2021 Dodgers non-roster invitees to spring training

Here are the players signed by the Dodgers to minor league contracts with non-roster invitations to major league camp in spring training at Camelback Ranch in Arizona.

There were 31 non-roster invitees in total to start spring training, which began for Dodgers pitchers and catchers on February 17 with the first full-squad workout six days later. Combined with the 40 players on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers opened big league camp in Arizona with 71 players.

We will update this list throughout the spring as roster additions or cuts happen.

Current total non-roster players in camp: 6

Pitchers (3)

Josiah Gray
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 23
How acquired: trade from Reds, Dec. 21, 2018
Cut date: March 15

Gray is a consensus top-100 prospect in MLB, and the Dodgers’ highest-ranked prospect by both Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs.

Michael Grove
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 24
How acquired: 2018 draft, 2nd round
Cut date: March 15

After an elbow injury in college, Grove’s professional game experience is 51⅔ innings at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2019 and the alternate site at USC in 2020. Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs ranked Grove as the Dodgers’ No. 15 prospect.

Mike Kickham
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: Red Sox (NRI)
2020 highest level: Majors
2021 age: 32
How acquired: minor league FA, Jan. 8, 2021
Cut date: March 23

Kickham pitched six games for Boston in 2020, starting two, his first major league games since 2013-14 with San Francisco. This is the left-hander’s fifth straight spring as a non-roster invitee, after three such years with the Marlins (2017-19) and last year with Boston.

Landon Knack
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: n/a
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 23
How acquired: 2020 draft, 2nd round
Cut date: March 15

Knack spent time at the alternate site after an eye-popping 51 strikeouts against only one walk in his final four college starts at East Tennessee State.

Nolan Long
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 27
How acquired: 2015 draft, 16th round
Cut date: March 15

The right-hander struck out 81 (a 30-percent strikeout rate) in 63 innings with Double-A Tulsa in 2019.

Jose Martinez
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 22
How acquired: International FA, July 2, 2016
Cut date: March 15

Signed out Venezuela in 2016, Martinez a 3.28 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 126⅓ innings across both Class-A levels in 2019.

Bobby Miller
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: n/a
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 22
How acquired: 2020 draft, 1st round
Cut date: March 15

Miller joined the Dodgers from Louisville, then spent time at the alternate site and fall instructional league. Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs said of Miller, “He has a long, atypical arm action but he throws a starter-worthy ratio of strikes and holds his velo deep into games, reaching back for 95-97 when he needs it. That pitch has nasty, bowling ball sink. In addition to the velocity, Miller has a plus, mid-80s slider and a developing power changeup.”

Brandon Morrow
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Cubs (NRI)
2020 highest level: Minors
2021 age: 36
How acquired: minor league FA, Dec. 11, 2020

Morrow’s last minor league deal with the Dodgers turned out fantastically, as he posted a 2.06 ERA in 2017, and pitched in 14 of the club’s 15 postseason games that year. Morrow’s last major league game was July 15, 2018, and he’s had three arm surgeries since.

Jimmy Nelson
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers
2020 highest level: MLB (injured list)
2021 age: 32
How acquired: minor league FA, Dec. 11, 2020
Added to 40-man roster: March 25

Nelson was the Brewers’ ace in 2017 but missed 2018 after right shoulder surgery, and was limited to just 22 innings in 2019. He signed a one-year major league deal with the Dodgers last year but saw his 2020 season wiped out by back surgery in July.

Robinson Ortiz
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 21
How acquired: International FA, February 2, 2017
Cut date: March 15

Signed out of the Dominican Republic four years ago, Ortiz is one of three Dodgers in camp born in 2000, along with Kendall Williams and Andy Pages.

James Pazos
Bats R, throws L
2020 spring training: Rockies
2020 highest level: MLB (Rockies)
2021 age: 30
How acquired: minor league FA, Dec. 11, 2020
Cut date: March 23

Pazos’ brief major league stint with Colorado in 2020 was disastrous, allowing runs in four of his six games, with a 16.88 ERA and five walks to go with only one strikeout and three home runs allowed. The left-hander has a 3.95 career ERA in parts of six seasons, striking out 25.8 percent of left-handed batters with a 3.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio against same-handed batters.

Ryan Pepiot
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 23
How acquired: 2019 draft, 3rd round
Cut date: March 15

Pepiot, drafted out of Butler less than two years ago, was rated the Dodgers’ sixth-best prospect by FanGraphs, with Eric Longenhagen calling Pepiot’s changeup “a lethal offering.” Kyle Glaser on the Baseball America podcast said of Pepiot, “He looked like an absolute monster last year when he came to summer camp. He had a great outing at Dodger Stadium. He was the Dodgers’ best pitcher by all accounts at their alternate site.”

Nick Robertson
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 22
How acquired: 2019 draft, 7th round
Cut date: March 23

The right-hander out of James Madison has yet to pitch above rookie ball, but he struck out 37 percent of his batters faced in his professional debut in 2019.

Enny Romero
Bats R, throws L
2020 spring training: n/a
2020 highest level: n/a
2021 age: 30
How acquired: minor league FA, Jan. 14, 2021

Romero didn’t pitch in the majors or minors in 2020, but was a starter for the Chunichi Dragons in Japan in 2019. The left-hander in parts of five major league seasons (2013-18) allowed left-handed batters to hit .253/.335/.408 against him, with a 24.9-percent strikeout rate.

Gus Varland
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: A’s (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 24
How acquired: trade (Oakland), February 12, 2021
Cut date: March 15

Acquired just last Friday from the A’s in the Adam Kolarek-Sheldon Neuse trade, Augustus James Varland had a 2.39 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 26⅓ innings in High-A Stockton in 2019.

Kendall Williams
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Blue Jays (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 20
How acquired: trade (Toronto), September 1, 2020
Cut date: March 15

Williams was one of two players to be named later from the Blue Jays in the deadline trade of Ross Stripling. The 6’6 right-hander, a second-round draft pick of Toronto in 2019, finished out the 2020 season at the Dodgers’ alternate training site at USC.

Catchers (1)

Stevie Berman
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 26
How acquired: 2016 draft, 31st round

Was a teammate of pitcher Mitch White at Santa Clara in 2015-16.

Tim Federowicz
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Rangers (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 33
How acquired: minor league FA, Dec. 16, 2020
Cut date: March 23

Federowicz started 66 games behind the plate for the Dodgers from 2011-14, and 2021 will mark his sixth different team as a non-roster invitee to spring training in the last six years.

Hunter Feduccia
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 24
How acquired: 2018 draft, 12th round
Cut date: March 15

The lefty-batting catcher hit .275/.380/.408 across both Class-A levels in 2019.

Infielders (2)

Jacob Amaya
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 22
How acquired: 2017 draft, 11th round
Cut date: March 15

Amaya was rated the best defensive prospect in the Dodgers system by MLB.com, and the best defensive infield prospect in the system by Baseball America.

Andy Burns
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Blue Jays (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 30
How acquired: minor league FA

Burns was in the Blue Jays player pool in 2020 after he was a non-roster invitee in spring training. The infielder has been in the Jays’ system mostly since 2011, though he also saw time in the Korean Baseball Organization (2017-18) and split 2019 between Triple-A Buffalo and with Sydney in the Australian Baseball League. Burns played 10 games in the majors in 2016 with Toronto, going 0-for-6 with a hit by pitch. Across all levels, Burns has played his most games (454) at third base, followed closely by second base (418).

Michael Busch
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 23
How acquired: 2019 draft, 1st round
Cut date: March 15

Busch was named a top-100 prospect by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, ESPN, and The Athletic.

Matt Davidson
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Reds (NRI)
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 30
How acquired: Minor league FA, February 16, 2021
Cut date: March 23

Davidson hit 46 home runs for the White Sox in 2017-18 combined, including three on opening day in 2018. The corner infielder has a career 118 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers.

Omar Estevez
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (NRI)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 23
How acquired: International FA, November 21, 2015
Cut date: March 15

Estevez turns just 23 next week, having spent time last year as a non-roster invitee then at the alternate training site. He hit .291/.352/.431 for Double-A Tulsa in 2019.

Kody Hoese
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 23
How acquired: 2019 draft, 1st round
Cut date: March 15

“Kody Hoese can really, really, really hit. I felt like every day he was hitting the ball off the wall or shooting a double the other way,” Gavin Lux said last September. “I mean, like he can really, really hit.”

Devin Mann
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: Player pool
2021 age: 24
How acquired: 2018 draft, 5th round
Cut date: March 15

The University of Louisville product has split time mostly between second base and third base in the minors, and spent part of 2020 at the alternate training site at USC. Mann said he and other minor leaguers would occasionally get pregame at-bats at Dodger Stadium against pitchers who needed extra work, telling Ted Schultz at The Republic in Columbus, Indiana, “It was pretty cool. Obviously, I didn’t have great success against Walker Buehler, as you could imagine, but I did pretty well against Joe Kelly, Alex Wood and Pedro Baez. It’s nice to know that you’re that close and know what you need to work on.”

Rangel Ravelo
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Cardinals
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 29
How acquired: Minor league FA
Cut date: March 23

Ravelo has played mostly at the corners in the infield and outfield in both the majors and minors. In parts of the last two seasons with the Cardinals, Ravelo hit .189/.250/.351 in 84 plate appearances over 42 games.

Elliot Soto
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Angels (NRI)
2020 highest level: MLB
2021 age: 31
How acquired: Minor league FA

After 10 minor league seasons and 867 games, then another season at the Angels alternate training site in Long Beach, Soto made his major league debut in the final weekend of the 2020 season at Dodger Stadium, starting two games at shortstop. That’s been his primary position in the minors, along with time at second base and third base. Was college teammates with former Dodgers Pat Venditte and Darin Ruf at Creighton in 2008.

Leonel Valera
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 21
How acquired: International FA, July 22, 2015
Cut date: March 15

The shortstop, signed out of Venezuela almost six years ago, did not appear in a Cactus League game before he was cut from camp.

Miguel Vargas
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 21
How acquired: International FA, September 7, 2017
Cut date: March 15

Baseball Prospectus has the Cuban third baseman ranked as the fourth-best Dodgers prospects and No. 77 in baseball.

Outfielders (0)

Ryan Noda
Bats L, throws L
2020 spring training: Blue Jays (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 25
How acquired: trade (Toronto), February 23, 2021
Cut date: March 15

Noda was the player to be named later acquired from the Blue Jays to complete the Ross Stripling trade.

James Outman
Bats L, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 23
How acquired: 2018 draft, 7th round
Cut date: March 15

The outfielder with one of the best pitcher names around hit .226/.322/.407 with 19 home runs for Class-A Great Lakes in 2019.

Andy Pages
Bats R, throws R
2020 spring training: Dodgers (minors)
2020 highest level: minors
2021 age: 20
How acquired: International FA, October 18, 2017
Cut date: March 15

The power hitter was rated as the Dodgers’ fourth-best prospect by FanGraphs.