For the first time in the 2013 Amateur Draft, the Dodgers pick a high schooler. With the 124th pick in the 4th round, they choose Cody Bellinger. He is 6'4" and comes with professional Baseball bloodlines. His father is utility infielder
Clay Bellinger, who played for the Yankees and Angels over a 4 year career. Furthermore, Cody was a member of a 2007 Little League World Series team from Chandler, Arizona - a team his father coached.
Via
Mark Saxon at ESPN:
(Cody Bellinger) also works out with the son of Dodgers scouting director Logan White
in Arizona. He was at Dodger Stadium for a workout less than a week
ago.
It was pretty clear he was going to be a Dodger and, indeed, the Dodgers
selected the Chandler, Ariz., high school first baseman with their No.
124 overall pick Friday. Bellinger has a scholarship offer from Oregon,
but it's pretty clear he's going to sign and begin his minor-league
career soon.
"I'm definitely ready for the next phase," Bellinger said.
Based on the information above and a
great pic tweeted out by his sister, I think it's fair to say that he knew beforehand what his future would be. Heck, that pic was so prescient, I had to used it along with a vintage Topps cards to make a homemade fantasy card of him. See it above. It uses a 1962 Topps design.
BTW, Cody has a twitter account. Follow him here:
@CodyBellinger8.
For more background on Cody Bellinger check out the stories below:
Check out my two previous post featuring the Dodgers first 3 draft picks
here and
here.
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BTW, This is the last post I'll do that focuses individually on each new draftee. As for the other new Dodgers selected in the first two days of the 2013 Draft, check out the handy list below.
From a
Dodgers press release:
In the fifth round, Los Angeles selected their third pitcher in the draft in Palm Beach CC (FL) right-hander J.D. Underwood, the son of former Major League pitcher, Tom Underwood. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder went 8-2 with a 1.66 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 92.1 innings this season, leading the Panthers to the Florida JUCO State Championship and earning the FCSAA Pitcher of the Year award.
The Dodgers picked right-handed pitcher Jacob Rhame out of Grayson County (TX) College with their sixth-round selection after the 20-year-old went with 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 12 games (three starts) this season. Rhame, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, appeared in six games (three starts) while at the University of Oklahoma as a freshman in 2012 before transferring.
In the seventh round, Los Angeles selected UC Santa Barbara shortstop Brandon Trinkwon, who batted .280 with four home runs and 37 RBI in 60 games with the Gauchos as a junior this spring. Trinkwon had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2012, batting .347 with 17 doubles, three triples, two homers and 32 RBI in 56 games and was chosen by Baseball America as a Preseason Second Team All-America and as the country’s Best Defensive Infielder heading into 2013. He batted a combined .302 during his three collegiate seasons after graduating from Beckman High School in Tustin, CA.
The Dodgers selected catcher Kyle Farmer out of the University of Georgia in the eighth round. Farmer batted .290 with three homers and 44 RBI as a senior in 2013, while leading all NCAA players with 12 sacrifice flies and striking out just 12 times in 210 at-bats. Farmer ended his UGA career with the highest fielding percentage ever by Bulldogs shortstop with a .968 mark in 1,045 total chances, but will be converted to a catcher as a pro.
In the ninth round, the Dodgers picked Texas Wesleyan outfielder Henry Yates. Yates, 22, played two seasons at the University of Delaware and spent his junior season at Vanguard University before transferring to Texas Wesleyan for his senior year, where he led the team with a .413 batting average and 45 RBI in 45 games. Henry’s father, David, was selected by the Phillies in the 10th round of the 1970 draft, but never reached the Majors.
Los Angeles’ last selection on the second day of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft was Mansfield University (PA) right-hander Nick Keener. The 22-year-old is the son of Little League International President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Keener.
