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The Dodgers used their second pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on right-hander Russell Sandefer out of the University of Florida, selecting him at No. 132 overall in the fourth round, per Dodger Blue staff. After taking prep shortstop Connor Lowrance at No. 40 in the first competitive balance round, the front office pivoted to pitching with this pick — a pattern that should surprise absolutely no one who has watched this organization operate over the past decade.

Sandefer pitched to a 4.42 ERA this spring with the Gators, striking out 60 batters across 57 innings. Those numbers aren’t eye-popping on the surface, but context matters here. The SEC is a brutal conference to pitch in, and a strikeout-per-inning rate from a college arm signals stuff that plays. Florida has a strong track record of developing pitchers, and Sandefer was operating in high-leverage situations in one of college baseball’s toughest environments. The Dodgers clearly see something in the raw arsenal — whether it’s a fastball with ride, a breaking ball with projection, or a delivery they believe their player development machine can refine. This is the kind of pick where the Dodgers’ pitching development infrastructure becomes a legitimate competitive advantage. They’ve shown time and again they can take college arms with decent but not dominant college numbers and unlock another gear.

The 4.42 ERA will raise eyebrows for casual observers, but I’d push back on that. College ERA in the SEC is notoriously inflated by aluminum bats, conference-wide hitting talent, and small ballparks. What matters more is the strikeout rate and the underlying pitch characteristics, and the Dodgers’ analytics department has proven they weight those factors heavily. Sandefer’s profile — college right-hander, power conference, solid strikeout numbers — fits squarely into the mold of arms this organization has successfully developed in recent years.

This pick also speaks to the Dodgers’ broader draft strategy this weekend. With limited picks (as we covered earlier, this was always going to be a quiet draft for them given compensation pick forfeiture), they’re being deliberate. Lowrance gave them a high-upside position player in the first competitive balance round, and now Sandefer adds a college arm to the pipeline. It’s a balanced approach — one bat, one arm — with their limited draft capital.

For the Dodgers’ farm system, Sandefer likely starts his professional career in the Arizona Complex League or with one of the lower-level affiliates. He won’t be on any fast track to the majors, but that’s fine. This is about depth. The Dodgers have built their sustained success on a foundation of pitching development — from Walker Buehler to Dustin May to Bobby Miller to Gavin Stone — and Sandefer represents another bet on that process. College arms tend to move faster than prep arms, so a 2028 or 2029 timeline to the upper minors isn’t unreasonable if things break right. One more arm in the pipeline, one more lottery ticket in the Dodgers’ ever-expanding pitching development system. That’s how you sustain contention year after year.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: July 11, 2026 11:30 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers