Los Angeles Dodgers select Oregon State QB D.J. Uiagalelei in 20th round of MLB Draft
Oregon State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei hasn’t played baseball in college, but that didn’t stop the Los Angeles Dodgers from taking a flier on him in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft on Tuesday.
The former Clemson quarterback was a two-sport star in high school but chose to focus on football with the Tigers. That decision made his selection by the Dodgers a surprising one when his name popped up on draft trackers as the 610th pick, as it seems unlikely that he'll choose baseball over football.
Dodgers area scouting supervisor Jonah Rosenthal told MLB.com's Sarah Wexler the team understands Uiagalelei remains a football player, but will be happy to have him as soon as possible if he decides to give baseball a try:
“I think the plan is to allow him to play [football] this year,” Rosenthal said. “... Try to be successful and try to be as much as [he] can do. And then in the meantime, if it doesn't work out, or if baseball truly becomes [his] passion and love and what [he wants] to do moving forward, I mean, he could be in Spring Training with us by next year.”
After spending three seasons at Clemson, Uiagalelei transferred to Oregon State after the 2022 season. He announced he was transferring from Clemson at the conclusion of the regular season, after Cade Klubnik took over and excelled during the Tigers’ ACC championship game win. Less than three weeks after he entered the transfer portal, Uiagalelei committed to Oregon State.
Uiagalelei became well-known as a freshman in 2020 when he started two games in place of Trevor Lawrence while Lawrence was sidelined due to COVID-19. Uiagalelei’s second start came against Notre Dame, and he threw for 439 yards and two TDs in a 47-40 overtime loss in South Bend.
That game was the high point of Uiagalelei’s career at Clemson. He struggled in 2021 and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine). His stats improved in 2022, but Klubnik proved he was the quarterback of the future for the Tigers late in the season.
Before arriving at Clemson, Uiagalelei was one of the most highly touted football recruits in the country. He said he wanted to play both football and baseball with the Tigers but wasn’t sure how he’d be able to balance both sports. He told the Athletic in April that the Dodgers had reached out to him about picking baseball up again, but he said he wasn't interested.
The Dodgers' enthusiasm for Uiagalelei apparently goes back to high school:
“Honestly, he could have been a top-couple-round guy if he stuck with baseball,” Dodgers area scouting supervisor Jonah Rosenthal said. “But he became a five-star quarterback, and coming to Clemson, when you have that status, I mean, you obviously run with the football.”
Uiagalelei is the presumptive favorite to start at quarterback for Oregon State in 2023, and it's implausible that he’ll choose to play baseball before playing at least one season of college football with the Beavers. But if he does choose to play baseball in the near future, he will need to sign a contract with the Dodgers this summer for the team to retain his rights.
