The 2012 First Year Player Draft was an interesting one for the Dodgers. There were some surprises and perhaps some puzzlers. It was definitely not a surprise that we selected Corey Seager in the first round as it made perfect sense to go after a power hitting infielder. Our minor league strength was in pitching and the outfield. Corey was a great pick in terms of baseball skills, character and maturity for a player so young.

Although we drafted position players more highly than usual, five of our first eight selections, attention was still paid to pitching. Steven “Paco” Rodriguez was a bit of a surprise as a reliever being drafted in the second round. However, the upside is that he was thought to be one of the most MLB ready players in the draft, and he has been just that. Onelki Garcia, a power arm left hander, was drafted in the third round, and it was rumored he would want major dollars, perhaps $7 million, to sign. However, with the new slot system he did sign – more about him on another occasion. The third pitcher drafted by the Dodgers, in the fifth round, is Ross Stripling, labeled by some as a surprising pick and by others as a sleeper pick. He’s one of my favorites from this year’s class.

Stripling had an outstanding 1.32 ERA in his 27.1 innings of work with the Ogden Raptors this season. (Photo credit – Noall Knighton)

Ross was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the ninth round of the 2011 Draft but did not sign. Getting his degree at Texas A&M as a third generation Aggie was Ross’s priority. “As well as shining on the diamond, he also excelled scholastically in high school, ranking eleventh in a class of 600 and received the President’s Endowed scholarship to A&M.”

Ross is somewhat similar to Rodriguez in terms of his makeup and maturity. He is not a power arm and was not always a pitcher. This is how he describes his introduction into pitching: “About three weeks into my senior basketball season, I broke my leg during practice. From there, I obviously had to quit basketball and head over to off season baseball. In order to pass time during our baseball period, I started playing around on the plastic mound in our batting cages, basically teaching myself the mechanics and pitches I still have today. From there, my coach let me pitch because my leg still wasn’t strong enough to run and play in the infield. I pitched with a massive ACL brace on my leg, stretching from my groin to my calf. It was awkward, but I didn’t know any better.”

As previously mentioned, reviews on Ross are mixed. David Coleman wrote, prior to the draft:” Stripling is turning in a second straight great season and capped things last week by throwing the first no-hitter for the Aggies since 2004. He’s got good stuff, good control and would be a decent prospect, but probably won’t wow anyone.” In his senior year Ross led the Big 12 Conference with 125 2/3 innings pitched in 2012 and led Texas A&M with 120 strikeouts! His K/BB ratio was 120/19. He has command of his pitches.

John Sickles described Ross in a little more enthusiastic manner: “Stripling’s velocity is generally average at 88-91, but he works the lower part of the strike zone well and his fastball moves. It also plays up due to a very strong curveball and a solid change-up. His control and command are excellent, and scouts praise his mound presence and intelligence. He repeats his mechanics extremely well, and is a fine overall athlete. He’s too good for the Pioneer League, but it makes sense to be careful with his workload this summer given how much he’s thrown for the Aggies over the last couple of years.” John also wrote: “One of my favorite players available in the 2012 draft was Texas A&M pitcher Ross Stripling.”

How did Ross fare in the Pioneer League? Quite well actually, although his innings were limited to two to four innings per start. Ross’s stat line: 1.32 ERA, 27.1 Innings, 17 hits, 4 ER, 0 HR, 5BB, 23K, 0.85 WHIP.

When asked where he would see himself in five years, Ross responded: “ I’d like to see myself living and pitching in Los Angeles for the Dodgers. But in case that doesn’t work out, it’s nice to have a degree to fall back on. I could see myself with a wife and family but that’s pretty hard to imagine right now! You always have to have a backup plan though, because you never know when pro ball will end and your dream is over.”