HUNGER GAMES
Yankees’ outfield prospect Dunham ‘fueled’ by going undrafted in 2020
BINGHAMTON — In a normal year, Elijah Dunham almost certainly would have heard his name called during the MLB draft.
But the pandemic threw normalcy out the window. In 2020, the MLB draft was cut from 40 to five rounds. That meant just 160 picks. Dunham, coming off his junior season of college, would not be one of them. And perhaps even before the shock and dejection began to wear off, Dunham realized he had just gotten all the motivation he needed to turn himself into an all-around player who wouldn’t be overlooked for much longer.
“I think that fueled a little fire in me,” Dunham said this month. “I thought I should have made the draft. I went to work. I did the things that were the reason why I didn’t for sure make it. Now we’re here.”
“Here” is Double-A Somerset in the Yankees’ minor league system, where the 24-year-old outfielder is opening more eyes after doing the same with a standout performance in the Arizona Fall League last year. Dunham still ranks as just the Yankees’ No. 26 prospect, per MLB.com, but if his hunger to improve and the work he’ll put in to do so are any indication, he may well force his way up those rankings before long.
“His work ethic and competitiveness is unmatched,” Somerset manager Dan Fiorito said.
“I think he’s one of the most hard-nosed, talented … hardworking players I’ve ever played with,” said teammate Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ top prospect. “How much he cares and how passionate he is about the game, I think rubs off on everyone.
“Even if he didn’t have that [undrafted chip], I feel like he’d be the most motivated guy there is. But yeah, it’s gonna be a great story when he makes it.”
Dunham was, in fact, drafted once, in the 40th and final round of the 2019 MLB draft by the Pirates.
It was after his sophomore season at Indiana University, and there was little question he would return for his junior year.
The Evansville, Ind., native then got off to a strong start in 2020, but in March, the college baseball schedule was halted because of COVID-19. It never resumed, robbing Dunham and his teammates of their season and plenty of important opportunities to play in front of scouts.
Soon after, Dunham packed his bags and moved into a hotel in Nashville, where he was able to work out at a complex operated by his agent, Hunter Bledsoe. At first, Dunham thought he was preparing for pre-draft workouts, though none came to fruition because of the pandemic.
Then the draft came in June, and despite talking to teams that told him they were going to pick him, Dunham was never selected. So he got back to work, “selling out” and using every day to address any possible holes in his game that would explain why he didn’t get drafted.
Dunham focused mostly on his athleticism. He always could hit, but he wanted to get faster and smarter on the base paths, improve his outfield defense and strengthen his arm.
“I was living in a hotel, everything was shut down, so I was literally just going to the facility and going back to the hotel all day,” Dunham said. “That was kind of my life through COVID.”
Then there was his free agency. Dunham was originally against going that route, instead thinking about a return to school, but after talking with his agent and family — and knowing he was already 22 years old — he eventually came around.
Thus began a chaotic schedule of Zoom meetings, FaceTimes and calls with organizations trying to sell themselves. Teams were allowed to sign undrafted free agents for $20,000, so the money was the same everywhere. Dunham wanted to find the organization that was going to make him the best player he could be.
Ultimately the decision came down to three teams, including the Yankees, who had a secret weapon: Casey Dykes. Now the Yankees’ assistant hitting coach, Dykes had been Indiana’s hitting coach for Dunham’s first two seasons on campus before joining the Yankee organization in 2019 as a minor league coach.
“Just the holistic approach to player development we have across the organization I thought would really benefit him,” Dykes said.
“I knew that him as a person and player would benefit us. So it was equally intriguing for me to try to do everything I could to make sure we were the ones that signed him when he made that decision.”
Two years in, both sides appear to be benefitting. Dunham is batting .270 with a .816 OPS, eight home runs and 22 steals (on 25 attempts) in 55 games at Double-A while playing the corner-outfield spots. Experimental rule changes in the minors such as limited pickoff attempts and bigger bases have boosted stolen-base numbers all around, but Dunham’s 22 swipes rank third in the Eastern League after he had just six in his entire college career at Indiana. That improved speed is just part of Dunham’s
pursuit of being a stronger all-around player.
And if his swing is feeling off, Dunham can text Dykes and ask him what he’s seeing, knowing he’ll take the time to turn on some video and help.
“That’s why I love the guy,” Dunham said.
“He’s one of my favorite guys I’ve ever coached,” Dykes said.
Down the line, a DunhamDykes reunion in The Bronx is not out of the question. Dunham is on track to be a potential option by next year, with his speed, defense and lefty bat perhaps giving him a shot as an extra outfielder. It will take more development, more work and the timing to be right, but it would be a fitting way for Dunham to arrive in the big leagues.
“It would mean a ton,” Dykes said. “I would be — whether it’s here in New York and I’m here or at any point, when he makes his debut, which I know is just a matter of time, I’m going to be as excited for him doing that as anybody.”
Perhaps by then, Dunham will finally be able to let go of the slight of going undrafted. Then again, given how far it has propelled him in two years, maybe not.
“My friends on the team now are like, ‘Yeah, you need to drop it, it’s over now.’ But I just won’t,” Dunham said.
“I use it as a chip on my shoulder. I play kind of fiery now because of it. But I feel like it’s a huge motivator for me.”