The Los Angeles Dodgers took a pair of shortstops with their first two picks of the draft, selecting Corey Seager and Jesmuel Valentin on Monday in the first day of the draft. On the second day of the 2012 MLB Draft, which comprised of rounds two through 15, the Dodgers tilted toward pitching.
The Dodgers drafted junior left-handed pitcher Steven Rodriguez in the second round, out of the University of Florida. Rodriquez, 21, went 3-2 with four saves and a 2.08 ERA, limiting opponents to a .203 batting average with 79 strikeouts in 60.2 innings for the Gators in 2011.
With their third round pick, the Dodgers selected Cuban left-handed pitcher Onelki Garcia. The 22-year old last pitched for Ponce in the Puerto Rican League this winter, posting a 0.84 ERA in three starts, and previously pitched three professional seasons for Guantanamo in Cuba, going 12-12 with a 4.73 ERA.
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweeted that Garcia may want $7 million to sign, which would certainly price him out of the Dodgers', or anyone's price range. But that remains to be seen.
Eight of the Dodgers' 13 picks on Tuesday were spent on pitchers. Here is a recap of the first 10 rounds of the draft by the Dodgers.
- Round 1 (No. 18 overall): SS Corey Seager, 6'4", 215 pounds, Northwest Cabarrus H.S. (North Carolina)
- Supplemental Round A (51): SS Jesmuel Valentin, 5'9", 180, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
- Round 2 (82): LHP Steven Rodriguez, 6'3", 225, University of Florida
- Round 3 (113): LHP Onelki Garcia, 6'3", 220, Cuba
- Round 4 (146): 1B Justin Chigbogu, 6'1", 240, Raytown South H.S. (Missouri)
- Round 5 (176): RHP Ross Stripling, 6'3", 190, Texas A&M
- Round 6 (206): OF Joseph Curletta, 6'4", 225, Mountain Pointe H.S. (Arizona)
- Round 7 (236): LF Theo Alexander, 6'2", 200, Lake Mountain Senior H.S. (Washington)
- Round 8 (266): RHP Scott Griggs, 6'4", 215, UCLA
- Round 9 (296): RHP Zachary Bird, 6'4", 177, Murrah H.S. (Mississippi)
- Round 10 (326): SS Zachary Babbitt, 5'7", 165, Academy of Art University (California)
Rounds 16 through 40 will be held Wednesday, the final day of the draft.
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