2017 Draft Review: Los Angeles Dodgers

First 5 rounds: Jeren Kendall (1-23), Morgan Cooper (2-62), Connor Wong (3-100), James Marinan (4-130), Riley Ottesen (5-160)
Also notable: Wills Montgomerie (6-190), Zach Pop (7-220), Rylan Bannon (8-250), Donovan Casey (20-610), Preston Grand Pre (24-730)

The Dodgers leaned college this year, taking just two high schoolers in the first 20 rounds and just five overall in 40 rounds. They also played the overslot/underslot game, going underslot in the second round as well as in rounds five through ten to be able to go well overslot in rounds one, four, and eleven. Even though they stuck with the college route, there are some exciting upside players here, most notably first rounder Jeren Kendall and fifth rounder Riley Ottesen.

1-23: CF Jeren Kendall (my rank: 13)
A candidate to go first overall coming into the season, Kendall saw his stock slip this year not because of a change in performance, but because of the lack thereof. Kendall profiles more like a high school prospect in that he has high upside with lots of tools, but also carries a lot of risk. He performed well at Vanderbilt in the tough SEC this year, slashing .307/.372/.556 with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases, showing a quick, powerful swing as well as plus speed and a good arm. Because his speed also plays on defense, he actually has a chance for four plus tools, which is what caused scouts to consider him first overall in the first place, but he has one issue that could hurt him significantly: contact. Teams were hoping that he would improve his strikeout rate from his sophomore year (21.5%), but instead, it actually jumped to 25.1% this year, dwarfing his 8.1% walk rate. He was also a subpar performer in the Cape Cod League, slashing .216/.286/.333 over two years, exacerbating questions about how everything will play up. If the Dodgers can toy with his short swing to improve his contact rate, he could be an All Star. If not, he might just be a fourth outfielder who can do everything but put the bat on the ball. Kendall signed for just under $2.9 million, $194,800 above slot.

2-62: RHP Morgan Cooper (my rank: 69)
Cooper missed the 2015 season, which would have been his sophomore year at Texas, with Tommy John surgery, and his stuff didn't bounce back fully in 2016. However, it did in 2017, as the Longhorn ace went 6-3 with a 2.32 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP over 16 games (15 starts), striking out 110 batters in 89.1 innings. As a starter, he throws in the low to mid 90's, adding a slider and curveball with some good shape, as well as a changeup that has improved. He hasn't proven he has the durability to start for a full MLB season and he may end up as a reliever, but for now he has the upside of a #3 or #4 starter who can move fairly quickly. Cooper signed for $867,500, which is $150,700 below slot.

3-100: C Connor Wong (my rank: 87)
Wong doesn't quite fit the typical catcher mold, coming in at a skinny 5'10" and showing above average speed on the base paths. Still, he slashed .287/.379/.494 with 12 home runs at Houston this year, also seeing time in the infield in addition to behind the plate. He also performed well on the Cape last summer, slashing .313/.354/.442 over 41 games, and with his quick swing, I like his chances to reach the majors. He's not all that dissimilar to current Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes, as even if Wong doesn't show enough arm strength to stay behind the plate, he could play second base in LA. He signed for $547,500, which is $10,400 over slot.

4-130: RHP James Marinan (my rank: 81)
Marinan was a pop-up prospect this year, coming out throwing in the low to mid 90's from a projectable 6'5" frame, though he hasn't proven that his secondaries are anything special. The south Florida high schooler has hit 96 on the gun, his slider is sharp at times, and he has a high ceiling as a #2 starter. The lack of a track record and proven secondary offerings though make him a risky pick. Marinan signed for $822,500, which is $421,500 above slot.

5-160: RHP Riley Ottesen (my rank: 147)
Ottesen started college at Utah two years late due to his Mormon mission in Japan, then wasn't anything special as a draft-eligible freshman in 2016 (2-2, 6.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP). He took a step forward in 2017, and although he didn't dominate, he went 5-4 with a 4.93 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP, striking out 72 and walking 33 in 95 innings. He can hit the mid 90's with his fastball and his secondary offerings are coming along, but he turns 23 in October and hasn't really put up any inspiring numbers in the Pac-12. He's likely a future reliever, and the Dodgers have a track record of turning random guys into successful MLB relief pitchers (Kenley Jansen, Grant Dayton). Ottesen signed for $197,500, which is $101,800 below slot.

7-220: RHP Zach Pop (my rank: 135)
Pop is an interesting college arm, standing 6'4" and coming from the University of Kentucky. Pop was decent this year, putting up a 3.48 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP while striking out 20 in 20.2 innings out of the Wildcats bullpen, but it's the stuff that scouts love. Pop can run his fastball into the upper 90's with a hard, if at times loopy, slider. If the Dodgers can tighten up that slider and get it more consistent, he'll easily have two major league pitches to use out of the LA bullpen. His problem, however, is command. He throws with a high effort delivery, and his three quarters arm slot is difficult to repeat, and it led to him walking 14 batters in those 20.2 innings this year. Best case scenario, the Dodgers get a set-up man in the seventh round. Worst case scenario, Pop never reaches the majors and walks everybody he faces. He signed for $147,500, which is $34,700 below slot.

Others: 6th rounder Wills Montgomerie comes from UConn, where he had a successful three year career as a starter (15-8, 3.60 ERA, 1.32 WHIP) despite being overshadowed by Anthony Kay and Tim Cate in that Husky rotation. A Cape performer (2-2, 1.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 28/10 K/BB), he has inconsistent fastball velocity that can reach 95 at times, but also sometimes sits closer to 90. With a decent slider and inconsistent command, he's probably best off in the bullpen, where he could race Ottesen and Pop to the majors. 8th rounder Rylan Bannon had a breakout year at Xavier this year, slashing .339/.449/.633 with 15 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 61 games, and he's a pretty good infield defender as well. He played third base for the Musketeers, but he may also fit well at second base, his high school position, and projects as a utility man going forward. He signed for $122,500, which is $28,900 below slot. He has also gotten off to a hot start in the Pioneer League, slashing .438/.471/.781 through eight games for Rookie level Ogden. 20th rounder Donovan Casey probably won't sign and will instead return to Boston College for his senior year, where the two-way star could build on one or both of his skillsets. He was considered a better prospect as a hitter this year despite slashing just .286/.370/.362 with two home runs, as he shows above average raw power in batting practice with good whipping action on the barrel. His power has never translated into games, though, as he has difficulty with contact and with squaring the ball up. As a pitcher, he went 5-2 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP out of the bullpen, and he could wind up drafted as a pitcher next year. 24th rounder Preston Grand Pre isn't the most exciting prospect on this list, but he has one of the top baseball names in the draft and slashed .325/.400/.425 for Cal this year. He shows little to no power as well as little ability to draw a walk (6.5%), but he has good enough bat to ball skills and will try to work his way up as a light hitting utility man.

2017 Draft Demographics: Florida Prep Talent

First Tier: Mark Vientos, Jeter Downs, M.J. Melendez
Second Tier: Chris Seise, Brady McConnell, Jake Eder
Third Tier: Joe Perez, James Marinan, C.J. Van Eyk, Shane Drohan
Others: Hunter Ruth, Sam McMillan, Tommy Mace, Zach Jackson

If the SEC is the epitome of college baseball, then Florida is where you go for the best high school talent. Miami-area schools like American Heritage (Vientos), Westminster Christian (Melendez), and Archbishop McCarthy (Perez) dominate the high school scene year in and year out, and many of the game's top players were drafted out of high school in Florida. That includes Alex Rodriguez (Westminster Christian), Chipper Jones (Bolles), Manny Machado (Brito Miami), Jose Fernandez (Alonso), Zack Greinke (Apopka), Andrew McCutchen (Fort Meade), Ian Desmond (Sarasota), Gio Gonzalez (Monsignor Pace), and Eric Hosmer (American Heritage), just to name a few.

Tier I (Vientos, Downs, Melendez)
Mark Vientos of Eric Hosmer's alma mater, American Heritage HS, is one of the most polarizing prospects in the draft. The youngest player to even be considered for my top 100 (he turns 18 in December), Vientos has a big bat from the right side and the ability to play a solid third base, earning Manny Machado-lite comparisons. He's been up and down with the bat this spring, but a team banking on his youth will compare this to what most players do during their junior seasons in high school, and he could come off the board in the first round or outside the top 50. Jeter Downs, meanwhile, is universally loved, and not just because he has the best baseball name in this entire draft class (sorry, D'Mond LaFond). Playing at Gio Gonzalez's former school, Pace HS, he has endeared himself to scouts with his scrappy style of play and improving bat. The 5'11" infielder could be similar to Dustin Pedroia, and he has pushed himself into late first round/supplemental round conversations with his strong spring. We went over M.J. Melendez of Westminster Christian, the school that produced Alex Rodriguez, at length in the catchers' discussion, but he's a power bat with swing and miss concerns that should be able to stay behind home plate with his strong defense.

Tier II (Seise, McConnell, Eder)
While Tier I is made up of players from south Florida, Tier II moves up north a bit. Chris Seise comes from the Orlando area, and he and Space Coast area star Brady McConnell are easy to compare to each other. While Seise has improved his stock significantly this spring, McConnell came in as a possible first rounder, though his up and down season has put him about on par with Seise. Seise has the more conventional swing, while McConnell is similar to Arizona first baseman J.J. Matijevic in that he contracts and unloads on the ball to generate power. This has led to swing and miss from McConnell, and I get a little nervous that he won't be able to adjust to pro ball because of it. Both are solid shortstops, and while neither is likely to be forced to second or third base, McConnell is an even stronger bet to stay on shortstop. Lastly, we go back back down to south Florida for Jake Eder. A 6'4" lefty committed to Vanderbilt, Eder's ceiling is as high as any on this list, but he comes with a lot of risk. He sits in the low 90's now, but he struggles to repeat his mechanics even from pitch to pitch and will need significant coaching.

Tier III (Perez, Marinan, Van Eyk, Drohan)
Joe Perez, of national powerhouse Archbishop McCarthy, only came to pitching recently and is understandably raw. Combine that with the fact that he's just three days older than his crosstown rival, Mark Vientos, and he gets a lot of benefits of the doubt. His fastball can already run into the mid to upper 90's, and his cutter/slider is coming alone nicely as well. He has a high ceiling as a #2 starter or closer, but he went down with Tommy John surgery at the end of the spring and carries a huge amount of risk. He also may be a tough sign, as he has a very strong commitment to Miami. James Marinan is a similar pitcher to Perez in that he lives on his fastball, which out of nowhere is suddenly in the mid 90's, and he has a classic pitcher's frame at 6'5". Also like Perez, he is committed to Miami, and his success will ride on his ability to develop his secondaries. C.J. Van Eyk, one of only two Tampa-area players on this list (the other being Tommy Mace in the "others" section), has the stuff and overall pitchability to get top 50 consideration, but his injury uncertainty drops him out of the top 100 for most. The 6'2" righty throws his fastball in the low to mid 90's, controls it well enough, and has arguably the best curveball in the state. However, he was shut down halfway through the spring and has not returned, raising medical question marks. Lastly, Shane Drohan is the only pitcher who can challenge Van Eyk's curveball, but unlike Van Eyk, the lefty Drohan's velocity sits more in the upper 80's. With a similar 6'2" frame to Van Eyk, he should hope to add velocity, but overall his combination of floor and ceiling is pretty mediocre.