Former Dodgers Top Outfield Prospect Signs With Texas Rangers in New Role
Former Dodgers top prospect DJ Peters has officially signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers, per Dave Coggin of PFA Baseball.
Earlier this offseason, it was reported that Peters was trying a second career in Major League Baseball as a pitcher. Now, he'll get an opportunity to make it happen in Texas.
Peters, 28, was drafted in the 36th round of both the 2014 and 2015 drafts by the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers, respectively. However, he elected to go back to school and was ultimately drafted by the Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
Peters quickly rose the Dodgers prospect ranks, coming in as high as No. 6 in 2018, per MLB Pipeline.
In 2021, he finally got his opportunity in the majors, however, he struggled to make the most of it.
In 18 games with the Dodgers, Peters slashed .192/.382/.285 with one home run and four runs batted in. He was ultimately DFA'd, and joined the Rangers on waivers.
In Texas, the outfielder slashed .198/.218/.426 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs in 52 games. However, he hasn't made it back to the big leagues since then, playing with the Washington Nationals Triple-A affiliate and the Lotte Giants of the KBO in 2022.
In 2024, Peters will be attempting to make an MLB comeback, but as a pitcher. He has a mid 90's fastball with tons of vertical break and a strong slider, per Coggin.
At just 28 years old, there's plenty of time for him to rewrite his MLB career.
