Despite the 2020 MLB Draft being dramatically reduced to just five rounds, the Los Angeles Dodgers came away more than pleased with their six selections made.
While there was a significant difference from a traditional draft that spans 40 rounds due to challenges brought about the coronavirus (COVID-190) pandemic, it has not affected the Dodgers’ ability to sign their draftees. According to various reports, they have already signed first-round pick Bobby Miller, second-round pick Landon Knack, fourth-round pick Carson Taylor and fifth-round pick Gavin Stone.
All of those players were signed for below their slot values, meaning the organization still has plenty of money left over to sign second-rounder Clayton Beeter and third-rounder Jake Vogel, two players with tremendous upside.
It appears Beeter is now the only unsigned player of the bunch, as according to Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline, the Dodgers went above slot value and agreed to terms with Vogel:
3rd-rder Jake Vogel signs with @Dodgers for $1,622,500 (slot 100 value = $581,600). California HS OF, outstanding speed, makes a lot of contact, quality defender with solid arm as well. UCLA recruit. @MLBDraft #MakeAWish
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 3, 2020
Vogel, a high school outfielder out of Huntington Beach, was committed to going to school locally at UCLA, which is part of the reason it took so much to sign him.
He is one of the fastest players in the draft and still has tons of developing to do, which could make for a future star in the Dodgers organization. L.A. has had success drafting high schoolers in the early rounds in recent years, with Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger and Gavin Lux just a few examples.
The Dodgers still have up to $1.187 million to sign Beeter without going 5% over their bonus pool money and losing their first-round pick in next year’s draft. If they are able to get a deal done, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and his staff deserve a ton of credit for how they handled an unusual draft in 2020.
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