2010 LAD Draft Revisited

Posted By on May 10, 2020

We are coming up to the 2020 draft, such as it is, and I was thinking about the 2010 draft.  That was a draft that has multiple superstars.  First round selections included Bryce Harper, Jameson Taillon, Manny Machado, Drew Pomeranz, Matt Harvey, Yasmani Grandal, Chris Sale, Mike Foltynewicz, Christian Yelich, and of course the Dodgers very own Zach Lee; all $5.25 MM.  Compensation picks selected after the 1st round who were still available after the Zach Lee selection included, Noah Syndergaard, Taijuan Walker, and Nick Castellanos.  2nd round picks included Sammy Solis, Brandon Workman, Jedd Gyorko, Jimmy Nelson, Drew Smyly, Andrelton Simmons, and JT Realmuto. 

Following the first round, picks 2-9 produced one ML player, but not with the Dodgers.  Kevin Gausman was the 6th round selection in 2010, but did not sign with the Dodgers, and three years later he was the first round pick (overall #4) with the Baltimore Orioles.  On December 10, 2019, Kevin signed a FA contract with the SF Giants, and is currently projected to be the #3 in their rotation behind Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija.

Round 2  – Ralston Cash – RHP – Lakeview Academy, Georgia – Signed $463,500

Ralston lost his mother in an auto crash when he was 3, and was in his own auto accident in 2008.  He recovered to show some of the best velocity in the state of Georgia.  Cash sat in the low 90’s and touched 94.  Scouts believed his secondary pitches were fringy, making Ralston somewhat of a reach.  Cash reached AAA in 2015, and spent parts of 2016 and 2018 at that level.  Cash was released in August 2017 and was signed by Seattle.  After the 2017 season, Cash elected FA and was signed by Baltimore in November 2017.  He was released in t he Spring and was signed by LAA in March 2018.  Cash again elected free agency in 2018, but has not re-signed with anyone and is currently out of baseball.

Round 3 – Leon Landry – CF – Louisiana State University – $284,400

Per Baseball American Landry’s scouting report – “Landry was a regular on Louisiana State’s 2008 College World Series club as a freshman, but he lost his starting job midway through 2009. After helping the Tigers win the national title as a part-timer, he starred in the Cape Cod League, hitting .364 with wood bats. Landry profiles as a potential four-tool center fielder. He’s having his best college season to date, reflecting a more mature approach at the plate. He no longer sells out for power and pulls off pitches, and he’s doing a much better job of controlling the strike zone. A 5-foot-11, 195-pound lefthanded batter, he projects as a possible .275 hitter with 15 homers in the big leagues. He has slightly above-average speed and keen defensive instincts that allow him to play center field. If he can’t stick in center as a pro, his below-average arm would dictate a move to left field, which in turn would put more pressure on his bat.”

On July 31, 2012, Landry was traded with fellow 2010 draftee, Logan Bawcom (17th round) to Seattle for relief pitcher Brandon League.  On November 7, 2016, Landry elected free agency, signed with Cincinnati (01/09/17) and was released (06/18/17).  He is currently out of baseball.  Another CF draft bust, but there was one other CF that was selected in the 26th round that has had a serviceable ML career, Scott Schebler.

Round 4 – James Baldwin III  – CF – Pinecrest HS, North Carolina – $180,000

Baldwin is the son of former ML pitcher, James Baldwin Jr. who graduated from the same high school and was drafted in the 4th round by CWS 20 years earlier.  Baldwin was released by the Dodgers (03-24-15), signed by CWS (03-30-15), and released for the final time on 09-24-2015.  Baldwin reached High A in 2014.

Round 5 – Jake Lemmerman – SS – Duke University – $139,500

Lemmerman was a solid defensive player with minimal speed who figured to move to 2nd or 3rd.  He hit 11 HRs as a junior, but that was not considered acceptable for a corner infielder.  This was a reach.  Lemmerman was traded on 12-12-12 to St. Louis for Skip Schumaker.  On 03-22-14, Schumaker was assigned to San Diego, and was released by the Padres on 04-09-15.  Lemmerman is also out of baseball.  Lemmerman reached AAA in 2014 with 120 PA.

Round 6 – Kevin Gausman – Did not sign

Round 7 – Ryan Christensen – LHP – South Mountain CC AZ – $125,000

This was the third time Christensen was drafted by the Dodgers.  He was selected in the 35th round in 2007, the 40th round in 2009, and the 7th round in 2010.  Christensen made it to Great Lakes  in 2010 and 2011.  He was injured and out all 2012.  He was assigned to Rancho Cucamonga on 04-04-2013, but did not play and retired on 12-17-2013.

Round 8 – Blake Dean – 1B – Louisiana State University – $35,000

Dean made it to Great Lakes in 2011, and was out of baseball at the end of the year.

Round 9 – Steve Domecus – LF – Virginia Tech – $25,000

Domecus reached High A at Rancho in 2012.  He was released by Rancho on 01-04-2013 and signed by Colorado on 01-15-2013. He never played in the Rockies organization.

Round 10 – Bobby Coyle – LF – Fresno State University – $95,000

Made it to AA and was released by Tulsa on 03-31-15, and is out of baseball.

But in the 11th round, the Dodgers hit jackpot…LHH CF out of Palo Alto HS, Joc Pederson. Joc was the star of the 2010 draft, and he signed for 2nd largest bonus for the Dodgers that year: $600,000.  Joc was committed to play for USC, and he was going to stay with his commitment if he did not get the large bonus.  Joc made it to the Show in 2014, and was an All Star in 2015.  He is a legit power threat from the left side, but is currently incapable of consistently hitting LHP.  Joc has 123 HR, and is currently tied for 23rd on the All-Time Dodgers HR list with Frank Howard.  Pee Wee Reese (126), Gary Sheffield (129), Zach Wheat (131), Jackie Robinson (137) and Mike Marshall (137) are the next five directly ahead of Joc.  Joc is due to be a free agent after the 2020 season.

Besides Zach Lee and his 4 games and Joc, the only other 2010 draftees Dodger who played MLB were CF Noel Cuevas (21st round – 76 games), CF Scott Schebler (26th round), John “Red” Patterson (29th round – 1 game).  Red started May 1, 2014 against Minnesota and pitched 4.2 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits.  The final 2010 LAD draftee was RHRP Shawn Tolleson.  Besides being a serviceable relief pitcher who retired on 01-16-2019, Tolleson is one of Clayton Kershaw’s closest friends.  They have both been extremely instrumental with Kershaw’s Challenge in making a difference in Zambia.  Baseball is a game, Kershaw’s Challenge is life. 

Picture – August 22, 2012 – Dodgers pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Shawn Tolleson were at Gates Elementary School in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning to give backpacks filled with school supplies thanks to the Dodgers Dream Foundation and A Foundation for Kids. During the course of the event, the hurlers spotted a tetherball pole and couldn’t help themselves. Kershaw’s wife, Ellen, snapped a picture of them locked in intense tetherballing competition.

It would appear from the photo that the right-handed Tolleson was aiming to hit the ball clockwise, with the left-handed Kershaw going for counter-clockwise — positioning that would put both at an equal advantage. Probably a fair decision when two elite athletes are going at it.

2010 will not go down as one of the better drafts for LAD.  Joc Pederson, Scott Schebler, and Shawn Tolleson are the only 2010 draftees signed by LAD to play any substantive role in MLB.   

This article has 29 Comments

    1. I could not pull up the Pittman article. It kept taking me to a Subscriber login. Rivers is going to love Pittman. Indianapolis is going to love Pittman as much for his philanthropy as his football.

      Ralston Cash was a reach for a 2nd round pick. I thought so at the time, and still believe they wanted a less expensive choice after selecting Zach Lee, knowing what they were going to need to spend.

  2. In fairness to the Dodgers, other than the few stars mentioned, that weren’t on the board when the Dodgers made their selections, the 2010 draft was a crappy draft overall. Players available to the Dodgers included Noah Syndegaard, Aaron Sanchez, Nick Castellanos, J.T Realmuto, Jimmy Nelson, Michael Lorenzon, Corey Dickerson, Kole Calhoun and not much else. Hindsight would have helped us select each of those players over the ones chosen, but alas, they were selecting in real time. Other than Zach Lee, I do wonder how many times the McCourt influence required the Dodgers to select a “cheaper” alternative.

    1. It may not have been a good year all around, but the Dodgers top ten selections were pathetic. I am as much of a homer when it comes to draft picks as there is, but there was not much to be positive about. Only Zach Lee made it to the Show, and he pitched in all of 4 ML games. He still dominated AA hitters while pitching for Binghamton in the Mets organization last year. Not so much in AAA with Syracuse. Many of the others in the top ten did not make it out of A Ball.

  3. Wow, I was so glad to stumble back to this site and see it up and running. I really missed the interactions and information, and participants. A big thanks to Jeff especially and the others who have resurrected and contributed. Jeff your posts have been great and i’m getting caught up reading past posts.
    I’ve been out of commission as a few weeks ago I fell off my bicycle and spent a couple of days in the hospital. Seems I broke my shoulder, a couple of ribs, badly bruised my other elbow, got some wounds on my lower legs and road rash. I’m slowly getting better but it’s slow going. Now it’s just time to heal. Just trying to get better every day.
    The worst part was I crashed on the pavement in a park that’s pretty empty. While 3 skateboarders and one walker passed by, no one was eager to get involved with some old man bleeding on the sidewalk, unable to get up who might be dead or have coronavirus. Finally a nice man helped me and called 911 and stayed with me until help arrived. Great guy and I can’t remember his name. I’d love to say thanks again.. I was a little over 2 hours face down on the pavement unable to get up or crawl with my damaged arms. Not my best day.
    Starved for ball, I have watched a couple of KBO games. I can’t watch too many more old reruns of Gunsmoke. The quality of play is so-so and it’s weird with no fans. A quality D-1 college team would give these teams a run for their money. But they’re playing. A couple of things are interesting. One is the broadcast itself. One announcer in Cal, one in Conn, and a guest in Japan all doing the game in Korea. All safely at home broadcasting a game half way around the world. I wonder if any of this may become the new normal down the road. Second, if you listen to Karl Ravish or Jeff Passan you get all the reasons why playing this year at all will be extremely difficult. There are so many ramifications that I hadn’t though of. The KBO has been seen as sort of a trial run for MLB but the are so many differences that make MLB much tougher and not comparable. Korea seems so much more homogenous being a small country, bus trips only and having the virus apparently under better control. MLB trying to play in 30 cities in states that have their own rules to control the virus and Canada, 4 time zones, airplanes (I know they are charters) with family members, press and staff. How is that all controlled? It was pointed out that younger players trying to make a career might be way more eager to resume play, be away from family if not married and make some big league money. Other established guys like Kershaw have stated they have no interest in being away from their wife and kids for extended periods. So they could opt out. Do they get paid if they opt out? It’s been discussed to play in Arizona or Florida only to minimize some of the travel and exposure problems. How many games can they play in a day at Chase Field in the air conditioned dome? It was 106 last week in Az with the overnight low about 90. And it will get hotter. Add playing in a sauna to the existing problems and I don’t see a lot of players jumping at that plan. I really do not want to be Debbie Downer but until this virus is way more controlled, I don’t see the games resuming anytime soon, if at all. And right now my bet would be not at all this season. It breaks my baseball heart to say that but everyone’s safety has to take precedence over haste to play the game.
    Thanks again Jeff. You’re doing a great job.

    1. Wishing you a speedy recovery Phil. Sounds like you had quite an adventure there.

    2. Good grief, Phil. What a horrible day! What’s up with the losers who just passed by and didn’t help?

      I hope you have a full and speedy recovery!

  4. By the way, Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there, especially DodgerBlueMom. Have a great day.

    1. UPDATE ABOVE

      Phil, thank you for the mention of Mothers Day. I was not sure what day I was going to publish this, and inadvertently left out the something on Mothers Day.

      HAPPY MOTHERS DAY, and especially to DodgerBlueMom.

      1. My wife posted this on Facebook:

        Woke up to breakfast in bed this morning made by Mark Timmons – “A” for effort and consideration …. and I’ll just leave that right there

        So… I am cooking challenged, but I can grill a mean steak, make coffee, boil water and make Ramen.

        Oh, and I can poach an egg and make toast.

        Impressed? Don’t be!

      2. Thank you philjones and AC. Happy Mother’s Day to your wifes and everyone else’s wife also. Philjones, please get well soon and welcome back.

  5. Thank you all for your support and well wishes. It’s great to feel back home on this site. Bless you all.
    Good call MT on me giving up this behavior!

  6. Has anyone sent a notice out to all of the former site users letting them know that LADT is back in action? If not, let me be the first to suggest this.

    Am missing the banter between the posters on this site. People need to have enough freedom to disagree with each other but without personal attacks. This verbal process is what made this site so popular and I just hope it isn’t lost.

  7. I do not know too much about drafts, so will leave up to you who are more knowledgeable than I to comment. But, attention SoCalBum, Bumsrap, Brooklyn Dodger, Cassidy, Bear, sbuffalo, Bluto and Paul from GrantsPass. Please rejoin us if you haven’t already. It would be nice to see everyone again and support AC, DC, 2D2 and Mark for keeping this site alive. Thank you.

    1. Way to go DBM. I put a call out for SoCalBum the other day. I’ve known him for years from another site. Glad you knew many of the other posters. Let’s hope that they get the word and return to this site.

    1. Very interesting article, AC on the espn story. Wonder if the players union will agree and/or negotiate a revenue split. Like the idea for an expanded roster even if only for an abbreviated season. Hope they will do something for the minor league season. Hard decisions to make.

  11. My wife can’t wait any longer – we are going to one of our favorite restaurants tonight in Carmel (north of Indy – Indy re-opens next week). They just opened up today. We have reservations at 8:30 for 50% occupancy.

    https://charlestons.com/

  12. By the way, I told you the DH was coming to the NL… albeit under strange circumstances. 😉

  13. So I’m involved in something cool right now. Season Ticket holders were invited to a Zoom call this evening with a bunch of our organization’s stars.

    So I’m watching a group interview, led by Joe Davis and Alana. Meeting members are Billie Jean King, Doc, Buehler, Beaty, Mookie, JT, Muncy, Lux, and Eric Gagne. Deiter Ruehle is there playing the organ at times, and even Ken Jeong has joined in.

    Kinda cool just to see these faces again! I wish I was able to post a pic of the meeting.

    1. Very cool. I know I will be reading about the Zoom Party, but I would be very interested in your take.

  14. First Report:

    No one was seated within 10 feet of us. All the staff wore masks.

    The waiter was from France and come to the US for a better life.

    He believes he has one… compared to France.

    He has a new baby on the way and a $100 tip to show our gratitude.

    Pay it forward!

    1. Maybe not a $100 tip, but about once a week since my usual Starbucks’ have been closed, and I am sitting in long lines with the drive thru,I pay for the car behind me. I do believe in Pay It Forward.

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