TEAM: Los Angeles Dodgers
PICK: 30 (Slot: $2,275,800)
POOL: $5,288,200
SCOUTING DIRECTOR: Billy Gasparino

PREVIOUS TOP PICKS
2017: Jeren Kendall, OF, Vanderbilt (23rd overall)
2016: Gavin Lux, SS, Indian Trail HS, WI (20th overall)
2015: Walker Buehler, RHP, Vanderbilt (24th overall)
2014: Grant Holmes, RHP, Conway HS, SC (22nd overall)
2013: Chris Anderson, RHP, Jacksonville (18th overall)

HISTORY: The Dodgers have alternated between high school and college prospects as their top picks 2008. OF Jeren Kendall (Vanderbilt), who was considered a possible top 10 pick at times last year, fell to Los Angeles at No. 23. The year before, they took SS Gavin Lux (Indian Trail HS, WI) at 20th overall. While they’ve mixed them in at the top, the Dodgers have taken just nine high schoolers in the top 10 rounds in the last five years.

FORECAST: Los Angeles has the lowest bonus pool at a little under $5.3 million. To keep with their first pick pattern, they would need to take a high school prospect, which would be a tight fit. An arm is the likeliest of options, considering the depth of them in that area of the draft. On the high school side, you have RHP Adam Kloffenstein (Magnolia HS, TX), RHP Grayson Rodriguez (Central Heights HS, TX) and RHP Owen White (Jesse Carson HS, NC). Collegiately, RHP Blaine Knight (Arkansas), RHP Griffin Roberts (Wake Forest) and RHP Tristan Beck (Stanford) could be in the mix. Position players like OF Steele Walker (Oklahoma), SS Jeremy Eierman (Missouri State) and SS Nico Hoerner (Stanford) could also be available.

Nico Hoerner, SS, Stanford
PBR Draft Board: 23
HIT: 40/55            POWER: 30/40            SPEED: 55/60            DEFENSE: 45/50            ARM: 55/55
Hoerner is an athletic, medium-frame infielder with good bounce and energy. Offensively, he showed a mostly balanced approach with a loose swing. He’s more of a doubles or gap power type with the chance to hit 10-12 home runs a year in pro ball. He has contact and pitch recognition skills that should allow him to also hit for average, as well as take his share of walks. His above-average to plus speed plays in the game. He showed above-average arm strength with a quick release and solid carry to his target. Although not a silky smooth defender, Hoerner has good hands and is aggressive and confident in the dirt. (David Seifert)

Find Hoerner's full report in the Draft HQ.

Jeremy Eierman, SS, Missouri State
PBR Draft Board: 25
HIT: 30/40            POWER: 40/55            SPEED: 60/60            DEFENSE: 45/55            ARM: 50/60
Eierman is a strong-bodied, super athletic infielder. He started the season slow at the plate, but now looks to be locked in. He showed an improved approach with much better balance than last summer. He’s a pull hitter with plus raw power. He shows an above average to plus arm and will likely remain at shortstop, though he could profile as an offensive second baseman as well. He’s a plus runner with good acceleration and his speed impacts the game. (David Seifert)

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Tristan Beck, RHP, Stanford
PBR Draft Board: 26
FB: 50/55            CB: 55/55            SL: 50/50            CH: 50/60
Beck is tall, lean and wiry at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. He mixed four pitches for strikes with a cross-body landing and high-3/4 slot. He occasionally dropped closer to a 3/4 slot. His fastball sat 90-93 mph, occasionally touching 94 and one 95 on a 3-2 pitch that was up and well out of the zone. He generated occasionally swings and miss, but that was mostly due to his pitch mix and not excessive life or pinpoint command. His first changeup was at 83 and plus. It had great bottom and good hand speed. All the other changupes were 80-83 with more average quality and movement. The curveball was his best breaking ball, showing good shape and depth in the 75-79 range. He also mixed in a sweeping slider/slurve at 80-84. (David Seifert)

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Blaine Knight, RHP, Arkansas
PBR Draft Board: 28
FB: 45/50            CB: 45/50            SL: 50/55            CH: 45/50
Knight is a highly competitive righty with a slender frame and good pitchability. During the regular season, he won matchups against Casey Mize, Brady Singer, Ryan Rolison and Sean Hjelle. He worked at 90-93 early in the game, touching 94-95. The slider can show plus, but worked more average at 80-84. He also throws a curveball that flashes average at 73-75 and a changeup at 80-81. (David Seifert)

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Adam Kloffenstein, RHP, Magnolia HS, TX
PBR Draft Board: 30
FB: 50/60            CB: 50/60            SL: 50/60            CH: 50/60
Kloffenstein works from a high-3/4 slot with a quick arm stroke. His fastball got up to 95 a couple of times but was mostly 92-94 through the first three innings. He had great command of four pitches with all of them coming from the same window. He features a changeup that he throws with fastball arm speed, heavy depth, and some fade. He used his changeup more the first time through the order, but did flash a couple of sliders with 11/5 shape at 84 mph. He also works in the occasional curveballl with more 12/6 shape at 79-80. (Toby Bicknell)

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Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Central Heights HS, TX
PBR Draft Board: 32
FB: 50/60            CB: 55/60            SL: 50/60            CH: 40/45
At 6-foot-5, 210-pounds, Rodriguez has a strong, long-limbed frame. He works from a high-3/4 slot with a low-effort delivery and a long, clean arm swing. His fastball sat at 96 in the first inning, touching 98 mph once. In the second inning his fastball ranged from 94-97. He locates well to his glove side, occasionally coming in to right-handed hitters. He used a big breaking curveball with 11/5 shape and good depth early in the game at 74-78 mph. His slider was his third best pitch for the first three innings with flat, inconsistent spin at 81-83 mph. But the pitch got better from the fourth inning on, and he went to it more often for swings and misses with sharp spin, and late, short 10/4 bite. (Toby Bicknell)

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Owen White, RHP, Jesse Carson HS, NC
PBR Draft Board: 34
FB: 45/55            CB: 50/55            SL: 40/50            CH: 40/50
White has a straight line frame with room to add strength. His quick arm works with ease and athleticism. He repeats his delivery with good direction, pounding the strike zone. His fastball movement and location allow the velocity to play up. The curveball is the best secondary offering with hard, late tilt. The slider is still developing with more cutting action, but it showed plane later in the game. The changeup is thrown with good arm speed and comes out of the same window as his fastball. (Brandon Hall)

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Steele Walker, OF, Oklahoma
PBR Draft Board: 38
HIT: 40/55            POWER: 30/50            SPEED: 50/50            DEFENSE: 45/50            ARM: 40/45
Walker is one of the best pure hitters in the draft and has a selective, aggressive approach with a quiet set-up. Overall, he very balanced and has a fundamentally sound swing. He consistently generates above-average bat speed while also taking a few man hacks, which showed plus bat speed. He showed a below average to fringy arm and range in center field, running fair routes with some first step hesitation and jaggedness at times. In all likelihood, he’ll need to move to left field to have an everyday role. (David Seifert)

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Griffin Roberts, RHP, Wake Forest
PBR Draft Board: 39
FB: 60/70            SL: 60/60            CH: 45/55
Roberts is an athletic, aggressive righty with swing-and-miss stuff and a plus slider as his feature pitch. From a low-3/4 to sidearm slot, his fastball ranged from 90-94 mph, sitting mostly 92-93. At times, it showed 80 life with vicious arm-side action. For the most part, he repeated his 81-83 slider and threw it to both sides of the plate. Occasionally, it backed up on him, but that will naturally happen from his low arm slot. His third pitch was an above-average changeup, thrown at 84-87 with fastball arm speed and late sink.

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