Randy Dobnak Bio
Randy Travis William Dobnak (born January 17, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently in the Seattle Mariners organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2019 and has spent parts of multiple seasons in the major leagues. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 230 pounds (100 kg), he throws and bats right-handed.
Before reaching professional baseball, Dobnak was a college player at a small NCAA Division II program and an independent-league standout who signed with a Major League organization after his college coach helped circulate online videos of his pitching. His path from undrafted free agent to MLB starter became one of the more unusual scouting stories in recent Twins history.
Early Life and Background
Randy Travis William Dobnak was born on January 17, 1995, and grew up in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. He attended South Park High School in South Park Township, Pennsylvania, where he developed as a right-handed pitcher. As a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan, he attended Opening Day at PNC Park each year and has estimated attending more than 150 games at the ballpark during his youth.
After high school, Dobnak continued his baseball career at Alderson Broaddus University in Philippi, West Virginia, where he played college baseball for the Battlers in NCAA Division II. His college coach helped him record video of his outings, and those tapes would later play a role in his professional breakthrough. In December 2021, Alderson Broaddus retired his uniform number in recognition of his achievements.
Path to Baseball
After going undrafted in the 2017 MLB Draft, Dobnak joined the Utica Unicorns of the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) for the 2017 season. Unicorns manager Jim Essian, whose son had played with Dobnak at Alderson Broaddus, helped bring the right-hander into the league. Dobnak went 3–0 with a 2.31 ERA in six appearances, performances that helped him get on the radar of Major League scouts.
On August 1, 2017, Dobnak signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins, receiving a $500 signing bonus. Longtime Twins scout Billy Milos had identified him by watching YouTube videos filmed by Dobnak’s father, never having seen Dobnak pitch in person before signing him. The signing was later viewed as a shift in how the organization evaluated independent-league talent.
Randy Dobnak Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Dobnak began his professional career in the lower levels of the Twins system in 2017, pitching for the Elizabethton Twins and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Across those two affiliates, he went 2–0 with a 2.43 ERA in 33 innings of work. His fast start suggested the gamble of signing an undrafted independent-league arm could pay off.
In 2018, Dobnak returned to Cedar Rapids and emerged as a full-season starter, going 10–5 with a 3.14 ERA in 129 innings. That workload helped establish him as a legitimate prospect within the organization and set the stage for his promotion to High-A in 2019.
Minnesota Twins Breakthrough (2019–2020)
Dobnak opened 2019 with the High-A Fort Myers Miracle and moved through the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Triple-A Rochester Red Wings during the season. Across the three affiliates in 2019, he went 12–4 with a 2.07 ERA in 24 games (21 starts), striking out 109 batters in 135 innings. On August 8, the Twins selected his contract and promoted him to the major leagues, and he made his debut on August 9 with four scoreless relief innings. He finished the year 2–1 with a 1.59 ERA in nine appearances (five starts) and was included on the Twins’ postseason roster, starting Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.
In the shortened 2020 season, Dobnak logged 10 appearances for the Twins, going 6–4 with a 4.05 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. He also made his first career appearance at PNC Park on August 5, 2020, pitching six shutout innings and earning the win in a 5–2 victory over the Pirates.
Minnesota Twins Era (2021–2025)
On March 28, 2021, Dobnak agreed to a five-year, $9.25 million contract extension with the Twins that included three club option years and escalators that could have pushed the total value to $29.75 million. His 2021 season was interrupted when he was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 17 with a finger strain; he was activated on September 1.
In 2022, Dobnak was again placed on the 60-day injured list on March 21 with discomfort in his right middle finger, the same finger that had troubled him the previous year. He was placed on outright waivers on September 14 and sent to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. He spent the entire 2023 season with St. Paul, going 5–9 with a 5.13 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings across 31 games (26 starts).
Dobnak returned to Twins spring training in 2024 as a non-roster invitee, spent most of the year with St. Paul (9–5, 3.61 ERA, 102 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings over 21 games and 19 starts), and was selected to the active roster on July 30. He struggled in a brief MLB stint (5.87 ERA in four games) and was designated for assignment on September 16, before being added back to the 40-man roster on September 29 and then removed on November 4. On March 30, 2025, he tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the St. Louis Cardinals before being designated for assignment the next day.
Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners (2025–Present)
On July 28, 2025, the Twins traded Dobnak and pitcher Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for catcher Enrique Jiménez. Assigned to the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, he made nine appearances (eight starts) and went 1–1 with a 3.79 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 38 innings. On November 4, 2025, the Tigers declined his 2026 option and he became a free agent.
On November 11, 2025, Dobnak signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners that included an invitation to spring training, setting up his next opportunity to compete for an MLB roster spot.
Notable Events and Milestones
Dobnak’s career has been defined by unusual milestones, including a 2017 signing based on YouTube video rather than in-person scouting and a five-year contract extension in 2021. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in USPBL history and is one of only seven USPBL alumni to have reached the major leagues. His first start at PNC Park in 2020 also marked a memorable personal moment, given his lifelong fandom of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Randy Dobnak Career Highlights
Across his MLB career through the 2025 season, Randy Dobnak has compiled a 9–12 win–loss record, a 4.86 earned run average, and 85 strikeouts, with all of his major-league appearances coming in a Minnesota Twins uniform. He has also produced strong stretches in the minor leagues, including a 12–4, 2.07 ERA campaign in 2019 and a 10-win season at Cedar Rapids in 2018.
MLB Highlights
Dobnak made his MLB debut on August 9, 2019, with four scoreless relief innings for the Twins, and went on to start Game 2 of the American League Division Series later that fall. His first win at PNC Park came on August 5, 2020, when he pitched six shutout innings against the Pirates. His most recent major-league appearances came in brief 2024 and 2025 stints with the Twins, including a strong five-inning, one-run outing against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 30, 2025.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of MLB, Dobnak starred for the Utica Unicorns of the USPBL in 2017, going 3–0 with a 2.31 ERA, and was a steady presence in the Twins’ minor-league system at Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers, Pensacola, Rochester, and St. Paul. He also pitched in the Detroit Tigers system at Toledo in 2025 before joining the Mariners organization in November of that year.
Randy Dobnak Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Little public information is available about Dobnak’s parents or broader family background beyond his connection to the Pittsburgh area. His father played a notable role in his professional career by filming the pitching videos that scout Billy Milos later used to sign him out of the USPBL.
Personal Life
Dobnak married Aerial Munson on September 28, 2019, in Maryland. The couple has a daughter and resides in Falling Waters, West Virginia. When Twins fans shared the link to their online wedding registry in 2019, the couple redirected the attention to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, raising more than $4,000 for the hospital. Outside of baseball, Dobnak drove for Uber and Lyft beginning in October 2017 and is a longtime fan and player of the fantasy MMORPG RuneScape.
2025 Season Performance
Dobnak’s 2025 season was defined by movement between organizations. He opened the year in Twins camp, threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 30, and was designated for assignment the next day. After clearing waivers, he reported to Triple-A St. Paul before being included in the late-July trade that sent him and Chris Paddack to the Detroit Tigers for catcher Enrique Jiménez.
With the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens, Dobnak made nine appearances (eight starts) and went 1–1 with a 3.79 ERA and 35 strikeouts over 38 innings, providing a solid but limited sample of work in the Tigers system. His 2026 option was declined on November 4, 2025, making him a free agent for the first time in his career.
On November 11, 2025, Dobnak signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners that included a spring training invitation, positioning him to compete for a role in Seattle’s bullton or rotation during the upcoming season. With the Mariners’ pitching depth in flux, the veteran right-hander has a realistic path back to a big-league mound if he performs well in spring training and at Triple-A.
