Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers rounded out the top 10 rounds with Texas Tech outfielder Kyeler Thompson and Oregon right-hander Devin Bell.
——
Kyeler Thompson is a speed-over-power center fielder who had a strong junior season for Texas Tech. He slashed .358/.454/.491 with a 121 wRC+ and 26 stolen bases. The 21-year-old ran a .415 BABIP partially thanks to his speed.
Third-straight Saturday with a HR 👀👀
— Texas Tech Baseball (@TTU_Baseball) May 9, 2026
⚾️ 105 MPH
⚾️ 411'5" #WreckEm | @KyelerThompson pic.twitter.com/gvC0KgmDRd
Thompson has good range in center field and made some highlight catches out there this spring. He also put his speed to use on the bases even beyond the stolen base total. At the plate, he was a bit passive in the zone, but he ran a quality 16% chase rate that led to a 10% walk rate.
The 6-foot-1, 195 pound Thompson only posted a 102 mph 90th percentile exit velocity, which isn’t a ton of raw pop, but his 89% in-zone contact rate was solid. He profiles as a defense-and-speed guy who the Dodgers who look to maximize offensive output to allow the rest of his game to play. Since he’s only a junior, this isn’t the $5,000 senior signing I was expecting in both rounds nine and 10, as Thompson will probably sign around slot value ($201.7k).
Rankings:
- MLB Pipeline: N/A
- FanGraphs: N/A
- ESPN: N/A
- Perfect Game: N/A
——
Devin Bell was Oregon’s closer this year, transferring in after making Division II Third-Team All-America at Western Oregon in 2025. For the Ducks, Bell tallied 12 saves with a 3.86 ERA and 19.7 K-BB%. He was a senior this spring, so the Dodgers will likely be able to sign him for $5,000 or so, saving bonus pool money against the pick’s $191.9k slot value.
T11 | Bell continues to mow the Trojans down. Ducks still looking for a winning run. #GoDucks
— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) May 17, 2026
USC 5
Oregon 5 pic.twitter.com/XKE8IwDYXt
Bell sat 95 mph with his high-spin fastball this spring, holding 17 inches of induced vertical break and 13 inches of arm-side run with 2,400 RPM. That heater forced a 23% whiff rate and 28% chase rate, which are both strong numbers. That chase helped Bell post a 6% walk rate despite his fastball only running a 47% zone rate. He doesn’t get down the mount very far, only averaging 5.4 feet of extension on his four-seam.
Although that four-seam is his main fastball, Bell also threw a sinker with similar velocity but more tumbling action. The sinker ran only a 17% whiff rate but landed in the zone at a better 53% clip and didn’t get barreled a single time. Bell’s breaking ball and main secondary was a tight slider, sitting at -0.6″ IVB and -2.6″ HB. The slider generated a 20% swinging strike percentage and 46% whiff rate.
The 22-year-old Bell looks like a good get as a senior that will sign for cheap. The Dodgers could continue his development as a reliever or look to develop the changeup he threw only 42 times this spring (although to good results) and maybe give him a chance to start.
Rankings:
- MLB Pipeline: N/A
- FanGraphs: N/A
- ESPN: N/A
- Perfect Game: N/A
——
Now that the first 10 rounds are over, the final 10 rounds will have different rules regarding slot values. As long as players sign for $150,000 or less, that money doesn’t count against the bonus pool. Anything over that figure does.
The Dodgers entered the draft with a $3,951,900 bonus pool, but they can outspend that by 5% or less without facing any penalty other than a 75% tax on the overage. They have overspent their bonus pool all 14 drafts with this current bonus pool structure. That means the Dodgers really have roughly $4,297,000 at their disposal.
Four of their six draftees so far have been college juniors that should be expected to sign for around slot value. The slot value of those four picks added together is $1,255,800. If we assume the juniors will sign for around their slots, and also assume that Bell will sign for only $5,000 as a senior, then that would leave the Dodgers with about $3 million in bonus pool money to sign their top draftee, prep infielder Bo Lowrance. His 40th overall draft slot carried a pick value of approximately $2.5 million, so the Dodgers should have given themselves room to go a bit beyond that to secure their prize.
Because they will need to lock down Lowrance, the Dodgers probably won’t have much wiggle room to go over the $150,000 number for their picks in rounds 11-20. Expect mostly college guys who will sign for the standard amount with the potential for a flier prep player or two as insurance for if Lowrance were to not sign. That is unlikely, to be clear; but if it were to happen, L.A. would lose the 40th overall slot value $2.5M from their bonus pool and be left with that extra $500,000 or so they budgeted to go over-slot for Lowrance, so they might as well have another prep player they can throw it to or allow to go unsigned if Lowrance does get locked down as expected.
