Triple-A Oklahoma City announced Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Ryan Pepiot will start Opening Night against the Albuquerque Isotopes, the top Minor League affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
The Oklahoma City Dodgers begin their 2022 schedule with a six-game homestand against the Isotopes. The Opening Day start is the first of Pepiot’s young career, which includes spending Summer Camp with the Dodgers due to the 2020 Minor League season getting canceled because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Pepiot spent last season with Double-A Tulsa and Oklahoma City. He went 3-4 with a 2.87 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and held opponents to a .149 batting average over 15 games (13 starts) with the Drillers before earning a promotion to Triple-A in August.
Moving up a level came with some growing pains for the right-hander, as Pepiot finished 2-5 with a 7.13 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 11 games (nine starts) for OKC. Opponents hit .305 against Pepiot during that span, but he did have at least four strikeouts in six of those appearances.
Pepiot was among the non-roster invitees to 2022 Dodgers Spring Training, and with that came an opportunity to appear in three Cactus League games (two starts).
The 24-year-old was the victim of some bad luck and command issues in his debut against the Seattle Mariners, but that was followed by two scoreless innings out of the bullpen six days later.
Pepiot’s final time pitching for the Dodgers in Spring Training was more mixed results as he allowed three runs on five hits over two innings.
Tuesday will further be noteworthy for the organization as fellow Dodgers pitching prospect Bobby Miller is scheduled to start at Dodger Stadium in the finale of the exhibition Freeway Series with the L.A. Angels.
When will Pepiot make MLB debut?
Last year Dodgers manager Dave Roberts identified the organization’s top pitching prospect as a candidate to make his MLB debut late into the 2021 season. That never came to be, but it was then a sentiment Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman echoed when looking ahead to this year.
For his part, Pepiot has kept focused on improving rather than what may be ahead at the Major League level.
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