Dodgers' Chambers thriving as youngest pitcher in Fall League

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Justin Chambers thought he was being pranked.

One day back from the dead period of the offseason, and less than six months after he was selected in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Brewers, he got a text -- and then a call -- from an unknown number letting him know he had been traded to the Dodgers.

Sitting in a hot tub at Milwaukee's complex, he shrugged and called his agent to see if this was legit. He hadn't heard anything, either.

But shortly thereafter, the news came out: southpaw Bryan Hudson was dealt from the Dodgers to the Brewers, and Chambers -- who had signed for a significantly over-slot $547,500 out of Basha HS in Chandler, Ariz. -- was the piece going back in the other direction. It was time to hop out of the water and get his things packed.

While being traded right out of the gate to begin his career was certainly jarring, Chambers found himself fortunate: he got to stay local, with the Dodgers' complex located in Glendale, Ariz. Add in the club's noted pitching development group, and the 6-foot-2 southpaw felt like his run in Dodger Blue was destined for success.

"They're not going to try and recreate me and try to make me [Clayton] Kershaw," said Chambers. "They take me, take what I throw and they make it [work for] me. It's been working really well."

Chambers finds himself among a new wave of hurlers who have undergone Tommy John surgery even earlier in their careers. By the time he joined the Dodgers, Chambers -- formerly a Washington State, then an Arizona State commit -- was already on the comeback trail, having undergone surgery prior to the Draft. He got into four Rookie-level Arizona Complex League games as an 18-year-old in 2024 but primarily focused on crafting his arsenal for the future. He repeated the level this year and struck out 30 of the 68 batters he faced.

Left-handed hitters, in particular, have been rendered hapless against the 20-year-old, batting a combined .162 with a .523 OPS across two levels this past season. Through seven Fall League outings, Chambers has allowed just five hits -- two against lefties.

"I think my biggest thing is I just throw from a really weird angle, especially for lefties -- the ball comes out behind them. It's just kind of hard to see," said Chambers. "But I also just make pitches well and sometimes I'll run the velo up there a little bit. But it's definitely just a funky angle to hit from."

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Traditionally, the Fall League has been utilized as the "finishing school" for prospects on their way up to the big leagues, a final polishing up over six weeks to get them ready for the rigors of The Show. While Chambers' stuff -- low-to-mid 90s sinker and four-seamer, 75-79 mph breaking ball -- shows early potential of being ready for that stage, he's the youngest pitcher in the AFL since 2023, one who only made his affiliate-level debut back in July for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.

"My first game there, we had like 1,500 fans," said Chambers. "I was just like, 'Wow.' It's so much different from the 20 scouts you see at the Complex games. The atmosphere is different. When I came into my first game, I was a little bit nervous. I had the jitters. But just being able to maintain the adrenaline [was key]."

Over the years, prospects have had varying levels of knowledge of what the Fall League is prior to their arrival. Some have had deep dives with teammates that played in previous years, some are excited for the elevated competition and some are just ready to soak in the sunshine and keep on playing ball. But as an Arizona native, Chambers knew all about the AFL, having come to games as a kid. The atmosphere offers fans -- especially young ones -- an up-close look at what the game looks and sounds like at the professional level. Where else can you sit behind home plate and watch so many future big leaguers?

So just before Chambers took the mound for Rancho Cucamonga on Aug. 14 -- which also happened to be his 20th birthday -- he got some of the best news he could get: the organization was interested in seeing more of him during the Fall League. Two years after watching fellow left-handed pitching prospect Ronan Kopp (with whom he shares an agent) take the mound for Glendale, Chambers would be rocking his very own Dodgers threads.

"It's just awesome," he said. "I never would have dreamed this. But now it's here and it's just making the most of the opportunity."