Dodgers announce selections from first two days of 2013 First-Year Player Draft
LOS ANGELES - The Dodgers today announced their selections from the first two days of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. Los Angeles made eight picks today after drafting Jacksonville (FL) University right-hander Chris Anderson with the 18th overall selection and University of Minnesota left-hander Tom Windle with the 56th overall selection in the second round yesterday.
Through the first two days of the draft, the Dodgers selected five pitchers (four right-handers, one left-hander), three infielders, one catcher and one outfielder. The club used nine picks on college players and one pick on a high school prospect.
With their first pick on the draft's second day, Los Angeles selected third baseman Brandon Dixon out of the University of Arizona. Dixon, 21, batted .369 with 30 steals, six home runs and 51 RBI in 55 games this season with the Wildcats. The 6-foot-1, 213-pounder from Murrieta, CA was named to the Pacific-12 Conference's 2013 All-Conference Baseball Team and also selected to the All-Academic Second Team this past season as a junior. Dixon batted a combined .314 with seven home runs and 66 RBI in 130 games during his three collegiate seasons and was previously selected by the Rangers in the 48th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
The Dodgers selected their first high schooler of the draft in the fourth round, picking Hamilton (AZ) High School first baseman Cody Bellinger, son of former big leaguer Clay Bellinger. Bellinger, 17, was ranked by Baseball America as third-best first baseman in this year's draft and by the publication as the 90th-best overall prospect. The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder hit .429 with 13 steals, a home run and 19 RBI as a senior this season after entering the year tabbed as a Second Team Rawlings/Perfect Game High School Senior Preseason All-America.
In the fifth round, Los Angeles selected their third pitcher in the draft in Palm Beach CC (FL) right-hander J.D. Underwood, the son of former Major League pitcher, Tom Underwood. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder went 8-2 with a 1.66 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 92.1 innings this season, leading the Panthers to the Florida JUCO State Championship and earning the FCSAA Pitcher of the Year award.
The Dodgers picked right-handed pitcher Jacob Rhame out of Grayson County (TX) College with their sixth-round selection after the 20-year-old went with 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 12 games (three starts) this season. Rhame, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, appeared in six games (three starts) while at the University of Oklahoma as a freshman in 2012 before transferring.
In the seventh round, Los Angeles selected UC Santa Barbara shortstop Brandon Trinkwon, who batted .280 with four home runs and 37 RBI in 60 games with the Gauchos as a junior this spring. Trinkwon had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2012, batting .347 with 17 doubles, three triples, two homers and 32 RBI in 56 games and was chosen by Baseball America as a Preseason Second Team All-America and as the country's Best Defensive Infielder heading into 2013. He batted a combined .302 during his three collegiate seasons after graduating from Beckman High School in Tustin, CA.
The Dodgers selected catcher Kyle Farmer out of the University of Georgia in the eighth round. Farmer batted .290 with three homers and 44 RBI as a senior in 2013, while leading all NCAA players with 12 sacrifice flies and striking out just 12 times in 210 at-bats. Farmer ended his UGA career with the highest fielding percentage ever by Bulldogs shortstop with a .968 mark in 1,045 total chances, but will be converted to a catcher as a pro.
In the ninth round, the Dodgers picked Texas Wesleyan outfielder Henry Yates. Yates, 22, played two seasons at the University of Delaware and spent his junior season at Vanguard University before transferring to Texas Wesleyan for his senior year, where he led the team with a .413 batting average and 45 RBI in 45 games. Henry's father, David, was selected by the Phillies in the 10th round of the 1970 draft, but never reached the Majors.
Los Angeles' last selection on the second day of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft was Mansfield University (PA) right-hander Nick Keener. The 22-year-old is the son of Little League International President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Keener.
Listed below are the Dodgers' selections from the first 10 rounds of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft with the final 30 rounds of the draft taking place tomorrow.