The Los Angeles Dodgers made 40 overall selections in the 2018 MLB Draft, adding a balance of position players and pitchers to the fold.
Among the selections on the third day of the draft was USC first baseman Dillon Paulson, who was selected by the Dodgers with the 404th overall pick in the 13th round. A Southern California native, Paulson hit .255/.374/.500 with 14 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 54 games during his junior season.
Paulson, however, made headlines not for his play on the field but a past tweet directed towards Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig in 2013, which contained a slur.
He regrets doing so and doesn’t want that mistake to define him going forward, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
“There’s nothing that excuses that,” Paulson said in a telephone interview. “It’s not correct. It’s embarrassing. Being young and dumb is not an excuse. I’m embarrassed. I wish it never went out. I was young, thinking it was funny. It’s obviously not funny. It’s not the way I want to represent myself. Not how I want to carry myself.”
Paulson has since deleted the aforementioned tweet and now looks to put the event behind him with a fresh start.
A similar incident occurred when Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff caught flack for also criticizing Puig in a tweet in 2013.
The two have since buried the hatchet, with Goff throwing out a ceremonial first pitch to Puig at Dodger Stadium during the 2016 season. Puig presented Goff with a ‘#PUIGMYFRIEND’ t-shirt that day.
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