Dodgers sign undrafted free agent Robbie Peto

The Los Angeles Dodgers have apparently nabbed an undrafted free agent.

If we are to believe his Twitter account, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed undrafted free agent Robbie Peto from Stetson University.

“Ready to get to work! Let’s go Dodgers,” Peto tweeted on Sunday afternoon.

The right-hander was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 26th round of the 2019 MLB draft. He was also a late round selection out of high school by the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. After a sub-par 2019 campaign, he decided to return to school in 2020 where he started four games in the coronavirus shortened spring season.

The redshirt junior was looking to rebound off a misleading 1-9 record in 2019 that saw his ERA balloon to 8.75. However, he allowed two or fewer runs in 10 of his 15 starts, with 24 of his 34 earned runs coming in five games. His record was also the product of poor run support.

Robbie Peto could be a nice find by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Peto’s decision to return to school paid off, at least partially, as he was able to prove his stuff could translate into impressive numbers, but he is one of the many amateur players caught in a tough situation because of the new economics of the major league draft. Pitching for Stetson this year, he went 3-0 with an impressive 1.78 ERA, striking out 41 batters in 25.1 innings, while walking 13.

The Dodgers continue their trend of prioritizing pitchers out of college who used the shortened amateur season to stand out from their competition.

After a truncated five round draft, major league teams are extremely limited in their ability to recruit undrafted players this year. As MLB owners search for ways to cut costs, teams can only sign undrafted free agents for $20,000. Searching for creative ways to sign players without much money to offer, the Dodgers have considered using Magic Johnson as a recruiting tool. All hands are on deck.

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