Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Fifth up in my 2016 MLB Draft profile series is another college reliever-turned-starter in Fighting Illini Cody Sedlock.
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Vitals
6’4, 210 pounds
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
DOB: June 19, 1995
Location
Champaign, Ill.
Class: Junior
Rankings
Baseball America: 42
Baseball Prospectus: 28
ESPN: 20
Minor League Ball: 39
MLB.com: 32
Perfect Game: 38
Scouting Baseball: 23
Slot recommended bonus (No. 20): $2,316,300
Slot recommended bonus (No. 32): $1,940,700
Slot recommended bonus (No. 36): $1,791,000
Editor’s note: All information of draft prospects compiled from internet sources, scouting reports and video.
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Sedlock has a similar background to some former Dodger draftees. Let’s see if you can figure it out: Josh Lindblom, Chris Reed, Tom Windle, Brock Stewart, Josh Sborz … that’s right, they’re all college relievers-turned starters. That’s what Sedlock is, but unlike the three of the four listed above, Sedlock might actually be able to pull it off (and Sborz & Stewart are doing well thus far).
The big right-hander isn’t uncommon to his former teammate Tyler Jay, who was drafted No. 6 overall by the Twins in last year’s draft (and the Dodgers had some interest in Jay, if he were to fall in the draft). Sedlock is armed with a sinking fastball that sits in the low-90s. It has touched the mid-90s, but that has been out of the bullpen. It has heavy sinking action that should produce a lot of ground balls, if not some swings-and-misses. He has a low-80s slider that has flashed above-average but needs more refinement. Out of the rotation, he also has a curveball and changeup, but both of those need significant work in terms of quality and command.
His delivery looks like a guy who is converting from the bullpen to the rotation. It’s a bit stiff and needs work to become more fluid and less mechanical. He sometimes finishes with upright, which can cause some command/control issues. He gets pretty solid extension on his pitches to give them a bit more life. There’s a little arm-whip in his delivery. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it might be something to keep an eye on going forward. He definitely has the frame and physicality to be a starting pitcher, but he’ll need to show that his stuff can remain effective later into games.
Video
Video courtesy of Andrew Krause and Baseball America
Sedlock is a junior at Illinois and should be easily signable in the first round. He’s maxed out physically, is a project as a starting pitcher and has a No. 3 starter’s ceiling. If he doesn’t hit that ceiling, he could be a nice back-end starter. If starting doesn’t work out, he has bullpen experience to fall back on, which might be the best thing for him in the long run. He might not ever be a lock-down closer, but a high-leverage reliever with velocity and the ability to get ground balls is quite valuable.
He’s probably a bit of a reach at No. 20, but if it allows the Dodgers to roll the dice on a prep player at 32 and/or 36, then maybe the Dodgers try to get him cheap at 20 and use the extra money on future picks. In recent mock drafts, there have been runs on college pitchers, with Sedlock going in the 15-18 range at times. It shouldn’t be a surprise to see him gone before No. 20, but if it’s between him and a prep player, I think the Dodgers might opt for the college arm.
