The Los Angeles Dodgers had five prospects receive recognition on Kiley McDaniel’s Top 100 rankings for the 2022 season, headlined by Diego Cartaya (No. 26) and Ryan Pepiot (No. 59). Joining them on ESPN’s prospects list are Bobby Miller (No. 61), Andy Pages (No. 68) and Michael Busch (No. 87).
Cartaya, the organization’s consensus top prospect, was part of the Dodgers 2018-2019 international signing period class and has quickly risen through the ranks. He enjoyed an excellent, albeit injury-shortened 2021 season with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga that saw him hit .298/.409/.614 with 10 home runs and a 157 wRC+ in 31 games.
McDaniel gave Cartaya a 50 grade for hitting and 70 for power (20-80 scale). McDaniel also noted that Cartaya reminds him of the “2021 version of Salvador Perez.”
Pepiot posted a 3-4 record with a 2.87 ERA in 15 games (13 starts) with Double-A Tulsa before earning a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City. That came with a bit of a learning curve as he went 2-5 with a 7.13 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 11 appearances (nine starts).
McDaniel gave Pepiot a 70 grade for his changeup and believes he has the potential to be a multi-inning fireman, late-inning reliever or mid-rotation starter.
Miller went 2-2 with a 1.91 ERA over 14 games (11 starts) for High-A Great Lakes, then struggled a bit with Tulsa as he pitched to a 4.82 ERA in three starts. McDaniel gave Miller a 55 grade for his slider with a 60 potential, and compared his effort and aggression to the likes of Walker Buehler and Max Scherzer.
Pages, who is considered one of the Dodgers’ top power bats in the Minors, hit .265/.394/.539 with 25 doubles, 31 home runs and 88 RBI in 120 games with the Loons. McDaniel didn’t include grades for Pages, but compared him to Jorge Soler.
Busch, in his second professional season in the Dodgers organization, hit .267/.386/.484 with 27 doubles, 20 home runs and 67 RBI over 107 games with the Drillers. McDaniel compared Busch to Max Muncy for his hit and power combo, and ability to play first base and second base.
Pepiot taught himself how to throw changeup
During his freshman season for the Butler Bulldogs, Pepiot experimented with different grips for his changeup and essentially taught himself how to throw it.
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