The Los Angeles Dodgers made their first selection in the Major League Baseball Draft on Saturday, choosing high-potential slugger Bo Lowrance out of Christ Church Episcopal School in Greenville, S.C., with the 40th overall pick in the second round. This pick came after a significant wait for the Dodgers, who had fewer draft picks and a smaller signing bonus pool than usual due to luxury tax penalties and previous free agent signings.
While the Dodgers' front office was waiting to make their selection, third base coach Dino Ebel was already celebrating. His son, 17-year-old shortstop Trey Ebel, was selected 25th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, marking the second consecutive year one of his sons was taken in the first round. Last year, his older son, Brady Ebel, was drafted 32nd overall by the same Brewers organization.
"It was more emotional this year than last year, I think because you know you got both sons [drafted and in the same organization]," Dino Ebel said. "They worked so hard to get to this point, and to have the same team, the Milwaukee Brewers, it’s just really a dream come true for me and the family."
The Dodgers' limited resources this year, stemming from penalties for exceeding the luxury tax and signing two free agents with qualifying offers, meant conventional wisdom suggested they would select a college player at No. 40 to avoid overspending on a high school talent. However, the team opted for Lowrance, a shortstop/third baseman noted for his left-handed swing with both contact and power capabilities. Scouting publications generally ranked him in the No. 40 range, but some, like Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline, rated his potential higher.
"Bo was definitely our main target coming into the day," said Dodgers amateur scouting director Zach Fitzpatrick. "Probably would have said there’s a pretty low chance we would be able to acquire him, had you asked me in the morning. But as the picks start coming off the board and realizing there’s a little bit more opportunity to get him, our excitement level climbed."
Lowrance, who models his swing after Freddie Freeman, expressed excitement about joining the Dodgers organization. The slot value for the No. 40 pick is $2.5 million, a significant portion of the Dodgers' total $3.9 million bonus pool. The team now faces the challenge of signing Lowrance to prevent him from attending the University of Virginia.