2019 Draft: Dodgers Day 2 breakdown
by Rowan Kavner
After snagging power bats from the college ranks on the first day of the draft, the Dodgers focused on power arms from the college ranks on Day 2.
Two days into the MLB Draft, the Dodgers have selected six pitchers, four infielders and one outfielder with their 11 picks. Of those 11 picks, the only high schooler was second-round pick Jimmy Lewis — a right-handed pitcher from Lake Travis High School in Texas.
Rounds 1–2 took place Monday, while Rounds 3–10 took place Tuesday. Continuing their trend of picking the best player available, five of the Dodgers’ eight picks on the second day of the draft were college pitchers. Billy Gasparino, the Dodgers’ director of amateur scouting, said they tried to target pitchers with good fastballs and felt they succeeded.
You can find more on the selections of Tulane third baseman Kody Hoese, North Carolina second baseman Michael Busch and Lewis from Day 1 here:
Here’s a breakdown of the Dodgers’ eight selections on the second day of the draft, including commentary on the picks from Gasparino.
Round 3: RHP Ryan Pepiot (#102 overall) — Butler, 6–3, 215 lbs
Pepiot set school records in both single-season and career strikeouts with 126 and 306, respectively, this year. Pepiot, who went 4–4 with a 3.92 ERA during his junior season, passed Pat Neshek to become the highest draft pick in Butler history.
MLB Pipeline identified Pepiot as possessing one of the best changeups in the college ranks, and Gasparino would agree.
Gasparino’s Take: “It’s his signature pitch, obviously, but we thought it was the best in the draft. He can mix in a fastball at mid-90s. We think there’s some delivery and arm action clean-up we can help him execute more. He’s got four good pitches, power stuff, and we think we’ll be able to develop the control and command another notch to make him a complete pitcher.”
Round 4: 3B Brandon Lewis (#131 overall) — UC Irvine, 6–3, 215 lbs
The Dodgers made their first in-state pick with Lewis, who earned two all-conference nods at LA Pierce College before transferring to Irvine and tying the school record with 14 home runs this year.
Lewis hit .315 with a Big West-leading 20 doubles, 54 RBI and 51 runs scored, continuing the Dodgers’ early-draft trend of power infielders. Gasparino said the Dodgers saw Lewis last summer and immediately put him on the map as a potential power bat. Gasparino said he sees a good chance for power production to translate to the big league level. So does MLB Pipeline, which graded him 60 power.
Gasparino’s Take: “It’s big, raw power. We think he has all-fields power. We had him in a workout here — he proved it. He can play a couple different positions. He had a really good opening campaign in Irvine, and we were excited to get him there.”
Round 5: RHP Jack Little (#180 overall) — Stanford, 6–4, 190 lbs
Little tied Stanford’s single-season saves record last year with 16. This year, he went 3–1 with a 2.76 ERA and nine saves.
Gasparino said the Dodgers will try to transition him to a starter’s role.
Gasparino’s Take: He has three pitches. He has plus command. We were surprised he hadn’t started in the past, honestly. But some of it’s strategic with these colleges and they felt like they could use him more out of the pen. He’s tough. He’s a competitor. We understand why they would do that, but we’re going to try to go the starter route with him.”
Round 6: RHP Aaron Ochsenbein (#191 overall) — Eastern Kentucky, 6–3, 225 lbs
The Dodgers have had a history of success in getting pitchers past their Tommy John surgeries to find success. Ochsenbein is already there.
Ochsenbein, who underwent Tommy John surgery his freshman year in 2016, went 5–2 with a 0.83 ERA and 10 saves this year. In the 2018 Cape Cod League, Ochsenbein led the league with 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
Gasparino’s Take: “He had a really good Cape Cod League. It’s one of those fastballs we identified, we think is going to play well in the Major Leagues. He’s strong. He’s athletic. He’s got a good delivery arm action. We were happy with that one.”
Round 7: RHP Nick Robertson (#221 overall) — James Madison University, 6–6, 265 lbs
Of the Dodgers’ Day 2 picks, Robertson is the lone pitcher identified as a reliever going forward for the Dodgers. This year, Robertson recorded eight saves with a 1.01 ERA, striking out 54 batters and holding opponents to a .128 batting average.
Again, Robertson follows the mold of elite fastball pitchers.
Gasparino’s Take: “If maybe there was one trend line in this draft, it’s we tried to pick good fastballs. He had one of the better ones, we thought. It’s strikes, it’s velocity, it’s command, it’s up to 95 and just enough secondary to keep hitters honest. We liked his combination of two pitches and think there’s a chance for a third pitch in there. Probably a reliever, but a good one.”
Round 8: LF Ryan Ward (#251 overall) — Bryant University, 5–11, 200 lbs
The Dodgers were thrilled to see Ward get to them in the eighth round because of his hitting abilities, which Gasparino said he’d put just under the level of second-rounder Busch.
He enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in program history as a redshirt freshman last year, becoming the first player to over .400, finishing .409 with program records for hits (101) and total bases (157) while adding 35 extra-base hits. This year, he hit .382 with 13 home runs.
Gasparino’s Take: “Ward was one of our favorite college left-handed bats. Hit over .400. Hit for power this year. Hit in the Cape. It’s kind of just like one of those hitting gene guys that can play the corner outfielder. Whatever you think of him, we think he can hit.”
Round 9: LHP Alec Gamboa (#281 overall) — Fresno City College, 6–1, 205 lbs
Gamboa returned from Tommy John surgery this year and dominated, earning Central Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year Award with an 8–1 record and a 1.97 ERA.
Gasparino’s Take: “He’s got an interesting story because he missed two years of college with some injuries and Tommy John. Now he’s back and pitching well. I think he was an All-State wrestler in high school. Extremely tough, hard-nosed kid, four-pitches mix, good arm action delivery. We think he’s just kind of getting going again. We were excited for that one.”
Round 10: SS Zac Ching (#311 overall) — VCU, 5–9, 180 lbs
The Dodgers wrapped up the second day of the draft by grabbing a versatile middle infielder in Ching, who slashed .310/.404/.502 with six home runs.
Gasparino’s Take: “A nice senior. He can play shortstop and second. We even talked about making him a catcher. A really good swing. He has an idea in the box of how to conduct an at-bat, and his defensive versatility is key. We liked him a lot, a nice middle field, defensive versatility player with a good swing.”
