Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Draft, Ferguson, 40-man Roster, Kemp

The 2018 MLB Amateur Draft has begun and on Monday, June 4, teams made their first and second round selections. The Dodgers picked 30th overall this year and there they drafted 19-year old high school pitcher, JT Ginn. Ginn is an interesting player at 30th overall as he was second in the nation in home runs amongst high school players with 16 but is also a pitcher with elite stuff. Despite his power and offensive capabilities, Ginn was drafted as a pitcher and for good reason. His fastball sits in the mid to upper 90s and has touched speeds of up to 99 miles per hour. He typically sits anywhere between 94 and 97 with the heater. To accompany his plus-plus fastball, Ginn throws a mid-80s slider controlled to both sides of the plate and a changeup that has been described with, ” some running action.” Ginn was used as both a starter and reliever this season but the Dodgers envision him as a starter comparable to Marcus Stroman and Lance McCullers.

In the second round, the Dodgers selected pitcher, Michael Grove, out of West Virginia University. Grove was not previously ranked as someone who could go in the second round and this was mostly due to him being on the mend from Tommy John Surgery. Grove was, however, scouted prior to his injury and many believed he was a clear-cut first-round pick. Grove is still recovering from surgery and the Dodgers took a bit of gamble here but one that could be well-worth the risk.

Other notes…

• The Dodger’s youth seems to be dominating the most recent news as the team will be calling up pitching prospect, Caleb Ferguson, to make a start on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. Ferguson has flown under the radar over the last season but if you have been following the minors closely, the 21-year old lefty is sure to have caught your attention. Ferguson is a strikeout machine with an SO9 rate of 9.7 in his minor league career. Ferguson will require a roster spot on both the 40 and 25-man rosters and there have been few predictions as to what that could be. Regardless, look for Ferguson to grab fans’ attention in his much-anticipated debut.

More from Dodgers Way

• Kevin Kiermaier being ‘top target’ to replace Cody Bellinger is bad sign for Dodgers
• Are the Dodgers really prepared to hand Shohei Ohtani a blank check?
• Dodgers fans shouldn’t dismiss interest in Dansby Swanson for this reason
• Giants laughably sign pitcher that Dodgers absolutely own
• Dave Roberts’ quote about Padres in NLDS should motivate Dodgers

• Ferguson’s call-up will require a roster move and there are a few options for this to happen. First, the Dodgers could move Andrew Toles to the 60-day DL as he is dealing with a hamstring injury. That would clear a spot for Ferguson but would essentially just push the problem of making space for when Toles’ time on the DL expires. Rather than create that issue, the Dodgers could DFA the recently acquired, PJ Conlon, or, they could cut the struggling Daniel Hudson, ending his poor tenure with the Dodgers now. The move will be announced here when it is made public.

• Continue to vote for Matt Kemp to get to the All-Star game! Here is a link to ballots.

Next: Dodgers: The Time is Now to Go After Chris Archer