The 2024 Draft has come and gone and the Dodgers have added a whole new crop of talented players, and in today’s article, we’ll be covering several of them.

Chase Harlan

The Dodgers used their 2nd pick to select yet another 18-year-old High School infielder, Chase Harlan.

Harlan is a corner infielder, and, at 6-3, and over 200 pounds, definitely looks the part. And, he can hit balls to the moon. He also has a very direct path to the ball, very simple movements in his swing, and a wide stance.

In fact, he gives off some Jeff Bagwell vibes with his setup.

And, while all of that is very good at the current moment, the most exciting aspect of his game is his upside, IMO. At 18 years old, the Dodgers will be able to mold his power stroke almost from scratch. They will have plenty of time to add and subtract to the complexities and the movements in his swing to create a finished product that has serious potential.

When evaluating prospects, it’s always premium to project how they will advance in the Dodgers system, vs. how they perform at any particular moment. With the willingness he has shown to adapt, plus the instruction and opportunity he will get with the Dodgers, watch out, this very easily could turn into a match made in Heaven.

Harlan is committed to play at Clemson, but here’s what he had to say about his decision as to turn pro or not.

“It’ll come down to the amount of money that’s right for me, financially,” Harlan said. “I’ve already settled here at Clemson. I love it here. It’s a special place. I’ve got a big decision to make. It’s definitely one of the more stressful processes. It’s a decision you make for your career and what you’ll do for a living.
“I’m excited for whatever path I decide to take. I’m ready to take on both.”

Harlan was taken with the 98th pick, which has a slot value of $745,000. That is a lot, no question, but, keep in mind, NIL monies are now available, and in many cases in large quantities. And, a college education is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, so these decisions are not as easy as they always seem.

So, stay tuned on the Central Bucks East High alum we’ll keep you informed.

Jakob Wright

Jakob Wright was the Dodgers 3rd pick in the 2024 draft and hails from Northern California, Paso Robles.

Wright played 2 seasons at Cal Poly and made huge strides his last year there after dealing with elbow injuries his Freshman season. In fact, this past season he threw 5.1 innings against Texas and gave up just 1 run, and threw 6 against Cal State Fullerton giving up just 1 run as well. The Big West is a fantastic baseball league, so posting a 2.97 ERA is not an easy feat, and it was good enough for All-Big West honors.

To add further, he recorded 101 Ks in 88 innings, and gave up just 71 hits in that action, so his stuff has a lot of swing-and-miss, and soft contact on the occasion it does get hit.

Wright has an elite pitch, his slider, which is a pitch that was ranked as one of the best single-pitch offerings of any pitching prospect in the Draft.

The Dodgers love left-handers with sweeping breaking balls. The backdoor and backfoot combos, when paired with dotted-up fastballs is a formula that has produced several really good left-handed relievers in recent years.

Control will be the biggest focus, but, join the club, that’s not something that is uncommon in the Dodgers system which is full of elite pitch types.

At 21 it will be interesting to see how fast the Dodgers move him. With an elite pitch in his bag, but with some refining to do, there’s certainly no hurry. But, Wright faced good competition last year, so, will need to be facing the best hitters possible to maximize his potential.

In a recent interview with Mustang News, Wright talked about his focus heading into the draft.

“Probably to just get bigger, sharpen my craft, throw my pitches where I want to throw them, build on a changeup and little things like that to really sharpen my skills.

Wright offers a fastball in the low 90s and curve ball and a change. He was selected in the 4th Round by the Dodgers.

Brooks Auger

Brooks Auger comes to the Dodgers after a great career at Mississippi State, after transferring from Hinds Community College. He’s originally a product of Cedar Creeks High School in Louisiana and is a very imposing figure on the mound at 6’5 215 pounds.

Auger made a splash in his 1st year as a Diamond Dawg and highlighted it with a spectacular start in the 2021 College World Series where he threw 8 innings of 1 run ball, struck out 13, and gave up just 3 hits.

But, after a great 2021, then a fast start to 2022 Auger tore his UCL and had Tommy John surgery, which ended that season and kept him out for 2023 as well. But, after a longer-than-anticipated rehabilitation, he recovered nicely this past season to post an ERA of 3.35.

Similar to Gavin Stone in his college days, Auger has pitched in every role from closer, to long relief to starter, so the Dodgers will love his versatility. I can smell some “piggyback” bulk inning outings headed Auger’s way.

Auger sits at 93 on the fastball, but has touched 97 and also features a cutter that sits 87ish, a slider that sits 85, and a change that sits 84. He’s touched 90 or above on both his cutter and slider.

Picture courtesy of Oregon State Athletics

Elijah Hainline

Elijah Hainline is originally from Spokane Washington, went to Washington State, then transferred to Oregon State for 2024. Hainline still has eligibility with Oregon State and being the 220th overall pick slots him at $250,000.

He was Pac 12 Honorable Mention as a Sophomore and has a very aggressive swing, that has quite a bit of lift at the front. That, in all likelihood, will be seen as a positive in the Dodgers system, because he is going to be able to get the ball in the air. And, in doing so, will use the Minor League system to balance the “swing and miss” with the power to make the most productive offensive player possible.

The Dodgers do this all the time and they almost never fail in finding the best offensive version of each prospect as they work through the system.

Hainline is going to be able to get the ball in the air, he typically swings at the right pitches, he’s a super utility player that specializes in short stop, and, in other words, he’s exactly what the Dodgers look for.

Brendan Tunink

Brendan Tunink will feel right at home in Dodger Blue as those are the same colors he’s always worn at Newman Central Catholic back in Sterling, Il.

Tunink is committed to play at Notre Dame and was the 250th player selected and says it’s a great feeling.

Here’s what he told Drake Lansman of the Shaw Local News Network

“Words can’t even explain the feeling right now,” Tunink said. “This is beyond my expectations of everything. Just super happy my name got called.”
“It means a lot. I mean, it’s the Dodgers,” he said. “They have a great, great organization. They have a really good minor league system. You can’t ask for a better team to go to. Super pumped to be a part of that team.”
“I kind of waited longer than I expected, but that’s OK,” he said. “I got the team that I really wanted. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what round you go, it’s how you perform and compete at that level. I’m just super fortunate to get a really, really good team.
“I’ve got to get some Dodgers gear now.”

Here’s what MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis had to say about Tunink

“Area scouts were trying to figure out exactly where he might go,” Callis said. “They like the bat. He’s got a decent swing, he’s got the bat speed. … sneaky pop, center fielder.
“You like the bat speed, if he gets stronger there might be some power. So he’s a real interesting one. This could be a really nice pick for the Dodgers here in this round.”

It is of note that Tunink also went 18-0 on the mound with an ERA of 1.20, and struck out 204 hitters in 134 innings, so he does have a two-way background. But, so does almost every American pitching prospect in the organization. I’m sure the International pitching prospects do too, but I can’t confirm it on as wide of a scale.

Kole Myers

Kole Myers is a 6’1 outfield prospect out of Troy who was drafted in the 9th round by the Dodgers. Myers is originally from Lafayette, and played at LSU Eunice before transferring to Troy.

LSU Eunice is also where Hunter Feduccia, a catcher in the Dodgers system, played as well.

Here is what his coach at LSU Eunice had to say about him

“Kole is a tremendous athlete who has worked incredibly hard, and we could not be prouder of his achievements after his time at LSU Eunice,” LSU Eunice head coach Jeff Willis said. “We’re looking forward to watching him continue to chase his dreams with the Los Angeles Dodgers.”

Here’s what his head Coach at Troy had to say about the speedy outfielder

“Two years ago when Kole set foot on our campus, he helped us create an identity as a program,” Meade said. “He set the tone for us nearly winning 80 games the last two years as one of the most dynamic players to ever play at Troy. He is a super kid from an awesome family, and is going to an elite organization where talents can prevail. We are over the top happy for Kole and can’t wait to see him in professional baseball.”

Myers is a master at drawing walks, drawing 62 last year, and then combining that with 32 stolen bases. His OPS was over 1.000 and has been described as playing “elite” defense in center field during his collegiate days at Troy. In fact, his WAR was 4.42, which was 7th nationally amongst centerfielders.

The College game is, many times, a different offensive approach, where getting on base, getting over, and getting in is valued much more than at the professional level.

But, make no mistake about it, he can go deep. He hit 25 home runs in his last 2 years at Troy, so he can beat a defense in every which way.

Seamus Barrett

Seamus Barrett played with Dalton Rushing at Louisville before transferring to Loyola Marymount. At 6’7 he was a bullpen piece with the Cardinals, but then became a very successful starter, while also relieving for the Lions as well.

Good swing-and-miss stuff, including a splitter a sinker that’s 92-94 with good life, and change, curve & slider. He also throws a 4 seam that has touched 97.

At 6’7 and with the projectability that he has, this feels like a real steal for the Dodgers. Patrick Copen, Jared Karros, and others with tall frames and projectability have flourished, no reason why Barrett won’t too.