looking back at the draft

the 2026 draft takes place this weekend. it used to be in june, and this year marks the 62nd year that the draft has taken place. that means that there have been, in theory, 61 first round picks by the dodgers in the june draft - not counting any other draft. you might recall that steve garvey was a first round pick by the dodgers, but in the june secondary draft, not the "main" draft.

of course, with compensatory picks and lost picks, the number is different than 1 per year. i thought it would be interesting to take a look at the dodgers' first round draft history. here we go!

1965 #8 john wyatt (ss)

the dodgers' first ever draft pick toiled in the minors for a few years without reaching the big leagues. the player the dodgers passed over in the first round that wound up with the highest war was bernie carbo, who went to the reds at number 16

1966 #19 larry hutton (rhp)

like wyatt, hutton spent a few years in the dodgers' system but only got as high as double-a albuquerque. he was the second-to-last pick in the first round, so the dodgers didn't come away having done anything stupid like the mets passing on reggie jackson with the first overall pick.

1967 #20 don denbow (3b)

denbow was the last pick of the first round. the dodgers selected him right after the orioles took bobby grich. denbow also spent time in the dodgers' minor league system, backing up ron cey in bakersfield in 1969.

1968 #5 bobby valentine (of) - 1972 topps

valentine became the first dodger first rounder to make the majors, again only considering the first round of the primary draft. he was selected right after the yankees took thurman munson, and well before other outfielders such as greg luzinski and gary matthews were selected. the dodgers eventually traded valentine to the angels as part of the deal to bring andy messersmith to los angeles.

1969 #8 terry mcdermott (c)

mcdermott spent just over two weeks in the majors in 1972. a september call-up for the dodgers, he appeared in nine games as a pinch hitter or first baseman. he was taken between a couple of future dodgers - paul powell and don stanhouse. his only card as a dodger is in their 1990 target set.

1970 #9 jim haller (rhp)

haller pitched for albuquerque when it was the dodgers' double-a affiliate and after it became their triple-a club. he was the first dodger first rounder to get to triple-a without making it to the majors. this was a relatively weak first round, with only half of the 24 picks advancing to the big leagues.

1971 #20 rick rhoden (rhp) - 1978 o-pee-chee

now we're talking! rhoden was the first dodger first rounder that i was aware of, but outside of his card back, i didn't pay much attention to that fact. he had a good career, and had some really good years with the dodgers before being traded to the pirates for jerry reuss. taken well after frank tanana and jim rice, rhoden was a steal for the dodgers at number 20.

1972 #17 john harbin (ss)

harbin is a guy i would like to know more about. he spent the 1972 minor league season in low-a and rookie ball for the dodger organization, and didn't fare too badly at the plate. however, that was his only year in pro ball. he was taken just before jamie quirk, but the guy the dodgers really missed out on was chet lemon.

1973 #18 ted farr (c)

farr was the second catcher selected in the draft - after john stearns but before steve swisher and steve nicosia. of the four, he was the only one to not make the big leagues.

1974 #21 rick sutcliffe (rhp) - 1980 topps

this was a pretty strong first round, with lonnie smith, dale murphy, garry templeton, and lance parrish among others. the dodgers did well, securing the future 1979 national league rookie of the year in sutcliffe. he actually made his big league debut two years after being drafted with a spot-start as a september call-up. he was the second dodger draft pick to be named rookie of the year, with 15th rounder ted sizemore being the first.

1975 #24 mark bradley (ss)

the last pick of the round, bradley appeared for the dodgers in both the 1981 and 1982 seasons. he got most of his big league playing time with the mets after a spring training trade in 1983. he was released by the metropolitans the following spring.

1976 #19 mike scioscia (c) - 1986 topps tiffany

can't argue with this pick by the dodgers. they got 13 solid seasons from scioscia, a two-time all-star and two-time world champion.

1977 #20 bob welch (rhp) - 1986 topps tiffany

ok now i do recall welch's status as a first round pick being a topic of many a dodger broadcast in 1978. he was with the big club almost exactly a year after being drafted. here's the back:

and here's a closer look at the draft line in the bio

welch had us all aflutter in october of 1978 when he struck out reggie jackson to end game 2 of the world series. he became the second dodger first rounder to win a cy young award, and like the first (rick sutcliffe), he did it for a team other than the dodgers.

1978 no first round pick

with the advent of free agency, we now have the loss of first round picks to contend with. in this case, the dodgers lost their pick to the pirates for signing free agent terry forster. the pirates chose an outfielder named jerry aubin with the pick at number 21, so no harm no foul. although, cal ripken jr was still on the board at the time so maybe the dodgers would have chosen better than the pirates? just kidding, the dodgers passed on ripken in the second round and the orioles took him with the very next pick.

1979 #16 steve howe (lhp) - 1984 topps tiffany; #25 steve perry (rhp)

this is a bit misleading, because the dodgers actually lost their #1 pick in 1979 for signing free agent derrel thomas. the padres used that compensatory pick to select future dodger bench coach bob geren. howe was a compensatory pick from the yankees who signed free agent tommy john, and steve perry was a compensatory pick from the pirates for signing free agent lee lacy. not the lead singer of journey.

howe went on to become the second dodger first rounder to win the rookie of the year award, while perry spent a couple of years as high as triple-a for the dodgers but couldn't overcome control issues enough to earn a big league spot.

1980 #9 ross jones (ss)

jones progressed in the dodger system each year after being drafted, reaching triple-a in 1982 after seasons at single and double-a the previous two years. he spent 1983 in albuquerque as well, and was dealt to the mets with sid fernandez in late 1983. the trade was late enough that we were confused by finding fernandez dodger cards in packs of 1984 donruss. jones made his big league debut with the mets and eventually got some big league cards of his own after joining the royals following a short stint in seattle.

 

1981 #22 dave anderson (ss) - 1988 fleer

the heir apparent to bill russell, anderson spent eight years with the dodgers plus two with the giants. he was a dodger double dipper who did play quite a bit in place of russell, but not to the level that i would consider him to be his replacement as the dodgers also had mariano duncan who got a fair share of time at short. anderson might be best remembered for being the "decoy" in the on-deck circle during game 1 of the 1988 world series as dennis eckersley was facing mike davis.

1982 #19 franklin stubbs (1b) - 1987 topps tiffany

stubbs was also a member of the dodgers' 1988 world championship club and a solid player for his dodger tenure.

1983 #18 erik sonberg (lhp)

sonberg went from single-a in 1983 to triple-a in 1984. he was back in albuquerque for the 1985 season, but then ran into shoulder problems and never did make it to the majors. he was the first dodger first rounder to get a $100,000 signing bonus.

1984 #23 dennis livingston (lhp)

livingston pitched for a few seasons in the minors for the dodgers and the expos, but didn't make it to the big leagues.

1985 #10 chris gwynn (of) - 1990 topps tiffany

tony gwynn's little brother was the second outfielder taken in the draft, with the first being barry bonds a few picks earlier. gwynn's signing bonus was slightly higher, though. the dodgers could have had rafael palmeiro, who was taken near the end of the round. gwynn wound up playing in the majors for a few years, but is part of the "wrong brother" dodger brigade, along with wilton guerrero, ramon martinez, and ken brett.

1986 #19 mike white (of)

not much to see here, white spent a few seasons in the minors with the dodgers and mets, topping out at triple-a.

1987 #8 dan opperman (rhp)

opperman never made it to the majors thanks to injuries, but his signing bonus of $160,000 matched the amount that the mariners gave to first overall pick ken griffey jr. i don't think it was a case of the top 10 getting the same amount, either. a right handed pitcher, opperman was taken one slot ahead of a fellow righty who wound up with a decent career - kevin appier.

1988 #5 bill bene (rhp) - 1989 topps tiffany

it seemed appropriate to use a card that showcases bene's status as a first round pick. his status matched the highest pick the dodgers had ever had to that point in the draft (bobby valentine was also picked at five). he was a local kid out of cal state los angeles with a live arm, but never did master the control needed to break into the major leagues. he had a nine-year minor league career which speaks to the promise that fell short of being fulfilled.

1989 #15 kiki jones (rhp); #22 tom goodwin (of); #28 jamie mcandrew (rhp)

jones was a compensatory pick from the yankees who signed free agent steve sax, and mcandrew was a supplemental pick for losing sax. goodwin was chosen in the dodgers' own pick's slot and went on to have the better career of the three. jones didn't make it to the bigs, while mcandrew eventually saw some major league action with the brewers in 1995. goodwin appeared sparingly for the dodgers in parts of four seasons before finally losing his rookie status with the royals in 1995. he returned to the dodgers later in his career for a brief time when the dodgers sent todd hollandsworth to the rockies.

1990 #9 ronnie walden (rhp)

walden was 3-0 with a miniscule era in rookie league action after being drafted, but then came elbow trouble and his career was all but over. he did get a nice card in the 1991 topps set.

1991 no first round pick

the dodgers lost their pick to the mets for signing free agent darryl strawberry. the mets used that pick (#18) to choose an outfielder named al shirley.

1992 #32 ryan luzinski (c); #36 mike moore (of)

the dodgers lost their first round pick to the blue jays for signing tom candiotti, and the jays took shannon stewart with that pick. luzinski was taken by the dodgers as a supplemental pick due to the loss of eddie murray to free agency. i believe that the mets' pick was protected, so the dodgers didn't get the 9th pick in the round, and the mets took preston wilson with it. as for moore, he was a supplemental pick that the dodgers received for losing mike morgan to free agency. like the mets, the cubs got to keep their pick, and they took derek wallace. neither luzinski nor moore made it to the majors.

1993 #2 darren dreifort (rhp) - 1994 leaf limited rookies

this is the highest that the dodgers have ever drafted, and they should have had the first overall pick after finishing the 1992 season with the worst record in baseball. however, the leagues alternated the first pick back then, so the mariners got dibs and took alex rodriguez.

dreifort's signing bonus was a whopping $1.3 million, more than what a-rod took home. he had all the talent, and was in the big leagues not too long after the draft. unfortunately, injuries prevailed and he never quite fulfilled his promise, although he managed to pitch for the dodgers for several years.

1994 #13 paul konerko (c) - 1998 topps gold label

drafted as a catcher, konerko was taken right after nomar garciaparra and right before jason varitek. he never did appear in the majors as a catcher, debuting with the dodgers in 1997 as an infielder. he was dealt to the reds at the all-star break in 1998 for jeff shaw and later went on to find a home and postseason glory with the white sox.

1995 #20 david yocum (lhp)

1996 #23 damian rolls (3b)

1997 #25 glenn davis (1b)

1998 #23 bubba crosby (of)

those four years (and the three that followed) are kind of the doldrums of dodger drafts. rolls made it to the majors, but with the rays following being taken in a rule 5 draft by the royals, and crosby had a cup of coffee with the dodgers before being traded to the yankees for robin ventura.

1999 #37 jason repko (ss)

repko was a supplemental pick for the loss of scott radinsky. the dodgers lost their actual first round pick because they signed kevin brown as a free agent.

2000 #17 ben diggins (rhp)

diggins had been drafted in the first round in 1998 by the cardinals, but didn't sign. he pitched for the dodgers in the minors and was traded to the brewers in july of 2002. he made his only big league appearances for milwaukee that year.

2001 no first round pick

the dodgers lost their pick to the braves for signing andy ashby

2002 #19 james loney (1b); #31 greg miller (lhp)

around this time, i started really paying attention to the draft. the maturing internet made it a lot easier. i was excited about loney, but don't recall much about miller, who was a supplemental pick for the loss of chan ho park. loney went on to have a decent career (and a big hit for the dodgers in the 2008 postseason), while miller never made it to the majors.

2003 #24 chad billingsley (rhp) - 2007 bowman blue

i had high hopes for billingsley, and he was a decent return for the dodgers. he won 81 games for them over his eight years with the big league club and made one all-star team.

2004 #24 scott elbert (lhp); #28 blake dewitt (2b); #33 justin orenduff (rhp)

elbert was the dodgers' true first round pick, with dewitt being a compensatory pick and orenduff a supplemental pick. both were due to the yankees signing paul quantrill. elbert spent parts of six seasons in the dodger bullpen, while dewitt saw a fair amount of action in the dodger infield before he was traded to the cubs. orenduff showed a lot of promise and reportedly came close to getting the call prior to shoulder issues sidetracking his career.

2005 #40 luke hochevar (rhp)

hochevar, a supplemental pick for losing adrian beltre, did not sign. the dodgers' original first round pick was given to the red sox as compensation for signing derek lowe. the sox took craig hansen with that pick.

2006 #7 clayton kershaw (lhp) - 2015 topps mlb silhouetted batter logo pin; #26 bryan morris (rhp); #31 preston mattingly (ss)

this is by far the most successful first round pick in franchise history. no need to go into detail about it; he's a hall of famer. morris was a compensatory pick from the angels for signing jeff weaver, and mattingly was a supplemental pick for losing weaver. morris was flipped in the three-team manny ramirez deal and later made his big league debut as a pirate but mattingly never made it to the bigs.

2007 #20 chris withrow (rhp); #39 james adkins (lhp)

the withrow pick was compensation from the red sox for julio lugo. the dodgers' own first round pick was at #22 but went to the giants because the dodgers signed jason schmidt. adkins was the supplemental pick for the loss of lugo. withrow was a productive member of the dodger bullpen in 2013 and 2014, as well as in atlanta in 2016. adkins, however, did not make it to the majors.

2008 #15 ethan martin (rhp)

i was high on martin, just as i had been on billingsley. he was traded to the phillies before he made it to the majors, but eventually did get a bit of time at the big league level with philadelphia.

2009 #36 aaron miller (lhp)

the dodgers were slotted at #17, but lost that pick to the diamondbacks because they signed orlando hudson. the dbacks took future dodger a.j. pollock with the pick. miller was the result of the loss of derek lowe. miller pitched in the minors for a few seasons and then was moved to the field where he had some success, although not enough to warrant a call-up.

2010 #28 zach lee (rhp) - 2016 topps rainbow foil

lee was another first round righthander that i had high hopes for. he eventually pitched in one game for the dodgers, but his legacy turned out to be that he was traded to the mariners for chris taylor, who went on to have some big moments on the big stage for the dodgers.

2011 #16 chris reed (lhp)

i can't say i remember reed, who was traded to the marlins in 2015 and wound up appearing in the majors for them that year in what turned out to be his only big league exposure.

2012 #18 corey seager (ss) - 2019 topps allen & ginter hot box foil; #51 jesmuel valentin (ss)

the dodgers got it right with seager, a two-time world series mvp. valentin came their way as a supplemental pick for the loss of rod barajas. he was traded to the phillies in 2014 and later appeared for them in the majors during the 2018 season.

2013 #18 chris anderson (rhp)

anderson is another first rounder that never made it out of the minors.

2014 #22 grant holmes (rhp)

i was hoping that holmes would be the second coming of don sutton, and not just because of the curly hair. he was traded to the a's in 2016 with frankie montas and jharel cotton for josh reddick and rich hill, and was later dealt to the braves where he currently on the major league roster.

2015 #24 walker buehler (rhp) - 2021 panini mosaic reactive blue prizm; #35 kyle funkhouser (rhp)

buehler had a positive impact on the dodger roster, contributing to two world series championships. funkhouser, on the other hand, became the second dodger first round pick to not sign with the club.

2016 #20 gavin lux (ss) - 2022 topps x steve aoki; #32 will smith (c) - 2025 topps stadium club light blue foil; #36 jordan sheffield (rhp)

lux and smith are legit major leaguers, with smith being one of the best catchers in the game. sheffield was taken from the dodgers by the rockies in the 2020 rule 5 draft, and spent parts of two seasons in the majors with colorado.

2017 #23 jeren kendall (of)

kendall was a talented college player, but just couldn't overcome the strikeouts. he k'd in about a third of his plate appearances during his time in the dodger minor league system.

2018 #30 j.t. ginn (rhp)

ginn did not sign with the dodgers. two years later, he was drafted in the second round by the mets. he is currently in the a's rotation.

2019 #25 kody hoese (3b); #31 michael busch (2b) - 2023 panini select orange flash prizm

hoese eventually came to be seen as an ok triple-a player, and it looks like last year might have been his last in pro ball. busch on the other hand, is a solid big leaguer who found his spot with the cubs after a bit of playing time with the dodgers in 2023.

2020 #29 bobby miller (rhp) - 2024 topps gold

miller showed some flashes when he was in the majors with the dodgers in 2023, but since then he has struggled. being put in concussion protocol last season in his first start didn't help matters. i am hoping he puts it together this year, but he is currently dealing with some injuries so his comeback is on hold.

2021 #29 maddux bruns (lhp) - 2021 bowman draft genesis, 2022 topps pro debut

these are the only two cards i have so far of bruns, who may have been named after a former dodger pitcher. he is currently pitching in double-a for the dodgers, and his k/9 is great. unfortunately, his control is a major issue at the moment.

2022 the dodgers had no first round pick as a result of exceeding the competitive balance tax in the 2021 season

2023 #36 kendall george (of)

the 21-year old george is also in double-a to start the 2026 season, and is doing well. there is not a lot of room in the dodger outfield at the moment, but the trend in recent years has been for the dodgers to trade prospects rather than develop them, so who knows where george will make his big league debut, assuming he continues to perform.

2024 #23 kellon lindsey (ss)

i believe lindsey is still on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement. at any rate, he hasn't played anywhere yet in 2026.

2025 #40 zach root (lhp); #41 charles davalan (of)

both root and davalan are currently in high-a ball.

it was interesting to me to do this and see how much of a crapshoot the first round really is. kershaw and seager and smith stand alone as undeniable successes for the dodgers, with others like welch, sutcliffe, rhoden, buehler, and konerko being examples of scouts getting it right. there are a lot of players, however, who didn't pan out for whatever reason. we will have to see who from the 2026 draft emerges in a few years - i hope it's the dodger pick.

spot the difference!

with series 2 out, we are at the point in the year where i can post the annual "spot the difference" writeup comparing the topps factory team set to the flagship releases. i suppose there was a chance that i would have to wait for update again this year, but topps was not averse to getting a shohei ohtani card on to the mainstream series 2 checklist and so here we are.

first, i want to show you how the sets are packaged this year

same sort of hanger/blister packaging, but look at how large the plastic blister is! plenty of room to shake things up if you like!

they also stopped printing the checklist on the back, but i think it's been like that for at least a couple of years.

speaking of backs, the guaranteed difference between these cards and their flagship counterparts is the numbering on the back

and away we go, with flagship on the left and the team set on the right!

lad-1 freddie freeman

same. i don't consider the non-foil logo on the team set cards to be a difference. the team set cards also lack the foil that makes the neon look great on the flagship cards in hand, but they do scan more neon-y if you catch my drift.

lad-2 mookie betts

same

lad-3 shohei ohtani

same. when these sets were first released i saw these cards going for more than the price of the set itself.

lad-4 walker buehler

same

lad-5 tony gonsolin

same

lad-6 chris taylor

same [edit - night owl noticed the difference in positions on taylor's cards. this is a truly bizarre variation, as you would think topps would be set on positions from day one. in 2023, taylor played more games and innings in left field than anywhere else. next in both categories was shortstop, and third base followed. he also played a handful of games at second base]

lad-7 max muncy

same

lad-8 austin barnes

same. i thought that barnes was an interesting choice for the team set checklist, especially since that meant that will smith was not included. i am happy, however, that the dodgers have two catchers in flagship. they don't currently have a third catcher on their roster, but my early collecting days brought me to expect cards for three dodger catchers (steve yeager, johnny oates, and jerry grote each got cards in 1978 and 1979 topps).

lad-9 brusdar graterol

same

lad-10 bobby miller

so here the team set does not to with the "future stars" moniker which makes sense because the focus is on the team. not sure i consider this to be a real difference, but i suppose it is.

lad-11 emmet sheehan

same

lad-12 jonny deluca

same. i am sure we will see deluca in update as a ray.

lad-13 james outman

same

lad-14 clayton kershaw

ah! a true difference here with the team set kershaw changing it's orientation and using a photo from a completely different game! i wish the team set would have done something similar with the buehler card

lad-15 miguel vargas

here we have the same "future stars" difference as bobby miller's card

lad-16 michael busch

the team set gives us one last michael busch dodger card to enjoy. unlike deluca, topps left busch off the series 1 checklist, and 'shopped him into cubs gear for series 2. i appreciate that they used a different photo - i assume because it's easier to go from a dodger to a cub when you are wearing the away grays.

lad-17 gavin lux

same

so, really just one significant difference in terms of dodger cards (kershaw) plus what turned out to be a bonus dodger card (busch). not sure if two cards make the set worth it for the casual collector, but for a team collector like me, you bet it does - especially with kershaw involved.

i remembered that i put together a running list of these posts a couple of years ago, and have now updated the list below. 2016 and 2018 are partial set posts, and i realize now i don't even own the team sets from 2017 or 2019. there was no team set issued in 2021. otherwise, click and enjoy!

2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2018

2020

2022

2023

i will probably seek out those last two sets and get a proper 2018 post at some point. stay tuned!

an embarrassment of opportunity

there were three card shows in the twin cities metropolitan area last saturday. the regular monthly club show, a semi-annual regional show at a local church, and a mall show. this would be the south metro, west metro, and east metro. i made it to two of them and could have hit the third but i haven't been too impressed with the mall shows over the last couple of years.

i started off with the church show, just because it usually features some different sellers than the club show (which is a given when they are on the same day), but it was a bit underwhelming in terms of the number of tables. it wasn't too crowded, however, so i was able to belly up to a few tables pretty easily.

first stop was an older couple who i have purchased cards from before. they have a good variety of stuff in their bargain boxes, although they don't have dime boxes. i started with the 6/$1 boxes, and my favorite find was this 2004 fleer greats of the game announcing greats card of kirk gibson and ernie harwell

but a close second was this 1993 upper deck robin yount and george brett insert

celebrating their 3,000 hits. i used to have a 3k collection and i still have a hard time passing up any cards that are based on that milestone for hitters or pitchers.

i had some good luck with the few dodgers i pulled as i didn't check want lists. thankfully, these were all needs

1994 upper deck mike piazza electric diamond parallel

1995 donruss studio mike piazza

1996 upper deck collector's choice raul mondesi silver signature parallel

and 2022 topps pro debut pee wee reese milb legends insert

technically, that reese card would be a red sox card as he was a member of their organization while playing in louisville, but i am making an exception because it's the champ.

i also added a 2022 topps chrome update purple refractor double play card to my collection

courtesy of jonathan villar. in all i wound up with 42 cards for $7, and then i took a look through their 3/$1 boxes. i came away with these 45 cards 

for $15, although the seller at first just asked for $3. i told her that my california math told me it was $15, but i was happy to pay her price. after that, she would call out to me as "california" when i walked by.

i poked around at a few other tables, but didn't bite on anything. then, on my last round of the church gymnasium i spotted a table with a small box that was maybe half full, but the cards in it were being offered for a dime apiece. i saw some inserts from 2023 topps archives and dug in, taking several home with me including these 9

plus freddie freeman's 1969 single player foil insert

as well as a few others from the set.

the box was mostly base cards, but there were a lot of 2023 panini donruss parallels and inserts, too.

i grabbed a couple of dodger parallels - jim gilliam's purple holo

and michael busch's carolina blue holo

those carolina blues are pretty sharp, in my opinion. the tim raines one is really nice.

i suppose this is a parallel, too

even though it is an insert. it's a rapture parallel of the elite series card for duke snider, to be exact.

i did grab a couple of base cards from the box, including a 1995 sportflix tony gwynn card

for the name/number on the back collection. in all, i wound up with 30 cards for $3 from this seller.

it was still somewhat early, so i decided to head to the club show. i will save that haul for a separate post. stay tuned!