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Dodgers Sign 1st Round Pick Walker Buehler; Fail To Sign Funkhouser

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Dodgers signed their first round pick Walker Buehler on Friday to a multi-year deal.

The 24th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft went to the Vanderbilt University where he had a 20-7 career record for the Commodores. Buehler put up an impressive 2.88 ERA in 49 games pitched, while striking out 249 and walking 83 in his career.

The Dodgers selected Kyle Funkhouser with the 35th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2015 draft, but were unable to reach an agreement with the right-hander, so he will be returning to college at Louisville.

Funkhouser was the only first-round selection to not sign with a team before Friday's deadline for first-year players.

It is reported that Buehler has been dealing with an elbow injury on his pitching arm, and will require Tommy John surgery, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

Leading up to the draft, Buehler was reportedly ranked in the top 10, but slid to the Dodgers at 24 due to concerns about his durability.

With the Dodgers unable to sign their other first-round pick, it makes signing Buehler that much more important. While it could take a couple years for him to find his rhythm, Buehler certainly has the talent to pitch in the big leagues, it is just a matter of if he can stay healthy.

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