2026 MLB Draft Review: Los Angeles Dodgers

The players

Given the Dodgers’ free-agent splurge last winter, coupled with CBT penalties, they didn’t have much to play with in the 2026 MLB Draft. In fact, the Dodgers didn’t even have a pick until #40, when the club took high school infielder Bo Lowrance.

The Dodgers have made it a habit of targeting high-tool high schoolers with upside at the top of the draft; Kendall George and Kellon Lindsey are recent examples of that. Lawrence does have significant upside. He’s a 6’5” infielder who has a reasonably strong arm and could develop into a power-hitting infielder.

After Lowrance, the Dodgers didn’t have a pick until the fourth round. With that pick, Los Angeles picked Florida pitcher Russell Sandefer. Sandefer worked mostly as a reliever on a deep Gators team but saw some time as a weekday starter, and it makes sense to work as a starting pitcher in the pros. With the Gators this past season, Sandefer struck out 60 over 57 frames.

Low-to-mid-90s two-seamer, along with a sweeping slider, curveball, cutter, and changeup.

Three rounds, the Dodgers continued their push for college pitchers with Charlie West from UConn. West was one of the more under-the-radar pitchers available in the 2026 MLB Draft. The left-hander had 111 strikeouts over 87.1 IP for the Huskies, good for the top-30 among D1 pitchers this past season. And as noted in our Cape Cod League review, West had one of the highest swing-and-miss rates in that circuit before he was drafted.

Northeast college pitchers can be hit-or-miss. But there is legitimate upside with West, who had a high-carry fastball and polished curveball with action. His fastball sat in the high-80s to low-90s. However, there is the potential for him to add a tick or two professionally.

Miles Gosztola was one of two Oregon Ducks picked by the Dodgers, alongside Devin Bell. Gosztola struck out 69 over 62.1 IP as a starter/reliever for Oregon this past season, while Bell had 41 over 37 innings.

Gosztola’s sinker sat 90-93 MPH, paired with a changeup and slider. Bell, meanwhile, flashed a four-seamer that ran up to the upper-90s out of the bullpen for Oregon.

The Dodgers also grabbed two pitchers who had abbreviated 2026 campaigns. ECU senior Gavin Van Kempen struck out 45 over 29 innings for the Pirates, posting a 1.84 ERA in six contests. He has a fleshed-out arsenal, including a low-90s four-seamer and sinker, curveball, changeup, slider, and cutter.

Cody New struck out 98 over 80 frames back in 2025 for California Baptist. New entered 2026 as the Lancers’ ace but made just one start in February before his season ended.

Mixed in the 2026 MLB Draft was Texas Tech outfielder Kyeler Thompson, who stole a team-high 26 bases for the Red Raiders last year.