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Draft day: A review of the last few Dodgers first round picks

By Jacob Rudner

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 01: Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a walk-off homerun in the ninth inning of the MLB game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Phillies 4-3. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 01: Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a walk-off homerun in the ninth inning of the MLB game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Phillies 4-3. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 01: Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is doused with a bucket of water by teammates Cody Bellinger #35 and Joc Pederson #31 after Smith hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning of the MLB game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium on June 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers defeated the Phillies 4-3. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /

The 2016 draft was the first time the Dodgers had three picks in the opening round since 2006 when they selected Clayton Kershaw with the seventh overall pick. The team made the 20th, 32nd and 36th picks in 2016.

20th overall pick:

The Dodgers reinforced their middle infield depth with this pick when they took high school shortstop Gavin Lux.

Lux has been a huge success for the Dodgers since drafting him in 2016.

Despite a not so promising 2017 campaign, Lux bounced back to win the Dodgers minor league batter of the year in 2018 hitting well over .300 with 15 home runs across two level.

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Lux profiles as an everyday player with the ability to move between second base and shortstop. His contact first bat still provides plenty of pop and should work well in the top two in the order or in the five-hole of the Dodgers lineup.

32nd overall pick:

The Dodgers pick here could not have gone any better and fans got their first taste of it this past week when Will Smith made his major league debut.

Drafted out of Louisville, Smith profiled as a strong defensive catcher with a solid contact bat and secondary power. He also had the ability to play at multiple spots on the infield and the Dodgers have been outspoken in their desire to take on flexible talent.

Andrew Friedman has said multiple times that Smith could win a gold glove behind the plate. With a pop time in the high 1.0’s, that isn’t far fetched.

35th overall pick:

Brother of another top prospect, the Dodgers took Jordan Sheffield with the 35th overall pick out of Vanderbilt.

The first player on this list that hasn’t totally panned out, Sheffield has struggled in the minor leagues since being drafted and, up until this year, that struggle hasn’t really let up.

However, in 2019, the 24-year-old righty has begun to turn things around. This year, Sheffield has 1.99 ERA in 19 appearances across High and Double-A. The biggest change for Sheffield this year has been a full-time move to the bullpen. For now, it’s working.

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