2020 MLB Draft: Dodgers Big Board, v 5.0 + mock draft round up

The MLB Draft begins in three hours. The first round will be today, with rounds 2-5 tomorrow beginning at 2 p.m. With that, this is my final Big Board post before the real thing. But first, let’s look at all the mock drafts from the reputable publications over the last few weeks.

Mock Draft Roundup

Mock DraftPlayer
The Athletic 1.0 (Law)Nick Swiney
The Athletic 2.0Justin Lange
The Athletic 3.0CJ Van Eyk
The Athletic 4.0Jordan Walker
Baseball America 1.0Alex Santos
Baseball America 2.0Ed Howard
Baseball America (podcast)Masyn Winn
Baseball America 3.0Dillon Dingler
Baseball America 4.0Ed Howard
Baseball America 5.0Tanner Burns
Baseball America 6.0 (staff)Nick Loftin
Baseball America 7.0Carson Tucker
Baseball America 8.0Ed Howard
CBS MLB 1.0CJ Van Eyk
CBS MLB 2.0Clayton Beeter
CBS MLB 3.0Bryce Jarvis
CBS MLB 4.0Chris McMahon
ESPN 1.0Jordan Westburg
ESPN 2.0Justin Foscue
ESPN 3.0Carson Tucker
FanGraphs 1.0Bryce Jarvis
FanGraphs 2.0Tanner Witt
FanGraphs 3.0Tanner Witt
MLB Pipeline 1.0 (Mayo)Jordan Westburg
MLB Pipeline 2.0 (Callis)Justin Foscue
MLB Pipeline 3.0 (Mayo)Nick Loftin
MLB Pipeline 4.0 (Callis)Slade Cecconi
MLB Pipeline 5.0 (Mayo)Bobby Miller
MLB Pipeline 6.0 (Mayo)Bobby Miller
MLB Pipeline 7.0 (Callis and Mayo)Slade Cecconi
Perfect Game 1.0Bobby Miller
Perfect Game 2.0Bobby Miller
Perfect Game 3.0Nick Swiney
Perfect Game 4.0Nick Bitsko

Other names linked to the Dodgers who don’t appear in the roundup: LHP Dax Fulton, Mustang HS (Okla.); RHP Jared Jones La Mirada HS (Calif.); RHP Carmen Mlodzinski, South Carolina ; LHP Jared Shuster, Wake Forest; SS Freddy Zamora, Miami (FL).

Bonus Pool

The bonus pools are a bit different this year since there are only five rounds in the 2020 MLB Draft.

RoundSlot
1$2,424,600
2$1,157,400
2c$1,003,300
3$581,600
4$434,300
5$327,200
Total$5,928,400

They can spend up to 5 percent over the almost $6 million bonus amount without being penalized (other than paying an overage tax). That means they can spend an extra $296,419 (5 percent, less $1) on their draft picks this year without losing any next year.

This year (and next), teams will be able to sign any undrafted free agents for up to $20,000. They can sign an unlimited number of them who do not count toward the bonus pool. It sounds like a sweet deal to land a bunch of prospects, but I suspect there won’t be a ton of guys eager to take a $20,000 bonus to forego college — especially the more prominent players who have commitments to big-time schools.

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Before we get to the last version of the Big Board, here are the ones from the past month-plus.

Previous Entries

Big Board v 5.0

  1. SS Ed Howard, Mount Carmel HS (Ill.) [Profile] No. 16 to Chicago Cubs
  2. RHP Clayton Beeter, Texas Tech [Profile] No. 66 to the Dodgers!
  3. C/3B/OF Tyler Soderstrom, Turlock HS (Calif.) [Profile] No. 26 to Oakland
  4. RHP Bryce Jarvis, Duke [Profile] No. 18 to Arizona
  5. C/1B/LF Austin Wells, Arizona [Profile] No. 28 to New York Yankees
  6. C Dillon Dingler, Ohio State [Profile] No. 38 to Detroit
  7. RHP Jared Kelley, Refugio HS (Texas) [Profile] No. 47 to Chicago White Sox
  8. RHP Slade Cecconi, Miami (FL) [Profile] No. 33 to Arizona
  9. RHP Bobby Miller, Louisville [Profile] No. 29 to the Dodgers!
  10. RHP Cade Cavalli, Oklahoma No. 22 to Washington
  11. RHP Chris McMahon, Miami (FL) [Profile] No. 46 to Colorado
  12. SS Jordan Westburg, Mississippi State [Profile] No. 30 to Baltimore
  13. RHP Justin Lange, Llano HS (Texas) No. 34 to San Diego
  14. 1B Aaron Sabato, North Carolina No. 27 to Minnesota
  15. RHP Carmen Mlodzinski, South Carolina No. 31 to Pittsburgh
  16. RHP Cole Wilcox, Georgia No. 80 to San Diego
  17. RHP CJ Van Eyk, Florida State No. 42 to Toronto
  18. LHP Nick Swiney, North Carolina State No. 67 to San Francisco
  19. SS Carson Tucker, Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.) No. 23 to Cleveland
  20. OF Daniel Cabrera, LSU [Profile] No. 62 to Detroit

We have a new No. 1 heading into the draft. Howard has claimed the top spot and he checks a lot of boxes for the Dodgers. A shoulder injury could cause him to drop a bit and, conversely, be available for the Dodgers at 29, but we know LA isn’t opposed to taking players with potential medical issues.

Beeter moves up to No. 2, as he’s one of my favorite college pitchers who could be available come No. 29. His stuff is almost unmatched, especially his hammer curveball.

Soderstrom probably isn’t going to get to the Dodgers’ pick, but if he does, he’d be a great pick for them. He has a great left-handed stroke and could thrive in the Dodgers’ system.

Jarvis would probably top this list if he were a year younger, but the stuff is there and he could get even better in the Dodgers’ system.

Wells is my top college position player who could realistically be there. His bat is ahead of Dingler’s, even if Dingler’s defense is significantly ahead of Wells’.

Kelley falls to No. 7 (prep RHP stereotype). I’m not sure he’ll be there, but the lack of a future plus-breaking ball hurts him a bit. Still, I’d be quite happy if he were the pick at 29. Also, this is my way of admitting to myself that the Dodgers probably aren’t taking a prep righty in the first round.

Cecconi, Miller, Cavalli and McMahon are all in that next tier of college pitcher (for me). All have their pros and cons, with all having mid-rotation upside.

Westburg is an athletic shortstop with a high ceiling, but it also comes with some high risk thanks to a questionable hit tool.

Lange was a big-time popup prospect before the shutdown and definitely has 1st-round potential. With the way prep righties fall, maybe he makes it to No. 60?

Sabato is making a late push due to some impressive Trackman data. Some have dubbed him “(Spencer) Torkelson lite,” which is enough to get my attention.

Mlodzinski and Wilcox are very similar, much like the quartet of college pitchers I have at 8 through 11.

Van Eyk and Swiney are more pitchability guys, but they also have better stuff than you might expect. Both would be unsurprising picks at 29.

Tucker is a new addition, and he’s getting some late helium due to growing a bit since last summer and possessing athleticism the Dodgers covet in early round prep players.

Cabrera would be the safest pick of any of the 20 prospects above. He’s probably a corner outfield-only guy, but he has good bat-to-ball skills and some sneaky pop.

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I’ll update the board as the players get drafted. Stay tuned for a write-up of whoever the Dodgers land with their 1st-round pick.

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.