Dodgers announce selections from 2012 first-year player draft
The Dodgers today announced their 41 selections from the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, including the club’s selections from the draft’s final 25 rounds. The Dodgers selected 17 pitchers (12 right-handers, five left-handers), 11 infielders, eight outfielders and five catchers, using 25 picks on college players, 14 on high schoolers and two picks on Cuban pitchers not affiliated with a school program.
Los Angeles continued to select players with big league bloodlines on the draft’s final day, selecting Jordan Hershiser, son of former Dodger Cy Young Award winner Orel Hershiser, out of USC with its 34th-round selection and then taking Jose Vizcaino Jr., son of former Dodger infielder and current Special Advisor, Baseball Operations & Player Development Jose Vizcaino, in the 36th round. Hershiser, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound right-hander allowed just two runs (one earned) and struck out eight in 5.1 innings over five relief appearances in his senior season with the Trojans. Vizcaino, who was chosen out of Francis Parker High School in San Diego, is committed to play college ball at Santa Clara and earned an All-CIF Second Team selection last year as a junior, leading his team with a .464 batting average to go along with 14 steals, 43 RBI and a .762 slugging percentage.
The Dodgers also selected five catchers on the draft’s final day, including La Cañada High School graduate and Stanford University junior Eric Smith in the 18th round. Smith, 21, is batting .330 with two homers and 32 RBI in 52 games for the Cardinal this season. The club also selected backstops John Cannon (29th round, University of Houston), Cameron Saylor (33rd round, West Covina South Hills High School), Austin Cowen (35th round, Western Illinois University) and Korey Dunbar (39th round, Nitro (WV) High School).
In addition to Hershiser, Smith and Saylor, the Dodgers selected several other prospects with local ties, including outfielder Kevin Maxey from Long Beach Poly High School, outfielder Jacob Scavuzzo from Villa Park High School in Orange County and Azusa Pacific University right-hander Alan Garcia.