I can give you a definite “maybe” or “maybe not.” Who knows what Andrew Friedman will do? I would have thought that he would have signed Kenley Jansen for $16 million rather than sign Tyler Anderson for $8 million. For the sake of this conversation, I am leaving Trevor Bauer out of the conversation, but why do the Dodgers need another #5 starter?
Assuming Buehler, Urias and Kershaw are #1, #2, and #3, then here are the other pitchers vying for the #4 and #5 spots:
- Andrew Heaney
- Tony “Catman”Gonsolin
- David Price
- Tyler Anderson
OK, maybe that is not too many… especially if the Dodgers go with a 6-man rotation. Even though Dave Roberts says no, I think it makes perfect sense for them to do that, due to the lockout lasting so long and the abbreviated Spring Training. We know that Tony Gonsolin and David Price can pitch out of the bullpen, but both are strong candidates for the rotation. Tony Gonsolin has had shoulder issues in the past… maybe due in part to the transition to starter from reliever, but he appears poised to (to me) take the step into the rotation. He has four pitches and could be very solid in the rotation. He is 27 years old and should be in his prime. He should be given every opportunity. In his first three (partial) seasons, the Catman has a 2.85 ERA and 1.089 WHIP (142 IP). If that doesn’t get your attention, you have no attention to pay.
David Price is somewhat of an enigma. He sat out 2020 for COVID-19 Reasons and never seemed to get built back up as a starter in 2021. He says that is what he is doing this year. He wants to prove he still “has it” as a starter and seems very determined and motivated to do that.
Andrew Heaney has always been an underachiever, but he is 30 years old and could be on the verge of putting it all together. God knows, he has the stuff. Heaney is such a highly-rated pitcher for the reason that he has an outstanding, easy delivery that he repeats consistently. He has a naturally-sinking fastball in the low 90s and an excellent curveball to go with an above-average changeup. It is a mystery how he can have a career ERA of 4.72! In my opinion, Andrew is BOOM or BUST! Maybe he needs to be in the right place at the right time. Certainly, one Clayton Kershaw can speak to his stuff and pitching style. He’s “high risk – high reward. He could be 15-10 with a 3.20 ERA or he could be released. Time will tell…
Tyler Anderson is another LHP who is a typical finesse lefty with a deceptive delivery, an 87-92 MPH fastball, and a solid major league-quality change-up. Pitching early in his career at Colorado has hurt him, but being around Clayton could benefit him greatly. He really could be a quality starter and innings eater, although he has had injury issues in the past. Another Andrew Freidman “project.”
What should not go unnoticed is that Price, Heaney, Anderson, and Kershaw all come off the books at the end of this year. That leaves Buehler, Urias, and Gonsolin as the potential only starters on the team… WHOOPS, we forgot Dustin May who should be available after the All-Star Break. I think he will be “babied” the rest of this year with an eye on a full return is 2023! Who knows… he could be asked to close later this year?
So, in 2023, the rotation will look like this: Buehler, Urias, May, Gonsolin, and then pick one: Ryan Pepiot (I am not convinced he will be a starter – that might be determined this year), Bobby Miller (he’s an Ace in waiting), Landon Knack (he would start RIGHT NOW for many teams – he will be a SOLID #3), Clayton Beeter (many scouts think he will also be a very good middle-of-the-rotation starter), Maddux Bruns (who is a further away, but if he can harness his control, this is another guy with excellent stuff), and Hyun-il Choi (from MLB: “HIs fastball is in the low 90s and tops out at 94, it plays as a solid offering because he can command it to either side of the plate and sneak it by hitters up in the strike zone. His changeup works well in tandem with his heater and has similar movement, showing signs of becoming a plus pitch and neutralizing left-handers. He employs two different breaking balls, a low-80s slider with depth and a mid-70s curveball he uses to give batters a different look.” I can see him in the LA rotation as soon as 2023… probably 2024).
This is why Andrew Friedman is not signing another high-priced starter. One or two of the youngsters mentioned above will “breakout” THIS YEAR and their performance will demand the promotion. Who it is will remain to be seen – remember: progress is not linear, but it will be apparent. My guess as to who is most likely:
- Ryan Pepiot
- Bobby Miller
- Landon Knack
- Clayton Beeter
- Hyun-il Choi (think: RH Ryu)
- Maddux Bruns
The Dodgers don’t need to acquire another High-Priced Starter. It’s time for the farm to deliver the next batch, and then there is still that 800-pound gorilla in the room… That has to come to a head soon! I am tired or reading the misinformation from ignorant and extremely biased journalists like Alicia De Artola of Fansided who continually misrepresent the facts. Of course, I guess I should not be surprised because the 2022 Woman of the Year (Rachel Levine) is really a Man! So, there is that! I guess facts are whatever Journalists want them to be.
Minor League Profile: Ryan Pepiot
Ryan is the first pitcher I am profiling because he might be the first minor league pitcher to stick on the Dodgers ‘ MLB Roster. Harold Uhlman (soon to be with Jeff Dominique at DodgerChronicles) had a nice writeup in the past about Ryan and so did I, but it’s another year down the road, so let’s look at him again. I am not going to relate every anecdote of his life, but am just going to relate what is relevant to RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!
Ryan is a local boy – from Central Indiana, near Indianapolis, like me. He went to Butler University and became the highest draft pick in the schools’ history. Of course, Butler is not a powerhouse baseball school, so there is that. They do have a solid program though.
Ryan Pepiot has one of the best changeups in the game. His up to 96 MPH fastball sets it up as the changeup looks like a fastball, but is in the low 80s and fades quickly. He also has a solid slow curve that he uses early in the count, but over the winter, Pepiot adopted Blake Treinen’s “slider grip” to add a whole new pitch to his repertoire.
Ryan calls it his “sweeper” (it’s a mix of a curveball and a slider) and by all accounts, it is also a devastating pitch when added to his current arsenal. Being close to where he played, I had always heard “whispers” about his makeup, and evidently, he addressed that over the winter. Recently, Ryan admitted that “he visited with psychologists this offseason in order to get back to his normal self.” On MLB.com Ryan said this, as reported by Juan Toribio:
“A lot of that was mechanical stuff. Obviously, I was trying to figure some things out, but I got in my own head with some things, and I was just out there kind of like a robot,” Pepiot said. “I had a bunch of different thought processes out there, so I was already behind the eight ball.”
He identified the problem and sought help to fix it. Good on Him! I am not sure if he will slot as a starter or reliever, but I think he will be on the team THIS year… maybe even break with the team out of Spring Training, even though he is not on the 40-Man Roster. He is very close – maybe he is already here.
Dodger News
- It was encouraging to see Clayton Kershaw hit 90 MPH in his first start. That leads me to believe there is 3 or 4 MPH to be had there and if that is true, Claytin will be fine… IF his is healthy. Thatb is the only question. Will his arm stay on his body???
- Good luck, Luke Raley – here’s your chance!
- Good Luck, Kenley – I’m not sure why you are not a Dodger, but Good Luck! (P.S. For the record – I think he will not do well in a new environment this season, but I hope I am wrong… except when fcing the Dodgers).
- Player to Watch this Spring: Garrett Cleavinger – I thik he will become a “FORCE” in the bullpen.
- Dodgers play at 1:10 today. TV is Free!
Great Darius Rucker Concert Last Night
Dinner at the Rathskeller with my baby and a concert. Life is good. If you are ever in Indy, the Rathskeller is a must!
Hate to see KJ leave the Dodgers. If this years KJ is the same KJ we saw mid-season last year AF will be hailed as a genius for letting him walk. The $8 million to Anderson is a head-scratcher for me, but I think AF knows TB won’t be back for quite sometime and there will be a salary savings of some kind.
No, I’m not advocating TB should be suspended, quite the contrary, but I think AF and the commissioner’s office have an idea where this situation is leading and I do believe AF is banking on some payroll savings, perhaps an entire season AAV.
When will see Freddie on the field? The Dodger line-up looks freaking amazing and I would not at all be surprised if AF doesn’t work a little more magic and acquire SP before the team breaks camp.
Not surprised the Dodgers signed Anderson, but the $8 million seems pretty high. He made $2.5 mil last year. But I think the focus is depth. The deal with Correa and the Twins is interesting, both in terms of money and years. What does that mean for Trea Turner? Expect the Dodgers to offer an extension, maybe in line with what they offered Corey Seager last spring.
Since the payroll stands at about $284 million the Trevor Bauer decision looms even larger. Still think a suspension is in the cards.
I am surprised that Kenley only ended up with a one year deal. The market has turned in a different direction. Seager is looking like a vast overpay. Not sure what to make of the Bryant signing.
Good article in the LA Times today about how the quality of upcoming talent in the farm system is allowing the Dodgers to invest in elite players. Some within the organization believe Diego Cartaya will evolve into the face of the franchise.
… and it may start sooner than many think: Some within the organization believe Diego Cartaya will evolve into the face of the franchise.
Dodgers lineup today:
Austin Barnes strikes terror into teams when he hits #4#
Ryan Pepiot to start today.
That should be fun
Fantastic. Can’t wait to see him pitch
You can’t have too much pitching. I’d be overjoyed if Clayton gives us half a season worth of starts. I feel his real value is mentoring the young arms coming up thru the system. Buehler and Urias are the only two dependable starters and they were “gassed” the end of last season in the effort to catch the Giants. I see Dodger Mgt giving them regular rest while giving everyone else – Heany, Price, Gonsolin, Anderson, and our prospects – the chance to earn regular innings. Acquiring another frontline starter is a decision The Dodgers can make at the trade deadline. Hopefully the Dodgers potent hitting line-up will provide enough of a cushion to let this plan/experiment unfold. Def going to be an exciting season!
Who is everyone’s surprise spring up and coming star this year?
Not a surprise but I think Lux will light it up this spring. See what I did there?
The way the roster is constructed, there isn’t room for many surprises.
How about this. I’ll say that by May-June, Vesia is our closer.
That is not crazy Jefe’. Vesia has a chance.
Why couldn’t Souza do that for us?
That’s what you worry about with Pepiot!
Hagenman had some really nice stuff there
Yes he did!
Well Mark, ya gave the guy the kiss of death. Feature him on here and he looks like a reincarnation of a gas can.
😉 It really means nothing… besides, other than the HRs, it was just bad Luck. He has to be more efficient, however
I’m a big Pepiot fan, but he had absolutely no idea where his fastball was going today and, if you listen to Karros, that’s been his problem over the last year or so.
If he can learn to control his fastball his spectacular changeup becomes even more spectacular.
Until then, he won’t be spending any in-season time in Los Angeles.
Totally forgot about Cleavinger.
The reminder eases my concern over the bullpen a bit, what with Kenley and Joe Kelly both gone. Right now I find myself a bit more concerned about the pen than the SPs.
Off the top of my head it seems Treinen moves to closer and Brusdar might be the set-up guy. Cleavinger joins Vesia and VGon as the lefty options. The guys who lose the SP auditions will also be in the pen. So two of Heaney, Gonsolin, Price and now Tyler Anderson. Plus, Mitch White and Andre Jackson are still around too–but both seem like good trade candidates to me.
Who am I forgetting?
Prospects like Pepiot and Miller and ??? could debut at some point. (Remember that Bob Welch and Dave Stewart both started in the pen before having big careers as starters.)
But as I look over all these names, I still think that, for 2022, any of Manaea, Montaz or Castillo would slot behind Walker and Julio. (I see Kersh as a solid mid-rotation guy at this point. )
AF has assembled a lot of depth while Bauer remains a question mark…. And we could have Dustin May back around the all-star break.
Sweet.
Don’t forget Danny Duffy (July) – I think he will pitch out of the pen.
Also, there is Calbeb Ferguson, Phil Bickford, Justin Bruihl, Daniel Hudson, Evan Phillips, and, and Tommy Khanle.
Darien Nunez is a longshot!
Some Dodger thoughts;
* If Tyler Anderson gets a back-end starting job, he will have to think he fell out of the sky into a bed of roses.
* STB thinks Vesia could be the closer in the not too distant future. I like his thinking. But watching Graterol yesterday, I think he is the closer in waiting somewhere down the road. His stuff is just so filthy. The ball comes out of his hand so effortlessly at 100. They call it a “sinker” but I don’t see any sink. Just nasty arm side run. Instead of calling it a 2 seamer, they call it a “sinker”. I call it a MF’er. Yesterday I saw more cutters at 94-95 than he’s thrown in the past. And fewer sliders. I can live with 2 nasty pitches and 100mph for a closer. Not the first guy who got it done without a change-up. Some guys just have no feel for a change.
* Kenley, thanks for the memories and good luck. It seems he had to reinvent himself every year and bounce back from all the questions. I give him credit. But to me, it was time to move on.
* Same with Joe or Joseph.
* I’m on record as advocating the idea of a 6 man starting rotation at least until the All-Star Break. It just makes sense. If we can get 100 quality innings out of CK, I’m way good with that. By the way I saw 1 pitch yesterday at 90mph and I am totally fine with that right now. He was 86-88 all day. Take it slow and we will see what’s there in time. He certainly wouldn’t be the first lefty to get guys out at 88 all day, if it comes to that. It would take a new mind-set approach but his arm holding up is everything.
* I’m also on record, like Mark, of thinking that one of the puppies is going to be a big contributor to a 6 man rotation; I see Pepiot or Miller helping us. Miller is an ACE on the horizon.
* I’m in favor of a consistent DH. Who that is is yet to be determined. I’m not in favor of using that spot at a place to get marginal hitters at bats. A .220 guy there is a waste of a weapon.
* What’s Albert’s status? I’d love to see him finish in St Louis.
Not a good day for today’s poster boy! Was it as ugly as the box score showed
Dinks and dunks mostly. I wouldn’t feel any different is he struck everyone out.
Alvarez, Martin, and Noda are the TOP PROSPECTS if you go by what happened today.
Actually I’m watching the bottom of 1st now.
Pepoit gave up an 0-2 squibber , hit a guy, had another slow grounder hit where the runner beat the throw, and then gave up the 500′ grand slam to Souza. However, he did walk 2 guys.
Overall not as bad as the box score makes it look.
Not to mention Outman who had two hits.
Jansen even as good as he has been over the years, was booed many times at Dodger Stadium. For the most part, Dodger fans do not boo their own. But I saw Kenley booed on several occasions.
I can’t deny that Jansen was the greatest closer in Dodger history, but honestly I am ready for them to turn the page. Even after his fine comeback season.
These are the things I won’t miss about Jansen:
* His lollipop pick off throws. They were an absolute waste.
* His intentional balks because he would be distracted by runners potentially stealing his signs while on second base. I have never seen another pitcher do this, ever.
* His inability to simply change signs when runners where on second base.
* The lead off walk to start the ninth.
* His deficiencies at fielding his position and backing up bases because he was too busy sulking over giving up a hit.
* His hard headedness at sticking with the cutter on nights it wasn’t cutting.
Then there was game 2 of the 2017 WS. That one hurt big time.
Am I being too harsh?
Nope, there are a lot of things I won’t miss about him either like his lack of a good pickoff move to first base. And when he gave up a game winning hit, many times it was to some hitter other than the other teams star players. And don’t forget the blown save in game four of the 2020 series. LA could have been up 3-1. Jorge Soler signed with the Marlin’s. 3/36.
Forgot about Bickford too. He was a great pick-up. He became something of a workhorse, with only Kenley and Treinen making more appearances among the pure relievers.
And now Hudson’s back too. I haven’t heard much about Tommy Kahnle lately. Is he healthy and ready to play?
I just looked over the RP stats from 2021 and Vesia really stands out. His WHIP of .98 was equal to Treinen and just a tick off Buhler’s .97. His BAA was the team’s best at .126. Walked 22 in 40 innings, but also struck out 55. He and Treinen might be lefty-righty complements at the end of a game.
Graterol’s talent is obvious but his stats are so disappointing. He just doesn’t miss bats. His BAA was .260 and WHIP was 1.41–both numbers just a little worse that Price’s.