Five of the top ten potential players and a pair of well-known veterans highlight the list of 31 unescaled players who were invited to spring training by the Dodgers, who will do their first training for pitchers and receivers on Thursday at the Camelback Ranch in Phoenix .
Josiah Gray, a 23-year-old right-hand who is the organization’s top contender according to the MLB Pipeline, and Kody Hoese, a 23-year-old third baseman who is in third place, will join second baseman Michael Busch (No. 4 ), right-handed Bobby Miller (No. 7) and midfielder Jacob Amaya (No. 10) at the major league camp.
Brandon Morrow, a 36-year-old reliever who was the best organizer for Kenley Jansen during the team race at the 2017 World Series, and Jimmy Nelson, a 31-year-old right-footer who lost all of last season after undergoing a lap surgery, will also be on great league camp. Both signed minor league deals in December.
Morrow posted an ERA of 2.06 out of 45 games in 2017 and made 14 postseason appearances, including all seven World Series games against the Houston Astros. Nelson is trying to recover from three consecutive seasons marked by injuries, including two (2018-2019) with Milwaukee.
The Dodgers also hired corner infielder Matt Davidson, 29, for a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He hit 46 home runs with 130 RBIs in 241 games for the Chicago White Sox in 2017-2018.
The rest of the non-cast guests are right-handed Michael Grove, Landon Knack, Nolan Long, Jose Martinez, Ryan Pepiot, Nick Robertson, Gus Varland and Kendall Williams, left-handed Mike Kickham, Robinson Ortiz, James Pazos and Enny Romero, the catchers Stevie Berman, Tim Federowicz and Hunter Feduccia, indoor players Andy Burns, Matt Davidson, Omar Estevez, Devin Mann, Rangel Ravelo, Elliot Soto and Miguel Vargas and outfielders James Outman and Andy Pages.
Dodgers Hire VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Dodgers also announced the appointment of Courtney Moore to the newly created position of vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. Moore spent 20 years in the field, most recently as director of diversity and inclusion for the Munger, Tolles & Olson company.