Dodgers select LHP prep Maddux Bruns with 29th pick in 2021 MLB Draft – Dodgers Digest

It was a pretty wild first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and the Dodgers walked away with a new prospect (provided he signs). They selected the left handed pitcher of preparation Maddux Bruns on UMS-Wright Prep HS in Alabama, with the 29th pick overall to complete the first round. And yes, he’s named after the great Dodger of all time Greg Maddux.

Bruns, 6ft 2in, 205lb, is a guy who lined up my Big Board a few times, but he was by no means a sure-fire choice in the first round. The 19-year-old not only has one of the best left-handed fastballs in the class, but one of the best fastballs, period. He can reach the top in the 90s, but seems to work best when he takes a step back. He struggles to control the fastball at higher speed, but the skill of the arm is apparent. He pairs his heater with two breakout locations that have blinked in addition – a curve ball and a slider. Its curveball is a mid-70s 12-6 downer, while its slider is a late bite slider in the 83-85 MPH range. Sounds like someone you might have watched over the past 14 years? Yes it looks like Clayton kershaw (from whom he models his game), but it’s in certainly not a comparison. He said he admired the Braves as well Max Fried.

Rankings
Athleticism: 49
Baseball America: 49
Baseball flyer: NO
CBS Sports: NO
ESPN: 96
FanGraphs: 47
MLB pipeline: 49
Perfect game: 59
Live Outlook: 65

Public rankings differ greatly from internal team rankings, so do not put any your of stock in these. The general consensus is that it was in the open. Of course the Dodgers don’t have a 2nd round pick this year and there was almost no chance he would make it to the end of the third round, so Billy Gasparino liked him well enough to pull the trigger here. .

Here’s what connoisseurs say about him and the selection.

And some video.