Dodgers announce Spring Training non-roster invitees

With less than a week until pitchers and catchers report, the Dodgers announced the 21 players who will be receiving non-roster invites to spring training.

Notable names:

Daniel Corcino: Appeared in two games with LA in 2018. Went 5-4 with 3.41 ERA between Tulsa and Oklahoma city last year. Had 111 strikeouts in 111 innings.

Dustin May: Ranked as the No. 69 prospect per MLB.com. Spent 2018 in single-A as well as double-A. Went a combined 9-5 with a 3.39 ERA. He had 122 strikeouts in 132 ²⁄₃ innings, and had a WHIP of 1.11.

Kevin Quackenbush: A familiar name for Dodgers fans, as the 30-year-old was a member of the Padres from 2014-2017. He spent 2018 with the Reds, appearing in only 10 games. He allowed 11 runs in nine innings of work. Settling down in triple-A, Quackenbush had a 2.68 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 47 games. He had 56 strikeouts in 47 innings.

Josh Smoker: The left-handed pitcher appeared in eight games last season. Splitting time between the Tigers and Pirates, the 30-year-old allowed seven runs in 7 ¹⁄₃ innings of work. He has 82 games of big-league experience, with an ERA of 5.35. In 42 minor-league games, he was 3-2 with an ERA of 3.38. He had 50 strikeouts in 45 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

Will Smith: His name was thrown around all off-season in possible J.T. Realmuto trades. Smith, 23, spent 2018 between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Though he only hit .233, he had an OPS of .776 and hit 20 home runs in 98 games. Smith potentially can find himself on the Dodgers’ big-league roster sometime in 2019.

Josh Thole: Having last appeared in the majors in 2016, Thole has 478 career games under his belt. He’s a .242 career hitter, with only nine home runs. He spent 2018 in double-A, hitting only .238 with one homer.

Gavin Lux: The 21-year-old infielder checks in at No. 70 on the MLB top-100 prospects list. He spent time between single-A and double-A last year. Lux hit .324/.399/.514/.913. He hit 15 homers, drove in 57 runs, and had eight triples.

Kyle Garlick: The 27-year-old outfielder hit 22 home runs in 116 games between Tulsa and OKC in 2018.

Paulo Orlando: The 32-year-old has 278 big-league games of experience, most recently coming in 2018 with the Royals. His best season came in 2016 when he had 138 hits in only 128 games with Kansas City.

Shane Peterson: Having last played with the Rays in 2017, Peterson has 125 games of big-league experience. He has a career average of .254. Spending 2018 in triple-A, the 30-year-old hit .286 in 126 games, slugging 11 homers and driving in 74. He had an OPS of .793.

DJ Peters: The 23-year-old spent all of 2018 with Tulsa. In 330 career minor league games, Peters has 69 home runs, and an OPS of .884.

— — —

In other news, the Dodgers have signed right-handed pitcher J.D. Martin to a minor league contract, per Ken Rosenthal. Martin, 36, last pitched in the big leagues for the Nationals back in 2010.

He spent last year with the Rays, pitching with their Double-A affiliate. He had a 4.49 ERA, and went 8-10 in 25 games. He had 71 strikeouts and 60 walks in 124 ¹⁄₃ innings.

With the hopes of reinventing his career, Martin has developed a knuckleball over the last three seasons. He plans to work with Charlie Hough, the Dodgers adviser, to try and utilize his knuckleball, and hopefully make an impact for LA sometime in 2019.

The Dodgers also signed Cody Asche to a minor-league deal. Asche, 28, last played in the big leagues in 2017 as a member of the White Sox. He spent the entire 2018 season in triple-A, hitting .220/.304/.399/.704. He hit 11 home runs and drove in 38. According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, he will not receive an invite to Spring Training.