Best draft picks in Los Angeles Dodgers history

The Major League Baseball draft is unique among professional sports drafts. The 30 organizations pick teenagers and college students who will not join their big league clubs for years—if ever.

These athletes will spend that time honing their craft in the minor leagues, where long bus rides and minuscule paychecks are the norm. A few will move quickly up the ranks, seizing playing time opportunities to advance their careers and making their names known to scouts, fans, and other observers around the country.

Some of the best will become MLB stars, but there's minimal correlation to draft position. Four of the best draft picks nationally were picked after hundreds of other diamond darlings, and only two were #1 overall selections.

There's also more than a handful who didn't do much for the teams that drafted them, including superstars such as Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Randy Johnson. Each of these players was traded before they evolved into Hall of Famers.

Still, calling the draft a "crapshoot" might be going too far. College players are "slightly more likely" than high schoolers to reach the revered stadiums of the majors, and third-rounders have a better chance than fifth-rounders, for example, though the margins are slim, as Vice reported. Teams not only make picks based on years-in-advance projections but also whether they can sign players, a step that must be completed before those youngsters begin playing professionally.

To see how clubs have fared since the inaugural draft in 1965, ATS.io compiled a list of the best draft picks in Los Angeles Dodgers history using data from Baseball Reference. The players were ranked using career wins above replacement, so not one recent choice was named. Unsigned picks were not considered, and players who were traded as picks were credited to their acquiring teams. Data is as of June 5, 2024.

#25. Steve Yeager
- Draft: 80th overall pick in 1967
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,269
- Career stats: 102 home runs, .228 batting average, .653 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 17.9

#24. Eric Young Sr.
- Draft: 1123rd overall pick in 1989
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,730
- Career stats: 79 home runs, .283 batting average, .749 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 18.8

#23. Nathan Eovaldi
- Draft: 337th overall pick in 2008
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 274
- Career stats: 81 wins, 4.05 earned run average, 1.30 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 20.2

#22. Joe Ferguson
- Draft: 161st overall pick in 1968
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,013
- Career stats: 122 home runs, .240 batting average, .767 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.0

#21. Matt Kemp
- Draft: 181st overall pick in 2003
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,750
- Career stats: 287 home runs, .284 batting average, .821 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 21.4

#20. Cody Bellinger
- Draft: 124th overall pick in 2013
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 922
- Career stats: 186 home runs, .258 batting average, .826 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 23.2

#19. John Franco
- Draft: 125th overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 1,119
- Career stats: 90 wins, 2.89 earned run average, 1.33 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 23.4

#18. Steve Sax
- Draft: 229th overall pick in 1978
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 1,769
- Career stats: 54 home runs, .281 batting average, .693 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 25.7

#17. Mike Scioscia
- Draft: 19th overall pick in 1976
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 1,441
- Career stats: 68 home runs, .259 batting average, .700 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 26.1

#16. Dave Stewart
- Draft: 384th overall pick in 1975
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 523
- Career stats: 168 wins, 3.95 earned run average, 1.34 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 26.5

#15. Ted Lilly
- Draft: 688th overall pick in 1996
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 356
- Career stats: 130 wins, 4.14 earned run average, 1.25 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 27.1

#14. Paul Konerko
- Draft: 13th overall pick in 1994
- Position: Catcher
- Games played: 2,349
- Career stats: 439 home runs, .279 batting average, .841 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 28.1

#13. Bill Russell
- Draft: 179th overall pick in 1966
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 2,181
- Career stats: 46 home runs, .263 batting average, .648 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 31.4

#12. Shane Victorino
- Draft: 194th overall pick in 1999
- Position: Outfielder
- Games played: 1,299
- Career stats: 108 home runs, .275 batting average, .765 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 31.5

#11. Sid Fernandez
- Draft: 73rd overall pick in 1981
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 307
- Career stats: 114 wins, 3.36 earned run average, 1.14 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 32.7

#10. Rick Sutcliffe
- Draft: 21st overall pick in 1974
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 457
- Career stats: 171 wins, 4.08 earned run average, 1.39 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 33.9

#9. Corey Seager
- Draft: 18th overall pick in 2012
- Position: Shortstop
- Games played: 962
- Career stats: 183 home runs, .291 batting average, .871 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 34.3

#8. Doyle Alexander
- Draft: 185th overall pick in 1968
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 561
- Career stats: 194 wins, 3.76 earned run average, 1.29 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 35.0

#7. Rick Rhoden
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1971
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 413
- Career stats: 151 wins, 3.59 earned run average, 1.31 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 35.4

#6. Charlie Hough
- Draft: 159th overall pick in 1966
- Position: Infielder
- Games played: 858
- Career stats: 1 home runs, .146 batting average, .345 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.4

#5. Russell Martin
- Draft: 511th overall pick in 2002
- Position: Second baseman
- Games played: 1,693
- Career stats: 191 home runs, .248 batting average, .746 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 38.9

#4. Bob Welch
- Draft: 20th overall pick in 1977
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 506
- Career stats: 211 wins, 3.47 earned run average, 1.27 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 43.7

#3. Orel Hershiser
- Draft: 440th overall pick in 1979
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 510
- Career stats: 204 wins, 3.48 earned run average, 1.26 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 56.0

#2. Mike Piazza
- Draft: 1390th overall pick in 1988
- Position: First baseman
- Games played: 1,912
- Career stats: 427 home runs, .308 batting average, .922 on-base plus slugging
- Wins above replacement: 59.5

#1. Clayton Kershaw
- Draft: 7th overall pick in 2006
- Position: Pitcher
- Games played: 425
- Career stats: 210 wins, 2.48 earned run average, 1.00 walks plus hits per inning
- Wins above replacement: 79.7

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Mike Taylor, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 30 MLB teams.