Dodgers: 2017 Biggest Draft Steals and Impact Players

The 2017 Major League baseball draft has concluded, and the Dodgers now will try and sign the potential next wave of Dodger prospects.  The Dodgers went college heavy in this year’s draft as 35 players came from the college ranks and only five high school players were selected.

The full list of players drafted can be found here.  Of the 40 players drafted, 18 were pitchers with four of those being left-handed pitchers.  The Dodgers definitely went right-hander heavy in the pitchers that they drafted.  Despite going for high school pitchers primarily in previous drafts, the Dodgers loaded up on college pitchers this time around.  The most logical explanation for this is that the Dodgers plan to sign young international free agents and wanted to fill the minor leagues with pitching talent that will be ready in the next couple of years.

Outside of pitching the second-most-drafted position was a shortstop.  The Dodgers drafted five shortstops with the most interesting one being Preston Grand Pre who besides the interesting last name comes with massive height at 6’4.  If he could put on some weight, the Dodgers may try to shift him to third base.  There is an old baseball adage that shortstops are the most athletic players on the field so the Dodgers may have taken so many shortstops with the intention of moving them to another position they should be able to handle.

The next five slides are players that should end up being the best players to come out of the 2017 amateur draft.