Dodgers find their quarterback on Day 3 of draft in DJ Uiagalelei
The Dodgers concluded the MLB amateur draft on Tuesday with 10 picks. The final selection, DJ Uiagalelei, was the most intriguing. Drafted out of Oregon State, he has never played for the Beavers – or played baseball since high school.
Uiagalelei was born in Riverside and played both baseball and football at St. John Bosco High in Bellflower. He boasted a mid-90s fastball as a high school pitcher and was considered a five-star recruit as a quarterback. He continued his college career at Clemson but only competed in football.
In 2019, Uiagalelei told Yahoo! Sports “it would be a dream to be a relief pitcher. You only have to come in and throw an inning. You get paid to throw one inning a night. You don’t have to save energy. You can go all out.”
Uiagalelei completed his undergraduate degree at Clemson, then transferred to Oregon State with two years of NCAA eligibility remaining. His brother, Matayo, starred in football at St. John Bosco before committing to the University of Oregon.
Uiagalelei, 22, was the 610th overall pick in the draft, which lasted 20 rounds.
The Dodgers drafted two other Southern California products on Day 3 of the draft.
South Hills High left-handed pitcher Sterling Patrick (18th round, 550th pick) went 10-1 with a 0.37 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 76⅔ innings as a senior. He held opponents to a .158 batting average and threw two complete game shutouts.
LSU’s Jordan Thompson (15th round, 460th pick) batted .246 with 11 home runs as a junior and is considered a polished defensive player at shortstop. He was born in Chula Vista and prepped at Helix High School in La Mesa.
The Dodgers’ other selections on Day 3 of the draft included:
• Samford University right-handed pitcher Carson Hobbs (11th round, 340th pick)
• Tyler JC right-handed pitcher Noah Ruen (12th round, 370th pick)
• Northwestern State University right-handed pitcher Alex Makarewich (13th round, 400th pick)
• South Mountain Community College right-handed pitcher Jaxon Jelkin (14th round, 430th pick)
• LSU left-handed pitcher Javen Coleman (16th round, 490th pick)
• Duke left-handed pitcher Luke Fox (17th round, 520th pick)
• Richland High School right-handed pitcher Spencer Green (19th round, 580th pick)