Dodgers draft Hofstra LHP Rooney on Day 2

June 5th, 2018

LOS ANGELES -- With a limited bonus pool budget, the Dodgers took what the 2018 MLB Draft gave them on Tuesday's second day of selections.
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After taking right-handed pitchers J.T. Ginn and Michael Grove in the first two rounds on Monday, scouting director Billy Gasparino took pitchers with three of his first four selections on Tuesday, then shifted the emphasis to position players, focusing all day on college players (seven of eight and the last four).
"We felt going in the depth of this Draft was college position players," said Gasparino. "With what the high school players wanted in the way of money, we were out on a lot of them. It was their choice, not ours."
The Draft concludes on Wednesday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at 9 a.m. PT.
Here are the Tuesday picks:
Round 3: LHP John Rooney, Hofstra
Gasparino said he liked Rooney's "pitchability and deception, with the stuff to go with it." At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Rooney has the size, but his best pitch is a slider and MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo projects him as a back-of-the-rotation starter with "three average pitches," making him a "high-floor, low-ceiling" pick that could "move quick." He was a Golden Spikes finalist.

MLB Pipeline ranked Rooney as the No. 181 prospect, and the Dodgers took him as a starter with the 104th overall pick. He was 8-2 with a 1.23 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 95 innings this season. He was undrafted out of high school, but hit the radar playing in the Cape Cod League.
Round 4: RHP Braydon Fisher, Clear Falls (Texas) HS
Although he took a high school pitcher in Ginn in the first round, Gasparino sounded almost as pleased with Fisher in the fourth.
"He's exciting, athletic and young [only 17]," said Gasparino. "He was kind of new to the scouting scene and he made a big jump this year. Our scouts got on him early and I think that's one of the factors in getting him."

Fisher is already 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, with a fastball that ranges from 90-96 mph. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 80 prospect going into the Draft, and the Dodgers got him with the 134th overall pick. He has a commitment to Lamar University.
Round 5: SS Devin Mann, Louisville
As MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis said, "It will be interesting to see how this plays out." The Dodgers announced Mann as a shortstop, although he played second base in college. Gasparino said he's confident Mann can play shortstop and that's where he'll begin. This year, he hit .303 with seven homers, 52 RBIs and 52 walks in 64 games. He's 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and 21 years old.
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The Dodgers' second pick in the first round in 2016, catcher Will Smith, also played at Louisville, as did pitcher Kyle Funkhouser, who they took with the second pick in the first round of 2015 but did not sign.
Round 6: LHP Bryan Warzek, University of New Orleans
The 21-year-old Warzek is a durable lefty, 6 feet tall and 205 pounds, who went 5-2 with a 2.82 ERA this year. His ERA went up, but his opponents' batting average went down this year. He had 127 strikeouts in 95 2/3 innings, relying on a sinking fastball that touched 95 mph, according to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis.
Gasparino said he likes Warzek's aggressiveness and deception. Because of his size, some scouts believe he will be a reliever, but Gasparino said he will begin as a starter.
Round 7: RF James Outman, Cal State Sacramento
The Dodgers considered Outman one of the better athletes in the Draft, Gasparino said, and he was a high school football star. A left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower, Outman was the MVP in the Cal Ripken Summer League last year, which put him on the map. The 21-year-old is a power hitter who has not hit for average in college as he did last summer. In 2018, he hit .253 with 11 homers and 40 RBIs. He's 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds.
Gasparino said Outman's strikeout rate is "an issue" that the Minor League staff will work on, but "I love the upside."
Round 8: 2B Luke Heyer, University of Kentucky
A typical multi-position Dodgers pick, the 22-year-old Heyer has played third base and outfield but is listed as a second baseman. He hit .348 with an uptick in power for 18 homers and 57 RBIs this year. He is a junior college transfer who played with Outman last summer in the Cal Ripken League.
Gasparino said Heyer "found it this year" while playing in a tough conference. The Dodgers drafted two Kentucky players on the second day last year, pitcher Zach Pop and outfielder Zach Reks.
Round 9: CF Josh McLain, North Carolina State
The Dodgers get a second chance at McLain, whom they drafted last year in the 14th round but didn't sign. Now he's a senior, so he'll be very signable. The 21-year-old is 6-foot and 165 pounds, with "plus-plus speed," according to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis, and has gap power. McLain hit .344 in 60 games with 40 RBIs, 51 runs scored and didn't make an error in the outfield.
Round 10: 2B Deacon Liput, Florida
The Dodgers get a second shot at Liput as well, as they drafted him in the 29th round last year. Gasparino said the tools that made the Dodgers target Liput a year ago hadn't changed, even though Liput was suspended by the school for the first quarter of the 2018 season for undisclosed "off-field issues." Once he returned, he played mostly shortstop, but the Dodgers selected him as a second baseman. He was selected in the 39th round by the Yankees out of high school.