After winning Gatorade Player of the Year, Dobzanski focused on draft
LEXINGTON, Ky. — It was seemingly another normal study hall for Kentucky baseball signee Brad Dobzanski. Then a tweet from Hudl flashed on his phone.
Dobzanski, a 6-foot-3 righthanded pitcher from Franklinville, N.J., didn’t know he was named the New Jersey Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year until he checked Twitter.
“It’s obviously a huge honor to win that,” Dobzanski said. “It shows I had a great season, not only on the field but I did well in the classroom and things around the community,”
The award focuses not only on baseball, but also academic achievement and exemplary character. It was an impressive start to a summer that could be interesting in the coming weeks. Dobzanski is one of the best pitchers on the East Coast and will be a selection in the MLB Draft. The only remaining questions is which round he's selected.
“I’ve heard a lot of different things,” Dobzanski said. “Things from like third to fifth round. I’ve heard 5-10. I’ve even heard 15-20. Everybody really has a different opinion."
Dobzanski, however, isn't new to the draft. His brother, Bryan, was a 29th round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 MLB Draft. He opted for a $700,000 signing bonus rather than attend the University of Louisville. Bryan's experience has helped him learn more about the ins and outs of minor league baseball, but the younger Dobzanski might not follow his brother's path just yet.
Brad said he would consider signing with a professional team if he's selected around the third through fifth round, but it would take a large signing bonus to lure him away.
"Obviously I have a commitment to Kentucky," Dobzanski said. "It’s going to take a pretty large number for me to pass up on that scholarship offer and to give it another try in three years.”
In the latest mock draft from Baseball America, 10 of the projected first 30 picks are college pitchers. Seven are from high school. The trend for teams to pick pitchers from college higher in the draft has resonated with Dobzanski.
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"Even my advisor has showed me that in the past five drafts how teams are really starting to take more college pitchers rather than high school arms," Dobzanski said. "It makes sense if you want somebody to make it to the MLB, because if you look at the statistics, this year’s starters, I think it was 43 percent come out of college and only like 26 out of high school. So a lot of kids are really ranked high up there, even though they might go first or second round, they’re still going to college."
Still, no decision on Dobzanski's future will be made until the draft is completed. If Dobzanski ends up in Lexington, a big reason will be pitching coach Jimmy Belanger. Dobzanski said Belanger, who is a New York native, speaks with him around two times a week. He trusts Belanger and likes what he brings to the table as a pitching coach.
"I know what his track record is and the people he’s dealt with, especially someone like (Maryland pitcher) Mike Shawaryn," Dobzanski said. "He’s a Jersey guy, not too far from here. I know he likes the South Jersey guys up here and how he treats the pitchers. I’m looking forward to that.”
Even though Dobzanski was immersed in his final high school season, he's still been able to keep up with UK's impressive turnaround under Nick Mingione.
“It’s awesome. It may be the perfect time to commit here," Dobzanski said. "They had a decent season last year, but this year has definitely been something special. They’ve had a lot of top 10 wins this year, beating a lot of good teams and good pitchers. Something special is going on there.”