Grading the Dodgers' last 6 first-round draft picks

Dodgers 2020 First-Round Pick: Bobby Miller

Pick: 29th overall
School: Louisville
Position: RHP

The good news keeps coming with the 2020 draft. The Dodgers were picking in the cellar again, and complicating matters was the 2020 draft only being five rounds because of the pandemic. There was a high-level of importance on getting their picks right given they only had five shots at new minor-league blood. Bobby Miller was their pick out of the University of Louisville thanks to his high octane fastball and plus slider. It didn't hurt his case that he had a couple offspeed offerings as well, but the power pitches were what made him a first-rounder.

Miller quickly established himself as one of the better arms in the Dodgers' system in 2021, when he posted a 2.40 ERA in 17 appearances (14 starts) and struck out 70 batters in 56.1 innings of work. The ERA was a bit worse in 2022, but the strikeouts were still there and he was on the fast track to the big leagues. Miller did end up getting called up this season, and while the results have been a bit up and down, he's shown a ton of promise.

Miller hasn't progressed far enough to earn the Dodgers an "A" grade here, but getting a rotation arm with his level of stuff from a shortened draft deserves a round of applause. You're already ahead of the game getting a guy to produce in the big leagues at all, and while Miller isn't a finished product just yet, he is pretty darn close.

Grade: B+