Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The first round of the 2024 MLB Draft took place Sunday, and the Dodgers had their earliest first-round pick since 2017. Drafting 23rd overall, they selected high school shortstop Kellon Lindsey.
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From Hardee High School in Florida, Lindsey has risen up boards this spring. The 18-year-old is a great athlete and possibly the fastest runner in this entire draft class. Lindsey was a quarterback in high school before focusing on baseball.
The athleticism helps him a lot on defense too, where he has a high probability of sticking at shortstop because of his range and actions. His offensive profile is slightly behind his glove, especially in terms of power. Lindsey has a compact swing that could make him an above-average contact hitter, but he will have to make some tweaks to find some home runs.
2024 SS Kellon Lindsey has seen his name rise up #MLBDraft draft boards this spring 📈
— Connor Holdren (@ConnorHoldren_) March 21, 2024
The @GatorsBB recruit is a potential 80 grade runner whose athleticism will allow for positional versatility 👍
Couple hits and I/O from tonight’s game👇@ShooterHunt || @PrepBaseballFL pic.twitter.com/p8er0f4oiV
Lindsey was a Florida commit but is expected to sign with the Dodgers, according to Florida beat writer Jacob Rudner. One big factor in Lindsey’s selection here is the potential that he will sign under-slot, leaving more money for the Dodgers to use throughout the rest of the draft.
The under-slot approach is similar to the Dodgers’ drafting of Kendall George 35th overall last year, who also has a speed-first profile. Los Angeles seems comfortable having used their first round picks in back-to-back years on quick players who should stick at premium positions up the middle.
As Lindsey gets into pro ball, the hope will be that he continues to improve like he has over the last year. He has solid plate discipline and pairing that with his contact ability could make him a quality on-base threat. The Dodgers will also attempt to add some power to his game, with the goal of making him into a hitter capable of roughly 10-15 home runs per year.
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Rankings
The Athletic: 28
FanGraphs: 26
MLB Pipeline: 29
Perfect Game: 43
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My initial grade of the pick is a B-, but that grade highly depends on how the Dodgers use their extra bonus pool money, assuming Lindsey will sign under-slot. With the new stolen base rules, the Dodgers clearly see big value in speed, taking an 80-grade runner in George with their top pick last year and now a 75-grade runner in Lindsey.
The selection was somewhat surprising because the Dodgers had so many options still on the board at No. 23. These players, such as Cam Caminiti, Kash Mayfield, Slade Caldwell and Brody Brecht, may have required the Dodgers to go over-slot to sign them. Pick No. 23 has a slot value of $3,676,400 and the Dodgers have the second-lowest overall bonus pool at $6,114,700. With limited money to work with, going over-slot with their first pick would have left very limited resources for the remainder of the draft.
The Dodgers do not have a second-round pick, so their next selection will be at 98th overall. From there, they’ll select at 128th overall, skip the fifth round, and then be the 25th team to draft in each subsequent round for the remainder of the draft.
