Dodgers' 2024 MLB Draft Guide and Top Prospects to Target

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the No. 23 overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, and they will be drafting in the first round for the first time since 2021 after two years of having their first pick moved back 10 spots as a result of luxury tax penalties.

The last time the Dodgers held the No. 23 pick was in 2017 when they selected Vanderbilt outfielder Jeren Kendall. He failed to reach the majors, topping out at the Double-A level in 2022 in what was his final professional season.

Who might the Dodgers be targeting this time around?

Ahead we've broken down three prospects who should be on their radar when their pick comes up in the 2024 MLB draft.

LHP Kash Mayfield, Elk City HS (OK)

The Dodgers won't pick again until No. 98 overall after their first-round selection as a result of signing qualified free agents, so the general consensus seems to be that they will swing for the fences on upside.

That makes them one of the few teams likely to roll the dice on a thin crop of top-tier high school pitching, and Kash Mayfield is the top left-hander in that group after his stuff ticked up across the board this spring.

The 6'4", 200-pound southpaw has gone from throwing in the upper 80s during his junior season to bumping 97 mph with his heater this spring, and he backs it with an advanced changeup, good curveball and plus command.

OF Slade Caldwell, Valley View HS (AR)

Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images

SEATTLE, WA - JULY 07: Slade Caldwell #7 of the American League Team throws the ball back to the infield during the MLB-USA Baseball High School All-American Game at T-Mobile Park on Friday, July 7, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Dodgers have mostly been tied to high school arms in the predraft process, but there are also a handful of high-upside prep hitters who could be on their radar at the end of the first round.

Speedy outfielder Slade Caldwell has drawn comparisons to New York Mets prospect Jett Williams for his undersized 5'9" frame, plus hit tool and solid all-around athleticism that allows him to make the most of his tools.

Center field has been something of a revolving door for the Dodgers in recent years, and while teams don't draft for need at the MLB level, the organization could make adding a player with his tools a priority.

RHP William Schmidt, Catholic HS (LA)

With a projectable 6'4", 180-pound frame, a lively mid-90s fastball that maxes out at 99 mph and a hammer curveball that spins north of 3,000 rpm and profiles as a 70-grade pitch, William Schmidt is widely regarded as the best prep pitchers in the 2024 class.

That said, there is always a certain level of risk tied to prep right-handers, and the list of teams willing to pull the trigger on a high school pitcher in the first round has seemingly grown shorter by the year.

If the Dodgers do decide to place an emphasis on upside with their top selection, Schmidt would immediately become one of the most promising pitchers in the system and a potential Top 100 prospect in short order.