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With the 23rd overall pick in the draft, the Dodgers have selected outfielder Jeren Kendall from Vanderbilt University. MLB.com projected Kendall to go 15th, while Baseball America had him going 22nd and ESPN had him projected to go 14th.
The left-handed hitting outfielder has the potential to be a five-tool player. At just 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Kendall doesn’t have the appearance of a great power hitter, but he’s got a solid amount of pop. He also possesses great speed and led the team in stolen bases, and he’s viewed as a very good defender capable of playing all three outfield positions.
When talking about Kendall with our Chris Cotillo earlier this month, teammate Kyle Wright said that the outfielder is “a great teammate. He’s always the same...he’s never in a bad mood. You’re going to get the same thing out of him every single day.”
Kendall is likely to be one of the fastest-rising position players in this year’s draft class, and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him start his pro career with a full-season minor-league club.
For more on Kendall, check out Chris Cotillo’s Q&A with him here.