Former WVU Pitcher Michael Grove Receives Invite to Spring Training with the Dodgers

In 2018, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected West Virginia right-handed pitcher, Michael Grove in the 2nd round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

The Wheeling, West Virginia native spent two seasons with the Mountaineers and posted a record of 5-5 with an ERA of 3.13. He struck out a total of 117 batters in just 92 innings of work.

Unfortunately, Grove was unable to finish his sophomore season as he was dealing with some discomfort in his forearm. Not longer after Grove was ruled out for the season, he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair the internal damage that he had suffered. The average recovery time for a player coming off of Tommy John is somewhere between 12-18 months, sometimes longer. This forced Grove to miss his entire junior season in 2018.

During his first year in the Dodgers' organization, Grove made 21 starts for Rancho Cucamonga, the Dodgers' High-A affiliate. In those 21 starts, Grove struggled as he gave up 35 earned runs in 51.2 innings pitched. Despite the slow start to his professional career, the Dodgers feel confident about his future and believe he is still very much a promising prospect.

Earlier this week, the Dodgers extended a spring training invite to Grove along with several other of the organization's top prospects. The Dodgers will have their first spring training game on February 28th against the Oakland Athletics.

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