Over the final two days of the 2016 MLB Draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers continued emphasizing their priority of up-the-middle players as well as power arms.
The class continued to be overwhelmingly skewed toward the college crop, though some intriguing high schoolers were selected in later rounds.
After reviewing the Dodgers’ four first-day picks, let’s take a look at how the rest of the 2016 Draft played out for Los Angeles.
High-school righties
While the Dodgers did take a prep player with their first pick in shortstop Gavin Lux, they selected just eight high school players overall. The few they did take early could provide a lot of upside, should they sign.
Dustin May (third Round)
May’s arm action is complicated, as he twists and turns his arm before delivering the ball. This has prompted the Dodgers to nickname him “Viper.”
Whether he can reach the Majors with this arm movement remains to be seen, but already he does a good job of throwing strikes. He has arm strength, reaching 95 mph in the past and sitting anywhere from 88-93 mph this spring.
May spins a good breaking ball and shows the makings of a usable changeup. There’s also been discussion of May’s spin rates, which are very high on both his fastball and breaking ball.
He projects well at 6’6 and 180 lbs., and reportedly signed for above slot.
A.J. Alexy (11th round)
Alexy is another lanky, projectable high-school righty. The Pennsylvania prep stands 6’4 and weighs 190 lbs. and has already added velocity this year, going from sitting in the high 80s to sitting 88-92 mph.
He features a curveball and a changeup, and both show potential. Alexy throws free and easy, giving him starter potential. However, in a start this spring, he made 164 pitches in a nine-inning game, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a light workload for the teenager in his debut.
Graham Ashcraft (12th round)
Ashcroft has some of the best arm strength in the class. He hit 99 mph earlier this spring and has been in the low-to-mid 90s. He also throws a slider that could become his out pitch in time.
Ashcroft is athletic, as he hit 16 home runs during his junior year to lead the state of Alabama. He already has a fairly mature body at 6’2 and 208 lbs. His delivery isn’t perfect and he needs to improve his command, but the arm strength and potential plus slider would give the Dodgers a very promising ball of clay to mold.
CONTINUE READING: Up-the-middle athletes
Up-the-middle athletes
This was a point of emphasis early, as evidenced by the selections of Lux and Louisville catcher Will Smith on the first day of the Draft, and the trend continued on Friday and Saturday.
D.J. Peters (fourth round)
Peters is one of the more intriguing players in the draft class. He’s been selected in each of the previous two years, each time in the 36th round.
He’s a big, physical outfielder with tools on both sides of the ball. At the plate, he generates plenty of power from his 6’6, 220-pund frame. In the field, he shows off a plus arm and at least average speed.
For Western Nevada College, Peters hit .419/.510/.734 with 14 doubles and 16 home runs. He may not stick in center field but he has a prototype right field profile.
Errol Robinson (sixth round)
Robinson was seen as a possible top-two round pick coming into the spring, as he hit well in the Cape Cod League last summer and is seen as a safe bet to stay at shortstop, but his offense backed up this year, leading him to slide down draft boards.
He ended up batting .270 for Ole Miss this spring with just a .773 on-base plus slugging percentage. If he can recoup his offensive prowess from a year ago, he has the chance to establish himself as a two-way prospect.
If not, Robinson can hope his glove gets him to the Majors in a utility role.
Luke Raley (seventh round)
Raley was drafted out of Lake Erie College, where he batted .424/.528/.747 with more home runs (12) than strikeouts (11). He also dominated last summer in the Northwoods League, earning MVP honors after clubbing 14 home runs and batting .314.
The 6’3, 220 pounder played center field for his college team but may move to a corner in the pros.
Kevin Lachance (10th round)
Lachance is shortstop who gets by more on effort than raw talent. He hit .373/.451/.539 this spring with half a dozen home runs and 28 stolen bases. He profiles as a utility player who should see time all over the diamond.
CONTINUE READING: Additional noteworthy draft picks
Others of Note
Devin Smeltzer (fifth round)
Smeltzer pitched for Florida Gulf Coast for a year before transferring to San Jacinto Junior College. He absolutely dominated this spring, posting a 1.18 ERA with 128 strikeouts in 91.2 innings.
His fastball can creep into the low 90s but he doesn’t overpower hitters. There’s some deception to the delivery and he has a good slider that he can use against lefties. Smeltzer profiles as a reliever.
Andre Scrubb (eighth round)
Scrubb is a big guy, listed at 6’4 and 265 lbs. While he started in college, there’s a good chance the Dodgers send him out in relief where he can air it out; he was clocked in the upper 90s this spring.
Scrubb also has a good breaking ball. He needs to work on throwing more strikes, which is less of a problem in short relief. Fairly or not, he could quickly receive Jon Broxton or Kenley Jansen comps.
Anthony Gonsolin (ninth round)
Gonsolin has been a two-way player for St Mary’s for his entire college career. This spring, he pitched in 17 games and also hit .316/.391/.454 while stealing 12 bases. The Dodgers will send him out as a pitcher, where he had more success during his senior season.
Cody Thomas (13th round)
Thomas, who played quarterback for Oklahoma, quit the football team to focus on baseball. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs had this description of the 6’5 lefty-hitter
Dodgers pick Cody Thomas, OF from Oklahoma. Some power, good body, swing and miss.
— Eric Longenhagen (@longenhagen) June 11, 2016
JJ Cooper of Baseball America also offered a positive review of Thomas:
Brock Carpenter (20th round)
Carpenter was described by Baseball America as a “patient hitter” who has swing-and-miss issues but can hit the fastball. He has a plus arm and should be able to stick at third base.
Bailey Ober (23rd round)
Ober had Tommy John surgery missed the 2015 season after undergoing the operation. Baseball America states that he’s been sitting around 90 mph with the fastball and his go-to secondary offering is his changeup.
Ober reportedly is asking for top-five round money, which would be in the neighborhood of $300,00-$400,000.