a bit, mostly because there are some other guys who are rising in the last week before the draft. He could end up being a steal in the supplemental first round.
Cody Sedlock has been linked to the Dodgers in many mocks, and some actually have him going before No. 20. I wouldn’t be in favor of taking him at 20 if there are some high-upside prep players still available.
Kevin Gowdy is in a similar situation as Horn. His stuff isn’t as good, but his command is much better. He could also be a steal in the supplemental first round or early second round.
Joey Wentz reappears on this list. I removed him last time because he has a strong commitment to Virginia. But if he falls and the Dodgers are feeling ambitious, perhaps there’s a deal to be struck.
Alex Kirilloff hangs in at No. 15. He has some high upside with the bat, but position flexibility is holding him back from being really attractive to an organization like the Dodgers.
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Six more days. The draft is going to be quite fun — even more fun than last year. We’ll have all the coverage you could want leading up to and following the draft.
