I always pick a player from a draft and he immediately becomes a favorite. In 2019, I was more of an advocate for Michael Busch than Kody Hoese. But he was too high in the draft. Rarely do I choose a top pick in the draft.
Some of my friends were surprised it was not the 6’6” LHP from Austin, Texas, Jimmy Lewis. I do not know why, but I have always loved pitchers from Texas, especially high school pitchers. Clayton Kershaw was the exception to my rule of looking for someone outside of the top pick to follow.
But this time, it was not the Texas pitcher that got me attached to. It was the Indianapolis kid who went to hometown Butler University, Ryan Pepiot. Pepiot went to Westfield High School, about 17 miles from Butler.
I was ecstatic when he reached MLB in 2022 as a 24 year old. He was more than competent at the MLB level. I have linked Pepiot’s B-R page.
I was upset he did not get a chance against the DBacks in 2023 NLDS. He should have. When you are down 2 games to none, you do not save someone for Game 4.
After the 2023 season, the Dodgers traded Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca to Tampa Bay for Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot. Margot and INF Rayne Doncon were later traded to Minnesota for SS Noah Miller before the 2024 season began.
I applauded the trade. I liked Pepiot…a lot, but his ceiling was not in the Glasnow realm. Tyler Glasnow went to Hart High School and being so close to Hart, I followed him while he was in High School. It did not hurt that his HS Coach was a good friend of mine. He was also my son’s HS Coach. So when Glasnow was traded to LAD, I was thrilled and called his HS Coach. He had nothing but glowing comments for his young pupil. As an aside, he was not so glowing with his RVS comments who he also coached. Let’s just say he was non-communicative about his feelings towards RVS. Nothing negative.
Glasnow immediately became my favorite Dodger not named Kershaw.
Some were not as enthusiastic about the trade. Glasnow’s history is riddled with injuries, while Pepiot was considered a good reliable mid-rotation pitcher. But Glasnow’s curveball was a difference maker. When he is on, it is unhittable.
In 2024, the Dodgers needed elite SP, and Clayton Kershaw was showing signs of Father Time creeping in and he had his own injury concerns. The trade was before the Dodgers signed Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They knew Shohei Ohtani was not going to pitch in 2024. Walker Buehler was still on the shelf, and what can you expect from a double TJ surgery pitcher? Emmet Sheehan was still an unknown, as was Gavin Stone. Sheehan had TJ surgery and was gone for the year. Stone needed shoulder surgery during the season. The Dodgers also signed James Paxton.
The Dodgers were looking for Bobby Miller to fill that elite void, but we now know how that turned out.
2024 started out great with Glasnow. He was selected to his first All Star team. But then a back injury and later an elbow injury ended his season. He did not get to pitch in the playoffs, but maybe they do not make it if he is not in the rotation for 22 starts.
2024 was his best season, with the most starts, and most IP.
The pitching gurus knew that Glasnow was special when healthy. What could they tweak in his mechanics to take the pressure of his elbow and back? They worked on it in ST, and he was cleared to start 2025 in the rotation. His first start against Atlanta was excellent. He went 5.0 shutout innings on 2 hits, 3 BB, and 8K.
But it was his next start in a cold and rainy Philadelphia where he began to unravel. The footing on the mound was bad. His 99th percentile extension was not conducive to a good landing, especially with the new mechanics he was trying to incorporate. He came out of the game, angry.
He had three more starts before his shoulder told him to shut it down.
He went on the IL, but was able to return July 8 against Milwaukee. He left the game after 5.0 IP tied at 1-1. The run he allowed was unearned. He finished the season with 13 starts, 72.1 IP, 44 hits, 32 BB, 83 K, 2.86 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 3.33 FIP.
More importantly, something clicked for him and his mechanics before the playoffs, and he was a new pitcher in October. He was outstanding in the postseason. 6 game, 3 starts, 21.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 2.95 FIP, including his first MLB save. Everyone is going to remember Yamamoto’s MVP WS run, Miggy Ro’s game 7 tying HR, Will Smith’s Game 7 winning HR, Will Klein’s phenomenal Game 3, Freddie’s walk off in Game 3, the outstanding defense of Miggy, Tommy Edman, and Kiké, and of course the Pages catch. But the Dodgers do not win the WS without Glasnow.
WS teams have their MVP’s, but it is quite often the one not mentioned as heroic who the team relied on to get through. It was that way with Julio Urías in 2020 and Walker Buehler in 2024. They were not the heroes, but they were pivotal to the team success.
Glasnow went into the offseason for the first time knowing what he needed to do to ramp up with his refined mechanics. He has had a fantastic start to 2026. He has 5 starts, and everyone of them has been at least 6.0 innings, and has compiled 33.0 IP. His BB/9 rate is dramatically down from 4.28 to 1.91. His K/9 rate is about the same, slightly down. His HR/9 is way down. His 2026 ERA is 2.45 and that is in line with his expected ERA of 2.15, FIP 2.27, and expected FIP 2.75.
His 2026 numbers are not out of line with Yamamoto or Paul Skenes. They are all below Shohei Ohtani.
Before my site crashed, I was about to publish my predictions for 2026. I know it is easy to pick Paul Skenes, but my pick for CY was Tyler Glasnow. It is still waaaaaaayyyyyy too early for any CY discussion, but three Dodgers pitchers are certainly in the early season discussion.
I know there are many out there that do not believe Tyler can finish the season without a lengthy IL stint. For me, I am enjoying watching him pitch at an elite level. A level he was projected to be at by AF/BG.
How ironic that the pitcher that many did not want to see traded for Glasnow because of his reliability for staying healthy, is on the 60 day IL with a hip injury, while Glasnow is having the best start of his career.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle) 10 – OKC Comets 5
There was some good news with LHSP Jackson Ferris’ start. He only walked two batters in 4.2 IP. The bad news, he allowed 7 runs (6 earned), on 10 hits in those 4.2 IP.
RHRP Brock Stewart threw another scoreless inning in relief. However this one was with a lot more stress. He allowed 2 hits and a BB with 2 K.
The next three pitchers threw a combined 3.0 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned), on 6 hits, 0 BB, and 4 K. 3 of those K’s came from LHRP Antoine Kelly who struck out the side in the 9th.
OKC scored a pair in the 2nd. James Tibbs III drew a BB. He moved to 3rd on a DH Jack Suwinski double (5). Both runners scored on SS Noah Miller’s RBI single.
Down 7-2 in the 5th, the first two Comets were retired. 3B Ryan Fitzgerald reached on catcher’s interference. Fitzgerald moved to 3rd on RF Zach Ehrhard’s double (6). LF Ryan Ward tripled (1) home both runners.
In the 6th, Suwinski walked and moved to 2nd on a WP. He scored on a single from C Eliézer Alfonzo.
Fitzgerald was the lone Comet hitter with a multi-hit game, including his 7th double.
Frisco RoughRiders (Texas) 9 – Tulsa Drillers 7
RHSP Payton Martin just got shellacked. He gave up 8 runs (all earned) in 1.2 IP. He allowed 9 hits and 2 BB before being pulled.
The Drillers struck first in the 1st inning. CF Kendall George led off the game with a single. He moved to 2nd on a disengagement violation and scored on DH Zyhir Hope’s double (3).
After Frisco scored 4 in the bottom of the 1st, Tulsa got two back in the 2nd. SS Sean McLain reached 1B on a force out. George drew a BB. McLain and George scored on back to back singles by RF Josue De Paula and 3B Kyle Nevin.
Frisco put up four more in the bottom of the 2nd, going up 8-3.
Tulsa kept plugging away in the 3rd and 4th. In the 3rd, 2B Jake Gelof led off with a HR (3). The HR was followed by singles from 1B Joe Vetrano and LF Kole Myers. After two Drillers K’s, George and De Paula each drew a BB, with the 2nd one bringing Vetrano home.
Gelof hit his 2nd HR of the game for the Drillers 6th run.
The Drillers scored a run in the 9th on Myers’ double (1) to finish the scoring.
- Joe Vetrano – 3-5, 2 runs
- Kole Myers – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, double (1)
- Jake Gelof – 2-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 HR (4)
- Kendall George reached three times on a single and 2 BB
Great Lakes Loons 3 – Beloit Sky Carp (Miami) 0
Four Loons pitchers combined on a 5 hit shutout. Combined they issued 7 BB and registered 15 K. 22 year old RHRP Davis Chastain was the most effective. He finished the game for a save, retiring all 7 batters he faced, four on K’s.
GL scored solo runs in the 4th, 6th, and 8th innings. In the 4th, CF Mike Sirota led off with a single, moved to 2nd on an errant pickoff throw, and to 3rd on a ground out. Sirota scored on a 1B Cam Decker RBI single.
2B Logan Wagner hit his 5th HR in the 6th.
In the 8th, SS Jose Izarra led off with a double (2) and came around to score on DH Nico Perez’s RBI single.
Ontario Tower Buzzers 7 – San Jose Giants 3
2B Joendry Vargas was HBP to lead off the game. He stole 2nd and scored on CF Mairo Martinus’ double (4). Martinus scored on C Anson Aroz’s single.
San Jose tied it up off Ontario’s RHSP Marlon Nieves. He hit 2 batters and they scored on a pair of singles.
RHRP Isaac Ayon allowed the go-ahead run in the 5th. A 1-out single and SB set up the 2-out RBI single, giving the Giants the 3-2 lead.
Ontario put up 4 in the 8th. Vargas singled and stole 2B. Martinus and 3B Chase Harlan each drew 1-out BB. Aroz singled home Vargas. 1B Easton Shelton had the big hit, a bases clearing double (6).
RHRP Matt Lanzendorfer pitched a scoreless 8th, and RHRP Jecsua Liborius pitched a scoreless 9th to end the game.
Can he go 9?