Let’s face it, if you’re a major league hitter in a must-win game, the absolute last guy you would want to face is six-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young award winner and 2014 NL MVP Clayton Kershaw. I mean, we’re talking about a guy with a career record of 126-60 and a career ERA of 2.37 over nine MLB seasons. It’s no wonder why Kershaw is often called – and deservedly so – “The best pitcher on the planet.”

But let’s say you’re a 21-year-old minor leaguer with a grand total of one professional season under your belt in the Pioneer Rookie League. Better still, let’s say you were the fourth-round draft pick by the Dodgers in the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Western Nevada College in Carson City and finished your first season of pro ball with a slash-line of .351 / .437 / .615 for an absolutely insane OPS of 1.052. And what if you were offered the chance to face Clayton Kershaw in his first simulated-game / live batting practice during the first week of spring training 2017?

This is exactly what Dodgers outfield prospect DJ Peters volunteered to do this past Monday at the team’s spring training facility at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, where Peters and several other top Dodgers prospects had arrived in camp a full two weeks before they were due to report. In fact, Peters absolutely jumped at the opportunity to face the future Hall of Famer.

“Anyone who doesn’t think Kershaw is the best pitcher in baseball is wrong,” said the extremely polite and humble Glendora, California native and lifelong Dodger fan. “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but in my opinion he is the best pitcher in baseball. I’ve watched him and followed him since he first entered the league and watching him pitch is like watching an artist paint a masterpiece. It’s amazing.

“He’s the ace, the backbone of the pitching staff and their leader. You can see it when he is on the mound and how his teammates talk and look at him,” Peters added. “Getting the chance to actually meet him face-to-face was surreal, but getting the opportunity to actually face him one-on-one is something I’ll never forget. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity.”

Glendora’s DJ Peters put the ball in play (hard) in each of his three at-bats against the guy who he (and everyone else) considers to be the best pitcher in all of baseball. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Kershaw pitched two simulated innings making a total of 29 pitches. But because there was only Peters and two other minor league batters, DJ had three at-bats against the Dodgers ace.

“I faced Kershaw three times. To be honest, it was just a blessing to step onto the same field as him,” Peters said. “I wasn’t concerned about outcomes or anything like that, I just wanted to have good at-bats and hopefully put the ball in play. I wanted to help make him better and I wanted him to make me better. In order for that to happen, I needed to swing at good pitches and put the balls that were in my zone in play … and hard.”

…and Peters did just that.

In his first at-bat, Peters broke his bat on an otherwise hard grounder to where the second baseman would have had an easy play (there wasn’t one). In his second at-bat, Peters hit another hard grounder to short. But in his third at-bat, the 6′-6″ / 225-pound right-handed-hitter lined a hard fly ball to left-center field that may or may not have landed for a hit, depending on how the outfielders would have been playing him (there weren’t any). Did Peters think it was a hit?

“I’m not sure to be honest. It’s hard to tell with no fielders out there,” he said “If I’m being honest, I wasn’t too focused on that. I was focused on competing and having a great at-bat against the best pitcher in baseball.”

Did I mention that DJ Peters is extremely polite and humble? But wait, there’s more!

“To me, Kershaw and I are teammates. Even though he plays in the big leagues and I play in the minor leagues, we are both in the same organization,” Peters said, with the utmost respect. “I will be seeing him a ton and hopefully have some conversations with him. I look up to Kershaw. He’s a great teammate, he works hard and he doesn’t take anything for granted. He’s a workhorse and you can see it when he pitches. At the end of the day, we are both players who just love playing the game of baseball and who love to work hard and improve every single day.”

Although Peters may not have been too focused on his results against Kershaw, there were a number of spectators who most certainly were. Granted, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers manager Bill Haselman and special assistant to the GM Pat Corrales (among others) were on hand specifically to watch Kershaw, but it was absolutely impossible for them not to notice that DJ Peters was the only minor leaguer to put the ball in play in each of his three at bats off of Kershaw; and also off of his counterpart – fellow Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood – and off of left-handers Hyun-Jin Ryu and Scott Kazmir the day before.

While it is uncertain if his hard line drive off of Kershaw would have fallen for a hit or not, the ball that DJ Peters roped off of Hyun-jin Ryu the day before may have gone for a double. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“The guys in the Dodgers front office have nothing but the greatest intentions for their players and staff. It’s always great when you’ve met someone like Andrew Friedman or Farhan Zaidi or Dave Roberts. These are three men that could seriously help your career and these are the same three men that want nothing but the best for you,” said Peters. “Knowing these guys and talking with them is huge, not only for baseball but in life. They’re great teachers and great people to look up too. I’ve had the pleasure to speak with all of them. Speaking with guys like them is an absolute honor and blessing.”

After his two-day experience of batting against Kershaw, Wood, Ryu and Kazmir, DJ shared some thoughts about what it’s like being in the Dodgers organization and in baseball itself.

“I look at every single day like a blessing. Every time I get to put on the Dodger uniform or step onto the field or even set foot into the locker room, I have this joy and big smile on my face,” Peters said. “My reasoning for that is because I achieved something I’ve always wanted. I’ve wanted nothing more than to play professional baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. My dream comes true every single day when I set foot in that locker room and put Dodgers across my chest. It’s an honor and a blessing to wear blue and white every single day.

“I don’t know where I will be assigned to start the new season but wherever it is, I will put my full trust in my coaches and the player development staff,” Peters added. “They know what’s best for me and my career. They’re here for every single player in the organization and they want every single player to be successful. Wherever I start, I will compete my butt off, be a leader in the clubhouse and on the field, be a great teammate and hopefully help my team win a championship. God is great and I am extremely blessed with the life I get to live each and every day.”