In the shortened 2020 MLB Draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers held six picks, with three coming within the first two rounds.
After going with three college right-handed pitchers to start, the Dodgers switched things up by taking outfielder Jake Vogel out of Huntington Beach High School in the third round (100th overall).
They then went with catcher Carson Taylor out of Virginia Tech in the fourth round (130th overall) before finishing with another college pitcher in Gavin Stone out of Central Arkansas with their final selection in the fifth round (159th overall).
“We’re fired up. We just got a lot of velocity, a lot of pure stuff. It’s big, it’s right handed. It was a strength of the Draft, and we just took advantage of it,” Dodgers vice president of amateur scouting Billy Gasparino said.
“Knack and Beeter, these guys are mid-90s fastballs with breaking balls to go along with it. Knack is an outstanding strike thrower and Beeter had a good year his first time as a starting pitcher. We were ecstatic to get both guys.”
Vogel is committed to UCLA, so the Dodgers may need to offer him a signing bonus over his slot value if they want to sign him. At 5’11”, 165 pounds, Vogel still has some filling out to do, but he is known for his speed and athleticism, which should make for a quality center fielder.
“If it’s not the top, then top two or three,” Gasparino said of where Vogel’s speed would rank in the Dodgers farm system. “This is like running back, sprinter speed. He’s strong, explosive and has powerful strides. He can really get after it. If it’s not the top, then it’s top two or three.”
It’s no secret the Dodgers love drafting catchers, which made their selection of Taylor no surprise. The switch-hitter is a sophomore-eligible draftee, so he could potentially go back to school as well if he is not able to come to an agreement with L.A.
Taylor hit .290 with a pair of home runs in 36 games in 2019 at Virginia Tech. He then followed that up by hitting an impressive .431 with two home runs in 16 games before this season was shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“He broke his hamate bone (in right hand) his freshman year and then tried to go play in the Cape Cod with it,” Gasparino said. “As you piece his performance and track line together, it all makes sense where the health version of Taylor is what we think showed up this year.”
Stone posted a 2.42 ERA in three seasons with Central Arkansas, mostly pitching out of the bullpen before moving to a starting role in 2020, where he thrived. In four starts, he yielded a 1.30 ERA with 31 strikeouts and six walks, pitching a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts on March 6 against SE Louisiana.
Now that the draft is completed, beginning Sunday morning at 6 a.m. PT, organizations are free to sign as many undrafted players as they please, with each able to receive a maximum $20,000. However, teams are not permitted to take money from their bonus pool to sign undrafted free agents.
“It’s really eliminated a lot of the creativity. It really has,” Gasparino said this week. “It’s going to be challenge. It’s just those six picks and if you don’t spend the money, it doesn’t get spent.”
The Dodgers’ bonus pool for their six picks made throughout the course of the five-round Draft is $5,928,400.
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