Cody Snavely
Throughout the 2022 off-season, many around the league were stating the Dodgers were going through a youth movement. While the Dodgers management downplayed these claims, there was some truth to it. As we all know, the Dodgers lost a lot of key players that were cornerstone pieces for the past five years. Cody Bellinger, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Corey Seager, and more are all gone, and that left holes in the Dodger’s 26-man roster. The Dodgers farm system would primarily fill these holes with players like James Outman, Miguel Vargas, and the arrival of Bobby Miller, and Gavin Stone. However, the Dodgers are set up for another youth movement in their pitching department, and it’s showing in the minors with the Tulsa Drillers, our AA affiliate.
Why it’s happening
Bobby Miller is already making an impact; however, the Dodgers are looking ahead as all good teams should. Clayton Kershaw is entering the final stages of his historic Hall of Fame career and will be a huge hole to fill for this team when he does indeed retire or perhaps go to Texas, as he has hinted at already. Julio Urías is entering his final year until he can test the open market in free agency. Urías is represented by Scott Boras, who the Dodgers are known not to deal with, so the likelihood of Julio returning is slim. Walker Buehler is coming off his second Tommy John surgery, and history has shown that pitchers who have had the surgery twice do not bode well. This leaves three giant holes in the Dodgers rotation for 2024 and beyond, and that isn’t even mentioning Dustin May‘s recent arm injuries that could potentially derail his career.
The now
As mentioned, the Dodgers are getting their first wave of young pitching in the form of Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, and Ryan Pepiot, who is currently on the IL but should hopefully be back after the All-Star break. The combination of these three could perhaps be the main guys in the rotation for the foreseeable future, as they are all under team control for several more years. Miller has already shown to have ace-like stuff, and while he struggles, Stone tore through the minor leagues with his elite Change-Up. Pepiot is similar to Stone as he has had great minor league success with his Change but has not fully translated to the majors yet.
The future
Perhaps the biggest storyline in the AA world is the Dodger’s minor league affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, and their six-man rotation this season, as they have a combined ERA of 2.78. Righthanders Emmet Sheehan, Nick Frasso, Landon Knack, River Ryan, Nick Nastrini, and Kyle Hurt have made every start for the Drillers. This huge story is not getting shared enough, as the Drillers are not just pitching well but dominating their competition. Ken Rosenthal breaks this down thoroughly in his latest appearance on Foul Territory.
How it helps the team now
There are many ways the insane amount of pitching depth can help them now and in the future. For starters, the Dodgers in 2023 will undoubtedly be active at the trade deadline and have a plethora of pitching prospects to attach in trades. Due to their depth, if they are extremely confident in some of the arms in AA, they could inquire about trades that involve Ryan Pepiot or Gavin Stone (they traded Josiah Gray for a blockbuster). Teams do not hold on to all their top prospects, especially teams in win-now modes; however, the Dodgers, similar to the Rays, like having this extra depth as it gives them flexibility when injuries inevitably happen in a long season.
Emmet Sheehan is another name that has already been impacted in 2023 and has solidified himself in the rotation due to Julio’s continued struggles and the injury bug at the starting rotation.
Conclusion
As the Dodgers enter the month of July with the 2023 August 1st trade deadline right around the corner, expect to see these names thrown around in the trade market as the Dodgers look to be heavily active.
