The Dodgers’ executives found themselves waiting through the entirety of the first day of the MLB Draft on Saturday, with their first selection coming only in the second round at pick No. 40.
In a contrast to this, their third base coach was already celebrating well before the first round concluded.
This year, the Dodgers had a reduced number of picks due to penalties from luxury tax and free-agent signings, which resulted in them losing four of their top six picks. A highlight of the draft day was the news that Dino Eberl, the third base coach, would have a son drafted in the first round for the second consecutive year.
Trey Ebell, a 17-year-old shortstop from Corona High School, was selected 25th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers. Last summer, the Brewers had picked Dino’s older son Brady with the 32nd pick, making it two drafts in a row for the Ebel family.
“This year feels more emotional than last year, I think, because now I have two sons being drafted in the same organization,” Eberl shared. With extensive coaching experience, he has been with the Dodgers since 2019. “They’ve put in so much hard work to get here, and having the same team as my kids is really a dream come true for my family.”
Dino was aware that the Brewers had interest in Trey before the draft began. However, unlike last year, when Brady was notified early, Trey’s call came only a few picks away from his selection.
This led to emotional reactions from the Ebell family, who had gathered for a viewing party before Dino headed to Dodger Stadium for that evening’s game. There was a memorable moment at Brady’s Single-A team in Wilson, North Carolina, where he celebrated wildly while watching the draft on the stadium’s scoreboard during warm-ups.
“It’s just a proud day,” Eberl remarked. “A significant moment for both Brady and Trey.”
The day was relatively uneventful for the Dodgers’ side, although there was an unexpected twist.
The Dodgers had limited draft resources due to their signings last year, leading to a common belief that they’d pick a college player at No. 40. This strategy seemed prudent, given the financial implications of choosing high school talent.
Contrary to expectations, the Dodgers surprised everyone by choosing Beau Laurence, a 6-foot-5 slugger from Christ Church Episcopal School in South Carolina.
Laurence stands out as a promising player. Described as a lanky shortstop and third baseman, he has been praised for his left-handed swing that combines power and contact. While many scouting reports placed him in the 40s, others saw greater potential (with rankings as high as No. 7 and No. 21 from FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline, respectively).
Now, the team faces the challenge of offering him a competitive salary to lure him into the professional realm instead of pursuing his commitment to the University of Virginia.
The slot value for the No. 40 pick is around $2.5 million, which would represent a large portion of his total bonus of approximately $3.9 million.
“Typically, the night before the draft involves a lot of strategic discussions about bonus pool management,” said Zach Fitzpatrick, the Dodgers’ amateur scouting director. “But this year, considering our limited resources, we kind of looked at each other and wondered if we had a strategy or if we should just go for the best players.”
Ultimately, they opted for the latter. They had been keeping an eye on Laurence throughout the pre-draft process, anticipating he might drop to their pick.
“Beau was definitely our main target,” Fitzpatrick noted. “If you’d asked me in the morning, I might have thought our chances of getting him were slim. But as we saw picks come off the board, our excitement grew.”
Laurence himself expressed enthusiasm about being drafted by the Dodgers, especially since he has modeled his swing after Freddie Freeman’s style.
“What I admire is his approach and how he uses the whole field. It’s someone I’ve always wanted to emulate,” Laurence shared. Now, he gets the chance to do just that as he joins the same organization.
