Dodgers Top Draft Pick Shines at Spring Training

For baseball junkies, seeing major league players at spring training is awesome, but getting to see young up-and-comers is a real treat for seamheads too. Over the last few years, Dodgers fans have had the chance to see names like Walker Buehler, Cody Bellinger, and Gavin Lux shine at Camelback Ranch.

This spring, one young Dodgers pitcher has earned high praise from prospect gurus: Maddux Bruns. Bruns, the Dodgers first-round pick in the 2021 draft has shown why he was taken so high in the draft.

The UMS Prep High School graduate touched 96 miles per hour with his heater in a Low-A game earlier this week. On top of the velocity, Keith Law, of The Athletic, noted how Bruns' command now is already better than it was in his final year of high school. Law also liked what he saw form Bruns' curveball.

“Bruns has always had a good delivery and his trouble throwing strikes was a mystery, with scouts questioning his feel to pitch, his toughness and his makeup. It’s only spring training, of course, but this is elite, elite stuff for a left-hander at any age, let alone a 19-year-old.”

According to most scouts, a future MLB frontline starter is Bruns' talent ceiling, but the variability with high schools arms is always high.

The Dodgers have a great track record of developing young arms and preparing them for pitching in the big leagues. Along with Landon Knack, Bobby Miller, and Ryan Pepiot, Bruns is another name to keep an eye on in the Dodgers farm system.