While it seems like yesterday that the Los Angeles Dodgers were defeated by the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series, bringing their 2016 season to a sudden halt, the return of baseball is just a little over a month away.
Dodgers pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Feb. 15, with their first workout scheduled the following day. Los Angeles will hold their first full-squad workout on Feb. 21. In the weeks ahead the organization will announce a full group of non-roster invites to big league camp.
Thus far, Charlie Culberson and veteran catcher Bobby Wilson have received invites, and so too has second baseman Willie Calhoun, one of the organization’s top prospects.
Another prospect who can be added to that list is right-handed pitcher Josh Sborz, based on news announced on his personal Twitter:
2017 is off to a great start! Couldn't be more excited about receiving an official invite to Big League Spring Training @Dodgers ⚾️⚾️⚾️
— Josh Sborz (@JoshuaTree_27) January 11, 2017
Sborz was a second-round draft pick out of the University of Virginia in 2015. He began last season with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, pitching 108.1 innings in 20 games (19 starts). Sborz went 8-4 with a 2.66 ERA and 1.03 WHIP, while striking out 108 and walking 30.
He was then promoted to Double-A Tulsa, where he yielded a 3.78 ERA in 16.2 relief innings to close out the season.
Sborz finished out last season as the Dodgers’ 15th-best prospect, and while he has an extremely slim chance of making the big league roster out of Spring Training, getting to work with Major Leaguers every day and facing hitters of that caliber should do wonders for Sborz in his development.
The Dodgers first Cactus League game is on Saturday, Feb. 25, against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch.
