2026 MLB Draft: Dodgers select Cal Baptist LHP Cody New, East Carolina RHP Gavin Van Kempen, Jax State SS Caleb Johnson, Houston LHP Ryne Rodriguez, prep OF Aemed Nasser in rounds 11-15

Bruce Kuntz 07/12/2026 MLB Draft Leave A Comment

(Via California Baptist Athletics)

With the front-half of the draft out of the way, the Dodgers will be picking at the end of every round from 11-20 with less bonus pool restrictions. Any pick in this range that signs for $150,000 or less does not count against the bonus pool.

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The Dodgers took California Baptist left-hander Cody New with the 11th round pick. New was the WAC Preseason Pitcher of the Year this spring after posting a 3.49 ERA and 19 K-BB% in 2025. Unfortunately, New hurt his elbow on opening day and underwent UCL surgery in March.

Looking at data from 2025, New sat 92 mph on his fastball while touching 96. It showed some good action with 17 inches of induced vertical break and 10 inches of arm-side run. New’s heater had a 23% whiff rate and 26% chase rate that spring.

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, the left-hander also threw a cutter, slider, curveball and changeup to round out a deep arsenal. Before he got hurt this spring, New was projected to go within the top four rounds of the draft. The Dodgers will look to bring him back to health and potentially get starting-pitcher upside from the 11th round.

Rankings:

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East Carolina right-hander Gavin Van Kempen was the 12th round selection as the Dodgers went with back-to-back rehabbing pitchers. Van Kempen got off to a great start in 2026 after transferring to East Carolina from West Virginia, but he suffered an arm injury in March and underwent surgery in May.

The 6-foot-7, 240 pound hurler put up fantastic numbers through six starts in his senior season, posting a 1.84 ERA with a 39% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. His delivery is very Trey Yesavage-like, with a physical frame releasing from way over the top. His fastball sat 93 mph with 20 inches of induced vertical break and a 7.1 foot release height.

Van Kempen’s main secondaries were a slider and a cutter. The slider had gyro spin from a 7.2 foot release, only moving 2.5 inches gloveside but generating a 50% whiff rate and 27% in-zone whiff rate. His slider looks like his best pitch as it also didn’t allow a single barrel in the 130 times he threw it.

Rankings:

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Going back to a bat, the Dodgers took Jax State shortstop Caleb Johnson in the 13th round. The 6-foot-2 switch-hitter slashed .309/.413/.559 with 10 homers and 23 stolen bases this spring, showing a solid combination of speed and contact quality.

Johnson played all four years of his college career at Jax State, with his senior season being his best. After struggling with strikeouts the previous three years, he cut his strikeout rate down to 19% this spring. He posted a .449 wOBACON, showing solid contact quality, and showed an affinity for hitting the ball hard to the pull side with a 67% pulled hard-hit rate.

The 22-year-old will still probably have to work on contact in the pros, as he ran a 79% zone contact rate. The Dodgers will look to get him making consistent contact while potentially adding some strength that could convert to good game-power with his tendency to pull his best contact.

Rankings:

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The Dodgers went with another southpaw in the 14th round, taking Houston hurler Ryne Rodriguez. The 6-foot-2 senior worked in relief for the Cougars this spring, tallying four saves with a 4.39 ERA.

Rodriguez isn’t a “stuff jumps off the page” guy, instead providing intrigue through his funky delivery and sinker/slider pairing. His sinker sits at 91 mph with a 94 mph max, featuring 13 inches of arm-side run from a low, crossfire release. He landed the sinker in-zone at a 56% clip and it forced a 21% whiff rate.

His slider is his most interesting pitch coming from the cross-body angle at 84 mph with a firm 6 inches of sweep. Rodriguez commanded the slider well with a 54% zone rate. Ultimately, this was a funk reliever pick, with the 22-year-old’s frame potentially having some room to add velocity to his delivery that is reminiscent of 2023 Dodgers draftee Wyatt Crowell.

Rankings:

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The Dodgers took a prep flier with their 15th round pick, drafting outfielder Aemed Nasser. Born in Venezuela and raised in Orlando, Nasser is already listed at 6-foot-4, 191 pounds coming out of high school.

Nasser hits with a wide base and has long arms that bring the bat through the zone with force. He projects to have big-time power once he fills out his frame. It remains to be seen if that will be with the Dodgers right away, as Nasser is an Oklahoma commit, and the Dodgers don’t have a lot of bonus pool money to throw around.

As a talented prep player, Nasser would surely require a bonus well above the $150,000 standard for rounds 11-20. If the Dodgers are able to sign their first pick from this draft, Bo Lowrance, there probably won’t be enough money to sign Nasser; this looks like a backup prep option for the Dodgers, although that is never a certainty.

Rankings:

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Rounds 11-15 followed the expected blueprint for the Dodgers, hanging mostly around college talent that won’t cost over-slot and then taking a single prep flier with signability risk. Additionally, the Dodgers continued their M.O. of taking injured pitchers in the draft with the plan to rehab them and get better value than they would have found in a healthy pitcher at that draft slot.

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About Bruce Kuntz

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Long Beach State journalism student in my fifth year of covering the Dodgers and their farm system.
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