It happens every Spring training. Late in Grapefruit and Cactus League games, the public address announcer informs fans in attendance of lineup changes: “Now pitching for… batting ninth, number 99,…”

Unless you are paying close attention to the announcement, your first reaction is likely: “What did he or she say? What was that number? Who is this guy? Where did he come from?” You’re not alone; unless you are the most diehard of fans, you are left with but a few options:

• Thumbing through your game program, in search of the player’s name.
• Googling on your mobile device for more information.
• Asking other fans who are seated in your area if they know of this player.
• Or simply sit back, sip your favorite beverage, and soak in some of the sunshine you have been craving throughout the just-completed Hot Stove season.

Who are ‘those guys’ playing for the Dodgers this Spring who are trying to reach their dream, or attempting to rekindle their careers, when they step on the mound, or into the batter’s box at Camelback Ranch while wearing the uniform of the Los Angeles Dodgers? Let’s first look at a few of the pitchers:

Michael Boyle –  6’ 3” / 200 lb., 25-year-old, left-handed relief pitcher. Born 4/12/1994 in Richmond, Virginia. Dodgers 13th-round draft selection in the 2015 Major League entry draft (draft). Pitched 3 years at Radford College. Fringe-average fastball, curve, and change-up. 2019 season at Double-A Tulsa: 3.02 earned run average (ERA), 9.6 strikeouts per 9 innings (K/9), and 4.7 bases-on-balls (BB/9).

Brett de Geus – 6’ 2” / 190 lb., 22-year-old, right-handed relief pitcher. Born 11/4/1997 in Pleasanton, California. Dodgers 2017 33rd-round draft selection out of Cabrillo Community College (Aptos, California). Fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s, a cut-fastball, and a curveball, with good command of the strike zone. Brett split the 2019 season between the Dodgers Low-A Great Lakes Loons, and the High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, pitching in 39-games with a 1.75 ERA, 10.5 K/9, and 1.9 BB/9. In the Arizona Fall League, facing advanced competition, he pitched 9 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run, with 11-strikeouts, and only 2 bases-on-balls.

Reymin Guduan – 6’ 4” / 205 lb., 27-year-old, left-handed relief pitcher. Born 3/16/1992, San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Signed by Houston Astros as a 17-year-old international free agent on September 22, 2009. Upper 90’s fastball that can reach triple-digits. Suspended by Astros in August 2019, and released in September for violation of team rules (rumor of altercation with another minor league player that involved Guduan bat swinging). Signed by Dodgers December 6, 2019, to minor league contract. In 382 minor league innings, Guduan has pitched to a 4.64 ERA.

Kyle Lobstein – 6’ 3” / 220 lb., 30-year-old, left-handed relief pitcher. Born 8/12/1989, Flagstaff, Arizona. Tampa Bay Rays’ second-round draft selection in 2008 draft out of Coconino High School (Flagstaff). Signed by Dodgers in January 2020 as a minor league free agent. High 80’s-fastball, slider, curve, change-up. Last pitched in the Majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, recording a 3.96 ERA in 25 innings; 5.4 K/9, and 4.3 BB/9.

What a diverse group of pitchers, representative of others in the Dodgers camp in similar situations. Some of them have been professions for a couple of seasons and others who have been playing for more than a decade. Guys who played for a small college or community college; were high draft picks (or even a few low draft picks); or those who are playing in a foreign country, speaking a foreign language. Listen for their names or watch for them in the box score. Each hoping to one day hear their name announced during the regular season:

“Now pitching for the Dodgers…”

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