Kennewick grad could be 1st round pick in 2025 MLB draft. How he got there

Danny Dickinson has always known what he wanted to do.

“Since I was 3, I’ve had a vision of playing Major League Baseball,” said Dickinson, a 2022 Kennewick High School graduate. “I remember in pre-school and kindergarten, my teachers asked me what I wanted to be. And it was a pro baseball player.”

Considering where he was a few years ago — as a senior at Kennewick — Dickinson’s vision was at one time perhaps just a pipe dream.

But in the past two years, things have changed.

After two outstanding seasons at Utah Valley University, Dickinson announced in early July that he was entering the NCAA Division I baseball transfer portal.

And then there was silence for almost two weeks.

But on July 9 news broke that Eddie Smith, Dickinson’s head coach at UVU, had accepted the head coaching position at the University of Washington.

Some people assumed Dickinson would follow Smith — the lone Division I coach to give the Lions standout his only chance at playing in college baseball’s top level.

A few hours later, those assumptions were wrong: Dickinson announced he’d be playing for NCAA powerhouse Louisiana State University.

It was a stunning transfer, mainly because no one from this region has ever played in the South.

“How many guys from this area have ever played in the SEC?” asked Nate Holdren, Dickinson’s coach in the summer baseball program River City Athletics. “The best college baseball players in the world are in that league.”

And now, Dickinson will be one of them.

“Coach Smith was once the hitting coach at LSU,” said Dickinson. “It was great to see where he came from and see what his experiences were like. They really hyped up (Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher) Paul Skenes and (Washington Nationals outfielder) Dylan Crews.

“The coaching staff is amazing. Every criteria I wanted to have met was there: the facility, the coaches and fan base is incredible,” he added. “I planned to also visit Vanderbilt and Tennessee, but that didn’t happen after I visited LSU.”

And Dickinson was happy Smith was hired at Washington.

“I’m glad (Coach Smith and I) both found our ways,” said Dickinson.

Starting the journey

Dickinson has been described by his youth coaches as two things: loyal and hard-working.

“Does seeing him when he was 12 years old making it (at LSU)? Yes, it surprises me,” said Steven Whitehead, the former Tri-Cities Fever football star who started seeing the then-sixth grader at his business, Elite Ambitions Training.

“Does seeing him during his senior year in high school? Yes, it surprises me. Does seeing what he’s done the past two years and then putting in for the transfer? No, it does not surprise me.”

Holdren — a Richland High grad who played football and baseball at the University of Michigan, and then five seasons in the Colorado Rockies organization — isn’t surprised either.

“He’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever coached,” he said. “I have a batting cage that our players have 24/7 access to. Danny was in that cage five days a week all year round. He had a dream and goal of playing at LSU.”

Lenny Ayres was his high school coach at Kennewick.

Ayres also saw that work ethic.

“His freshman year in high school, he had the aspirations, but he didn’t have the body he does now,” said Ayres. “He always had the skill set, but he also has put in the work. Every kid takes swings in batting practice. Danny took way more swings. Kids lifted weights. Danny always lifted more times.”

None of this has surprised Ayres.

“No. What kind of surprised me was that he hadn’t had a D1 offer until the state semifinals (of 2022),” said Ayres.

That was a head scratcher.

Dickinson had been named a Mid-Columbia Conference first-team shortstop as a junior in 2021. As a senior, he was the MCC Player of the Year, a first-team shortstop and relief pitcher. To top it off, he led his Lions team to a second-place finish in the 3A state tournament.

Yet, no offers for him to play college baseball were forthcoming, except from an NAIA school in Arizona called Ottawa University.

“Danny’s junior season was one in which he played well. But maybe he didn’t stand out,” Holdren said. “But his worth ethic and determination were key.”

It was about around the time of the state semifinals that Smith came calling.

Smith was in the Northwest doing some scouting and had come from Longview — where the community college championships were being held — to Pasco for the state high school championship were at.

“I had no idea who he was,” said Smith. “It was a long day. It was the fourth game of the day. He led off with a double and he had a lot energy that he played with. That bat speed was real and it woke me up.”

Holdren remembers well a conversation he had with Smith.

“Smith actually told me that he was afraid that if he redshirted Danny his freshman season, that he might enter the transfer portal before his second season year at the school,” said Holdren. The move delays an athlete’s participation in official games to give them move time to develop his skills to play at a higher level.

“I asked (Smith) if he planned to redshirt him. He said no, that he had a chance to play come fall. I said if you do redshirt him, he’ll prove you wrong. He’s very determined and driven,” he said.

Heading to Utah

“At Utah Valley my freshman year, the incoming class was almost all junior college transfers,” Dickinson said. “I was competing against juniors, and I came in as a preferred walk on. But I was a given an opportunity to play. It was a big adjustment from high school baseball. I struggled in the fall pretty badly. But I stuck with it.”

He continued to hit the weight room.

Smith says that was a key.

“I think that allowed him to be successful right away,” said Smith. “The average guy in our lineup was 22 years old that year. Physically, he decided at 19 that he would compete with these 22-year-olds.”

Dickinson kept taking swings in the batting cages, and slowly he adjusted to college pitching.

“The difference was just the pitching,” said Dickinson. “There is a big difference between high school pitcher throwing a fastball 83 to 86 mph, and in college, where pitches are between 89 and 92 mph, and there are three different pitches you’re trying to hit.”

He gained confidence by catching up with the pitches, with the fall ball, and then he started hitting from the get-go in the spring.

True freshman rarely get a chance to start, but Smith said Dickinson made that decision pretty easy.

“We were at the University of Portland on weekend 3 of the season, and our regular starting shortstop was hurt,” said Smith. “Danny stepped in, and by the end of that weekend we decided we were a lot better team when Dickinson was in the lineup.”

His numbers in that 2023 season as a true freshman were impressive: In 54 games, Dickinson hit a team-best .376 (82 hits in 218 at-bats), with 19 doubles, 9 home runs and 42 RBIs. He also had 10 stolen bases.

He was first-team All-Western Athletic Conference at second base, and he was named to Collegiate Baseball’s 2023 freshman All-American team.

Holdren thought Dickinson might parlay that season into a transfer to a bigger school and conference. But the infielder didn’t, and Holdren understands why. Smith gave Dickinson an opportunity.

“He’s very loyal,” said Holdren. “It’s why he stuck around a second year at Utah Valley when he could’ve transferred. He’s also very loyal to me and Coach Whitehead.”

The perfect year

So what does Dickinson do for an encore in 2024?:

• In 58 games this spring at Utah Valley, Dickinson hit .367 (90 for 45) with 14 doubles, 18 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases.

• Baseball America magazine named Dickinson a third-team All-American selection as an infielder.

• Perfect Game named him second-team All-America.

• He was also a first-team WAC selection.

• The standout was invited to play for the Harwich Mariners this summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League that started in mid-June.

• Dickinson also was invited to the 2024 USA Baseball National Collegiate Team Training Camp that happened in late June. He was part of a team that swept Chinese Taipei in five games in an International Friendly Series Tour that ended in early July.

He was especially excited about the Team USA camp.

“It’s playing for my country,” he said. “It’s a grind, but you’re playing against the best players in the country. If you make it one time (with Team USA), hopefully you get an opportunity to play in the Olympics.”

▪ After the camp, Dickinson went back to Harwich to help the team win the Cape Cod championship. In just 24 games for Harwich, Dickinson batted .205, had two doubles, 8 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.

Now, he’s on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, getting ready for classes and fall ball.

“It has been an extremely busy summer. But it’s definitely a blessing, yet pretty stressful,” said Dickinson. “It’s all been just super cool.”

He admits that he never considered visiting the four major Northwest schools: Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State. None of them gave Dickinson a look when he was a senior at Kennewick.

“It became a personal thing to me,” he said. “All four reached out, but I decided not to answer the phone. And this was the best decision for me.”

What’s next?

Here’s the thing: Dickinson’s stock has risen rapidly in the past 12 months.

Baseball America, in its latest Top 100 college transfers list for the 2025 season, lists Dickinson at No. 2 in the nation.

Even better, D1 Baseball’s top 100 college prospects rankings for next summer’s 2025 MLB draft has Dickinson ranked at No. 8.

So Dickinson — at 6-foot, 180 pounds — at this moment is being pegged as a first-round draft pick next July.

He’s confident.

“I feel I have the five tools,” he said. “I run well. I field well, and I’m moving from second base to shortstop at LSU. I’ll get more action at that position. It takes more athleticism.

“I hit for power. I hit for average. And I have arm strength. That’s why I’m moving over to the left side of the infield. I need to work on becoming an amazing shortstop. I have to work on that position defensively.”

Smith likes what he sees.

“He has really elite bat-to-ball skills,” said the new UW coach. “His walk-to-strikeout ratio is almost double. He has been able to couple that with his home run numbers of 18 this past season. Then combine that with 32 stolen bases. I’m pulling for home from afar.”

No matter the work, baseball has always been fun for the former Kennewick star.

“You get to hang out every day with your buddies,” he said. “You get the opportunity every day to play America’s Game. It’s fun.”

His coaches know how far he’s come.

“He’s an old-school kid in a new generation, where hard work always paid off,” said Whitehead. “He’s worked for everything he’s gotten.”

Dickinson knows that. That’s why he’s not letting up.

“I need to try not to get caught up in the hype, and just keep working hard,” he said.

Jeff Morrow is former sports editor for the Tri-City Herald.