The rumors turned out to be true. The Dodgers selected athletic Vanderbilt outfielder Jeren Kendall with their first pick — No. 23 overall — in the 2017 MLB Draft.
Kendall was a consensus Top 10-15 prospect throughout the entire process, yet fell due to poor contact rate and signability issues. The Dodgers have worked their magic with hitters in the last handful of seasons, so they’re confident they can figure out Kendall’s swing in hopes of him reaching his ceiling.
MLB Network threw Jacoby Ellsbury and Joc Pederson comps on Kendall.