With the 23rd pick in the MLB player draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers have selected Kellon Lindsey, a shortstop from Hardee High School, Wauchula, Florida. There are dozens of blogs and other sites that provide you with what Baseball America, Fangraphs and the like think of him. I’ll spare you the duplication and provide some other background information on him.
For those interested, Wauchula is a town with a population of approximately 5000. It’s situated between Zolfo Springs and Bowling Green, Florida, roughly 65 miles south east of Tampa. Wauchula is the county seat of Hardee County, Florida and has, at one time, held the distinction of being the “cucumber capital of the world.”
Kellon is the son of Gerald and Nicole Lindsey of Wauchula. His mom also graduated from Hardee High and is a teacher. I could not find any information on the father. He has three siblings, 2 older brothers who were also athletes and are college educated. According to a picture I saw of him with his siblings, he also has a sister, though she wasn’t named and nothing else was written about her.
Kellon is 6’2″ and weighs 175-180. He is described as skinny, though all pictures I have seen of him he looks fairly muscular and well built, though not overly so. He was the starting quarterback for Hardee High for 4 years. He holds the school record for career passing yards. In his senior year he passed for over 3,500 yards and ran for 2,300 yards. His calling card is speed. He is one of the fastest players in the 2024 draft class recording 6.57 seconds in the 60-yard dash and he ran the fast 30 yard dash at the MLB combine in Arizona last week at 3.53 seconds. If you watch any videos of him online, of which there are now many, the kid can fly around the bases. His most common comparison is to Trea Turner. Having listened to a few interviews of Kellon, he gives me more of a Cory Seager vibe. It is obvious that he comes from a solid family that he is a small town boy, and that he has been instilled with a tremendous work ethic. Like Seager, he’s not a backwoods country boy, but he does seem that he’s one who likes simple things more than the bright city lights. Whether he has the success that Seager or Turner have experienced remains to be seen.
Kellon’s special interests are fishing, hunting and winning at most sports. He has an instagram page @gatorsbb which has pictures of him with an amazing lobster haul and some good size fish that he caught off the Florida Keys. He sites Tarpon as being his favorite fish to catch. He also says that his favorite player, that does not play the same position as him, is Joc Pederson. If he doesn’t sign with the Dodgers (it is almost 100% certain he will) he will go to Florida University and get a degree in Agriculture Business. He has also never played baseball in cold weather. Once he plays for the Great Lakes Loons, he will check that off his bucket list.
I’ll provide more information on him later.
MILB GAMES:
OKC 5 – El Paso 4
The Baseball Club scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 11th to pull this one out.
Ben Casparius made his first start after coming off the IL. He threw 3 strong innings, allowing no hits, walking one and striking out 4. He appears to be a pitcher that the Dodgers development staff think highly off. Keep your eyes on him, he soon could be on the Dodgers’ IL as all other pitchers. Casparius was followed by Chris Vallant who allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and walk in 4 innings. He also K’d 6. Normally that would be a decent outing. Unfortunately the OKC hitters were desperately trying to mimic the Dodger hitters and couldn’t get much going until the later innings. Joe Kelly also pitched an inning and did what he so regularly does, he walked 2 and struck out a hitter. I’m not sure if he made any pouty faces, though I’m told he is working on them.
The only hitter that had any success was Hunter Feduccia who had 3 hits. Looks like he’s interested in getting traded this month. Trey Sweeney homered, Kody Hoese got a hit and drove in a run and Alan Trejo drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly.
Corpus Christi Hooks 5 – Tulsa Drillers 3
Not much stood out in this game, other than Damon Keith (a personal favorite of mine) got 3 hits in 4 at bats, including a double. Also, Edgardo Henriquez, he of the 150 mph fastball, let everyone know that he doesn’t want to be traded this month. In his one inning he allowed 2 runs on 1 hit and 1 walk, albeit he struck out 3. He was the losing pitcher.
Fort Wayne Tincups 7 – Great Lakes Loons 4
Peter Huebeck only pitched an inning but did okay. James Meador followed for 5 innings and allowed 4 runs. Noah Miller was 3 for 5, and Jordan Thompson had 2 RBI.
Quakes 10 San Jose Ports 5
Wyatt Crowell started and pitched well. He’s one to keep your eye on. Also, Juan Alonso, who is the younger brother of Pete Alonso from another mother(not really) hit a first inning grand slam to get the victory party going.
Teo first Dodger to win HR derby. Beats Witt 14-13
I like the look of this kid. Dodgers picked another SS on the second day of the draft. Despite their troubles lately, the Dodgers are the only team with four players who have 55 RBIs or more. Ohtani, Freeman, Hernandez and Smith.
I have a few initial thoughts:
That’s a lot of yards.
This kid is all fast twitch. When he’s 6’2” 195 he might hit the ball a long way. What are his bat to ball skills?
There’s nothing 65 miles south east of Tampa. Certainly no 98 mph fastballs live there.
I wonder if, like Trea Turner, he would prefer playing on the East Coast. Never mind. That won’t come til later.
Hope this is a good pick. There were a couple of interesting pitchers still on the board at that time.
Highlight headlines from yesterday:
Teoscar. Congratulations! And oh no, how is this going to affect his swing going forward?
“Soto wants to play with Ohtani!” Ok. How much money does he want to do it?
400 million plus I would think. He will only be 26 next season. If he wants to come to LA, I sign the guy.
Much, much more
Soto said he’d like to play with Shohei. He didn’t say he’d like to do that in L.A. (although that would be the only choice at this point).
I’m guessing he and Boras will start the bidding at 500 mil this winter and go from there. After all, he turned down 440 from the Nats. I would be very surprised if he doesn’t wind up with one of the NY teams.
Yeah, me too. It’s not my money.
The same contract might get it done.
What the heck. It’s only money and the Dodgers have plenty of that. Sign him.
Two Ohtani contracts. Plus it would mess with the Yankees.
The Mets might have a say.
I think he might prefer the west coast and play with Ohtani over the better $$ offer the Mets might offer.
He loves it in NY.
I don’t think he came out and said I really want to play with Shohei. A reporter said which of these All Stars would you most want to play with and his answer was Ohtani. Hardly a plea to come join him here in L.A.
So you start this conversation and now you are trying to throw cold water on it. That’s like Muncy starting the year with a few home runs, RBIs, and a decent AVE. and then fades into an injury. You are a tease Blue.
I started the conversation.
But I have no problem with you throwing cold water on STB.
I’ve decided to fast track Kendle George and Kellon Lindsey and put them in the 2026 Dodger lineup at CF and SS respectfully. That would give the Dodgers two 80 rated speed guys in the lineup.
Kellon scores points for naming Joc his favorite non SS player.
I was hoping he’d pick Muncy. 😂
He seems more smarter than that.
I’m still waiting to hear the bat to ball skills of this kid. I read he hit .405 in high school but that was probably against Zolfo Springs and Frostproof. How did he do against the larger schools like Poinciana, Bartow and Sebring.
Badger, this is all I could find on his bat to ball skills:
“He(Lindsey) has a short, right-handed swing geared to making contact and sending line drives up the middle. He may never be a huge power guy, and he does need to add strength, but as he’s started to catch the ball out front, he’s impacting the ball more, with some pop to come. He has solid strike zone awareness with good swing decisions and takes walks against lesser competition.” This is from MLB.com’s prospect report on him. Doesn’t fully answer your question, but it was the best I could find. I was going to look through the box scores and newspaper accounts for each of his games, but frankly, right now I don’t have the time as I’m up to my elbows in alligators with work as I’m heading out on vacation tomorrow.(little Florida reference metaphor)
Thanks. Reads well. We shall see.
I went to a game at Ranco Cucamonga and it’s going to be a lot longer than 2026 before George is ready. He struck out three times and walked once. He’s very fast but they haven’t found a way to steal first base yet. I know it was only one game but even some fans that sounded like regulars said he needed to be able to hit. He looked totally over matched the night I saw him.
Thanks Rob for the information on Kellen Lindsey. The comp with Trea Turner seems solid. Seems like a great kid. I would certainly think that the slot money for the 23rd pick of $3,676,400, would be enough to get him signed.
But with the available NIL money at a place like Florida, nothing is certain anymore. Sighabilty is a bigger factor than ever, with the drafts with high school kids.
Could be mistaken, but I think the last SS the Dodgers picked in the first round was Gavin Lux.
A few picks later the Dodgers got the best first-rounder: Will Smith.
I figure the Dodgers aren’t going to take a first-round hitter who has mediocre bat-to-ball skills. The Trea Turner comp seems fitting. He should grow into some power.
Lindsey may have been a fine high school quarterback, but I read somewhere there is some question about his arm (shades of Lux?) and that his speed could prompt a move to CF. (The Padres’ rookie CF Jackson Merrill shifted from SS to fit the Pads’ needs.)
Right now, the top Dodgers SS prospects include Sweeney in OKC, Freeland in Tulsa and Jeondry Vargas and Emil Morales coming up. Noah Miller in Great Lakes is considered the best fielder, I think.
Suddenly a lot of competition for SS. Too bad the Dodgers missed out on the dozen or so young shortstops now making an impact.
Teoscar now in the starting lineup for the All-Star game replacing Fernando Tatis who needs to have an MRI.
Just an aside, but, I think it is hilarious that the Cubs are in last place and the Brewers are in first place after the Cubs dissed Ross.
And after Counsell dissed the Brewers.
Cubs are stupid
And 2016 is one of the first years we should’ve won it
Lux, Taylor, Kike, and Biggio. Four dead spots in the 26.
By the deadline, DFA Biggio, trade Lux
Lux is frustrating
Taylor is salvageable
Keekay is 26th man emergency guy only
Biggio is burnt toast
Over the last 30 days, Taylor’s OPS is above .800.
And the others have been pretty bad…
Thanks Rob for this and your other recent Post.
Nice to read you again.
A couple of observations. I read here and at LADT and there are a lot of names put forward as alternatives to our bottom of the lineup guys, but if I’m being honest none of them excite me, and I’m not sure would be a big improvement of the guys we’ve already got.
I think the reason we’re seeing Doc run these guys out time after time is because there really aren’t many needle movers out there, and there’s almost as much chance of one of Kike, CT3, or Lux getting hot at the right time, so why waste the Prospects?
The exception is Aronateza, who has the potential to be a big contributor come the playoffs as Michael suggests. I’d push some chips in for him.
The other point is that it’s a complete no brainer to sign Soto as a FA, and his “come and get me” call should be enough for AF to get it done.
The Dodgers are never going to draft anyone of his elite stature, or realistically have the prospect capital to put together to get him via a trade.
When these elite players become available the Dodgers need to all in. Our Outfield depth is poor, and any nonsense about him being a bad apple has stopped since he got to the Bronx.
Plus Shohei hasn’t deferred all that money for no good reason, and there’s money coming off the books in the off season.
For me the sky isn’t falling. Far from it actually. I think you’ll see a very different second half, and a couple of the Black Hole Gang will come good.
kike and CT3 have got history.
No, they do not draft high enough to get the top kids. But Soto is from the Dominican and was signed as an amateur free agent. They have more misses than hits with their international signings lately. The last really big thing to come in the form of a Latin position player was Puig. I would love to see Soto in LA if for no other reason than to stick it to the Padres. Arozarena is my pick to improve the outfield. Guy is nails in the post-season.
I noticed that the Dodgers took Elijah Hainline in Round 7. He started at WSU and transferred to Oregon State. I watched him in Surprise this spring in the OSU Tourney. I watch shortstops closely and Elijah didn’t “pop” for me. Just another 5’10”, 180lb, college SS with a so-so arm, is what I saw. Obviously a very small sample and the Dodger scouts saw something that I didn’t. Slot value $247,900.
At that point why not take a shot at a 6’6” pitcher from Blowfish High? Basketball player. Big hands. Teach him a split finger and a knuckle curve. He could be unhittable.
Hey Phil and Badger, have you seen video on the high school outfielder we took in round 8, Brendan Tunink?
To me (and I’m absolutely no expert) he looks like he has a nice quick bat, something I noticed with Belli’s high school videos before he decided to make himself into Babe Ruth.
Would be interested in your opinion.
STB – Tunick is an interesting kid. It looks like the Dodgers drafted him as a pitcher. His stats show he hasn’t pitched much, which can be a good thing but his FB velo is nothing to write home about. And at 6’1″ and 185, he’s not the prototypical size for an MLB pitcher. But he’s 18.
As a hitter, I see what you saw, a nice quick bat. Good hands, separation and balance. Very nice, fluid swing. I don’t see Bellinger’s swing here. He doesn’t drop his head 18 inches to load up. But I haven’t seen his hifi school head.
He did apparently play in some showcase type environments. He hit .488 in high school but I have no idea the level of pitching he saw.
So, is he destined to hit or pitch.
He seems like a gym rat who wants to play pro ball. But as an 8th rounder, his slot $ is only $205,800. That’s not a lot of money. If he has financial help at Notre Dame, mixed with NIL money, he might be better served to fill out in college and sort out pitching and/or hitting.
It will be interesting to see if he signs.
I second what Phil says, and I don’t see him as a professional pitcher. I don’t think he will sign. He can make that at Notre Dame, make lifetime connections there, pitch and hit, put on some weight and maybe get drafted later. If I was advising him that’s what I’d tell him
Thanks for the comments guys. Since they identified him as an outfielder I was assuming they were planning to use him that way and not as a pitcher.
I know you’ve discussed Belli’s dropping his head many times, Phil, but I don’t recall seeing that in his draft day (high school) video. I think he started doing that when they told him he needed more power. That’s why I’m hoping if he signs that Tunink won’t try to re-do his already nice looking approach at the plate.
SS – Kellon Lindsey – I am not high on this pick. This has the feel of a swing and miss like Jeren Kendall, Jake Vogel, and Kendall George. Drafting for speed has not helped the Dodgers.
Per Keith Law (for Badger):
The Dodgers have shown no ability to draft and develop position players in the AF era except for Will Smith. Depth in the form of platoon players, utility players, bench players, sure…but one full time regular position player in 9 drafts? OTOH they do have an ability to develop pitchers. Why not stay with their strength with only 1 pick in the first 97 draft picks.
Maybe this works out, but their track record says otherwise.
FWIW, my picks would have been (and all four were available)
1. LHP Cam Caminiti (HS) – Reclassified in his senior year to graduate early. He is 17. Possibly the best HS pitching prospect in the 2024 class. Cousin of Ken Caminiti can’t hurt. I am a fan of genes. – Drafted by Atlanta at 24 (1 pick after LAD). MLB Pipeline #15 draft prospect. Was first high school pitcher drafted in 2024.
2. LHP Kash Mayfield (HS) – An older HS pitcher at 19. The two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma, Mayfield just completed a remarkable senior season at Elk City. He went 8-0 with a 0.16 ERA across 44 innings. He struck out 115 hitters — essentially 87% of his outs — while allowing just four hits and eight walks. Drafted by San Diego 2 spots after LAD drafted Lindsey. MLB Pipeline #30 prospect.
3. RHP Ryan Sloan (HS) – Committed to Wake Forest : “Six-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Sloan has a strong lower half and is built to eat innings. A Wake Forest recruit, he uses his size to create extension and a flat approach angle to add deception. He repeats his delivery well and throws his entire arsenal for quality strikes.” MLB Pipeline #19 draft prospect. Drafted by Seattle in the 2nd round, #60 overall. Has agreed to sign with Seattle for $3MM. Certainly within the bonus pool $$$ for LAD.
4. RHP Brody Brecht (Iowa) – Perhaps the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the draft, but with a corresponding low floor. Paul Skenes”esque” potential. He was the 38th overall player drafted (CB-A) by Colorado. MLB Pipeline #21 draft prospect.
The question becomes…will Lindsey accept a below slot deal to not honor his commitment to University of Florida. Lindsey has told everyone that he expects to sign. Now…for how much?
And for those who are excited about his football exploits, here a few prominent QB drafted:
· Zach Lee
· Cody Thomas
· Kyler Murray
I know I can research to find many more, but those three came to me quickly.
Now we just have to wait a couple of years for Preller to include Kash Mayfield in one of those 12 great prospects for a MLB All Star trades he loves so much.
While being fully aware of the Jeren Kendall/Jake Vogel (too early to tell on Kendall George) history, I was hoping that Lindsey might be the exception to the rule.
On the other hand Jeff, you have a long history of identifying “shoulda picked” players on the day after the draft, so now I just hold my breath.
Very similar to the Dodgers digest guy!
Bruce Kuntz? I am okay with that.
I had the same feeling but only joked about it. It does feel like the Dodgers have done this before.
I can’t agree that Kendall George is a swing and miss, yet.
But to Jeff’s credit, he’s kind of been better at evaluating talent the last few drafts than the Dodger guys, so let’s all hope Jeff is finally wrong!
I like the pick. That doesn’t make Friedman feel any better though while your take might worry him.
I have no opinion on whether they should have picked one of the pitchers you mentioned. As you know, these decisions don’t happen in a vacuum. It could have been because of the limited amount of $$ available to them, and the demands of those not selected. Maybe they just liked this player over the others.
In any event, I took the liberty of looking up past Dodger shortstops selected in the 1st round. Here are their scouting reports from Perfect Game and baseball America. Not a whole lot of difference between them.
Kellon Lindsey:
Perfect Game
Kellon Lindsey is a 2024 OF/MIF with a 6-2 170 lb. frame from Wauchula, FL who attends Hardee. A medium frame and athletic build. Strength present with broad shoulders in his frame. Good twitch as well. Ran a 6.57 60-yard dash. Primary outfielder who had great footwork as he charged it, working into release, carrying his momentum into the throws. Athletic movements in the outfield with clean one-handed fielding. the ball comes out nice at 86 mph with a good flight to it. Throws were accurate to the bag in the air. Quick feet, a quick arm, and an overall solid arm in the outfield. As an infielder, he was super smooth with his exchange working into release. Took good angles to the ball and funneled well to get the ball out with a good internal clock. Stayed in control of his body with athletic actions and throws at 83 mph across the infield with a clean and smooth release. A right-handed hitter with an even base and slightly open feet with high-set hands and the back elbow up. Quick hands with good strength behind them. Works direct to it and stays in sync to produce lots of well-struck contact in the air. Whippy barrel with good bat speed and the ability to drive the ball hard very evident in his round of BP swings. Uses his whole body with a simple operation but one that is conducive to loud results. Excellent student. Verbally committed to Florida. Named to 2023 Florida Workout Showcase TP List.
Baseball America
In a down year for high school talent in Florida, Lindsey quickly became the pop-up player to know in the 2024 class thanks to his athleticism, speed and defensive skills at shortstop. Lindsey is a lean righthanded hitter with a 6-foot, 175-pound frame and a background as a multi-sport athlete. He threw for more than 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns as Hardee High’s quarterback last fall before moving to the diamond in the spring and showing scouts significant improvement as both a hitter and defender. Because of Lindsey’s 80-grade speed, there was some thought a year ago that he could slide from the infield and play an above-average defensive center field. This spring, he has shown all the hands, actions and arm strength necessary to stick at shortstop as an above-average defender in the long run. Offensively, Lindsey has quick, twitchy hands in the box and strong bat-to-ball skills, but he lacks pop and might have the frame of a player who never grows into anything more than average raw power. Given his speed, contact skills and defensive profile, Lindsey’s projected lower power output won’t hinder him if he is to profile as a top-of-the-order table-setter who sprays hard-hit line drives around the field. Lindsey is a Florida commit but should be drafted on day one with first-round upside. He earns plenty of Trea Turner comparisons thanks to his speed, size and contact skills.
Corey Seager:
Perfect Game
Corey Seager is a 2012 MIF/3B with a 6-3 195 lb. frame from Kannapolis, NC who attends Northwest Cabarrus HS. Excellent physical build, square shoulders with tons of projection. Left handed hitter, big hand coil and wrap to start swing, generates very good bat speed, loose extended swing with lift, ball jumps hard, hand action creates length at beginning of swing. 6.85 runner, very good infield arm strength, plus carry on throws, accurate, third base future but all the tools to be a defensive standout. Brother of Mariners 2B Kyle Seager. Outstanding student, verbal commitment to South Carolina. Named to the Perfect Game All American Classic team.
Baseball America
The younger brother of Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager, Corey has been on scouts’ radar for a couple of years, but he started moving up draft boards this spring. He has a big, physical frame at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds with plenty of strength. He plays shortstop now and is a good defender, but scouts see him shifting to third base as a pro, where he could provide above-average defense. A lefthanded hitter, he has a simple swing and can go the other way with power. The game comes easy to him and scouts find it easy to see his upside, considering his brother was a third-round pick out of North Carolina and made the big leagues after just 279 minor league at-bats. The younger Seager has a strong commitment to South Carolina, but is likely to be picked in the first round.
Gavin Lux:
Perfect Game
Gavin Lux is a 2016 SS/2B with a 6-2 175 lb. frame from Kenosha, WI who attends Indian Trail Academy. Long, lean, athletic build with young look, plenty of room to fill out and get stronger. Good athleticism and footspeed, ran a 6.88 60-yard dash. Stays low to ground, moves with ease to both sides while playing infield. Soft hands, good overall actions and quick release with solid arm strength, accurate throws. Left handed hitter, high hands set, slight open stance with knee raise trigger. Line-drive swing plane, short efficient path to ball, very quick hands and impressive bat speed. Good feel for the barrel, projects to hit for high average at next level, shows developing raw power, strength. Good student, verbal commitment to Arizona State University. Named to National Showcase Top Prospect Team. Also was selected to participate in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.
Baseball America
In a draft lacking in true shortstops, Lux impresses because he’s one of the few high school shortstops in the draft class with a solid chance to remain at the position. A quick-twitch athlete with the hands, actions and a little of the flash that shortstops often have, Lux lacks only ideal arm strength. It’s solid average and it’s accurate with a quick release, but many teams like to see shortstops have a plus arm. He’s an above-average runner, though his feet move quickly. At the plate, Lux has a pretty lefthanded stroke that has shown improved power as he’s matured and added weight and strength over the past year. The track record of Wisconsin high school draftees is sparse and rather disappointing, but Lux’s smooth actions and athleticism separate him from the typical Wisconsin product. He should be a solid early-round pick who had late helium, which will make it hard for him to stick with his Arizona State commitment. His uncle, Augie Schmidt, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1982 draft as the Golden Spikes Award winner that year.
Moreover, while Lux is having a bad year, I’m hard pressed to say he wasn’t a position player who the Dodgers drafted and developed. Being the top rated prospect in the game doesn’t happen naturally. It sucks that he was injured. Maybe he wasn’t as good as he appeared to be, but I like to think that his injury has played a part in his sub par performance this year.
Hey Rob or Jeff the Dodgers took Erik Parker out of Gwinnett high school. He was rated 183 and they got him at pick number 460. I’m assuming he is going to go to college but do you think they can save enough to make him at least think about signing with the team. He sounds like a decent prospect.
He’ll certainly be an over slot signing. But the good news is, the Dodgers are his favorite team.
Is he 6’ 175 or 6’2” 170?
And 5,800 total yards of offense did seem like a lot, even for Slowater Florida.
The yards were his career yards. My bad.
Baseball America is imitating Jeff!
They are doing retrospective looks at past drafts!
2020 ($$$$)
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2020-mlb-draft-revisited-every-teams-class-four-years-later/
For the Dodgers they are also generally positive:
Los Angeles DodgersThis is one of those drafts where the Dodgers’ dominance stands out…picked four pitchers who have reached the majors…
2021 is a little more measured, as was Jeff:
Los Angeles DodgersThis could easily end up as an above-average draft, but there’s a lot of to-be-determined aspects to it. Mentions Sheehan, Nastrini, Leasure, Wrobo-cop and the minor guys….Not bad for a team that had one top 100 pick.
For 2022 ($$$$) the Dodgers rate above-average. But it’s a guarded grade:
The rest of the draft hasn’t matched the start, but getting two Top 100 Prospects with the 40th and 105th picks overall is a great job.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2022-mlb-draft-revisited-every-teams-class-two-years-later/
Mets traded Rylan Bannon to the Twins. Bannon was part of the trade for Manny Machado. Baseball might finally come into the 21st century and allow draft picks to be traded. Manfred said any changes in the draft would have to be negotiated with the MLBPA.
Great article on Ted Williams
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5618681/2024/07/15/ted-williams-1999-mlb-all-star-game/
his career OBP was over 480!