Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
We’re fewer than three weeks from the 2021 MLB Draft, and there have been some significant changes to my Big Board. Not only is there a new No. 1, but two of my favorite prospects have been removed, which is explained below.
Previous Boards
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Big Board v 3.0
- OF Jud Fabian, Florida [Profile]
- RHP Chase Petty, Mainland Regional HS (N.J.) [Profile]
- RHP Jaden Hill, LSU [Profile]
- RHP Ryan Cusick, Wake Forest [Profile]
- OF Benny Montgomery, Red Land HS (Penn.)
- RHP Gavin Williams, East Carolina
- C Adrian Del Castillo, Miami (FL) [Profile]
- OF Joshua Baez, Dexter Southfield HS (Mass.)
- 2B/SS Peyton Stovall, Haughton HS (La.)
- OF Lonnie White, Malvern Prep HS (Penn.)
- RHP/SS Bubba Chandler, North Oconee HS (Ga.)
- RHP Michael McGreevy, UC Santa Barbara
- SS/3B Trey Sweeney, Eastern Illinois
- RHP Andrew Painter, Cavalry Christian HS (Fla.)
- RHP/SS Spencer Schwellenbach, Nebraska
- OF Christian Franklin, Arkansas
- SS Carson Williams, Torrey Pines HS (Calif.)
- RHP Thatcher Hurd, Mira Costa HS (Calif.)
- SS Maxwell Muncy, Thousand Oaks HS (Calif.)
- 2B Cooper Kinney, Baylor HS (Tenn.)
Before we get started, I need to note something about both Sam Bachman (previously No. 2, profile here) and Gunnar Hoglund (previously No. 5). I removed them because it’s increasingly likely both will be off the board well before the Dodgers pick. Bachman has been rumored as high as No. 12, while a lot of folks believe Hoglund’s floor is the Yankees at 20. If they were still on my list, they’d rank No. 3 and 6, respectively. Montgomery might soon be getting the same treatment.
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Fabian leap frogs to the No. 1 spot on my board. The power and athleticism are apparent, and there’s a decent chance he slips to No. 29 because teams will be scared off by his poor start to the season.
Petty drops from 1 to 2, but he’s still the top arm (and prep player) who I think could be there when the Dodgers make their first selection.
Hill is still a Top 10-15 talent the Dodgers might be able to snag at the end of the first round. He has a higher ceiling than almost anyone they could draft.
Cusick has two premium pitches and gives off significant Bobby Miller vibes. The only reason he’s not in contention to be selected higher is because of command and the lack of a consistent third pitch.
Montgomery is getting some talk in the Top 10, perhaps from a team looking to cut a deal. He might be the best prep athlete available.
Williams makes his board debut after a dominant collegiate career finale against Vanderbilt. He struck out nearly 40 percent of the batters he faced in 2021.
Del Castillo’s bat plays up because he’s a catcher, but he’s a legitimate hitter no matter where he plays.
Baez is still holding strong in the Top 10 and will be profiled soon by yours truly. His power is immense.
Stovall is a solid all-around hitting prospect who has been tied to the Dodgers more than any prospect this draft season.
White makes his board debut because he’s extremely tooled up. His athleticism is among the best in the class and there’s some untapped power in his young frame.
Chandler probably won’t make it to the Dodgers’ spot, but he’s one of the best 2-way prospects available, and the Dodgers have yet to develop a legit 2-way guy. Signability is a concern here.
McGreevy has battled inconsistency, but he’s a polished arm who the Dodgers could hone and make a legit starter.
Sweeney’s board debut comes with a Corey Seager-like comp. He’s a bigger shortstop (6’4) with a bat-first focus.
A Painter selection would bring back memories of Logan White-run drafts. The projectable prep arm with a solid 4-pitch mix.
Schwellenbach is the more polished version of Chandler without the high ceiling but also with far less risk. He’d be a interesting (and likely) money-saving draftee.
Frankin is still a darkhorse for me. His profile checks a lot of boxes for LA and if they’re looking to save some money to use later in the draft, he’d make some sense.
Williams is probably a shortstop, but he also offers 2-way potential. Still, he’s probably going to go out as a shortstop, with a chance to fall back on the mound if that falters.
Hurd would be an interesting selection because it has been quite some time since the Dodgers have selected (and signed) a high school pitcher in the first round. The player development department could have a field day with him.
Muncy — unrelated to the real Max Muncy — has strong work ethic and is similar to other prep shortstops they’ve scouted in the past (Brooks Lee comes to mind).
Kinney isn’t talked about a lot, but he gives off Seager vibes — offensively, at least. His defensive position is a big question and there’s a non-zero chance he could be there in the third round. However, if he’s their selection at 29, they should be able to save a significant amount against the bonus pool.
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Look for more draft profiles this week. I’m thinking I’ll go deeper than 10, with a prep bat coming up next.
