Dodgers Draft: Ranking the best players selected 29th overall

The Los Angeles Dodgers will select 29th overall in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft. A review of the best players selected with that pick.

Usually MLB’s amateur draft is held within the middle of the regular season, but with the current season delayed due to the novel coronavirus, we will find out who the Los Angeles Dodgers add to their farm ranks before any baseball is played.

The pandemic has also dramatically shifted the format of the 2020 draft. Instead of 40 rounds, there will be only five. Players who aren’t selected in the first five rounds will be capped at a $20,000 signing bonus, essentially forcing them to re-enter the amateur ranks until 2021.

The Dodgers have six picks in the upcoming draft, including the compensation pick they received when Kenta Maeda was sent to the Minnesota Twins.

In this article, we will focus on the Dodgers’ first round pick, 29th overall, in ranking the best players selected with that pick in baseball history.

How often are star players found with the 29th overall pick? Can the Dodgers hit a home run despite selecting after most of the league has already chosen their favorite prospect this year?

It’s a bit tricky to compare 29th overall picks over time since the draft order changes based on the number of teams in the league, or whether teams forfeited picks – such as the Astros this year – but for simplicity, we will focus on the player selected with the 29th overall pick, whether it occurred in the first or second round.

With the ground rules defined, let’s review the best players selected 29th overall in Major League Baseball history.

Best 29th overall picks in MLB Draft: 5) Carlos Quentin

Carlos Quentin was selected 29th overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2003 draft. He would sit out his first season as a professional due to Tommy John surgery, but it didn’t take long for him to prove his potential upon getting healthy.

The Stanford product quickly flashed his power in the minor leagues, clobbering 21 home runs as a 21 year-old between the Texas League and California League. By the end of 2005, he was ranked as the 22nd best prospect in MLB by Baseball America.

Quentin made his major league debut in 2006 with the Diamondbacks, hitting .253/.342/.530. He was actually expected to take the outfield spot of former Dodger Shawn Green, who was traded to the Mets that August. However, Quentin failed to capitalize on the opportunity, struggling in 2007, finding his way back to the minors.

It was after he was traded to the Chicago White Sox when his major league career took off. In 2008, playing everyday at Comiskey Park, Quentin hit 36 home runs behind a steady .288/.394/.571 slash line. He earned an All-Star appearance, won the Silver Slugger Award in left field, and finished fifth in MVP voting.

The right-handed power-hitter would never match his output from 2008 again, but he remained a reliable power hitter for the White Sox for three more seasons. Quentin’s career would decline after he was dealt to San Diego and battled multiple injuries until he retired after the 2014 season.

Best 29th overall picks in MLB Draft: 3) Kevin Bass

Technically selected in the second round of the draft, Kevin Bass was the 29th overall player to learn his major league dreams would come true in the 1977 draft.

The Redwood City, California native was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers, but made his name playing for the Houston Astros, where he was traded as one of the players to be named later in an earlier trade that sent Don Sutton to the Astros.

Bass spent his first four seasons as a professional working his way up the minor league ranks before being traded to the Astros in 1982. By 1984, he cemented himself in right field for Houston as an outfielder who could hit for power and average.

His best season came in 1986 when Houston made it to the National League Championship Series before losing to the New York Mets. He made the All-Star team batting .311/.357/.486 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

Over 14 years in the majors, Bass hit 118 career home runs, drove in 611 RBIs, stole 151 bases, and hit a consistent .270/.323/.411 at the plate.

Best 29th overall picks in MLB Draft: 2) Adam Wainwright

Starting pitcher Adam Wainwright was selected 29th overall by the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 MLB draft. The right-hander quickly became one of the best pitching prospects in MLB. After showing off his stuff in Rookie League and the low minor leagues as an 18-20 year-old, Baseball America had him ranked as one of the top 50 prospects in all of baseball.

The Braves ended up trading Wainwright to St. Louis in a blockbuster deal for outfielder J.D. Drew following the 2003 season. After struggling with some initial injury troubles, the Georgia native developed into the Ace of the Cardinals staff by 2009, in which he led the National League in wins, games started, and innings pitched. He would win 20 games and earn his first All-Star appearance in 2010, before being shutdown for Tommy John surgery in 2011.

Returning from his elbow injury in 2012, Wainwright barely skipped a step. He won 14 games in 2012, before finding his name atop the NL leaderboards for wins, games started, complete games, and innings pitched in 2013, joining the All-Star ranks again.

Wainwright has won 162 games over his 14-year career, with a 3.39 ERA, striking out 1,776 hitters while walking only 576.

Best 29th overall picks in MLB Draft: 1) George Brett

Another player technically chosen in the second round, George Brett was the 29th overall pick of the 1971 MLB draft. Selected by the Kansas City Royals, Brett played his entire 21-year career with the team that drafted him.

By far, the best player selected 29th overall, Brett built a Hall-of-Fame career in Kansas City, earning 13 All-Star appearances, winning three Silver Slugger Awards, three batting titles, a Gold Glove Award, and the American League MVP in 1980. Few players have a trophy case as stocked as George Brett’s.

The left-handed hitting infielder had a season for the ages in 1980, leading the Royals to the American League pennant. He batted an amazing .390/.454/.664, all league-leading marks, along with 24 home runs, 118 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases.

Brett ended his two plus decades in the majors with a career .305 batting average. He exceeded 3,000 hits (3,154) after leading the league in hits in three seasons, routinely accumulating 150+ knocks.

This isn’t to suggest the Dodgers will find a generational talent like Brett with the 29th overall pick, but it shows it is possible to find talent despite not having the highest pick in the first round.