The order for the 2019 MLB Draft has officially been in place, with teams set to begin their picks Monday afternoon. The Los Angeles Dodgers will make two selections in the first round, holding the No. 25 and 31 overall draft selections.
The club was awarded the No. 31 overall pick for failing to sign 2018 first-round selection J.T. Ginn, who opted to proceed with his collegiate career at Mississippi State.
The Dodgers additionally netted the No. 78 overall draft pick in the second round as compensation for Yasmani Grandal rejecting their qualifying offer and signing with the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason.
Grandal is currently thriving with his new team, hitting .277/.379/.531 through the first 52 games of the regular season.
The Dodgers also hold the No. 102 overall pick at the end of the third round and the No. 131 draft selection at the conclusion of the fourth round. Los Angeles will again make their picks near the end of each round as a result of finishing with the fifth-best record in the Majors last season at 92-71.
Last year, the Dodgers selected four consecutive pitchers (Ginn, Michael Grove, John Rooney, Braydon Fisher) over the first four rounds of the 2018 MLB Draft before choosing infielder Devin Mann with the No. 164 draft pick.
The 22-year-old is in the midst of a breakout season for High-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he is hitting .269/.338/.456 with 11 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 33 RBI over 210 plate appearances (49 games).
By selecting Ginn in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft, the Dodgers snapped a two-year streak in which they drafted a position player with their initial pick.
In 2017, Los Angeles drafted Vanderbilt outfielder Jeren Kendall with the No. 23 overall pick. The previous year, they selected shortstop Gavin Lux with the 20th pick out of Indian Trail High School and Academy in Wisconsin, who is now considered one of the club’s top prospects.
The slot pick value for the 25th pick this year is $2,740,300, while the 31st pick is $2,312,000 and No. 78 is $793,000. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman matter of factly stated the club would focus on taking the best available talent with their picks.
After posting the worst record in baseball last season, the Baltimore Orioles hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. They are followed by the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers.
