Priester, Jameson highlight names to watch on Draft’s opening night

The 2019 draft is less than a week away, and with three picks on day one, the Dodgers’ incoming class will largely be evaluated on the two players taken in round one and the player with their selection at the end of Compensation B round.

The draft class is stacked heavily at the top, and with near consensus on the top prospects in most media lists, it would be a surprise to see anyone from my first three tiers (grades, 80, 70, and 65) slip past the first fifteen picks. After the first half of round one, the players tend to fall more in line with a team’s traditional scouting preferences, with the depth of the later day one picks coming from the college and prep hitting ranks.

While the college pitching crop has been fairly maligned in this year’s class, I still see plenty of athletic arms with upside to be had outside the top fifteen picks.

Today, the focus is on players in the Top 50 to keep an eye on, while also considering recent Dodger drafting trends. I will unveil my current Top 50 (which is included at the end of the article), with some changes possible before the full Top 200 list rolls out this weekend.

Quinn Priester (Prep RHP, No. 14)

Priester has been deservedly getting more attention in first round mocks of late, going as high as 19th in MLB Pipeline’s most recent version. Even getting passed by bias for athletic deliveries with power sinkers, Priester’s ability to spin an already plus breaking ball gives him the upside of a power No. 2 or No. 3 starter in time at the big league level. Priester’s movement and velocity come pretty easily, but he has room for some mechanical adjustments to further shorten and quicken his arm action.

Priester’s present velocity and stuff make him better equipped for a jump to professional ball than most prep arms in this class, and his Texas Christian commitment should not be an impediment to him signing in round one. He could easily be taken ahead of Los Angeles’ first pick at 25, but prep right handers and cold weather state kids (Priester hails from Illinois) can slip on draft day, giving Los Angeles a chance to still see his name available at their first turn.

Drey Jameson (Ball State OF/RHP, No. 16)

One of my favorite prospects this year and a prospect that should be available for the Dodgers at pick No. 25, Jameson is an athletic arm with big strikeout production at Ball State. He’s a sophomore eligible prospect, giving him additional leverage, but that should not stand in the way of him signing with a team selecting him on day one.

Jameson burst on the scene in 2019 by dominating Stanford early in non-conference play. He’s on the smallish side at 6’0, but the former infielder has an athletic delivery and a pair of lively plus pitches in his fastball and slider. He has a floor of late relief given durability and command questions, but should be groomed for starting.

Jameson is just starting to tap into his potential on the mound, and could stand to flourish in the Dodger development system. His upper 90s fastball and power slider give him the upside of a No. 2 starter if everything clicks, and his athleticism should help him make the proper adjustments to fine tune his command for starting at the big league level.

Rece Hinds (Prep 3B, No. 18)

While Hinds seems to fit in most media lists second round window, I find it hard to ignore a player with this physical upside and raw tools in round one. Perhaps Hinds is still far from putting together the whole package, but few players in this class can impact the ball on contact quite like Hinds, with possibly 80 raw power and pro game exit velocities.

Hinds is a large infield prospect at 6’5 and a frame to fill out even more. Like his offensive game, his infield actions need further polish and he could outgrow even third, requiring a move to an outfield corner, where his easy plus arm already fits the right field profile.

Hinds will likely always struggle with strikeouts, given his large zone and some upper body stiffness in his swing. Developing better pitch recognition will be the difference in him striking out 40% of the time in his introduction to Class-A ball to him tapping into his potential as a 40+ home run hitter at the big league level. I like gambles on athleticism and tools, and few players have his combination in this class.

Ethan Small (Mississippi State LHP, No. 28)

How do you balance a class if you take risks with early picks like Rece Hinds? You could start by taking the most polished player in the draft with pick No. 31, which goes to the Dodgers. Small has been dominant this year, carving up the SEC in what could be a banner year for the conference in terms of talent (mostly in future drafts). He’s posted one of the nation’s best strikeout rates despite not having outright plus stuff.

Small pitches around 90 mph with a fastball that he can run, sink and cut. His command is excellent and he knows how to pitch above the barrel to avoid hard contact. His change-up betters his breaking ball, but both could use refinement at the pro level. Small also plays around with timing in his mechanics to keep hitters at bay.

Small carries his own risk in lacking even average present velocity, but he did reach 96 mph prior to Tommy John surgery. He has a high enough pitching aptitude and enough athleticism to adapt his style to potentially increase his velocity if needed. Regardless, Small is a better prospect now than a former Dodger pick with a similar style in Devin Smeltzer, and Smeltzer just reached the major leagues this week. Small might be a low ceiling pick, but one who can clear the low minors quickly and provide the organization with additional prospect equity fairly early as a pro.

Other Names to Watch

He was linked to the Dodgers in the most recent MLB Pipeline mock draft, but Brady McConnell (No. 29) of Florida fits the Dodger prospect MO. McConnell is a rangy, athletic middle infielder that can possibly play center field if he cannot stick at shortstop. His calling card is game pop generated from a lift-oriented steep swing that has some swing and miss, but he he has the pitch recognition to mitigate the concern.

His stock seems down on most media lists, but Matt Wallner (No. 30) of Southern Mississippi still put up gaudy power numbers for the third season in a row. Maybe he’s plagued by over-scouting and lofty expectations, but Wallner still proved he can get to his plus raw power in games with more frequency than most of his other peers outside the top ten picks. He has a plus outfield arm to boot and looks like the right field prototype.

He’s not as polished as Quinn Priester, but prep two way player Bryce Osmond (No. 31) did flash one of the better sliders on the summer circuit, and his athleticism could even exceed that of Priester. He has upside on the mound once he stops splitting time between pitching and shortstop, which will likely draw drafting teams to him early to buy him out of his Oklahoma State commitment.

On film alone, Navy’s Noah Song (No. 40) looks like the most impressive pitcher in this class. The big framed right hander has top of the scale velocity, two plus breaking balls, and some of the best strikeout numbers in division one. Song also has a two year military service commitment that clouds his future and could push the college senior’s pro start too far for some development staff’s liking.

It’s hard to project just who might last until the Dodgers’ pick in the compensation round after round two, but one player that fits the mold of a recent Dodger pick is Fresno State righty Ryan Jensen (No. 55). He’s undersized but athletic and has some of the best arm strength in the college class. Other teams might shy away from trying to start him, but the Dodgers have proven willing to take a chance on all body types on the mound so long as the arm strength is there.