Dodgers Make History, Sign First Ever Player From South Sudan to Contract in MLB
The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to make history this offseason.
Los Angeles has made many roster improvements to a team that has just won the World Series. With improved starting pitching in Blake Snell, bringing back key players like Teoscar Hernández and Blake Treinen, and most recently, relief pitching help in Tanner Scott coming out of this offseason, things are looking up for L.A.
They also won the offseason of Roki Sasaki and agreed to sign the 23-year-old despite a lower bid than the other two finalists, but they recently made another move that no team has ever done before in MLB.
Seventeen-year-old Joseph Deng from South Sudan is the first ever player from his country to sign with a major league team, per Baseball America’s Ban Badler, as he inked a deal with the Dodgers.
Deng, towering over batters at 6-foot-7, has a fastball that can already reach 95 miles per hour.
The first prospect to ever turn pro from South Sudan almost did not sign with Los Angeles, as they put all potential international signings on hold in pursuit of Sasaki. But luckily for both sides, Deng joins the additional bonus pool space thanks to a trade L.A. made to get a larger offer for Sasaki.
As Deng honors South Sudan as the first professional baseball player from his country, he becomes the second player signed from the continent of Africa following Armstrong Muhoozi, an infielder from Uganda.
Deng comes into a minor league system that needs more pitching assistance.
The Dodgers currently don’t have a pitcher inside the top 50 MLB prospects as the highest is left-hander Jackson Ferris of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.
Ferris, at 21 years old, was originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round of the 2022 draft. He had a 3.20 ERA in 126.2 innings last season across time with Single-A and Double-A.
Despite Deng not yet being ranked on the MLB prospects list, his size and youth will be factors in his development in the farm system. At only 17 years old, there is no telling what his future can be.
Above all, being the first player from South Sudan to be representing his country on the baseball diamond is an extremely high honor. It’s also yet another historic moment for the Dodgers.
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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