Dodgers ink Dallas McPherson to minor league contract

If anything, the games at Triple-A Albuquerque should be more interesting in 2013. The Dodgers have reportedly signed powerful journeyman Dallas McPherson to a minor league contract, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

The 32-year old third baseman and designated hitter hit .265/.344/.490 with 17 home runs in 81 games in Triple-A in 2012 in the White Sox and Pirates' systems. The left-handed hitting McPherson has hit .276/.349/.572 with 144 home runs in 530 career games in Triple-A over parts of seven seasons.

This will be the third consecutive season that McPherson will play his home spring training games at Camelback Ranch, as he opened camp with the White Sox in 2011 and 2012.

The former highly-rated prospect with the Angels — he was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 33 prospect in baseball prior to the 2004 season and No. 12 before 2005 — last played in the major leagues in 2011 with the White Sox, when he was 2-for-15 in 11 games. In the past six years, McPherson's major league time consists of 22 games and four hits, including two doubles, in 30 at-bats.

McPherson's best season in the minors came in 2004, when he hit .317/.387/.630 with 40 home runs, 36 doubles, and 14 triples in 135 games across Double-A and Triple-A. In parts of three major league seasons with the Angels, from 2004-2006, he hit .247/.294/.461 with 18 home runs in 117 games. His career three true outcome percentage (home runs, walks, strikeouts) in the majors is 42.9% and in the minors is 44.5%.

Should McPherson not make the Dodgers out of spring training — I am guessing his deal includes an invitation to major league camp, though that hasn't yet been confirmed — it won't be his first go around in Albuquerque. He hit 42 home runs in Albuquerque in 2008, when it was a Marlins affiliate, and hit .275/.379/.618 in 127 games.

But injuries have limited McPherson to 276 games in the majors and minors combined over the last three seasons.