It was another beautiful day in Arizona, and it was another afternoon where Dodgers fans got to see a lot of their prized prospects.
Nick Frasso got the start, Zyhir Hope hit a home run, Hunter Feduccia had 3 hits, Ronan Kopp was impressive, Jose Rodriguez introduced himself, and Teo had a big hit as well.
It was a great day of baseball, and we’ve got it all covered.
It was great to see Nick Frasso back on the bump! Frasso missed last year due to a shoulder injury, after building a bunch of momentum in 2023. The last time Frasso came off an extended IL stint, he was still in the Toronto system and hit 101 on the gun in his first game back.
Lots of crossfire, big-time extension, good change, and tons of upside.
The Dodgers got him in the Mitch White trade, in yet another move where the Front Office was playing chess.
38.5% K% in 2022 across High A and AA. 26.8% K% in 2023 between AA and AAA.
The combination of the crossfire, velo, extension, and arm-side movement make him a tough at-bat for any hitter, especially right-handers.
All on board with Teo! Super glad he’s back for a myriad of reasons the most obvious reason is that he is very good. Other reasons that are equally as obvious are that he can hit home runs, he fits the culture like a glove, and he is a fan favorite.
One part of his game, however, that I think has been underrated since he’s become a Dodger is the number of times he’s shortened up with 2 strikes, thought oppo-middle, and come up with some really big 2 strike hits.
Teo was 2 for 3 yesterday, .400 so far in Spring Training.
Hunter Feduccia Keeps Rakin’! He’s hitting a cool .800 so far in Spring Training, OPS 2.400. While that pace obviously is not sustainable, it is important to note that he is 13 for his last 30 (.433) in Spring Training games dating back to the beginning of 2023.
So, he’s taken advantage of every opportunity, which is all someone in his position can do. Just gotta keep Grindin’!
Super fun to see Livan Reinoso on the Main Field. One of the fun questions I ask in my interviews from time to time is who would win an arm wrestling contest between all the players on the team.
Reinoso is always the most popular answer because he’s built like a tank.
Interesting side note, the other guy mentioned the most was his teammate back at Tennessee Wesleyan, who was also with the Dodgers, Liam Doolan.
Doolan is from Australia and is pitching in the Australian baseball league now.
I can only imagine how excited, probably nervous Reinoso was to get to pitch on the main field. Congrats Livan, heckuva way to get 2025 started.
Max Muncy went yard to the opposite field to get the Spring Training crowd excited. When comparing his salary to his production, it’s hard to overstate how valuable Muncy has been.
His WRC + was 135 last year and has averaged 124.5 over the last 4 years. So, he’s been 25% above league average, he hits home runs, he drives in runs, and has an edge to the way he plays.
Jose Rodriguez is the K-Man! Jose is known as Tibu, because his dad’s nickname was shark, and he and his brothers inherited it.
Tibu has more swing-and-miss in his stuff than any other prospect in the system. At least he did last year.
He’s a 6’6 23-year-old from Oaxaca, Mexico who has 7 feet of extension delivering the ball to home plate.
Rodriguez led the Dodgers Minor League system in Swinging Strikes per pitches thrown, which is saying something considering 2 different other pitchers, Edgardo Henriquez and Reynaldo Yean, both hit 104.
Tibu features a good changeup that might be his best pitch, a curve ball that gathers a ton of swing and miss, a bullet-gyro type cutter, and his 4-seam fastball.
He has baseball in his bloodlines as his dad was a professional baseball player, then a GM of a professional team in Mexico. So Rodriguez grew up around pro ball.
Cool story When he was a kid he would get to go on the Guerrero road trips the team of which his dad was the GM. So, he would get to work out and get familiar with the players. As he got older and became a professional himself, he got moved to the DSL and introduced himself to his new pitching coach. He told this Coach he was from Oaxaca, and when the coach heard that he told Jose he played for the Guerreros. At that moment, they both remembered each other, the pitching coach as a professional ball player, and Jose as a little kid. Congrats Jose, best of luck in 2025!
Jared Karros has built a ton of momentum because he made huge strides between 2023 and 2024! Last year he posted a 2.79 ERA, a WHIP of just 1.08, he had 74Ks in 67.2 IP.
Karros features a 4 pitch mix, 4 seam in the 92-94 range, traditional changeup, bullet slider, and a spiked curveball that is one of the best breaking pitches in the Minor Leagues.
But, his calling card is his advanced understanding of sequencing and execution within those sequences. He’s a master at changing speeds and locating to set hitters up, then he doesn’t let them off once he gets them on the hook.
The Dodgers shut him down from June 9th to August 30th last year, so his arm is fresh and ready to go. I would not be surprised if he made his MLB debut this year.
Also wanted to note that he went back to UCLA and got his degree over the off-season, so he definitely has his priorities straight.
Super cool to see Jacob Meador on the main field. Got to see Meador in Tulsa while he was there, as he split time between High A and AA.
A couple of things to start…His dad, Paul, pitched at Oklahoma State (very good), but he didn’t (very bad). I kid, I kid!
Lots of crossfire, which makes it seem like his delivery is coming from the 3rd base dugout. Good fastball, bullet cutter/slider, change, and curve.
Jacob is another one who is advanced in his understanding of sequencing and likes to keep things as simple as he can. Meaning, he doesn’t get away from his strengths. Super, super competitive young man, whether it’s on a baseball field, or in a bass boat trying to out do Logan Boyer trying to catch the biggest fish.
Damon Keith…Let’s Go! Makin’ Cal Baptist proud, gettin’ knocks on the main field.
Keith is one of the fastest guys in the system and is also one of the strongest. Stole a few more bases last year, but he’s known for his massive exit velos.
Dude got fisted last year and inside-outed one into right field AT 106 MPH. I’ve seen him hit some nukes, but that one stuck out.
Dealt with a hamate injury to start last year, got back in June, and then promptly had 2 walk-off hits, both against the same pitcher. That pitcher, a month later, got called up to the Major Leagues.
When talking with Bruce Howard, one of the PxP announcers for Tulsa, he said that, when Seattle was promoting that pitcher, they called the Dodgers to make sure that Keith wasn’t getting called up too. Baseball is Awesome!
Congrats DK!
Ronan Kopp has LOUD tools. He’s 6’7, has explosive stuff, and gets a ton of swing-and-miss. Didn’t get ramped up until the end of April last year, and showed the ability to miss bats consistently.
Kopp has hit 100 in a bullpen in 2023 as an example of just how loud his stuff is.
Former starter who was converted to the pen at the end of 2023, and features a 4-seam, slider, change, and curve.
Definite Rolodex dude, his ceiling will be determined by control and command. He can get swing-and-miss, and consistent outs with control alone, he’s virtually unhittable when he takes it to the next level and commands the zone.
Gonna be a big year for Ronan, excited to watch him continue to grow.
Zyhir Hope…Adios! Dude is a tank, and he hits tanks! He made 2 great plays in left field in his first game, and now he’s hit an opposite-field home run. Tons and tons of power, quickly turning into one of the best outfield prospects in baseball!
Become a subscriber to our Dodgers Daily YouTube page and follow us on Twitter @dodger_daily, on Instagram @dodger.daily, on TikTok @dodgers_daily, or on our new discord server by following this link, https://discord.gg/zFM3yYCv.
Also, please consider donating to our Live Dodgers Dawgs shows to help Dodgers Daily keep growing. We go live every Sunday & Wednesday Evening at 5:00 Pacific, and we’d love to have you join the chat. This site will always be free to its viewers, but it does take time and money to run, so any sized donation would be greatly appreciated.
Nice write up and summary. I’m shocked that someone hasn’t taught Ward that foul pop up’s roll back to the line, he needs to run to the spot a couple of feet on the line side of the ball coming down. Even the tough catch in foul territory down the line he was running for was catchable if he had run to the right spot. I think that might be on the coaches, help him…don’t let him be embarrassed, especially on TV.