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The Los Angeles Dodgers have been extremely lucky to have the powers of future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw since his 2008 debut, but former general manager Ned Colletti recently discussed how the three-time Cy Young award winner almost never landed in LA.
The story goes back to a year before Kershaw was drafted, with the Dodgers’ 2005 first-round selection right-handed pitcher Luke Hochevar never signing with the team and opting to go back to school at the University of Tennessee.
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Since Hochevar went back to school, the Dodgers were still looking for a quarterback the next season. As Colletti detailed, Hochevar being available in 2006 pushed back every pitching prospect by one, given that Hochevar went No. 1 overall that year.
Four pitchers would be selected after Hochevar, including the Detroit Tigers taking southpaw Andrew Miller right before the Dodgers. If Hochevar had signed with LA the year prior, there would be one less pitcher available, and perhaps the Dodgers wouldn’t be able to take Kershaw at No. 7.
Although it seems like a lot of good fortune was involved, Colletti clarified that Kershaw was always his team’s plan that season.
“We didn’t want to execute any other plans, Clayton’s the guy we wanted,” said Colletti.
Now that Kershaw has officially announced his retirement from the game of baseball at the end of the 2025 season, there is one last action item for the MVP to achieve before it’s all said and done.
If Kershaw can go out on top and help his team win the ninth World Series in franchise history, it would be the third ring in his collection and a historic way to close out an illustrious career.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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