Dodgers: Recapping Andrew Friedman’s Past Draft Classes

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.