Right-hander Ryan Pepiot was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Most thought he’d be a day one pick, or maybe even a very early third-rounder, so the Dodgers did well to nab him with the 102nd overall selection.
He was born in Westfield which is part of the Indianapolis Metropolitan area and attended Westfield High School. At Westfield, he was a three-sport athlete playing basketball and quarterbacking the football team along with baseball. According to Pepiot Ball State did show some interest in him as a quarterback but the thought of 300-pound guys piling on him didn’t seem to be the way to go.
Following graduation from high school, he stayed close to home to pursue his education and play baseball at Butler where he studied and played for three years. His time at Butler was productive both on and off the field. He is about 21 credit hours short of getting his degree from Butler- which he intends to do as quickly as possible – with a double major in marketing and finance.
During his three years at Butler over 39 starts he posted a 14-8 record with an ERA of 3.61 and a WHIP of 1.27 along with 306 strikeouts and 117 walks. In his Junior Year, he struck out 126 batters in 78 innings. He did walk 44.
Along the way, at Butler, he set school three records. First, he became the highest drafted player in school history with his third-round selection. Previously, right-hander Pat Neshek of the Philadelphia Phillies had a sixth-round selection in 2002. Pepiot also set a school record for the most career strikeouts at Butler with 306.
His third record came on his last Butler appearance on May 16, 2019. Pitching against Georgetown he struck out 13 Hoyas setting a new Butler single-season record of 126 K’s. Once again he picked on Pat Neshek eclipsing the veteran reliever’s record of 118 strikeouts in 2001.
Pepiot jokes that Neshek was a bit upset that his record had been beaten but the resulting conversation would indicate otherwise as the 6’3”/205-lb.Butler junior asked and received advice from the 13-year MLB veteran.
“It was great to get advice from him,” Pepiot said. “He knows what it’s like and what to expect.”
Pepiot started to garner more attention during his 2018 stint in the Cape Cod Baseball League. He didn’t make an impression in his first appearance in the league getting shelled for two innings in front of a bevy of scouts.
He consulted with his Butler coach Dave Schrage and Hyannis Harbor Coach Chad Gassman who are friends and colleagues and who assured him he belonged in the league..
“The person that you are and the pitcher you are is good enough to compete up there,” Schrage told him. “Try not to be somebody else.”
Pepiot allowed only two runs in his next eight appearances, which earned him the Coca-Cola Pitcher of the Week Award in a league flooded with future first-round draft picks. He signed a summer-long contract shortly after that as he had initially signed on with a temporary contract.
“Some guys can take time to adjust from starter to the bullpen,” Gassman said. “Ryan has wipeout stuff, and I like him better as a setup guy in the 7th and 8th inning.”
Pepiot finished the regular season with a 3-0 record and registered 33 strikeouts in only 22 innings of work.
Having made himself known to the scouting fraternity in the Cape Cod League, in the spring of 2019 he worked out for the Yankees, Astros, Marlins, and Reds but apparently not the Dodgers. Regardless, it seems they might be a good match.
The right-handed Pepiot has reportedly put up good Trackman numbers, which the Dodgers value highly.
“Teams that are into the analytic stuff are (more) interested because I have a high spin rate on my pitches,” Pepiot said.
Always an aggressive pitcher, Pepiot says he appreciates how the Dodgers emphasize throwing strikes.
“Some pitchers throw around the zone,” says Pepiot. “The strike zone is our friend. We want to win the race to two strikes.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder throws from a high three-quarter arm slot and sports a four-seam fastball that ranges from 93 to 96 mph and a “circle” change-up with depth and fade that moves at 83 to 85 mph to go with a sweeping slider and “1 to 7” curveball. Pepiot’s changeup is his best offering. It’s an above-average pitch and one of the best in this year’s draft class. After refining the pitch in the Cape Cod League l, Pepiot’s changeup has developed into a weapon and out pitch for him.
Billy Gasparino’s Take: “It’s his signature pitch, obviously, but we thought it was the best in the draft. He can mix in a fastball in the mid-90s. We think there’s some delivery and arm action clean-up we can help him execute more. He’s got four good pitches, power stuff, and we think we’ll be able to develop the control and command another notch to make him a complete pitcher.”
“My changeup is a strength,” he said. “I’ve developed it a lot since before my sophomore year and now it’s my go-to pitch.”
Pepiot made his professional debut with the AZL Dodgers on July 1, 2019. After four appearances in the AZL he was moved to Great Lakes in the Midwest League. As a youngster he had watched minor leaguers in South Bend, Fort Wayne and Dayton in the Midwest League so had some familiarity with the league.
With the Loons, he made 9 starts, limited each time to two innings and posted an ERA of 2.45 and a WHIP of 1.20. He struck out 21 and walked nine while holding opponents to a .197 batting average.
It is expected the 22-year-old Pepiot will start the 2019 season with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League. It is also expected that he will do so as a starter knowing what work he has to put in and to help the player development team decide if that is his future. As eluded to earlier, he has to throw strikes and cut down on his walks. Perhaps his path will follow that of Brett de Geus whose K:BB ratio went from 2:1 as a starter to better than 5:1 in relief. In any event, Ryan Pepiot is another talented young man whose character is praised by his college and Cape Cod League coaches and who knows what he must do to progress quickly through the system as De Geus has done.
“Command is probably the one unknown,” he said. “Probably my breaking pitches, the slider, and curveball, are a little inconsistent. But I have improved in those areas since coming into college and I think that will continue.”
Great job with the graphics and videos Mark. I know it takes some time for you but it gives the article life and helps us picture what they go through and hear what these young men have to say.
Steve Douglas – Dodger LowDown – is a great source of interviews with Dodger minor league players.
DC, another great column in your series on our potential bevy of young arms. I am somewhat torn on Pepiot. He does have four pitches, so if he develops properly, he might be able to join the starting rotation, and perhaps reach a #3, but more likely back end starter. But I think his best potential is in relief. He needs to develop much better control, but he obviously has a strikeout touch. When I read about a pitcher with a mid to upper 90’s fastball and a wipe out change up, I think of a former Dodger #38, Eric Gagne. Most pitchers dabble at a change, but are not always successful with it at the big league level. It appears that Pepiot has his change as a weapon.
He is 22, so starting at Rancho in 2020 seems appropriate. I would like to see him be aggressive, and as he indicated above, win that race to two strikes. If he does have success at RC, I would like to see him in Tulsa to finish his 2020 season. That should put him on a path to reach the ML by 2022.
Watching video of Pepiot reminds me a little of Chad Billingsley presence and mechanics on the mound. Quote from Pepiot’s baseball coach at Butler, Dave Schrage, “He has worked so hard to give himself this opportunity. It’s great to see the development he made in our program. He is not only a great player, but a great person.”
He is legendary around Indy, both as a great athlete and a great human.
Another great post DC! I love getting the background information on the Dodger prospects. Pepiot seems like another good one !!
I was also impressed with hearing in the interview that he’s spending time in Arizona working out with other prospects. It would be interesting to learn more about how that time is spent, who the participants are and who the instructors are.
The hiring of Rob Hill and the promotion of Mark Prior are two important moves that are going to impact the development of pitchers in the organization. Both Prior and Hill have been affiliated with organizations that have been at the forefront of pitching biomechanics; National Pitching Associated which was originally founded by Tom House, aka The Throwing Doctor, and Driveline Baseball.
Under Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers have developed a reputation of living in the cutting of baseball analytics. Both of these hires, or promotion in the case of Mark Prior, are living testament of this approach. Look for the Dodgers to capitalize on players like Pepiot to thrive under a system that promotes a multi-faceted approach that not only allows pitchers to extract the most velocity but, equally important, minimize weaknesses in the kinetic chain that typically lead to injuries.
I am hopeful that the return of Josh Bard as bullpen coach will help as well
Ok DC. I am TOTALLY impressed by Ryan Pepiot as a pitcher and another player with a high character. His double major in Marketing and Finance is impressive also and hope he finishes that degree. I am sure he will do well with the Quakes and look forward to his progress to Tulsa and beyond. Very excited by the videos of him pitching. Thank you DC.
Amazing how many quality young men in Dodger organization! Thx to all of our writers for giving us a peek into the young men behind the uniforms! Great write up DC
I second that.
Pepiot has frame that would do well as a multi-inning swingman like Ross Stripling. I’ll take that.
It has not been widely covered that Rob Hill of Driveline Baseball was named as the Dodgers’ Pitching Coordinator, but this is potentially huge! He is maintaining his position with Driveline, which makes perfect sense. What is conspicuous is that Rick Honeycutt is not listed anywhere on the Dodgers site. This leads me to believe he is gone.
Did I see something somewhere yesterday that Kenley spent a little time with Driveline this winter?
Speaking of Kenley, Billy Gasparino said this about Logan Boyer:
Their first selection on the final day of the draft in Round 11 was San Diego State right-handed pitcher Logan Boyer, another big arm that Gasparino felt was a top-10 round talent. Gasparino said Boyer’s fastball gets up to 98 mph, and he might have been overlooked after dealing with injury this year.
“Big body righty with a huge fastball that has cut,” Gasparino said. “It’s almost like a (Kenley) Jansen-type fastball with a high-velocity cutter. We just need to get him healthy and back on the mound, and we think he’s going to be a really good reliever.”
Here’s the link:
https://www.dodgersnation.com/dodgers-kenley-jansen-attempts-cutter-overhaul-with-driveline-baseball/2020/01/08/
Some think Driveline can help Clayton get 2-3 MPH Back. I remain unconvinced.
It’s not like you are from Missouri Mark.
From what I’ve seen, I’m a Driveline fan. I wish they were around when I was coaching and some of my former players, now coaching, are using the new technology and Drivelines program. They are sold. I actually thought CK would have benefited from trying Driveline after the 2018 season. I am convinced that it can’t hurt and could probably help for getting back velocity and tweak pitch shaping. I hope CK tries it which is made easier with Rob Hill on board..
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Reds are apparently very interested in Seager. No deal imminent. Who would the Reds have that would be of interest to us other than Suarez or Castillo, neither of which they would trade for 2 years of Seager. Maybe one of you creative folks can come up with a 3-way trade suggestion which would get us Lindor or Story.
Bumsrap has his brain churning as we speak.
I’l give Cincinnati Seager if they give us their #1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft
Why trade Seager?
In 16 and 17, when healthy, he was the #1 SS in baseball.
He’s a keeper… unless someone wants to WAY overpay. Suarez and Castillo would work.
If a team tells you they want one of your players don’t you have to trade him? I’m going to have to go back and study the CBA.
The Rays have traded big LHSP (20 year old) Matthew Liberatore. He is a consensus Top 100 prospect. The return has not yet been reported, but it is speculated that it will be a ML outfielder. I would have loved to see what Tampa Bay would have required from LAD to get Liberatore. He was the 16th overall draft pick in 2018. This is a good pick up for St. Louis.
I have heard the rumor it is O’Neil and Bader.
Martinez and Arozarena and switch of comp picks. Finally Martinez goes to AL where he can DH and Arozarena looks promising young OF. Looks like a pretty even trade filling needs for both teams
But in fact…
The Rays have acquired first baseman/outfielder Jose Martinez, outfielder Randy Arozarena, and the Cardinals’ Competitive Balance Round A draft pick in exchange for left-handed pitching prospect Matthew Liberatore, the Rays’ pick in Competitive Balance Round B, and a catching prospect from the lower levels of the minors, ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). Edgardo Rodriguez is the catcher going to the Cardinals, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal tweets. It was reported earlier today from Passan that Liberatore was headed to St. Louis, with Rosenthal adding that the trade involved six assets and at least two draft picks. — MLBtradeRumors.com
From the Keith Law chat today:
Rico: What are your expectations for Gavin Lux this year and long-term?
Keith Law: I think he’s an All-Star in the long term, an above-average regular right now, and the best argument for the Dodgers not trading for Lindor this winter.
BANG!
Speaking of Gavin Lux, he, Matt Beaty, and 1st round pick Kody Hoese were at the Kings game last night, sitting next to Todd Gurley and rapper YG. Here’s a video of all of them downing their drinks during a timeout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytYKBw3Yr8I
Hollywood Lifestyle?
suck it Rendon
I’m glad I never did any of that when I was in my 20’s!
Good for them. Enjoy life.
I keep waiting and expecting Seager to become an absolutely dominant stud that carries this team in a big postseason series and he just hasn’t done it. I think he will be a .300+ hitter next season. I think he will have about 30 dingers and most likely be right up there again when it comes to leading the league in doubles. It is true that he won’t spend the off-season rehabbing and have a normal off-season that will give him a bump statistically. I would also think we will see a little more arm strength out of Corey at shortstop. Some of his relay throws to the plate were pathetically weak at times last season. Maybe that’s why the Dodgers are ready to move him to 3rd Base or more willing to listen to trade offers. Or they just don’t think he can improve his pitch recognition skills that has made him an easy out for big time pitchers in the postseason. Until he stops getting himself out on back foot breaking balls in big situations, he’s not going to be in the same category as Lindor. We can put up all the side by side stats that we want with other players, but for a can’t miss star, he’s failed miserably in the postseason. There’s a little less shine on his star right now. I don’t want to trade him, but he has to make an adjustment this year.
Last year was tough for Corey, but 2020 is the year we judge him by. If he can get back to what he was in 16 and 17, then I am fine with him. If not, Lindor will still be there… maybe at a lower price.
You can say the same thing about Belly in the post season!
They said that about Rendon his first two years in the playoffs… he was worse!
Then, in 2019: BANG!
Cody and Corey are both younger…
Belli was at least making defensive plays and stealing some bases last series. After one horrific game I thought you could see him getting better or close, but yes he needs to step up too. Seager is supposed to be better pure hitter than Bellinger and more developed. Teams have come right after Seager in the postseason and even pitched around other players to get to Seager because they know they can use his aggressiveness against him. I’m a fan of Seager, but in both 2017 and 2019 I thought he would be the key to the Dodgers winning it all but he got exposed. To be fair, I said Seager and Bellinger would have to hit last year and neither did.
I am certain they know that.
How do they manage that without putting undue stress on themselves?
It’s a tough act.