Dodgers Draft Overview & Open Thread

At 9am today, rounds 31 through 50 of the MLB draft will take place.  You can follow online at MLB.com.

Here's a look at several of the Dodgers' draftees in the first 30 rounds.  My personal favorite is Andrew Pevsner, the 16th rounder out of Johns Hopkins, who was born on October 15, 1988.

1st Round:  Zach Lee, RHP, McKinney, TX, DOB 9/13/91

As you may have heard, Lee has committed to LSU in both football and baseball.  From Jim Kleinpeter of  The Times-Picayune:

Lee did not return calls to his cell phone, but LSU football coach Les Miles said Lee is sold on playing college football.

"Zach wants to come to LSU, get a degree and play football and baseball for the Tigers, " Miles said in a statement released through the LSU sports information department. "I met with Zach and his parents today, and I think that they are looking at LSU as a great opportunity both academically and athletically. Zach is an outstanding student, and he's excited about the college experience."

LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, whose program desperately needs pitching, said he was surprised Lee was picked so high, given his high but undisclosed asking price.

"To my knowledge, they (the Dodgers) had not had any conversations with him about whether he was signable, " Mainieri said. "He probably had the reputation of being the toughest to sign in the country. His asking price was through the roof. He doesn't believe they are going to give him that. On the other hand, why would the Dodgers take him?"

2nd Round:  Ralston Cash, RHP, Lakeview Academy, GA, 8/20/91

Cash committed to the University of Georgia, but looks like he is ready to sign with the Dodgers, thanks in part to family ties.  From James Wolfe of the Gainesville Times:

The way everything seemed to come together Tuesday has left Cash fairly convinced that he will be signing with the Dodgers.

"Most likely the big chance is that I’ll be minor league bound," he said.

Previously Cash had given a commitment to the University of Georgia and was unsure about whether he would take a major league contract or go to college.

"But with everything working out the way it did and the Dodgers being a great organization, I just feel like I need to go do it,’ he said.

Adding to his sense that the situation is perfect, is the fact that Cash’s cousin, Ethan Martin, is in the Dodgers’ minor league system. Martin was a first-round pick for the Dodgers in 2008 out of Stephens County High.

The Dodgers flew Cash out to Dodger Stadium, according to Morgan Lee of AccessNorthGA.com, who further indicated Cash is willing to sign:

"I’m going to go straight into the (Dodgers) system," said Cash, who paced the Lions from the mound and the plate over the past two seasons. "At this point we’ll just start negotiating with Los Angeles on a contract after the draft is over."

3rd Round - Leon Landry, CF, L/R, LSU, 9/20/89

Landry was teammates with Michael Dean, who was also picked by the Dodgers, in the eighth round.  From Jim Kleinpeter of The Times Picayune:

Said Landry: "I just ran into him (Dean) in the hallway and gave him a big hug. We told each other we can't get away from each other that easily. I'm pretty sure he'll be my roommate where ever we go."

4th Round - James Baldwin III, CF, L/R, Pinecrest High School, NC, 10/10/91

Baldwin's father was a former major league pitcher, who pitched for the Dodgers in 2001.  According to Patrick Love of The Pilot, Baldwin committed to Elon, but now looks like he will sign with the Dodgers:

Calling it a "dream come true," the senior outfielder was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round with the 142nd overall pick. Previously committed to play baseball at Elon, he now says he’ll turn pro out of high school, following in the footsteps of his father, Pinecrest pitching coach James Baldwin Jr., a 10-year veteran of Major League Baseball.

"We just had to go along with the flow," James Baldwin III said, noting that at the beginning of baseball season, he didn’t know that being drafted out of high school was an option. "I’m just trying to follow in my dad’s footsteps, because I love the game of baseball."

5th Round - Jacob Lemmerman, SS, R/R, Duke, 5/4/89

Lemmerman is a college junior and a likely sign.  From Javier Serna of the News & Observer:

Lemmerman grew up in Southern California and was at home with family, monitoring more than one computer.

"I took my eye off the computer for a second," Lemmerman said. "My dad was on another computer, and he noticed the Dodgers had the next pick. Then he started going crazy. He came up and hugged me."

6th Round - Kevin Gausman, RHP, Grandview HS, CO, 1/16/91

Gausman, like Lee, committed to LSU, and according to Ryan Casey of the Denver Post, Gausman seems unlikely to sign with the Dodgers:

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Gausman has committed to play at Louisiana State, which gives him leverage when it comes to signing with the Dodgers. Gausman said he was leaning toward sticking with his LSU commitment.

"Because of the amount of money that I want, (the Dodgers) are going to follow me and see if I'm actually worth that," Gausman said.

"Being drafted in the sixth round, I think I have a chance to next year come out and really be a big influence at LSU and maybe even be their No. 1 guy on the mound," he added. "As of right now, I'm set on (LSU)."

 

7th Round - Ryan Christenson, LHP, South Mountain CC, AZ, 1/11/89

The Dodgers also drafted Christenson last year in the 40th round.

8th Round - Michael Dean, LF, L/L, LSU, 2/25/88

I don't have much information on Dean, but since he was the fourth Dodger pick with LSU ties, this is as good a spot as any to link to a video from LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, courtesy of PodKatt at And The Valley Shook, the SB Nation LSU blog.

9th Round -Steve Domescus, LF, R/R, Virginia Tech, 6/29/87

Domescus is a Giants' fan -- he was wearing a Giants cap when he heard the news that he was drafted -- but he expects to sign with the Dodgers.  Per Dave Allen of the Marin Independent Journal:

Domecus hopes to sign quickly. He plans to visit the Dodgers' extended spring training facility in Glendale, Ariz., next week and thinks he might be sent to a rookie league team (possible the Ogden Raptors in Utah) later this summer.

"I saw they picked some other catchers in recent years, but that doesn't bother me," said Domecus, who said he has a vivid memory of watching Russell Martin, the Dodgers starting catcher, and Yadier Molina, the Cardinals catcher, in a recent game at St. Louis.

"I like watching guys like (Martin) play," Domecus said. "And the idea that I might meet (Dodgers manager) Joe Torre next spring. That would be amazing."

10th Round - Bobby Coyle, OF, L/L, Fresno State, 3/6/89

Coyle is a college junior, and a local boy who seems likely to sign.  From Jeff Davis of the Fresno Bee:

For Coyle, draft day was a dream come true.

"I grew up in the L.A. area, and it's sweet and exciting to be taken by the team I watched as a kid," said Coyle, who batted .360 with 11 homers and 69 RBIs.

"You always hope to be drafted in a high round, but it's a crazy thing. You never know how it works and you can't control it.

"The next couple days I'll take a step back, meet with the Dodgers to get a better idea and see what's the best decision."

11th Round - Joc Pederson, CF, L/L, Palo Alto HIgh School, CA, 4/21/92

Pederson's father Stu was drafted by the Dodgers in the ninth round in 1981, and was an outfielder who played in eight games for the 1985 club.  Joc Pedersen has committed to play baseball at USC.  Per Dennis Knight and Glenn Reeves of the San Jose Mercury News:

"I have all summer to think about it, so I'll take my time and see what happens," Pederson said. "I was surprised it was the Dodgers. A lot of teams were calling to see what my (salary) number was, so that may have affected where I was picked."

12th Round - Matthew Kirkland, 3B, R/R, South Doyle High School, TN, 3/13/91

Kirkland had committed to Tennessee, but he sounds like someone who would rather turn pro than enter college.  From Jesse Smithey of the Knoxville News-Sentinel:

"I would like to start my career right now," said the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Kirkland, who has a penchant for power at the plate. "But me, my adviser and the Los Angeles Dodgers have to get together and negotiate some stuff. It'll probably be later on this week sometime.

"But it's like I said, I just want to play baseball. There are not many people from Tennessee in the pros, really. I'd like to start my career early and go play pro ball."

Here are picks 13 through 30:

Rd	Pick	Name	DOB	Pos	B	T	Ht	Wt	School	State
13	412	Jesse Bosnik	7/23/88	SS	L	R	6'1"	215	St. Bonaventure	NY
14	442	Alex, McRee	6/18/88	LHP	R	L	6'7"	235	Georgia	GA
15	472	Jake Eliopoulos	5/25/91	LHP	L	L	6'3"	190	Chipola JC	FL
16	502	Andrew Pevsner	10/15/88	LHP	L	L	6'3"	205	Johns Hopkins	MD
17	532	Logan Bawcom	11/2/88	RHP	R	R	6'2"	200	UT - Arlington	TX
18	562	Chadwick Arnold	9/7/87	RHP	R	R	6'4"	210	Washington St	WA
19	592	Benjamin Carhart	1/21/90	3B	R	R	5'10"	185	Palm Beach CC	FL
20	622	Austin Henderson	5/26/92	RHP	R	R	6'6"	240	Flower Mound HS	TX
21	652	Noel Cuevas	10/2/91	CF	R	R	6'2"	185	Inter American	PR
22	682	Andre Wheeler	9/27/91	RF	L	L	6'1"	175	L.C. Anderson HS	TX
23	712	B.J. La Rosa	4/28/88	C	R	R	6'2"	200	Bucknell	PA
24	742	Andrew Edge	12/31/87	C	R	R	6'2"	230	Jacksonville St	AL
25	772	Jeremy Gilmore	4/1/87	CF	L	L	5'11"	187	Coastal Carolina	SC
26	802	Scott Schebler	10/6/90	CF	L	R	6'1"	205	Des Moines Area CC	IA
27	832	Yimy Rodriguez	9/1/87	RHP	R	R	6'2"	215	Peru St	NE
28	862	Mike Drowne	7/28/88	CF	R	L	5'10"	175	Sacred Heart	CT
29	892	John Patterson	5/11/87	RHP	R	R	6'3"	220	SW Oklahoma St	OK
30	922	Shawn Tolleson	1/19/88	RHP	R	R	6'2"	220	Baylor	TX