Dreyer teaching way of the Rubik's Cube to Dodgers teammates
Sonja Chen
@sonjamchenGLENDALE, Ariz. -- Jack Dreyer may be a Minor Leaguer in a clubhouse full of big league veterans, but he's found that he has something to teach even the most experienced of ballplayers: the way of the cube.
The more you look around the clubhouse at Camelback Ranch, the more you'll notice the odd Rubik's Cube, partially completed, sitting in a locker or on the arm of a chair. At the center of it all is Dreyer, who has found his expertise with the three-dimensional puzzle to be an unlikely bonding tool.
"I historically have kind of been made fun of or ostracized for nerdy stuff like that, like in college," Dreyer said. "But here, guys are very encouraging and open arms, that kind of thing. I think it's cool that we have so many guys who have at least a minimal interest in the Rubik's Cube."
Dreyer isn't just a whiz when it comes to solving Rubik's Cubes, although he beat Tommy Edman in a head-to-head contest earlier this spring and can complete the puzzle in 20 seconds. He's also used the cubes to create art. One of his most popular works might precede him -- last year, he assembled a portrait of Shohei Ohtani.
Dreyer became hooked on solving Rubik's Cubes when he was a sophomore in high school in Johnston, Iowa, but it wasn't until college that he began exploring the artistic side of it. With a surplus of time and cubes on his hands, Dreyer slowly but surely developed the skills to recreate images in mosaic form.
"At the beginning, my artwork was pretty horrible," Dreyer said. "I would finish a design and show my roommates, and they wouldn't even be able to tell who it was."
Although Dreyer has photos of his artwork, he doesn't keep any of his pieces assembled -- each requires hundreds of cubes, and the cost would add up over time. That means for now, each work is around for a limited time only, although he would like to create something permanent in the future.
A unique talent, and a unique journey to go along with it.
Dreyer signed with the Dodgers as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Iowa in 2021. Since then, he's gone unranked on MLB Pipeline's list of the Dodgers' Top 30 prospects, all the while steadily rising through the ranks.
Last November, the 26-year-old left-hander was added to the 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Dreyer posted a 2.20 ERA between Double-A Tulsa (nine games) and Triple-A Oklahoma City (37 games) in 2024, striking out 72 against 12 walks in 57 1/3 innings -- and he came close to getting the call to the big leagues last year, when the Dodgers weathered a wave of injuries to pitchers.
With a couple of injuries creating spots up for grabs in Los Angeles' bullpen early in the 2025 season, Dreyer could once again be in the conversation.
"The organization has raved about his makeup, his talent for a while," manager Dave Roberts said. "Now, for me to get to know him a little bit more, see him against Major League hitters -- really impressive."
The Dodgers' skipper isn't one of Dreyer's students, though.
"Part of my strength is I know my weaknesses," Roberts said. "There's like 106 different combinations or something like that, and I don't have the bandwidth to approach that yet."
Those learning from Dreyer include Tony Gonsolin -- who already knew how to solve a cube but is working on getting faster -- as well as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jackson Ferris. Dreyer hopes to have some of the beginners completing cubes on their own by the end of spring, under his tutelage.
"I'd never solve it alone," Ferris said. "Without him, I wouldn't be able to."
But as camp winds down, Dreyer is focused on being a student of the game, rather than a teacher, in the Dodgers' clubhouse. While he knows the big leagues might not be too far away, he's doing his best to stay grounded in what he can control.
"Getting added to the 40-man, or any of the decisions that are made by the front office," Dreyer said, "those things are out of my control. I do my best to put them out of my mind, and I just come to the field every day preparing myself to work and to get better. And if I do that consistently, then good things will happen."