It is no big secret that I love the First-Year Player Draft and I follow the players the Dodgers select quite carefully during the selecting season and in subsequent seasons. This great game that at times is so rewarding to young men following their dream, can also turn its back on them in an instant. Professional baseball itself is just so critically difficult to play without any extenuating circumstances. For many young men just beginning their careers, they get sidetracked by injuries of various kinds and degrees. Timing is all important for minor league players and even a nagging injury can have serious consequences for a career. The good news is that the vast majority of these young players simply take their injuries in stride, without complaining, and demonstrate a strength of character that we all should have.

In looking back at the Dodgers 2016 list of draftees, many have made important steps in advancing their careers. Unfortunately, some have indeed been slowed by injury and are still in the starting blocks, yet they have persevered while displaying the aforementioned strength of character. Four young Dodgers are getting a second chance at making that first impression at the professional level.

Kevin Lachance was selected by the Dodgers in the 10th round of the 2016 June Draft out of the University of Maryland Baltimore. He spent his entire 2016 season on the 60-day DL. In an interview with Steve Douglas of Dodgers Lowdown, Lachance indicated he had injured his shoulder in college ball almost a year ago, and in his words, “…came in hurt.”

The 6’3”/185-pound Lachance was born in Clifton, a small town in Virginia with a population of less than 300 according to the 2010 national census. He attended high school at Centreville High School which is located just north of Clifton.

Upon graduation from high school, he enrolled at the University of Maryland Baltimore and had a productive career playing in every game in his four years with the Retrievers. Playing primarily at shortstop, he hit .301 in 198 games with an OBP of .382 along with 82 stolen bases. He struck out 90 times and walked an impressive 94 times.

Kevin LaChance
(Photo courtesy BaltimoreSoMuchSports.com)

Lachance’s signature year was his senior year in which he hit .371 with an outstanding OBP of .450, aided by 28 walks compared to 22 strikeouts. He also stole 28 bases in 32 attempts.

Upon being selected by the Dodgers in the 2016 Amateur Draft, Kevin Lachance’s college coach issued this statement:

“Congratulations to Kevin for being the 10th round selection of the Dodgers. It is the dream of every one of our players to one day be a pro. I could not be happier for him. He has worked extremely hard over four years and he now has an opportunity to play at the next level. He is a great player, a great person, and a great teammate. I have no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him. I personally want to wish him the best of luck as a pro,” Head Coach Bob Mumma said of Kevin being drafted by the Dodgers.

Billy Gasparino, the Dodgers’ scouting director, was equally as pleased to be able to select Lachance in the 10th round.

“He’s an athletic shortstop or maybe a center fielder, we’re not sure what up-the-middle position he’ll play,” said Gasparino. “He has a great body, a twitchy-loose athlete we’re excited to get.”

A second player selected by the Dodgers in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft who did not play a single inning following his June selection, is a tall, rangy, right-handed pitcher. Joel Toribio was born in New York City and attended Murry Bergtraun High School in New York.

The 6’6”/180-pound Toribio continued his pursuit of an education after graduating from high school by studying at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York.

His interest in continuing his education and also in playing baseball led him to Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, Oklahoma for the 2015-16 academic year.

During the 2016 season at WOSC, Toribio made 15 appearances over 37.2 innings pitched along with an ERA of 5.73. His most impressive stat was his 55 strikeouts.

Joel Toribio
(Photo courtesy of thekzonenews.com)

Toribio actually wasn’t even thinking about being drafted and on June 11 he was back in New York getting his hair cut when he received the news that he had indeed been drafted. The news was first relayed to him by a WOSC teammate who advised him he had been selected by the Dodgers in 34th round.

It turned out to be quite a birthday present for the 22-year-old Toribio who had been content to simply celebrate a quiet birthday.

“It was a crazy experience and I feel very blessed. It was my birthday actually,” said Toribio. “So it was the best birthday present I have ever had.”

He credits his six-month stint at Western Oklahoma State College with turning his baseball world around.

“I really enjoyed my time at Western. The professors and staff members always loved and cared about the students and were always willing to lend a hand and help when it was needed,” he said. “My coaches were the best I ever had and taught me so much, and I would especially like to thank Coach Kurt Russell. Because he opened the door for me to come play at Western and helped me become a man. I learned a lot, but most importantly, that nothing in life is easy.”

In early July Toribio went on the disabled list and spent the rest of the 2016 baseball season on that dreaded list. Needless to say, that really left him in need of some serious off season work to prepare for the 2017 baseball season. Mike Duffy on The K Zone asked Toribio what his off-season emphasis would be.

“This off-season I have been working on my weight a lot trying to gain healthy weight and becoming more flexible.”

Duffy also asked Toribio what is his favorite thing about being a Dodger.

Toribio responded: “My favorite thing about being a Dodger is that everyone treats each other like family which is great. We are all like brothers and always have each other’s backs on and off the field.”

Outfielder Brayan Morales, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, was selected by the Dodgers in the 15th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Hillsborough Community College in Tampa Florida. During the 2016 season, he had but eight at bats with the Arizona League Dodgers. Those eight plate appearances came at the tail end of the schedule in August after Morales came off the 60-day DL.

Although he was born in Puerto Rico, Morales played high school baseball at Haines City High School in central Florida having moved there as a youngster. Haines City is about a half-hour south of Orlando.

Morales who throws left-handed, but hits from the right side of the plate, had hoped to be drafted following his graduation from high school. He described himself as “athletic” and ran the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds. He played high school basketball but gave it up to devote his time specifically to baseball and baseball training.

Following his high school graduation, Morales registered at Hillsborough Community College. The 6’1”/170-pound center fielder had a banner year as a sophomore in 2016. He posted a triple slash of .354/.425/.566 with 19 doubles, six triples and three home runs in 47 games along with 24 steals in 32 attempts. That earned him first team All-Conference honors.

Brayan Morales
(Video capture courtesy of CentralFLSports)

Morales had a pair of 16-game hitting streaks during the 2016 season. His second streak included 11 multi-hit games. During those 16 games, he hit a Ted Williams like .406, along with 14 extra-base hits and 21 runs scored.

At the time of his signing by the Dodgers, Jonathan Mayo indicated the Dodgers signed Morales for $122,500, meaning $22,500 counted against their bonus pool. That represents an indication of the Dodgers interest in the young outfielder.

Another native of Ponce, Puerto Rico was selected by the Dodgers in the 30th round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. Then 17-year-old catcher, Ramon Rodriguez, was drafted out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy.

The 5’11”/185-pound right-handed hitting catcher made only one appearance during the 2016 baseball season. During the last game of the season with the Arizona League Dodgers on August 28, 2016, he had one plate appearance. He started the game behind the plate and was replaced by teammate Brant Whiting in the fifth inning.

Right-hander Chandler Eden was drafted by the Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2016 Amateur Draft out of Texas Tech University and spent the entire 2016 season on the disabled list. On March 15, 2017, he was released by the Dodgers.

Right-hander Jake Perkins was picked by the Dodgers in the 28th round of the 2016 June Draft out of Ferrum College. He debuted with the Arizona League Dodgers on June 30 and pitched a scoreless inning along with two strikeouts. On July 8, he retired from baseball.