2018 MLB Draft: Dodgers’ Big Board, v 3.0

The MLB Draft is a week from today, so this is the penultimate version of my Big Board. There haven’t been many changes at the top, but there are some new names toward the back of the list.

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Big Board, v 3.0

1. CF Parker Meadows, Grayson HS (Ga.)
2. RHP Ethan Hankins, Forsyth Central HS (Ga.)
3. SS/3B Jeremy Eierman, Missouri State
4. LHP Ryan Rolison, Ole Miss
5. LHP Kris Bubic, Stanford
6. CF Alek Thomas, Mount Carmel HS (Ill.)
7. RHP Griffin Roberts, Wake Forest
8. OF Trevor Larnach, Oregon State
9. RHP Cole Wilcox, Heritage HS (Ga.)
10. SS Brice Turang, Santiago HS (Calif.)
11. OF Connor Scott, Plant HS (Fla.)
12. LHP Shane McClanahan, South Florida
13. RHP Blaine Knight, Arkansas
14. LHP Daniel Lynch, Virginia
15. OF Tristan Pompey, Kentucky

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Not a lot has changed in my Top 5. Meadows, Hankins and Eierman are still my Top 3, even if Hankins is either unlikely to be popped by the Dodgers or the fact he might not even make it to No. 30. And Eierman’s lack of overall improvement have some folks worried about a transition to the pros. I still like him plenty. Meadows is my undisputed No. 1 guy, and probably will be a week from today.

A couple college lefties round out the Top 5 in Rolison and Bubic. Rolison is better overall, while Bubic has a bit of a higher floor as a starting pitching prospect. Either would be solid picks for the Dodgers.

Thomas is moving up my board slowly but surely. The limited power ceiling is a little concerning for for me, but he could also end up being a tough sign.

Roberts showed a usable changeup last week that opened some eyes. His velocity isn’t elite, but his slider (almost) is. His high-effort delivery could push him to the bullpen, but he’s a guy who the drafting team will give every chance to start.

Larnach is one of the better college bats in a class that’s lacking in that department. He could go a bit higher than some expect because of that. He has strong hit/power tools.

Wilcox is another prep righty who could fall for signability reasons. Also, prep right-handers tend to fall come draft day.

Turang is still one of the best shortstop prospects in the class, but there are also legitimate question marks about his bat.

Scott will probably be drafted before No. 30, but he has one of the highest ceilings of any prep out fielder in the class.

McClanahan is a new entrant here. He has been viewed as a potential Top 10 draftee, but a poor week has put a damper on his draft stock, but he has a legit high-90s fastball and two average offpseed pitches. He’s falling down draft boards a bit, and the Dodgers are no strangers to drafting college arms who fall.

Knight is a personal favorite of mine, even if he’s ranked this far down my board. I think he’s better than a lot of other college pitchers, but he also doesn’t seem like he’s on the Dodgers’ radar.

Lynch is a late-riser who has done nothing but perform this spring. The Dodgers popped another late-riser a couple years ago in Will Smith, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them do that again.

Pompey is an athletic outfielder with four above-average tools. He’d be a guy who could move quickly if he gets into the right organization.

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I’ll do one more of these boards — on draft day. There probably won’t be many changes and things should start coming into focus this week.