PITTSBURGH -- Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Jordan Sheffield's Instagram photo of him with pen in hand and a Dodgers script backdrop, the text reading "Not a bad first gig," seems to indicate the club has signed the 36th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Draft.
The club has not confirmed the signing.
The Dodgers received the pick for not signing No. 35 pick Kyle Funkhouser last year. Sheffield agreed to a $1.85 million deal, according to MLBPipeline.com's Jim Callis, and the assigned value for the 36th pick is $1,791,000. Last year, the Dodgers drafted Sheffield's Vanderbilt pitching teammates Walker Buehler (first round) and Philip Pfeifer (third round).
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Sheffield, 21, is 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds. He had Tommy John surgery in high school, but he has been clocked as high as 98 mph while pitching in the SEC. Buehler also had Tommy John surgery.
Sheffield's brother, Justus, was a first-round pick of the Indians in 2014. The Red Sox selected Jordan out of high school in the 13th round, but he turned them down to attend Vanderbilt, where he redshirted in 2014 while recovering from said surgery. Sheffield returned last year to play a key swingman role as the Commodores finished second at the College World Series, then he showed the best pure stuff in the Cape Cod League during the summer.
According to MLBPipeline.com, "Of all the pitching prospects in the 2016 Draft, Sheffield may have the best chance to develop three-plus offerings. His fastball can sit at 94-96 mph and reach 98, and he has maintained his velocity in the late innings of his starts. He had a 32-inning streak without allowing an earned run this spring."