Donald Scott Peters (born December 12, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher and former outfielder in the Texas Rangers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the KBO League for the Lotte Giants.

DJ Peters
Peters with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2017
Texas Rangers
Outfielder / Pitcher
Born: (1995-12-12) December 12, 1995 (age 28)
Glendora, California, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Professional debut
MLB: April 23, 2021, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
KBO: April 2, 2022, for the Lotte Giants
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Batting average.197
Home runs13
Runs batted in38
KBO statistics
(through 2022 season)
Batting average.228
Home runs13
Runs batted in48
Teams

Amateur career edit

Peters attended Glendora High School in Glendora, California. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 36th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and attended Western Nevada College, where he played college baseball. After one year at Western Nevada, he was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 36th round of the 2015 MLB draft, but again did not sign and returned to Western Nevada. In 2016, he was the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Year.[1][2] After the season, Peters was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft and signed,[3] turning down a scholarship offer from California State University, Fullerton. Peters was initially committed to Cal State Fullerton out of high school.

Professional career edit

Los Angeles Dodgers edit

 
Peters with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2017

Peters spent his first professional season with the Ogden Raptors where he posted a .351 batting average with 13 home runs, 48 RBIs and a 1.052 OPS in 66 games.[4] He spent 2017 with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and was named to the California League mid-season all-star team.[5] In 132 games, he batted .276 with 27 home runs and 82 RBIs,[6][7] and at the end of the season, was named to the postseason all-star team and was selected as the California League Most Valuable Player.[8] Peters spent 2018 with the Tulsa Drillers, batting .236 with 29 home runs and sixty RBIs in 132 games.[9] He returned to Tulsa to begin 2019[10] and was promoted to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers on June 27.[11] Between the two levels, he hit .249/.358/.453 in 125 games with 23 homers and 81 RBI.[7] He was added to the 40-man roster after the season.[12]

On April 23, 2021, Peters was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[13] He made his MLB debut that day as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning and grounded out to third base from Nick Ramirez of the San Diego Padres.[14] His first career hit was a double off Mike Mayers of the Los Angeles Angels on May 8, 2021.[15] On May 27, 2021, Peters hit his first big league home run off Alex Wood of the San Francisco Giants.[16] In 18 games with the Dodgers, he had five hits in 26 at-bats.[17] Peters was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on July 29, 2021.[18]

Texas Rangers edit

On August 2, 2021, Peters was claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers.[19] Over 52 games for Texas in 2021, Peters hit .198/.218/.426/.645 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI.[20] On November 30, Peters was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to the Triple–A Round Rock Express.[21]

Lotte Giants edit

On December 9, 2021, Peters signed a one-year, $680,000 deal with the Lotte Giants of the KBO League.[22] He was waived by the Giants on July 18 after posting a .228 batting average with 13 home runs in 85 games.[23]

Washington Nationals edit

On September 9, 2022, Peters signed a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals. He appeared in 13 games for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings to close out the year, hitting .174/.216/.239 with no home runs and 4 RBI. Peters elected free agency following the season on November 10.[24]

Detroit Tigers edit

On February 8, 2023, Peters signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers organization.[25] Peters converted into a pitcher for the 2023 season, and spent the year with the rookie–level Florida Complex League Tigers. In 17 appearances for the club, he registered a 6.23 ERA with 24 strikeouts across 21+23 innings of work. Peters elected free agency following the season on November 6.[26]

Texas Rangers (second stint) edit

On January 31, 2024, Peters signed a minor league contract with the Rangers.[27]

References edit

  1. ^ "Peters SWAC Player of the Year". NevadaAppeal.com. May 13, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  2. ^ "WNC outfielder DJ Peters named SWAC Player of Year". Rgj.com. May 12, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  3. ^ "Dodgers take D.J. Peters in fourth round". RecordCourier.com. June 14, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  4. ^ MICHAEL GRENNELL, Standard-Examiner correspondent. "Ogden Raptors outfielders making an impact on the team and on each other". Standard.net. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  5. ^ Lindskog, Mike (June 13, 2017). "Six All-Stars for Quakes!". Milb.com. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "DJ Peters Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "D.J. Peters Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference.
  8. ^ Lindskog, Mike (August 22, 2017). "Peters Wins MVP; Quakes with Three All-Stars". milb.com. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "DJ Peters Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Huskey, Jonathan (April 4, 2019). "Tulsa Drillers Start Season As Defending Texas League Champs". newson6.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  11. ^ Dykstra, Sam (June 27, 2019). "Dodgers promote Lux, May to OKC". milb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  12. ^ Gurnick, Ken (November 20, 2019). "Dodgers add three prospects to 40-man roster". mlb.com. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Stephen, Eric (April 23, 2021). "Zach McKinstry placed on injured list with oblique strain, Dodgers recall DJ Peters". SB Nation. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  14. ^ "San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers Box Score, April 23, 2021". Baseball Reference. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  15. ^ Stephen, Eric (May 8, 2021). "Dodgers offense goes boom, does just enough to rescue another bad bullpen performance". SB Nation. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "Dodgers 4, Giants 3". mlb.com. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  17. ^ "DJ Peters Statistics & History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Toribio, Juan (July 29, 2021). "Dodgers finalize deal with KC for Duffy". MLB.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  19. ^ Franco, Anthony (August 2, 2021). "Rangers Claim DJ Peters Off Waivers From Dodgers". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  20. ^ Levi Weaver (October 6, 2021). "Grading the 2021 Texas Rangers: Position players edition". The Athletic. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Rangers' DJ Peters: Loses spot on 40-man roster".
  22. ^ "KBO's Giants sign ex-MLB player DJ Peters". English.yonhapnews.co.kr. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Adams, Steve (July 18, 2022). "KBO's Lotte Giants Waive DJ Peters". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  24. ^ "2022-23 Minor League Free Agents For All 30 MLB Teams". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  25. ^ "Tigers' DJ Peters: Signs minors deal with Detroit". cbssports.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  26. ^ "2023 MiLB Free Agents". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  27. ^ "Rangers' DJ Peters: Lands minor-league deal with Texas". cbssports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2024.

External links edit