Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers already drafted twice today but still had two picks remaining, selecting in the second and third rounds at No. 65 and No. 104 overall. With their second and third round picks, the Dodgers drafted Florida State right-hander Cam Leiter and Cincinnati outfielder Landyn Vidourek.
——
Leiter did not pitch this spring due to a shoulder injury, but the 21-year-old showed off first-round type upside last time he was on the mound. In 2024, Leiter threw 35 innings with a 35% strikeout rate and a fastball that sat 96 MPH and got up to 98. Additionally, the 6-foot-5 hurler got down the mound extremely well, averaging 6.69 feet of extension. His fastball produced an excellent 29% in-zone whiff rate and could be a plus offering if he gets back to the same metrics.
From a sheer stuff standpoint, RHP Cam Leiter (@FSUBaseball) has one of the loudest arsenals in this year's Draft class. Was a member of the AAC All-Freshman team selection in 2023 after posting a 4.92 ERA with 80 Ks across 56.2 IP. Leiter's first season at FSU was cut short due… pic.twitter.com/A2TmBOPQyg
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) November 24, 2024
While he threw his heater roughly half the time, Leiter also had some intriguing secondary pitches. His curveball had good spin, averaging 2,686 RPMs with -15 inches of induced vertical break and 10 inches of sweep. His cutter/bullet slider and changeup also show some intrigue, both featuring above-average spin.
Leiter is throwing bullpens again, so he’s not too far off in his recovery process. His command will need to be worked on as well as shoring up the arsenal depth for Leiter to have a starter future. There’s certainly reliever risk, but he could play well there too if his fastball remains electric. He follows the Dodgers trend of taking stuff-heavy injured college arms and looking to eventually make the gamble pay off.
Rankings:
FanGraphs: 106
MLB Pipeline: 114
Perfect Game: 210
——
The Dodgers rounded out day one of the draft by taking outfielder Vidourek out of Cincinnati. The 21-year-old posted a 1.010 OPS for the Bearcats this spring, slugging .576 with an 18% walk rate. Additionally, Vidourek stole 39 bases while only being caught once.
Landyn Vidourek, absolute NUKE 💣pic.twitter.com/wJrFMWzEaH
— Barstool Cincinnati (@UCBarstool) March 1, 2025
Power and speed are the standout tools for Vidourek. His 115.4 MPH max exit velocity this spring was in the 96th percentile of college baseball. He excelled at lifting the ball to the pull side and totaled 24 extra-base hits. Vidourek also made good swing decisions, running a 14% chase rate, although he was passive overall and took nearly half of in-zone pitches. Swing and miss was a bit of an issue, as Vidourek had a below-average 80% zone-contact rate and whiffed at over 40% of changeups that he swung at.
This pick reads like a tools-heavy athlete that the Dodgers see big upside with if they can develop him well. The hit tool will be the area to watch how he handles professional pitching, but his batted ball quality makes this pick intriguing.
Rankings:
FanGraphs: N/A
MLB Pipeline: N/A
Perfect Game: 295
——
The Dodgers wound up going college with all four of their day one picks, taking two pitchers and two outfielders. No high schoolers through the first three rounds could provide them some bonus pool flexibility to target prep players in Rounds 4-20 tomorrow.
