Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The MLB Draft begins in three hours. The first round will be today, with rounds 2-5 tomorrow beginning at 2 p.m. With that, this is my final Big Board post before the real thing. But first, let’s look at all the mock drafts from the reputable publications over the last few weeks.
Mock Draft Roundup
Other names linked to the Dodgers who don’t appear in the roundup: LHP Dax Fulton, Mustang HS (Okla.); RHP Jared Jones La Mirada HS (Calif.); RHP Carmen Mlodzinski, South Carolina ; LHP Jared Shuster, Wake Forest; SS Freddy Zamora, Miami (FL).
Bonus Pool
The bonus pools are a bit different this year since there are only five rounds in the 2020 MLB Draft.
| Round | Slot |
| 1 | $2,424,600 |
| 2 | $1,157,400 |
| 2c | $1,003,300 |
| 3 | $581,600 |
| 4 | $434,300 |
| 5 | $327,200 |
| Total | $5,928,400 |
They can spend up to 5 percent over the almost $6 million bonus amount without being penalized (other than paying an overage tax). That means they can spend an extra $296,419 (5 percent, less $1) on their draft picks this year without losing any next year.
This year (and next), teams will be able to sign any undrafted free agents for up to $20,000. They can sign an unlimited number of them who do not count toward the bonus pool. It sounds like a sweet deal to land a bunch of prospects, but I suspect there won’t be a ton of guys eager to take a $20,000 bonus to forego college — especially the more prominent players who have commitments to big-time schools.
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Before we get to the last version of the Big Board, here are the ones from the past month-plus.
Previous Entries
Big Board v 5.0
SS Ed Howard, Mount Carmel HS (Ill.) [Profile]No. 16 to Chicago Cubs- RHP Clayton Beeter, Texas Tech [Profile] No. 66 to the Dodgers!
C/3B/OF Tyler Soderstrom, Turlock HS (Calif.) [Profile]No. 26 to OaklandRHP Bryce Jarvis, Duke [Profile]No. 18 to ArizonaC/1B/LF Austin Wells, Arizona [Profile]No. 28 to New York YankeesC Dillon Dingler, Ohio State [Profile]No. 38 to DetroitRHP Jared Kelley, Refugio HS (Texas) [Profile]No. 47 to Chicago White SoxRHP Slade Cecconi, Miami (FL) [Profile]No. 33 to Arizona- RHP Bobby Miller, Louisville [Profile] No. 29 to the Dodgers!
RHP Cade Cavalli, OklahomaNo. 22 to WashingtonRHP Chris McMahon, Miami (FL) [Profile]No. 46 to ColoradoSS Jordan Westburg, Mississippi State [Profile]No. 30 to BaltimoreRHP Justin Lange, Llano HS (Texas)No. 34 to San Diego1B Aaron Sabato, North CarolinaNo. 27 to MinnesotaRHP Carmen Mlodzinski, South CarolinaNo. 31 to PittsburghRHP Cole Wilcox, GeorgiaNo. 80 to San DiegoRHP CJ Van Eyk, Florida StateNo. 42 to TorontoLHP Nick Swiney, North Carolina StateNo. 67 to San FranciscoSS Carson Tucker, Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.)No. 23 to ClevelandOF Daniel Cabrera, LSU [Profile]No. 62 to Detroit
We have a new No. 1 heading into the draft. Howard has claimed the top spot and he checks a lot of boxes for the Dodgers. A shoulder injury could cause him to drop a bit and, conversely, be available for the Dodgers at 29, but we know LA isn’t opposed to taking players with potential medical issues.
Beeter moves up to No. 2, as he’s one of my favorite college pitchers who could be available come No. 29. His stuff is almost unmatched, especially his hammer curveball.
Soderstrom probably isn’t going to get to the Dodgers’ pick, but if he does, he’d be a great pick for them. He has a great left-handed stroke and could thrive in the Dodgers’ system.
Jarvis would probably top this list if he were a year younger, but the stuff is there and he could get even better in the Dodgers’ system.
Wells is my top college position player who could realistically be there. His bat is ahead of Dingler’s, even if Dingler’s defense is significantly ahead of Wells’.
Kelley falls to No. 7 (prep RHP stereotype). I’m not sure he’ll be there, but the lack of a future plus-breaking ball hurts him a bit. Still, I’d be quite happy if he were the pick at 29. Also, this is my way of admitting to myself that the Dodgers probably aren’t taking a prep righty in the first round.
Cecconi, Miller, Cavalli and McMahon are all in that next tier of college pitcher (for me). All have their pros and cons, with all having mid-rotation upside.
Westburg is an athletic shortstop with a high ceiling, but it also comes with some high risk thanks to a questionable hit tool.
Lange was a big-time popup prospect before the shutdown and definitely has 1st-round potential. With the way prep righties fall, maybe he makes it to No. 60?
Sabato is making a late push due to some impressive Trackman data. Some have dubbed him “(Spencer) Torkelson lite,” which is enough to get my attention.
Mlodzinski and Wilcox are very similar, much like the quartet of college pitchers I have at 8 through 11.
Van Eyk and Swiney are more pitchability guys, but they also have better stuff than you might expect. Both would be unsurprising picks at 29.
Tucker is a new addition, and he’s getting some late helium due to growing a bit since last summer and possessing athleticism the Dodgers covet in early round prep players.
Cabrera would be the safest pick of any of the 20 prospects above. He’s probably a corner outfield-only guy, but he has good bat-to-ball skills and some sneaky pop.
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I’ll update the board as the players get drafted. Stay tuned for a write-up of whoever the Dodgers land with their 1st-round pick.
