Pick 18 – Los Angeles Dodgers
Selection: C Jason Varitek
This is where the draft gets fun—where teams stop chasing ceiling and start solving problems. And the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite adding Bartolo Colón earlier in the round, still had one glaring issue left to fix: catcher.
Let’s be fair to Scott Hatteberg:
The bat plays.
It really does.
But the glove?
Not so much.
Hatteberg’s defensive metrics last season bordered on stunning—in the wrong direction. The fact he survived the year behind the plate is a testament to the pitching staff’s resilience more than to his work with the gear. And long-term? He’s simply not the answer.
Enter Jason Varitek, the top catcher on the board and a player who fits exactly what L.A. needs.
Varitek’s profile is fascinating:
- Offensively, he mirrors Charles Johnson in several key categories—power, patience, and run production potential
- Defensively, he’s not Johnson, which is precisely why he’s available at 18 rather than going in the top 10
- But compared to the Dodgers’ current situation? He’s a massive upgrade
- Projectable 20+ home run power from a premium defensive position
- A stabilizing presence who can grow with a young pitching core
In a draft heavy with first basemen and corner bats, the Dodgers zagged. They took the rarest commodity remaining on the board: a competent all-around catcher who doesn’t need to be a star to be immensely valuable.
With the offensive depth this roster already boasts—Green, Palmeiro, Klesko, Hidalgo—Varitek can slot quietly into the 7th or 8th spot and simply do his job. And for a franchise that hasn’t had true behind-the-plate stability since Mickey Tettleton, that alone is worth celebrating.
Not flashy.
Not loud.
But absolutely correct.
A smart pick for a team that needed exactly this kind of player.