D.J. Uiagalelei is preparing to start the next chapter of his athletic life. He decided to transfer from Clemson in the offseason, ending his three-year run with the Tigers, and announcing he would be transferring to Oregon State.
Now, another option has appeared on the table. Rather than try to continue his football playing career with the Beavers in the Pacific Northwest, he could opt to pursue a baseball career in Southern California if he decides to sign with the Dodgers.
Los Angeles selected him with the team's final pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, picking him 610th overall in the 20th round of the draft. That range is typically reserved for total Hail Marys on players unlikely to sign, favors to familial connections in the organization or players that might sign with a lofty bonus if other players in the draft decide not to sign.
MORE: Full 2023 MLB Draft results
So why did the Dodgers select the incoming Oregon State quarterback? Here's what you need to know.
D.J. Uiagalelei baseball career
There are always plenty of two-sport athletes that make for intriguing draft prospects. This year, five-star tight end Duce Robinson (committed to USC) was a top 200 baseball prospect and college football recruit. Roch Cholowsky (committed to UCLA) was viewed by SN as the No. 27 overall prospectin the 2023 MLB Draft class and is a three-star quarterback recruit. Neither player was drafted.
Both players were coming out of high school and would have needed lofty signing bonuses to be lured away from collegiate commitments. But the Dodgers might be trying to roll the dice on a different type of two-sport athlete and lure them away from playing football.
When Uiagalelei was coming out of high school, it was clear there was nothing that would get him away from football. He was the No. 10 recruit in the nation and the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class, per 247Sports Composite Rankings. Committed to Clemson to quarterback for the Tigers, no one doubted his future was on the gridiron.
MORE: Full list of Dodgers picks
But he had enough baseball acclaim in his own right. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 282 right-handed pitcher in the country. And when he was preparing to begin his collegiate athletics career, he told Bleacher Report he wanted to play both sports.
"I really would like to play football and baseball as long as I can," Uiagalelei told Bleacher Report. "If I get lucky enough to be able to play Major League Baseball or in the NFL, that would be a blessing."
In the 20th round (610th overall) of the MLB draft, the @Dodgers select @BeaverFootball QB DJ Uiagalelei @DJUiagalelei!pic.twitter.com/bCH5do9i2q
— PNW College Baseball Report (@PNW_CBR) July 11, 2023
Per B/R, Uiagalelei hadn't pitched in four years before the spring of 2019, playing only in the outfield. He didn't play baseball at all when he was a sophom*ore. But when he pitched in his junior year, he showed off a fastball in the low- to mid-90s, and mixed in a slider and a curveball.
His coach, Bosco High's Don Barbara, speculated it would not take Uiagalelei too long to get to the majors on the mound.
"It really was unbelievable," Barbara said, per B/R. "I don't think it would take him that long to get to the big leagues. Not with his arm and not with his curveball.
"I hear from agents and from scouts. There are a lot of people interested in him. If that guy was pitching right now, the stadium would be filled. It's crazy."
Now, Uiagalelei will have a decision to make. His football career has not gone as many expected. In three years with the Tigers, including two as the starter, completed just 59.8 percent of the time for 5,681 yards with 36 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The emergence of five-star QB Cade Klubnik wound up prompting Uiagalelei to transfer to Oregon State to try and turn around his football career.
Uiagalelei said he considered the next steps of his athletic career before transferring to Oregon State, the Dodgers had reached out to see if he'd be interested in trying out to return to baseball, according to The Athletic. But Uiagalelei reportedly said he wasn't tempted to play baseball.
The Dodgers have at least officially taken the step of drafting Uiagalelei and can see if the 6-5, 250-pound quarterback would change his mind and try out a return to pitching. There's certainly some upside to justify taking him with the team's final pick.
If he chooses to sign, the Dodgers could be getting a raw pitching talent with velocity on the fastball and size to handle a starter's workload.
