The Los Angeles Dodgers selected college quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in the 20th round as the 610th player selected in the 2023 MLB Draft. Uiagalelei played for the University of Clemson but recently transferred to Oregon State at the end of the 2022 season.
Uiagalelei has not played competitive baseball since his high school days. In high school, he was regarded as a highly-talked-about pitching prospect but hung up the cleats to focus on football.
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DJ Uiagalelei attended various camps and showcases when he was in high school. Prep Baseball Report clocked his fastball at 93 mph, which is impressive at the high school level.
His first love is football, and it shows. In high school, he was rated the top-ranked quarterback by 247Sports. He will look for a fresh start at Oregon State and have a successful season in a crowded Pac-12 conference.
DJ Uiagalelei is not the first football player drafted, and will not be the last
The Los Angeles Dodgers know this pick is a fairytale, but it is worth taking a flyer on. DJ Uiagalelei has tremendous arm strength and could turn to baseball if his football career does not turn out how he hopes.
Uiagalelei is not the first college quarterback drafted in the MLB Draft. It is common practice that has been done for decades. One of the more recent and more famous cases of this was when the Oakland Athletics drafted Kyler Murray in the 2018 draft. Murray chose the NFL as he was drafted with the No. 1 pick by the Arizona Cardinals.
Major League front offices will always try and find an edge and find players who are not on other teams’ radars. Given how strong and accurate football quarterbacks’ arms have to be, they will always interest baseball teams.
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