A year from now no one will even remember it. In fact, most have already forgotten about it less that 24 hours after it happened. But for 21-year-old Dodgers minor league outfield prospect DJ Peters, it is a memory that will last a lifetime.

On Thursday night at Angel Stadium, the young Glendora, California native and Dodgers fourth-round draft pick in 2016 hit a sharp single down the left field line in what many like to call a “meaningless” spring training game. But for young DJ, that moment in time in what figures to be a very successful baseball career, it was anything but meaningless.

“I cannot describe the feeling,” said a very excited Peters after the game. “It’s unbelievable!”

While many may consider Thursday’s Freeway Series exhibition game a meaningless game, you can bet that Glendora’ DJ Peters does not. (Video capture courtesy of SportsNet LA)

Peters’ memorable hit came with two outs in the top of the ninth inning and a runner on first base in Game-1 of the annual Freeway Series between the Angels of Anaheim and the Dodgers, with the Dodgers trailing 3-2. It was a game which, up until the bottom of the seventh inning, was a Dodgers perfect game until Dodgers right-hander Brandon Morrow – who was reassigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City just two days earlier – allowed three runs on four hits with two walks in two-thirds of an inning that he cannot forget soon enough.

Those familiar with DJ Peters – and there are many – are well aware that the 6′-6″ / 225-pound right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder is incredibly talented. In fact, during his first season of professional ball in 2016, he posted a remarkable slash-line of .351 / .437 / .615 for an alien-like OPS of 1.052 with the Dodgers Pioneer Rookie League Ogden Raptors. Along the way, Peters slugged 13 home runs and drove in 48 runs, this in only 65 total games played and 302 plate appearances.

Peters was so successful during his first minor league season that the Dodgers asked him to be one of only three batters to face Dodgers left-handers Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Scott Kazmir and Rich Hill in their very first simulated games earlier this spring at Camelback Ranch. In fact, he was the only one to hit each of the well-established major leaguers (and in Kershaw’s case a three-time Cy Young award winner and former NL MVP) quite hard.

“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 he did.

Glendora’s DJ Peters put the ball in play (hard) in each of his three at-bats against Kershaw during a simulated game at Camelback Ranch on February 20, 2017. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Although DJ’s single on Thursday night will have little bearing on his successes and struggles to come, and all professional baseball players have plenty of both, you can bet the farm that the young Southern California native will never forget the base hit he got off of Angels right-hander Justin Miller in a “meaningless” spring training game in front of 31,465 at Angel Stadium on March 30, 2017.

Well done, DJ. Well done indeed.