Mike Salas
Ben Casparius is a 6’2″ right-handed pitcher who played his college ball for the University of North Caolina at Chapel Hill for two years, where he was a two-way player. As a freshman, he had a 1.69 ERA in 10 pitching appearances while collecting 18 hits and 15 RBI and helping them to a birth in the College World Series.
He transferred to the University of Connecticut Huskies in 2020 but was denied a waiver and had to sit out his junior season, which wound up being cancelled anyway by the COVID-19 pandemic. He ended up playing Futures Collegiate Baseball League for the New Britain Bees and hoped to be selected in the 2020 MLB draft but because of its shortened length he was not chosen and opted to play for the Huskies in 2021. In 15 starts he was 8–5 with a 4.03 ERA.
Casparius was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 Major League Draft and signed for a $247,500 bonus. Casparius spent his first professional season with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers and Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, pitching in five games and allowing two earned runs in six innings. In 2022 he pitched with Rancho Cucamonga and the Great Lakes Loons, pitching 89 innings in 27 games for a 6.42 ERA. The following season, with Great Lakes and the Tulsa Drillers he made 26 appearances and was 6–7 with a 5.27 ERA. He started 2024 with Tulsa, making five starts with a 3.32 ERA before being promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club.
Casparius pitch mix features a four-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball and his fastball averages 95 mph. His slider stands out and clocks in at 84.3 mph, the pitch boasts 3.1 inches more vertical drop and 5.4 inches more horizontal break than the average MLB slider, making it his go-to strikeout pitch. This exceptional movement allows him to keep hitters off balance and generate swings and misses. Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 / Curveball: 50 / Slider: 60 / Control: 40 / Overall: 40
Ben Casparius is ranked as the Dodgers twenty third best prospect by MLB Pipeline. After making his debut on August 21st, Casparius has come into to relieve 3G / 2W / 8.1IP / 12SO / 2.16ERA / 1.56WHIP. His performance against the Rockies demonstrated his potential and could earn him a long reliever role for the 2024 playoff roster. The future looks bright for the twenty-five-year-old right-handed pitcher and could be a regular member of the Dodgers pitching arsenal for the 2025 season.
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