Dodgers pull off 'another draft coup' and land college star in new 2025 MLB mock draft

The Los Angeles Dodgers will not be on the clock in the 2025 MLB Draft until the 40th overall selection rolls around.

The Dodgers had their original first-round selection moved back 10 spots as a penalty for exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) during the 2024 season. Since the Dodgers won the World Series, they were supposed to be picking 30th overall. Now, they have the 40th overall selection.

That being said, well-run organizations like the Dodgers are still able to find quality talent without drafting at the top of the board.

There's no better example of a valuable 40th overall pick that Dalton Rushing, who was selected with the 40th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and is now the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball. Rushing is the highest-rated catching prospect in the sport, the top prospect in the Dodgers organization, and recently made his MLB debut.

Competitive Balance Round A is still filled with talent. In the latest mock draft from ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, the Dodgers used their first draft pick on elite contact bat and Clemson Tigers star outfielder Cam Cannarella.

Dodgers select Cam Cannarella in latest 2025 Mock Draft

"Cannarella hasn't looked quite the same as he did last spring and scouts seem to think he won't go in the top 20-30 picks. I think this drop is too far for his talent and would be another draft coup for the Dodgers," wrote McDaniel in his most recent mock draft.

Cannarella is the 39th-ranked draft prospect by MLB.com and the 34th-ranked draft prospect by ESPN. He has had a down year at Clemson in 2025, but has still managed to record a career-high on-base percentage of .473.

In 58 games and 218 at-bats this spring, Cannarella hit .339 with three home runs and a .964 OPS.

It's not the .388 batting average he posted as a freshman. It's not the 11 home runs he had as a sophomore. But a career high in doubles and on-base percentage tell me that Cannarella still has a lot of talent in his bat. He just needs a little bit of development and consistency.

He is also widely regarded as one of the best defensive outfielders that college baseball has ever seen.

If Cannarella somehow falls to the Dodgers with the 40th overall pick, I'm not sure there's another pick that would be more exciting.

This is a player that takes his walks, has great speed, hits for contact to all fields, and is a future Gold Glove center fielder.

At his floor, I still think Cannarella is a valuable fourth outfielder in the Major Leagues someday. But a team like the Dodgers has the potential to develop him into much more than that.