There will be some Dodgers prospects heading out of the organization this offseason with the announcement of 40-man roster additions. The Rule 5 Draft is imminent and the Dodgers have elected to protect right-handed pitcher Mitchell White, infielder Zach McKinstry, and outfielder DJ Peters.
The Dodgers today added RHP Mitchell White, IF/OF Zach McKinstry and OF DJ Peters to the 40-man roster. The roster is at 40.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) November 20, 2019
Some interesting names were not protected like right-handed reliever Jordan Sheffield —someone who was very promising — and athletic outfielder Cody Thomas who could hear his name called. These decisions are interesting and demonstrate the belief the organization has in each player.
Between Sheffield and Thomas, Sheffield appears the likeliest to be heading elsewhere.
As for those who actually will stick within the organization, Mitchell White still presents some intrigue as a back-end of the starting rotation type of arm. He has had quite the up and down tenure within the organization, posting a 2.10 ERA for Double-A Tulsa in 2019, but a 6.50 ERA with Triple-A Oklahoma City across 63 2/3 innings of work.
McKinstry is not one of the Dodgers’ top-30 prospects, but he certainly burst onto the scene with seven homers and a .382/.421/.753 slash line in 26 games with Oklahoma City.
DJ Peters might have the highest upside of the trio as he has massive power and has also cut down his strikeout rate over the past season or so.
Official Press Release
The Los Angeles Dodgers today added right-handed pitcher Mitchell White, infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry and outfielder DJ Peters to the 40-man roster. The roster is at 40.
White, 24, was originally drafted in the second round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Santa Clara University. In four seasons with the Dodgers, he has posted a 14-15 mark with a 3.97 ERA (130 ER/294.2 IP) and 311 strikeouts against 102 walks. Last season, he split the season between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, going a combined 4-6 in 23 games (20 starts) with a 5.09 ERA (53 ER/93.2 IP) and 105 strikeouts.
McKinstry, 24, spent the majority of the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa and was named to the Texas League Mid-Season All-Star after hitting .279 (95-for-341) with 16 doubles, four triples, 12 homers and 52 RBI in 95 games for the Drillers. He was promoted to Triple-A on August 3 and finished the campaign with Oklahoma City, slashing.382/.421/.753 with eight doubles, two triples, seven homers and 26 RBI in 26 games for the Oklahoma City Dodgers. In four combined seasons with the organization, he is a .270 (331-for-1226) hitter with 61 doubles, 14 triples, 30 homers and 149 RBI. The Ohio native has moved all over the diamond in his Dodger career, playing 153 games at second base, 102 at third base, 78 at shortstop and 16 in the outfield. The left-handed hitter was originally drafted in the 33rd round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Central Michigan University.
Peters, 23, joins the Dodgers 40-man roster after splitting the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. In 68 games for the Drillers, he batted .241 (60-for-249) with 10 doubles, 11 homers and 42 RBI while batting .260 (54-for-208) with 10 doubles, 12 homers and 39 RBI in 57 games for Oklahoma City. In his Dodger career, he has appeared in all three outfield spots, recording 25 games in left field, 94 games in right field and 311 in center field. The Southern California native was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Western Nevada Community College (Nv.). In four seasons with the organization, he has hit a combined .269 (461-for-1714) with 92 homers and 271 RBI.