Dodgers just gave fascinating MLB Draft prospect a brutal decision to make

The Los Angeles Dodgers are never short on talent, but the MLB Draft gives them a unique opportunity to restock their robust pipeline without beefing up the league's most laden cap sheet. Knowing how the hand of fate tends to favor L.A., we can bank on at least a few of their picks hitting. But the most fascinating move involves a prospect who may not step foot on a professional baseball field in 2025.

The Dodgers selected Missouri right-handed pitcher Sam Horn with the 525th pick in the 17th round on Monday. The vast majority of picks this late never pan out, but Horn carries unique upside as a major athlete with a dual-sport background. He appeared in three games for the Missouri football team last season and pitched five games for Mizzou baseball. Shohei Ohtani is MLB's only two-way star. Now the Dodgers are attempting to cultivate a two-sport star.

Horn will need to make a decision: pursue baseball full-time with arguably the greatest organization in professional sports, or stay in school and keep football on the table. Horn is in the running to start at quarterback for Missouri this season, putting him in a premier position at an SEC school, playing America's most popular sport. It's quite the conundrum.

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Dodgers add QB/RHP Sam Horn in 15th round of MLB Draft

The book on Horn is quite tantalizing. MLB Pipeline ranks him 128th in this class, well above his draft slot, and compares him to the top pitching prospect in the minors: Pittsburgh's Bubba Chandler, another former quarterback coming out of high school.

"Horn drew comparisons to Bubba Chandler as a Georgia high school right-hander/quarterback in 2022, and while evaluators rated Chandler (now the best mound prospect in the Minors) as having more explosive stuff, Horn was a superior athlete, strike thrower and passer," reads his MLB.com scouting report.

Horn already turned down MLB offers to attend Missouri and stick with football. He will struggle to drum up the same level of interest in NFL circles as he has in baseball circles, but a chance to start for a potential postseason contender like Missouri gives Horn plenty of reasons to keep at the football dream.

Tommy John surgery cost Horn the 2024 campaign, which is a concern, but he's 21 years old and already on the other side of a significant elbow injury. He can touch 98 MPH on his fastball and flashes potential with his slider and sweeper, although developing his off-speed options is a must going forward.

Can the Dodgers expect Sam Horn to pass on Missouri QB job to join MLB?

At the end of the day, it feels like Horn is destined to stick around Mizzou for at least one more year. He fell further than expected due to the injury and his football commitments. Should Horn win the starting job at Missouri and then commit full-time to baseball next spring, he has a chance to go much higher in the 2026 draft.

At 6-foot-4 with plus athleticism and a "(deceptive) low arm slot and release height," per MLB Pipeline, Horn feels like he will eventually end up in the big leagues. Just maybe not with the Dodgers. If he ultimately rebuffs a contract offer from LA and runs it back in the draft next summer, expect to hear plenty more about Sam Horn, big league pitcher. It's a waiting game at this point.