On the final day of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected high school shortstop Erik Parker in the 15th round.
He was ranked the No. 183 overall prospect in this year’s draft class after wrapping up his senior season at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia in which he hit .333/.544/.588 with five doubles, three triples, four home runs and 30 RBI.
With plus speed, good arm strength, short-area quickness, and long arms, he has all of the necessary tools to become an above-average defender at shortstop. He also has the potential to grow into his 6-foot-3 frame to add more power to his game at the plate.
With the bonus pool money the Dodgers saved during contract negations with their 9th and 10th round selections, perhaps they saw an opportunity to use the some of those savings to lure Parker away from his commitment to attend the University of Georgia.
Acquiring the No. 183 ranked prospect in the class at pick 460 would be tremendous value and more importantly it would be at a position of need.
However, the two sides did not come to an agreement during contract negations and Parker will be following through on his commitment to play at Georgia, according to Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com:
Georgia baseball commitment @erikparker24 tells me that he will be staying in the Classic City and will play for Wes Johnson and the Georgia Bulldogs. Erik will not sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who took him in the 15th round of the MLB draft. Erik is the 91st-ranked player… pic.twitter.com/8g4Iw8TH2U
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) July 19, 2024
This was confirmed later by Parker himself in a post on X:
Athens you ready? #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/3DRd0As0Vm
— Erik Parker (@erikparker24) July 19, 2024
The Dodgers ended up signing 15 of their 18 draft selections in total, along with three other undrafted free agents. In addition, their top 10 picks all ended up signing, leaving them with a potentially strong class in 2024.
The deadline to sign drafted players is August 1.
Dodgers 2024 draft strategy
The Dodgers aggressively attacked their need at shortstop in this draft with four total selections, including their first round selection. The picks were also an even split with two being collegiate and two being from the high school ranks.
Of their 20 picks in this year’s draft, eight of them were position players. Meaning that half of the position players they chose were shortstops and it is pretty easy to understand why. In the present, Mookie Betts’ roll as a shortstop seems extremely unsustainable and there is also no clear answer for the future.
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