As a number of Los Angeles Dodgers premier players left Spring Training to join their respective teams for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, more of a focus at big league camp is on the younger guys who have a chance to take the spotlight.
An overlooked conversation is a battle at the backend of the Dodgers rotation after Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías, Noah Syndergaard and Dustin May. But because of Tony Gonsolin’s availability for Opening Day in question due to his recent ankle injury, the door for Ryan Pepiot is wide open.
The 25-year-old has taken advantage of his opportunities in Spring Training, most recently throwing three dominant innings against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Pepiot was able to notch four strikeouts in his second shutout outing of camp, building on his status as one of the Dodgers’ more seasoned, young arms.
“I’m coming into my third camp, so I’m a little more comfortable,” Pepiot told DodgerBlue.com.
“I’ve developed some good relationships with some of the guys in here, so I feel more comfortable. I feel more comfortable being able to go up and talk to everybody and I’ve been able to keep in contact during the offseason with some guys. It’s just nice to be back.”
Pepiot dedicated a portion of the offseason to finding consistency with secondary pitches, mainly his slider to go alongside an elite changeup.
“Just going out there each time and adding an inning or pitch count to build up toward the season,” Pepiot added. “Also, landing offspeed for strikes, getting the changeup back to where I want to and then attacking the zone with fastballs. Getting ahead of hitters and trying to get them out early.”
Making his MLB debut last season out of necessity was just a taste of the future, and his 3.47 ERA across nine appearances hinted at Pepiot’s potential. Pepiot’s third camp with the Dodgers is highlighting maturation as he comes into his own as a big-league talent.
“I don’t feel like the youngest guy and I don’t feel like I need to 100% stay back and stay out of the way,” Pepiot acknowledged. “I feel more comfortable going up and asking questions, picking peoples’ brains and everything. There’s definitely an added level of comfort.”
Ryan Pepiot used Cactus League debut as a ‘confidence booster’
Pepiot made his first start of the Cactus League by facing a San Diego Padres lineup that featured Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Nelson Cruz at the top of their order.
After some early trouble, he buckled down and was able to strike out Machado and induced back-to-back pop-outs to end the frame. Pepiot took a step in the right direction after a bumpy 2022 season and looked to pull from the scoreless inning against the Padres.
“Yeah, definitely a confidence booster,” Pepiot said of his start. “Build off that one, go to the next. Definitely nice to have some success.”
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