Dodgers: Recapping Andrew Friedman’s Past Draft Classes

The 2019 MLB amateur draft is just about a week away.  This will be Andrew Friedman’s fifth draft with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In October of 2014, Andrew Friedman joined the Dodgers after being lured away from the Tampa Bay Rays.  Since joining the Dodgers, Friedman has helped put together a dominant team that has been to two straight World Series and made the playoffs every season he has been with the club.  Although he has not splurged in free agency, other than keeping the Dodgers’ own free agents, he has used his smarts to build a championship contending team.

Under the radar signings and trades have been a staple for Friedman during his tenure with the Dodgers.  The amateur draft is another area where Andrew has helped build the foundation for the Dodger rosters of the present and future drafting several high profile players.  June third the 2019 draft begins and Andrew Friedman will once again look to add more talent to the organization. Here is a look at the notable players drafted by Friedman during his tenure with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers’ 2016 draft looks mighty strong

While they still have to prove their talent in the big leagues, Andrew Friedman’s 2016 draft haul for the Dodgers looks mighty strong so far.  With their first six picks in the draft, the Dodgers drafted Gavin Lux, Will Smith, Jordan Sheffield, Mitch White, Dustin May, and DJ Peters.  Lux is having a red hot season and could push for the starting second base role as early as next season.

Dustin May is currently the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect and Will Smith is a legit catching prospect who could get his first shot in LA later on this season.  Sheffield is a reliever with solid potential while Mitchell White was just promoted to Triple-A as he rebounds from a disappointing 2018 season.  DJ Peters is also a surprisingly athletic outfielder with legit power.

Other notable names from the 2016 draft class are Errol Robinson, Cody Thomas, and Tony Gonsolin.  Gonsolin has risen through the prospect ranks over the last year and is right under Dustin May in terms of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects.  Robinson is a slick-fielding shortstop currently with the Oklahoma City Dodgers.  The 2016 draft could produce multiple all-stars for the Dodgers.

LA’s 2017 draft looks suspect at the moment

The Dodgers’ 2017 draft is probably going to go down as the worst draft under Andrew Friedman’s reign so far.  The Dodgers’ top two picks in the draft are shaping up to be busts.  The Dodgers drafted outfielder Jeren Kendall with their first pick and despite being all the tools he possesses, he has been ineffective against minor league competition.  At this point, the best case scenario for Kendall might be a fourth outfielder with good defense and power.

In the second round of the 2017 draft, the Dodgers selected right-handed pitcher Morgan Cooper out of the University of Texas.  To this point, Cooper has not been able to pitch in a minor league game and is plagued by shoulder issues. One good from the 2017 draft has been catcher Connor Wong who put himself on the map with a strong 2018 season for the Quakes.

The Dodgers have used 2017 draftees as trade bait to acquire noteworthy players.  James Marinan, Zach Pop, and Rylan Bannon were used in trades for Dylan Floro and Manny Machado.  Machado helped get the Dodgers to the 2018 World Series and Floro is one of LA’s best relievers at the moment.

Marshall Kasowski, who Dodgers Way’s Jacob Rudner detailed here, could be the next impact reliever for the Dodgers.  Other names of note from the 2018 draft class are Jacob Amaya, Zach Willeman, and Zach Reks.  If nothing else, Andrew Friedman helped draft several trade pieces in the 2017 draft.

2018 – Andrew Friedman’s latest draft class

As expected, being just one year ago, the 2018 draft class for the Dodgers is far too young to determine whether it was a good or bad draft for Andrew Friedman.  The Dodgers were unable to sign their first pick of the 2018 draft in hard-throwing right-hander J.T. Ginn.  Ginn went on to college to play for Mississippi State.

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In the second round, the Dodgers took another hard-throwing right-hander in Michael Grove.  Grove missed last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and is working his way back to form with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes this season.   His results have been mixed so far but his strikeout numbers are very encouraging.

The Dodgers’ farm system is currently short on left-handed pitching but they did take a southpaw starter in the third round of the 2018 draft by selecting John Rooney.  Rooney went to Hofstra and projects as a potential back end of the rotation starter in the big leagues.  He is a tall lefty with a low 90’s fastball and a deceptive slider.

Another notable player from the 2018 draft is Deacon Liput a second baseman from the University of Florida.  He was drafted by the Dodgers in 2017 but chose to go back to college rather than sign.  He was injured before the 2019 season but has since rejoined the Quakes for a few games.  The 2018 draft class will likely be made or broken by how Michael Groves progresses.

Overall Andrew Friedman has had mixed results in the draft while running the Dodgers.  Walker Buehler stands out as his best draft pick while Jeren Kendall may go down as his worst pick.  The next few years will ultimately determine how Friedman’s latest draft classes pan out.