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Dodgers: Recapping Andrew Friedman’s Past Draft Classes

ByMichael Wittman|
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 22: Andrew Friedman, President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers, walks on the field before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 22: Andrew Friedman, President of Baseball Operations for the Los Angeles Dodgers, walks on the field before the game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on May 22, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 07: Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman introduces Pitcher Kenta Maeda to the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on January 7, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)

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.

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