Diamondbacks sign RHP Dakota Chalmers to minor league deal with spring training invite
Jan 21, 2024, 6:39 PM | Updated: 6:58 pm
Dakota Chalmers #62 formerly of the Minnesota Twins pitches during an intrasquad game on July 19, 2020 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed right-handed pitchers Dakota Chalmers and Dylan File to minor league contracts, the Triple-A Reno Aces announced Saturday on X.
Chalmers also received an invitation to major league spring training. Both pitchers are 27 years old and have yet to make their MLB debuts.
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The @Dbacks have signed RHP’s Dakota Chalmers and Dylan File to Minor League Contracts, with Chalmers receiving an invite to Major League Spring Training! pic.twitter.com/RMyhQEtDzI
— Reno Aces (@Aces) January 21, 2024
Chalmers was a third-round pick in the 2015 draft by the Oakland Athletics who had Tommy John surgery in 2018. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins for former D-backs closer Fernando Rodney during the 2018 season and was at one point a top 25 prospect in their system — ranked by MLB Pipeline — with a mid-90s heater and a good curveball.
He pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2019 with the Salt River Rafters, when Geraldo Perdomo, Jake McCarthy and Seth Beer were on the team representing the D-backs.
But he was designated for assignment in 2021. His last minor league experience was in 2022 with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers as a reliever, although he has 56 MiLB starts in his career.
It is now officially 2024 and this is what a Free Agent looks like. The bar gets higher and higher. @DakotaChalmers peppering the zone with upper 90s.
FB 95-97 T98
90 MPH gyro
85 mph hammer @TreadHQ pic.twitter.com/R9oRIEaFCL— Drew Hall (@DTreatss) January 5, 2024
He struck out a lot of hitters (278) and walked a lot of hitters (184) in the minor leagues (240.1 innings). In 13 appearances with the Dodgers, he held a 20.3% K rate and 25.7% walk rate before getting released. FanGraphs gave him 55 grades for his fastball and curveball (above average) but a 30 grade for command (well below average).
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Chalmers pitched for the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the Atlantic League in 2022 after getting cut by the Dodgers.
File was born in Lake Havasu City, and his favorite team growing up was the Diamondbacks, according to his Utah Tech profile. File pitched at Dixie State and Utah Tech in college before getting picked in the 21st round of the 2017 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
He remained in the Brewers’ system through the 2022 season until his release. Milwaukee selected his contract after the 2020 campaign when he was a top 30 prospect in the organization, but he underwent surgery on a stress fracture in his right elbow the following February. He only threw 13 games in 2021.
File had a 4.57 ERA in 26 games (19 starts) in 2022 in Triple-A Nashville with a 19.9% K rate and 7.1% walk rate. Fangraphs assessed him a 55 grade changeup with 55 grade command, although his fastball was evaluated at a 40 (below average).
File pitched in two contests for the Doosan Bears in Korea last year.
A career-high 8.1 innings from Dylan File Thursday night brought the @BiloxiShuckers one game from the Southern League championship series.
8.1 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 1 BB | 6 K pic.twitter.com/4iRHsSi6Mu
— Brewers Player Development (@BrewersPD) September 7, 2019
