| Tanner Dodson | |
| Team: | Athletics |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 9 May 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Bats: | Switch |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
Tanner Dodson (born May 9, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Athletics organization.
Dodson attended Jesuit High School in Carmichael, California. In 2015, as a senior, he batted .430 along with pitching to a 2.10 ERA.[1] He was selected by the New York Mets in the 31st round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft,[2] but he did not sign and instead chose to attend the University of California at Berkeley to play college baseball for the California Golden Bears.
As a freshman at California in 2016, Dodson pitched innings (19 games with nine being starts) in which he compiled a 3.36 ERA.[3] In 2017, as a sophomore, he began playing center field along with pitching. That season, he batted .297 with three home runs and 26 RBIs in 185 at-bats while pitching to a 2-6 record and 5.37 ERA in 19 games (seven starts).[4] After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star and batted .365 in 29 games, earning him the league batting title.[5] [6] Prior to the 2018 season, Dodson was named a preseason All-American by Baseball America.[7] In 54 games, he batted .320 with one home run and 27 RBIs while along with posting a 2-1 record and 2.48 ERA in 40 relief innings pitched.[8] After the season, he was named to the All-Pac-12 team and the All-Defensive team.[9]
Dodson was selected 71st overall by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft as a two-way player.[10] He signed for $775,000 and made his professional debut with the Hudson Valley Renegades of the Class A Short Season New York–Penn League.[11] He spent the whole season there, batting .273 with two home runs and 19 RBIs in 49 games along with pitching to a 1-0 record and a 1.44 ERA in 25 relief innings pitched.[12] Dodson spent 2019 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League but missed the last three months of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.[13] Over 15 games, he batted .250, and over 17 innings pitched, he compiled a 5.29 ERA. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 since the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]
To begin the 2021 season, Dodson transitioned to pitching full time, was assigned to the Bowling Green Hot Rods of the High-A East, and then was promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A South on August 1.[15] [16] Over 37 appearances for the year, Dodson went 5-2 with a 3.20 ERA and 64 strikeouts over innings.[17]
On March 18, 2022, Dodson was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Luke Raley.[18] He was assigned to the Tulsa Drillers of the Double-A Texas League for the 2022 season,[19] where he was 4–0 with a 8.39 ERA in 29 appearances.[20] Dodson was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs after the season.[21] For the 2023 season, he returned to Tulsa[22] and was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers. Between the two teams, Dodson pitched in 50 games with a 5–7 record and 4.88 ERA.[20] He returned to Oklahoma City for 2024,[23] where he was 3–3 with a 3.32 ERA in innings over 41 games.[20] Dodson became a free agent after the season.[24]
On November 13, 2024, Dodson signed a minor league contract with the Athletics.[25]