Dodgers select standout high school shortstop in first round of 2024 MLB Draft

LA got a true speedster in the first round of the draft.

Eric Cole

Los Angeles Dodgers v Toronto Blue Jays / Cole Burston/GettyImages

Picking in the bottom third of the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft like the Los Angeles Dodgers did this year was an exceedingly difficult position to be in. The talent after the top 10 guys in this draft class dropped off a LOT, and a lot of talent evaluators thought there were really only 20ish guys that were legitimate first round talents this year.

However, there are few teams that are better picking near the bottom of the draft than the Dodgers, and they are really good at identifying guys that they can develop who have real upside. Their first round pick this year fits that mold exactly, as the Dodgers selected prep shortstop Kellon Lindsey.

Dodgers News: LA selects Kellon Lindsey in first round of MLB Draft

In Lindsey, you are getting a prep shortstop that already has elite bat-to-ball skills and, importantly, top of the scale speed. Given the rules changes that MLB has recently implemented to try and speed the game up and bring steals back into prominence, adding a young kid that can flat out fly and also hit is a pretty good use of a first-round pick.

There are certainly questions about how much power Lindsey will have as a pro. Adding some strength would pay a lot of dividends for him as he looks to rack up the extra-base hits. However, he knows what his approach needs to be at the plate, and his speed and arm are more than good enough to stick at shortstop long-term. Failing that, seeing him run around in center field could be a lot of fun.

Lindsey isn't going to be in the big leagues particularly soon, as he has a lot of aspects of his game that he needs to develop. However, he is a really athletic piece of clay for LA to work with as a project that could be an impact player in a few years in the big leagues.

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Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.