Dodgers News: LA Selects Outfielder with First Pick in 2023 Draft
The MLB Draft was on Sunday and the Dodgers held the 36th overall pick after they dropped 10 spots because they exceeded the competitive balance tax by more than $40 million. It’s the cost of fielding a highly priced team but the team has been known for their solid drafting no matter where they were doing it.
LA took outfielder Kendall George from Atascocita High School in Texas. The 18-year-old is ranked as the number 65 ranked prospect in the MLB Top 250 Pipeline. The team must have been impressed by his strong senior season where he posted a batting average of .455 with three home runs and 34 runs batted in.
data-type=’float’>The Dodgers are taking Kendall George 36th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft.
— sky (@GonsolinRBW) July 10, 2023
George is a 5’10 outfielder from a Texas high school who is committed to play at Arkansas. He’s left-handed and incredible speed. Welcome to the Dodgers, Kendall!
pic.twitter.com/QjUxpNisPx
George also stole 32 bases and was a consistent threat to not strike out, only doing so eight times the entire season. He is viewed as the fastest player in the draft so the Dodgers valued his speed and probably envisioned him stealing bags at the big league level. Stolen bases has been an issue for LA this season so maybe this is their way of starting to change things, even at the lowest level.
“George is in the conversation for fastest runner in this draft and has relied on that speed and his contact skills. The question here, like for many 80-grade runners coming out of high school, is how much power he can add as a pro.”
Per ESPN.com
This is about as solid of a pick as the team would get in this spot and the scouting department has earned the trust of the fans. LA has continued to pump out talent for years and George could very well be the next in line.
George is committed to playing at the University of Arkansas for next season so Dodgers fans can keep track of his game by watching the Razorbacks.
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Uhhhh, well, if Dodger fans keep track of him by watching the Razorbacks play, that will have meant that he didn’t sign with the Dodgers.