Potential late-round draft steal spurns Dodgers, returns to college

Faced with the decision of whether to return to college at Ole Miss or begin his pro career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, left-handed pitcher Hunter Elliott announced his choice in just four words on social media:

"See you at Swayze."

Selected by the Dodgers in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Elliott will forgo the approximately $150,000 signing bonus and return to the starter's mound at Ole Miss' Swayze Field for his third collegiate season.

Elliott was the hero of the Rebels' national title team as a true freshman in 2022, going 6 and 2/3 innings against Oklahoma in the championship-clinching game. He pitched to a 2.70 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 80 innings during his first season in college, looking particularly dominant in the playoffs. In his first collegiate postseason, he threw 25.1 innings and allowed four earned runs while racking up 28 strikeouts in Ole Miss wins over Miami, Southern Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Elliott put together his best performance of the season against Southern Mississippi in the Hattiesburg Super Regional title clinching game in 2022, working a career-high 7.1 scoreless innings and striking out a career-best 10 batters. He earned the Opening Day starting nod as a sophomore for Ole Miss the following season.

Even with injury concerns, Elliott had potential to be late-round draft steal for Dodgers

Unfortunately, things unraveled quickly for Elliott in 2023. He suffered a UCL sprain following his five-inning start on opening day against Delaware and was shut down for eight weeks before returning to pitch against LSU on April 22. His return was not exactly a triumphant one, as he threw 49 pitches and gave up five runs in one-plus innings against the Tigers. He eventually underwent Tommy John surgery the following month and missed the entire 2024 season as a result.

Sure, missing out on a 20th-round pick who has only pitched six innings over the last two seasons combined doesn't sound like a huge loss for the Dodgers. But if Elliott is able to reach his pre-Tommy John form, this pick could have been considered one of the steals of the 2024 draft.

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