Rancho Cucamonga, California —— At the top of this post, watch our scouting video of Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect DJ Peters, taken from an April 24, 2017 game for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes against the visiting San Jose Giants. To visit DJ Peters’ player page, please click here. And please subscribe to the Baseball Census YouTube channel here for hundreds more videos like this one.

DJ Peters scouting report notes

DJ Peters has raked since the day he signed his professional contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers last summer, but the fact that he’s doing it to such a degree already in High-A as a 21-year-old is encouraging, to say the least. The outfielder from Western Nevada Community College is quickly proving himself to be in the mold of young Dodgers offensive talent that has so quickly come through their ranks in the last few years, and it’s his multiple tools aside from just the raw power that could make him special if he continues to do what he’s been doing so far with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

Let’s start with DJ Peters’ loudest tool—his power. Here’s something beautiful:

Peters has above-average bat speed, a great swing plane, and the ability to hit the ball with authority to all fields (this particular GIF is a home run swing of his to right-center field). His batting practice rounds are a sight to see—seriously, if you’re ever in the ballpark early, don’t take your eyes off DJ Peters’ pre-game hacks—and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ #19 prospect ought to show above-average game power in another few years as he grows in the professional game. Encouragingly, he’s also shown an ability to be patient and work deep counts even while struggling through his fair share of strikeouts (23 walks against 42 strikeouts in his first 151 plate appearances in 2017).

Having seen it several times in person now, his swing is shorter than what some have relayed, but the outfielder is likely too power-oriented in his approach to ever hit for average, and he’ll always have some swing-and-miss in his game. His hit tool shouldn’t lag behind too far, though, and his ability to draw a walk will help that immensely. He’s a 60-grade raw power guy to me right now, and the more he learns how to convert that into over-the-fence results in game action, the higher his value will be as he gets older. His body is filled out and strong already as a 21-year-old, so there’s not much more to grow on his 6’6″ frame, but he’ll soon learn how to better seek favorable counts and do damage in nuanced ways, as is true of every power hitter.

In the outfield, DJ Peters has exceptional tools, including above-average speed and a plus arm that is strong and accurate. You forget how big he is when you see him moving around the outfield, and his jumps coupled with good top speed give him the ability to play center as needed. He’s probably a better fit in right, though; his plus arm strength makes him valuable there and while his speed is above-average, it’s not a perfect fit for center.




Peters is still only 21 years old, and he’s only now about to wrap up his twelfth month of professional baseball, so he’s very young to this point and already finding success in Rancho Cucamonga. There’s no need to rush him anywhere considering the Dodgers’ glut of top-level talent in the upper minors and just reaching the big leagues, but he’s another example—exactly like shortstop Drew Jackson, who we profiled the other day too—of a very good young player hidden way down the Dodgers’ top prospects list that should sneak up quickly with another few good months. Long term, everything about DJ Peters shows he could become a productive starting right fielder in the big leagues, and his athleticism and versatility could make him a productive fourth outfielder if he falls short of that top-level projection.

In addition to our DJ Peters scouting report, to visit his player page, please click here.

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DJ Peters scouting report: 140 characters or less

Raw power, good speed and a plus arm — DJ Peters has loud tools and shows the advanced approach to find a fit as an everyday right fielder.

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DJ Peters scouting report video

Here’s a look at our most recent DJ Peters baseball video, taken during that late April series for the Quakes against the San Jose Giants:


And here’s his home run swing (right-center field), broken out and slowed down to see his mechanics:


For more DJ Peters baseball video, and video of hundreds more baseball prospects, subscribe to our YouTube channel here.




DJ Peters scouting report GIFs

In addition to our video clips, we broke out some DJ Peters baseball GIFs for a deeper look at his swing mechanics, etc.:

For more DJ Peters baseball GIFs, you can follow our GIPHY account here.




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In this Los Angeles Dodgers / DJ Peters baseball scouting report:

Los Angeles Dodgers | San Francisco Giants | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes | San Jose Giants | DJ Peters




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Bobby DeMuro

Bobby DeMuro is the founder of Baseball Census. A former college and independent league baseball player, he now watches more than 200 games a year working full time for the site. You can follow him on Twitter @BobbyDeMuro for more.

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