Dodgers: 2016 Draft – One Year Later

5th Round — DJ Peters — OF

A teammate of Mitchell White in Rancho, DJ Peters is certainly a physical specimen and someone to keep an eye on. The SGV native, Glendora to be exact, has the size and speed to play any level of baseball. He flies around the bases, and while standing at 6’6, it is extremely impressive to watch.

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Peters has mashed his way through the first year of pro ball, batting .317 with an OPS of .963 over 110 games. A lot of people get the line “chance to be a five-tool player” thrown around their name at the start of their career without a fair analysis of who they can be. Peters truly has the physical gifts to make this a reality. At the height, with his athleticism – talking sub 6.4 60 speed – he is capable of being an All-Star at the major league level.

As many young hitters do, Peters is having a bit of difficulty adjusting to the increased velocity players deal with as they move through the minor league ranks. This happens to every player; it’s just about making the proper adjustment to get back on track. Peters has done that throughout his career, and I expect him to continue to do so.

Next: Dodgers vs. Cubs

I played against Peters when he was coming out of high school in a Summer Ball game. I was a going to be a Senior in college, and he was just coming out of high school. His presence in the box is felt, but the experience I had with him left me feeling pretty confident. 0-0 fastball, he pulled that thing so hard my third baseman barely had time to move. Since then, I’ve always remembered him, and boy am I glad the Dodgers have him now.