While the Los Angeles Dodgers and all other teams waited for the MLB lockout to end last year, Ryan Pepiot got a head start with Minor League Spring Training. He then was among the Dodgers’ group of non-roster invitees.
The right-hander reported to Camelback Ranch with Blake Treinen’s patented slider as part of his pitch mix. Pepiot learned the pitch after the 2021 season and was gaining confidence with it.
That wound up being a valuable weapon in his Dodger Stadium debut and had the third-most usage rate (18.6%) behind the fastball (56.2%) and changeup (25.6%).
As Pepiot now looks to build on making his MLB debut last season, refining the slider with an eye on being more efficient has taken focus this spring, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com:
He continues to work on a slider, which he believes could help him get even better — especially against left-handed hitters.
“I was excited for myself that I had some success [last season],” Pepiot said. “But taking that into the offseason [was the focus] so I can be more consistent and go deeper into games and not throw 75 pitches in a few innings.”
Whether making a string of starts or being called on in spot duty, Pepiot failed to pitch deep into games. That changed against the Miami Marlins on August 21, when Pepiot set career highs by completing six innings and throwing 97 pitches.
However, that was followed by 74 pitches over two innings following an opener two weeks later. Pepiot again pitched out of the bullpen in his final 2022 appearance for the Dodgers, needing 58 pitches to get through three innings.
Just like last season, the 25-year-old projects to be on the Triple-A Oklahoma City Opening Day roster. That could change if the Dodgers have any injuries within their rotation, as Peptiot, Michael Grove and Andre Jackson are the immediate depth options.
Ryan Pepiot hole-in-one
Several current and former Dodgers participated in the seventh annual Justin Turner Golf Classic, which saw Pepiot sink the first hole-in-one in the tournament’s history.
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