Ryan Pepiot: Congrats to Ryan Pepiot for making his MLB debut. The pressure he was under considering the excitement that was built up for this start was pretty intense. Pepiot did a masterful job of fighting human nerves to post 3 scoreless innings. Pepiot was the PCL pitcher of the month last month for posting a 2.05 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. Pepiot is just a wonderful young man and has electric stuff, and has a long MLB future ahead of him, IMO, health not withstanding.
Michael Grove: Congrats are in order to Michael Grove as well as he also made his MLB debut Sunday throwing 3.2 innings without allowing an earned run. Grove is a young man that has always had the big-time arm talent and is finally fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery he had in college. Grove made some mechanical changes in the middle of last year that led to an increase in velocity and in his strike-throwing ability. I’ve been saying this since his days at West Virginia, but this kid is the “real deal”.
Yency Almonte: Congrats to Yency Almonte, another player that was kind enough to join Dodger Poke. Almonte came to the Dodgers via free agency after being outrighted by the Rockies and has really found himself a home. The organization sat him down on the 2nd day he was with the club and laid out a plan for him which included ditching the 4 seam in favor of his 2 seam and sinker. So, now his mix is a fastball, slider, 2 seam, sinker and it has looked great. Almonte has always been a guy that has pitched with a lot of confidence as his handle on Social Media is “Showtime”.
Gavin Stone: Congrats to this Lake City, Arkansas native for getting moved up to AA Tulsa this past week. Stone leaves the Loons with a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings this year (28K/6BB). Stats courtesy of Brad Tunney, PxP for the Loons who does a fantastic job behind the mic.
Jose Ramos: Ramos made a catch last week that deserves another look from Dodgers fans. Here’s a video comparing his catch to Willie Mays. Ramos plays for the Low A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and is having a very good year hitting .277 with an OPS of .909 to match his stellar defense.
Robbie Peto: Congratulations to Robbie Peto for getting moved up to High A Great Lakes. Peto is a hard-throwing Right-handed pitcher from Stetson that features a 94-95 mph fastball, a ++ changeup and a breaking ball I call a “slurve”. This young man is impressive, so take a look for yourself.
Jose Hernandez:Â Hernandez had another scoreless outing yesterday for the High A Great Lakes Loons and has allowed just 1 earned run in his last 10 outings spanning 13 innings. The left-handed reliever featured a well-placed fastball and a sweeping slider. Here is a video showing him in-game action.
Maddux Bruns: 2021 1st Round Draft Pick, Maddux Bruns, had his best performance since becoming a Dodger Tuesday as he threw 2.2 innings of shutout baseball while striking out 5 last Tuesday. Here is a video showing his pitch mix. 94-95 on the fastball with really good secondary stuff.
Martin Santana: Martin Santana is a hard-throwing right-handed reliever for the Quakes that features a blistering fastball, and a hard-breaking slider. He also throws in an occasional changeup and has struck out 18 in his 15.1 innings of action.
Kelvin Bautista: Here’s a look at 22-year-old LHP, Kelvin Bautista who allowed just 1 earned run in his last 6 innings for Low A Rancho. A couple of things stick out about this young lefty. 1) His breaking ball is ++ 2) The pace at which he works is very defense friendly!
Carlos De Los Santos: Carlos De Los Santos is a big right-handed reliever for the Low A Quakes that features a big breaking ball and hasn’t allowed an earned run since April, which spans 4 performances.
Zach McKinstry: McKinstry leads the PCL in hitting with a .376 average. He also sports a healthy .983 OPS, has a 9-game hitting streak, and is 16/36Â during that period which equates to a .444 average. This Central Michigan grad is looking to get out of this Fringy AAAA stage he is in and hopes to stick with LA for good in the near future.
Kody Hoese: After 7 consecutive walks last Tuesday, Kody Hoese delivered an RBI base hit. Hoese is finally healthy again and looking to round back into his first-round draft pick form. Yesterday snapped a 5 game hitting streak for the smooth fielding 3rd baseman who might be the best defensive player at the hot corner in the organization.
Jeren Kendall: Former 1st round draft pick out of Vanderbilt is still trying to find his stroke at the plate, but always plays elite defense. Check out this catch he made this past week to save extra bases.
Mark Washington: Mark Washington’s scoreless streak came to an end Sunday after the tall right-hander out of Lehigh had thrown 13.2 scoreless innings which covers a span of 7 games.  His fastball, slider, and changeup mix have been on point so far this year.Â
Miguel Vargas: Vargas got his average above .300 this week and just kept going. The reigning AA Central hitting champion sits at .314 now with an OPS of .914 after a very hot week. He now has 5 consecutive multiple-hit games, has a 7 game hitting streak, and has hits in 15 of his last 16 games. During that span, he has 10 hits in his last 22 at-bats and has 2 doubles, a triple, and a home run. This guy is the real deal at the plate.
Jordan Leasure: Keep an eye on Leasure. He was 95-97 on his fastball and was flashing good secondary in all counts for the AA Tulsa Drillers. Take a look for yourself!
Jose Adames: Adames was recently moved down to AA Tulsa to work on his command, but this former first-round draft pick from 2016 definitely has first-round draft pick stuff. Â He was 97-99 Sunday with a big slider and change for Tulsa Thursday and was dropping some dimes. Watch him blister some fastballs, then drop some dimes.
Austin Drury: Dating back to last year, LHP Austin Drury has allowed just 3 earned runs in his last 13 outings which spans 17.2 innings. This North Florida Osprey alum changes speeds and moves the ball extremely well, and is extremely tough to square up.
James Outman: No Minor league report would be complete without an update on James Outman. Outman is a Brady Anderson clone in the way he hits and his production and has his average up to .272 with an OPS of .910. He has hits in 9 of his last 10 games in which he has a triple, 3 doubles, 3 home runs, and 15 RBI during that span. This guy is 100% legit!
Chris Betts: I got to meet the fan club of AA Tulsa Drillers catcher, Chris Betts, and they are awesome and super proud of what they call the best Betts in the org. Betts is a former 2015 2nd Round Draft Pick and had his best day as a Driller Thursday with a Homer and a double.
Michael Busch: This is your weekly reminder that Michael Busch is insanely good at hitting a baseball. Dating back to last year, Busch has hits in 27 of his last 40 games and has multiple hits in 18 of those, and 21 extra-base hits during that time.
Lael Lockhart Jr.: Lael Lockhart Jr. had a great outing last Thursday going 5 & giving up just 1 earned run. Here’s some video showing his pitch mix.
FB 89
Slider 83
Backdoor Slider 79
4 Seam Up 89
Curveball 75
Changeup w/ tumble 84
Antonio Knowles: Knowles has still yet to give up an earned run on the year for High A Great Lakes in his 11 innings and 9 appearances. Take a look at his ++ slider!
Jake Lamb: Lamb hit his 8th home run of the season Thursday to extend his consecutive game hit streak to 7. His streak ended last night at 8 games in a row, and during that streak, he is 10 for 27 .370 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, and 10 RBIs. Oh…and a Grand Slam as well!
Ryan Ward: Ward is one of my favorite young hitters and is just behind Michael Busch for the lead in home runs for the entire organization. This Massachusetts native has a 4-game hitting streak and has hits in 6 of his last 7 games and 8 out of his last 9 for the AA Tulsa Drillers.
Ryan Noda: I’ve said it a couple of times now, but Noda reminds me of a bigger, athletic version of Jim Thome. Noda is now hitting .274 with an OPS of .885 and has drawn 25 walks. This guy is a stat sheet stuffer!
Alec Gamboa: If you could have a young pitcher emulate anyone in the org., LHP Alec Gamboa is a good one to choose. The way he changes speeds and locates is how every pitcher should pitch.
Yefry Ramirez: Congrats Yefry Ramirez for a complete-game shutout in his last performance. Ramirez gave up just 3 hits and needed just 107 pitches. He is a former first-round pick who has been around for a while but is still only 28. Here’s a look at his pitch mix from his shutout performance this past week.
Caleb Ferguson: LHP, Caleb Ferguson, was pitching backwards and touching 95 with his fastball en route to a scoreless inning during his last outing on Friday night for AAA OKC. That’s Ferguson’s 2nd consecutive scoreless outing and 4th out of his last 5th.
Justin Bruihl:Â Bruihl featured a sweeping slider and arm side fastball last night in 2 scoreless innings in his last outing Friday for AAA OKC. His slider sweeps away from lefties and to the backfoot of righties. The FB, 90-94, stays under the barrel of lefties and tails away from righties. Take a look for yourself!
Carson Taylor: Top 30 Carson Taylor made it back off the IL in exciting fashion as he had a broken-bat single in which the bat flew into the stands. Take a look for yourself!
Austin Gauthier: Gauthier is a breath of fresh air the way he is short to the ball and uses the middle of the field with 2 strikes so well. He is almost an exact clone of Craig Biggio. Click the video on the left to see that comparison for yourself.
Carson Fulmer: Welcome back Carson Fulmer. After clearing waivers, re-signing him was a formality. Fulmer showcased his big breaking ball, tailing fastball, changeup, and slider Saturday night in his 1 inning save.
Bobby Miller: Miller threw up zeroes in his last start for AA Tulsa that lasted 5 innings as he out-dueled Jack Leiter. Miller had a mix of 100 mph fastball, 90 mph slider, and 82 mph changeup. Click the video on the left to see that mix in action.
Jacob Amaya: Amaya is simply the best player in the Minor Leagues right now. He always carries the elite defense at short stop, but this year he is breaking out with the bat. He is hitting .337 with an OPS of 1.190.
Kevin Pillar: Kevin Pillar had a huge night for OKC Saturday. He had 2 hits and one of the best plays of the year in center field and is hitting .321 on the year with an OPS of 1.073. Watch his great catch for yourself!
Eddy Alvarez: Eddy Alvarez had a huge night Saturday night with 3 hits, 2 doubles, 5 total bases, and 2 RBIs. After the Saturday night game, he was 6 for his last 13, 9 for his last 19, and was hitting .290 with an OPS of .922.
