The Los Angeles Dodgers have arguably been the class of Major League baseball over the past 10 years. Los Angeles didn’t miss the playoffs once this past decade, and made the World Series three times. Their ability to draft has been a key reason how Los Angeles has been able to stay at the top. Here’s a look at the Dodgers’ best and worst MLB Draft picks over the last 10 years.
Best Dodgers Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Verdugo | OF | 2014 | 2 | 11.8 |
| Walker Buehler | P | 2015 | 1 | 12.2 |
| Gavin Lux | 2B/SS | 2016 | 1 | 7.6 |
| Will Smith | C | 2016 | 1 | 18.4 |
| Luke Raley | 1B/OF | 2016 | 7 | 5.5 |
| Tony Gonsolin | P | 2016 | 9 | 7.8 |
| Dean Kremer | P | 2016 | 14 | 4.3 |
| Connor Wong | C | 2017 | 3 | 4.0 |
| James Outman | OF | 2018 | 7 | 3.2 |
| Ryan Pepiot | P | 2019 | 3 | 3.8 |
The 2014 MLB Draft wasn’t an impressive one for the Dodgers. First-round pick Grant Holmes didn’t make his MLB debut until a decade later but Los Angeles did grab Alex Verdugo in the second round. Verdugo, an Arizona prep outfielder, turned into a good contact hitter with average power.
However, he didn’t spent much time with the Dodgers, as he played 158 games over three seasons before he was packaged in the Mookie Betts trade. Connor Wong, a 2017 Dodgers draft pick, was also in that deal. Wong had a career season in 2024, as the former University of Houston catcher posted career highs in hits (125), home runs (13), and OPS (.758).
The 2016 MLB Draft was arguably the Dodgers’ best work over the last decade. Seventeen players taken by the Dodgers that year made it to the Majors, including Bailey Ober (23rd) and Cal Stevenson (36th), who didn’t sign. And, many became effective big leaguers.
Dustin May, when healthy, overwhelmed hitters with heat. May owns a career 3.76 FIP/1.05 WHIP. Tony Gonsolin, signed for $2,000 out of Saint Mary’s, turned into a NL All-Star in 2022. Luke Raley, traded for Kenta Maeda, and Dean Kremer, traded for Manny Machado, also became valuable Major Leaguers.
However, the two big grabs were Gavin Lux and Will Smith.
Lux’s career has been complicated. He’s yet to develop into the star some prognasticated Lux to become. Then, there’s been the other complications. He blew out a knee in Spring Training 2023 and was moved off short the next year amidst the yips. Still, Lux’s bat (.709 OPS) has been servicable as a second baseman.
Smith, meanwhile, broke out in 2016 with the Louisville Cardinals and rose to the first round. Since then, he’s been one of the best offensive catchers in the game. Per Fangraphs, Smith’s .349 wOBA from 2020-24 was third-best among catchers. Only the Contreras brothers had higher wOBA figures.
Over the last five season, Los Angeles (NL) hasn’t picked up an elite player through the MLB Draft. However, the Dodgers have filled their organization with quantity. From 2020-22, the Dodgers selected Bobby Miller (1st, 2020), Landon Knack (2nd, 2020), Gavin Stone (5th, 2020), Ben Casparius (5th, 2021), and Emmet Sheehan (6th, 2021).
Worst Dodgers Draft Picks Over Last 10 Seasons
| Name | Position | Year Drafted | Round | Career bWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Hansen | P | 2015 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
| Jordan Sheffield | P | 2016 | 1 | 0.7 |
| Mitch White | P | 2016 | 2 | -1.9 |
| Jeren Kendell | OF | 2017 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Morgan Cooper | P | 2017 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
| Michael Grove | P | 2018 | 2 | -2.0 |
| Kody Hoese | INF | 2019 | 1 | Never played in MLB |
| Jimmy Travis | P | 2019 | 2 | Never played in MLB |
Generally speaking, the Dodgers have hit, in terms of finding quality Major Leaguers at the top of the draft. From 2014-19, only two of their ten first-round picks didn’t make the Majors. That list includes pitchers JT Ginn and Kyle Funkhouser, both of whom didn’t sign with the Dodgers.
However, not all were hits.
Jordan Sheffield was drafted out of Vanderbilt, a team Los Angeles (NL) pulled from often during the 2010s. But while Walker Buehler was a hit, Sheffield wasn’t. Sheffield wasn’t a durable pitcher, as he had numerous IL stints over his career. He was a good strikeout pitcher in the Minors but didn’t carry over in his brief MLB career (21 K over 31.1 IP).
Sheffield last pitched in affiliated baseball in 2022.
Arguably the biggest miss of the Dodgers’ work in the MLB Draft this past decade was Jeren Kendell.
Kendell was a well-known commodity before the Dodgers selected him 23rd overall in 2017. The Vanderbilt product was a 30th-round draft pick by the Red Sox three years earlier and showcased a good, all-around toolset. His power potential was largely the biggest draw, as he slugged .533 with the Commodores. However, Kendell had nasty swing-and-miss issues, largely why he fell in the 2017 MLB Draft from a potential top-ten pick to #23.
Kendell’s strikeout problems did not get better in the Minors. The former Dodgers prospect struck out 34.1% of the time in the Minors. He hit .209/.303/.390 across five Minor League seasons.
Out of all the players in this section, Michael Grove can easily move himself off. Grove’s shown promise by getting whiffs off his slider and playing it off his hard sinker. And, his Hard Hit% (33.8%) in 2024 was excellent. On the other hand, his secondary stuff aside from his sinker and slider haven’t been effective at the MLB level thus far.
Draft picks who did not sign are included in these lists. bWAR figures as of October 2024. Be sure to check out how other NL teams, including the Braves and Mets, have done in the MLB Draft this decade.