Dodgers Pitchers with 2024 ETA!

welcome to Dodgers dogs Casey Porter here hope everybody had a merry merry Christmas I know we did here at Dodgers daily I know Austin got to spend a lot of time with his family so Austin Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year it's been a a very very happy year so far in the off season for the Dodgers it sure has Casey Merry Christmas to you Merry Christmas to our wonderful audience that we have and a Happy New Year to everyone as well uh it has been a really good year for the Dodgers especially during this off seon as we kind of Turn the Page to 2024 there has been so much to be excited about as a Dodgers fan and I think there's even more to be excited about if you take a little bit closer and take a little bit of a deeper dive into this system as well and just see the depth that that the system has just the pieces that have the ability to come up as well uh so we're excited to be able to take a little bit closer of a look into that y so to today we're going to talk about the pitchers that have a likely ETA for 2024 we're going to go over those guys first it's guys like Nick froso Landon Knack River Ryan that type of deal we're also going to talk about Kyle hert who got I believe like two innings last year at the major league level we're going to talk about him as well we also are going to cover imageen obviously he got quite a bit more little over 60 Innings at the major league level so we're going to cover the guys that we think are imminent John Rooney Alec Gamboa Ricky Vasco at the reliever level and then we're also going to cover the guys that are at the ablea level that have all hell broke loose and you had to dip down to the ablea depth level who would those guys be so we're going to cover all of the depth as far as that's concerned and the ETA 2024 for the pitching staff for the Dodgers but before we get into that just a reminder guys we have had just a wonderful run at this at new subscribers and just a lot of new support on here at Dodgers daily don't forget if you're watching this video hey go ahead and click that subscribe button tell all your friends about Dodgers daily we're continuing to try to grow here at Dodgers daily and then don't forget to turn on your notifications that way every time Dodgers daily release a new video you will be notified and you'll never miss a thing okay that's enough about the business Austin you ready to get into all the pitching that has a ETA of 2024 absolutely so the first guy we're going to talk about is Nick froso a young man that was brought over in a trade from the Blue Jays and he has hit over 100 miles hour he's had a few injuries he's had to deal with both with Toronto and then he ended last season on the iil but from everybody I've talked to that's not going to be a concern moving forward it was one of those minor Deals they shut him down just from a precautionary perspective Nick frosto he was one of the ones Austin that was protected him and Landon Knack along with Hunter feducia the catcher the Dodgers obviously are very very high on him I would be shocked if he does not make his major league debut next year yeah I would be certainly shocked with that too and it comes down to him it comes down to that electric stuff that he has he has the velocity he has a lot of movement on a lot of his pitches as well he certainly was a high priority for the Dodgers to be able to get and certainly was a steal for them from Toronto when they were able to trade for him uh and you over his numbers just last season you talk about it just looking underneath the hood as well especially at his doublea numbers he really was really solid really effective was able to strike a lot of batters out without giving up too many walks uh which with his stuff too having that combination of being able to strike guys out as well as limit the walks is something that does not happen a whole lot with Nick froso he has been a starting pitcher throughout his entirety of his minor league career so I would expect him to continue that path although depending on the availability we know the Dodgers just seem to keep adding starting pitching as well I think it's going to be hard to keep Nick fro in the minor leagues because of the talent that He has and we'll talk about some of these other guys as well I think they're going to have to find some sort of way to put Nick fro into that lineup eventually once he gets a little bit more experience in triaa uh because I think with the talent that Nick fro has he's just going to force his way up to the big leagues at some point in 2024 I think he just has too much talent and the stuff is too electric to keep him down for too long in 2024 you're seeing him at the triaa level he only had 19.1 Innings there so it's there's more of a sample size to compare what he did at the doua level strikeouts for nine 11 and a half 11.48 to be exact that's incredible Austin especially when you consider his his his walks per nine as you mentioned were less than three at 2.9 so when you look at that he had almost nine more strikeouts per nine innings and he did walks that's very impressive especially when he put into the fact that he only gave up less than a half a home runs per nine innings in those outings so you have the high strikeout volume the fairly low walk volume compared to a strikeout volume mixed with not you know so he's riding that high Force Team you see right there but not giving up an extraordinary amount of home runs just a half a home run per nine innings so so that I mean that that's a pretty good combo when you go with all of his Crossfire when you go with the amount of extension he gets you see how far he gets down the mound with how long his legs are and that High Velocity fast ball up in the zone that is a great combination oh yeah it's certainly is a great combination you talk about that Crossfire uh pitching style that he pitches with uh that's just something that's going to be unique for hitters and just something that in combination with the velocity that he pitches with with in combination with the stuff that he has is going to be so incredibly difficult for hitters to hit and I think that is going to lead to success for him at the Triple A level next year and then eventually at some point he's going to get that opportunity at the major League level to Showcase that and with him already being on the 40-man roster he is one of those players that is right in line to make his major league debut next season so daugh fans don't be surprised if you hear the name Nick froo be called up next year Lon Knack is another young man you're seeing him live I took this actually in Witchita that was protected just like Nick froso on the 40 man roster so he would not be eligible for the rule five draft if they hadn't have protected froso or Knack they would have lost them both so you get to keep them both now Lon KN is a young man that came out of East Tennessee State he was the all-time strikeouts leader there he wasn't a huge recruit or a huge draft pick type of guy until after his senior year there with the Pirates so he is just really really continued to rise he's fought injury he was one of the bigger prospects in the Dodgers Organization for a long time and then 2022 he had the forearm issues everybody you know he kind of well where' Landon that go well he dealt with injuries the whole time and then had a really good 2023 finished again last season on the iil no big deal there just like froso more precautionary so Lon knck he's a guy that he's not your 100 m hour pitcher like froso but he's a guy that has four pitches and very skilled when you talk about fastball curveball slider and change I've seen it with my own eyes many different times Austin you have too he will throw those pitches in any situation and any count very skilled from that perspective yeah very skilled and in 2023 really was a bounceback year for him we talked about him dealing with injuries and people had kind of forgotten about the prospect that is Landon Knack but I think this past season he just showcased his ability once again 2023 was a year of reestablishing himself as a name to be remembered and the Dodgers took notice of that and you mentioned he was added to the 40-man roster I think with this past season what you saw with him especially when digging into some of the numbers as well his season in daa was incredibly incredibly solid you talk about him being kind of a high floor being one of those guys who is a starting type profile um but also with him and especially at doublea um you saw it he had about nine and a half strikeouts per nine which is pretty good but I think the thing that just elevated his game to another level was his ability to control and be able to throw a lot of strikes and you talk about it with his walks for nine being less than less than two at Double A that's going to lead to a lot of success so if he's able to continue that especially at triaa next season if he's able to lower the walks a little bit continue to be that high floor type starter I think you could see L neck get the opportunity for the Dodgers and that he's certainly has the skill set he's got the pitch mix to be able to throw off a lot of hitters I think you can see him get the call up in 2024 there was a lot of variance in terms of his statcast data last year as far as his vo and his movement and all that and that's because depending on which part of the year he was in he was fighting different injuries and whenever you fight different injuries you know sometimes I'd see him and his vlo would be 91 92 and then I saw him on a couple of occasions to where he actually touched 96 so just depending on the health for Lon KN that's been the big issue for him that so if you go look back at a stat cast data it's going to be deceptive for you to this point the Dodgers know that because he hasn't all the time been healthy again you look at his k for nine almost 10 almost 10 strikeouts per nine innings at the ablea level it was around 8 7.95 at the triaa level he threw 43 innings for AAA Oklahoma City home runs per nine less than a half a home run per game at the Double a level at the triaa level like it tends to do Austin in that hit or friendly PCL when you're talking about high elevations it boned up to 1.26 so he has the high riding four seam but it's not always 96 miles an hour and that's where right here you saw that pitch right there that's where you can see L and KN give up a few home runs yeah and I I think with this I think that's a really important thing to keep into context is just the health of a lot of these guys you're not worried necessarily about how they would be when they are more injured you're worried about how they're going to be when they're at full strength because you want them to be at full strength and I think that's important to keep in mind when looking at even some more advanced stuff there's some uh numbers out there as far as different stuff Plus or location plus that could be uh perhaps a little bit deceptive even though some of those numbers still are pretty solid with land and Knack just keep in mind that you want to look at when he is healthiest so and if Lon neck can go into Triple A being being healthier uh and just being able to showcase exactly how uh good he is at the beginning of 2024 and just with the pitch mix with the high floor that he has with the need for the Dodgers to feel a whole bunch of different Innings throughout the season especially from starting pitchers I think Lon that could be one of those guys as you could see get the call up pretty soon kind of give you an example of the up and down this to the injuries that he's had his FIP last year was 532 and five and his ex FIP at AAA was 575 but yet his Ra was 293 and that's because he will whether it be a 3-2 count or a 3-1 count he'll flip in his curveball or his slider or his change up and it doesn't bother him because he has that much confidence to throw them backwards so he gets a lot of outs in big situations because he's able to pitch back backwards and because of that you know he he leaves a lot of guys on base so Landon KN hey he's a guy that can strike out quite a few guys when he's on as evidence by striking out 11.13 per nine innings at the ablea level and then at the tripa level almost one per inning at 7.95 per nine soy he's a guy that does have strikeout look at that change up when that change up is on for Landon Knack it's going to be a tough day for hitters so he is a guy that Inc you know hey if you need to throw him at your at at the number one starting position at the major league level probably not ready for that but boy he makes some great depth Dy Austin yeah he certainly makes for some incredible depth and I think it's also important to keep in mind especially with the Pacific coast League where he was pitching in where Oklahoma City plays in uh their ball does fly in that league and it is a very high runs scoring environment so when you're looking at some of the numbers with you're looking at erra FIP and xfip I think it's also important to keep that in mind especially when you're talking about the home runs per Fly ball ratio you saw that elevate a little bit from the jump to double a to tripa a I think some of that has to do with that aspect but I think with Lin neck I think you're talking about a guy who um has incredible stuff I think he's a guy who can have that high floor and make that jump to the big leagues all right who you're looking at right here is River Ryan hands down no doubt about it not my opinion I have asked several several several different people in the organization hands down the best athlete of any pitcher in the Dodgers organization he was maybe the two best two-way player at UNCC pin broke his last year there only reason he went UNC pin broke is because he actually broke his back in high school he was going to go to North Carolina like his brother his brother I believe is still in Triple A right now Ryder Ryan so Tri uh River Ryan he can windmill dunk Austin I do have that confirmed that he can still windmill dunk and when I asked I I think it was Ben casparus of all the pitchers you know it seems like all of you play shortstop in high school always the best athletes on your team if you had to pick one guy of your pitchers who had played shortstop and remember Ben Caspar is played shortstop at North Carolina that dude was awesome I actually thought Ben would say himself I was trying to have a little fun with it he said oh man no doubt it would be River Ryan he he could probably play Major League shortstop right now River Ryan is that kind of athlete he has that kind of Swag to him and he has a lot of electricity Dodgers fans are going to love this guy they love their stars and River Ryan has a rockstar type personality yeah he certainly has a rockstar personality you talk about that athleticism just talk about the pitch mix the stuff that he has the velocity that he's able to pitch with as well River Ryan is an electric pitcher uh spent just about all of his season last year in double A Tulsa did a few starts in triaa Oklahoma City just a really small sample size towards the end of last season but really looking at him in double A as well he's one of those guys where man I think even the stuff that he has I think he can even Elevate the strikeout total that what he had at Double A in the past it's been 124 even at Double even at Triple A last year was 15 strikeouts per nine uh and I think last year with his strikeout to of per up per nine of nine in double A Tulsa I think that can even be elevated and that is might be a little bit deceptive to how good of the stuff that River Ryan has I think you're talking about a guy who even though he is not on the 40 men I think Dodgers fans should watch out for for him you talk throughout this system you talk about guys that um the organization believes and you talk about guys that a lot of the coaches in the system believe in they are going to point to River Ryan so you have to keep an eye out for him whether that is in a starter type role which he has come up with or if they kind of like Nick fro have to find some sort of way to put him into the major league level just because of the talent that He has they'll find a way to put him in I think he just has that much talent to do so so got to be fair that at the doua level the the the strikeouts per nine that nine that's not bad that's about one per inning that's obvious that's definitely not bad but they can be elevated like you said because he didn't throw enough strikes he was walking over four guys per nine innings and even as good as your stuff is for River Ryan that has to come down that probably what needs to be cut into about 2third would you say Austin if you got that below three I think he would I think if you got it below three that means he's getting ahead in the count more often does that make sense and if he gets head in the count more often that's where you're going to see that strike out for balloon back up to 12 to 14 so if he would just get his his base on balls per nine under say three like at 2.9 I think that raises his Caper N9 up to about 12 and now you're talking about a caper nine 10 more than your walk for nine and at that point you have a completely dominant pitcher and I think that's his ceiling right there and so I I think that's what you have to look forward to as far as growth for River Ryan am I off there with anything no I don't think so I think this has to do with the deceptiveness at times of numbers from the minor league level you talk about these guys they're consistently working on stuff and that jump from high a to double a is consistently called the one of the if not the toughest jump in the minor leagues and River Ryan made that jump and he started the season at Tulsa and he was able to work through a whole bunch of different things throughout the season so I think this past year 2023 was a year of growth for him I think he was able to learn a lot of different stuff and I think he's going to be able to utilize that to find different ways as a competition gets tougher and tougher to find unique ways to strike out guys pitch the sequence pitches perhaps a little bit better uh to find a little bit more command and when he does that he has the tools he has the athleticism to really explode onto the scene so River Ryan even though he's not on the 40 man I expect him at some point if a 40-man roster spot opens up to to potentially have his debut in 2024 again still has some things that he can work on but with the overall tools that he has he can be a real impact player for the Dodgers and the only reason he wasn't put on the 40 man is because he wasn't eligible for the rule five draft Lon KN and Nick froso both were eligible so if you didn't put them on the 40 man you were going to lose them in the rule so with River Ryan being a little bit younger he he wasn't eligible for the rule five and because of that the Dodgers did not have to put him on the 40 man to protect him so they didn't it's not because they think less of him than than those other two it's just because they didn't have to yeah that's absolutely right and I think you could see a situation like a Kyle hurt where Kyle hurt um remember he wasn't on the 40-man roster for the Dodgers this past season however with his level of play and with anticipation for needing to add him to the 40 man going forward he was added to the 40 man and then he was called up by the Dodgers towards the end of the 2023 season I think with River Ryan I think he's in a very similar position perhaps even a little bit closer as well because he's already made his triaa debut he will probably start the season in triple as well I think you could see a situation where an anticipation of him needing to be added to the 40 Man following the 24 2024 season uh conclusion I think you could see River Ryan potentially added to the 40 man and make his debut at some point in 2024 all right let's move to Kyle hurt and I know Kyle hurt is a young man that did get Major League experience a couple of innings last year this is him right here 99 miles hour you're going to see Kyle hurt hit 99 River Ryan by the way also has hit 99 they caught nine haven't seen that zero yet so Kyle hurt we know that he has some of the most there's that change up too A plus plus change up we know he has one of the best arsenals of any young pitcher in the game hey there's Andy PW playing Centerfield I hope he has a good year this year but Kyle hurt again got two innings last year he does not care what his role is going to be in 2023 it just feels like it needs to be at the major league level because his stuff is way too electric for the AAA level and all the adjustments that he needs to make whatever they may be I think he needs to make look at that big curveball SL slider I think those adjustments need to be at at the major league level and not the Triple A level his stuff is too good for Triple A in my opinion oh yeah no and we saw Kyle hurt just take a just an overwhelming step this past season in 2023 especially in the strikeout percentage this is actually something that he had flashed in the past just with incredible strikeout numbers but now we got to see it a little bit even more over the course of a large sample size this past season you talk about in double a strikeout percentage and in triaa strikeout percentage being close to 40% yeah that is just unheard of and I think with Kyle hurt I think this is something we've talked about in the past him being able to control his pitches keeping it in the zone kind of limiting some of those walk numbers I think would be something that would just Elevate his game even to the next level he has the incredible strikeout stuff which was showcased in Dodgers Stadium this past season in 2023 for that one appearance that he had I think with Kyle hurt if he's able to control that I think he's going to force his way onto this roster if it in dodg in for the Dodgers in this next season I think it would likely be probably out of the bullpen but if he keeps putting up Strike Up strikeout numbers like he has been like he has been this past season and it has been a consistent thing he has done throughout his career this past season being a really big step for him because he's able to sustain that through the entire season I think this could be something where Kyle hurt needs the opportunity out of the bullpen for a large sample size for the Los Angeles Dodgers he needs to be there for a long period of time to make those adjustments to learn how to get Major League hitters out and if he's able to do that boy do you have a weapon out of the pen and he's able to provide some sort of length whether that's some piggyback roll whether that is through an opener whether that is through going back to being a starter he has such he he has he you that you can't uh quantify how valuable that is for the Dodgers because he's able to fill so many roles and he's able to strike out so many batters which we know throughout this organization they really value the stuff of their pctures and Kyle hurt has some electric stuff that should be on Showcase in Dodger Stadium in 2024 so strikeouts per nine 2021 at the complex 1543 at the single a level with Rancho 1543 at the high a level in 2022 1416 at the doublea level when he first came up to daa in 2022 1306 and then when he started in daa last year 1523 came up to tripa a had a strikeout per nine at 14 and then at the major league level 1350 this isn't something that just came out of nowhere for Kyle hurt he's had this type of strikeout stuff his entire career so I mean that's that's pretty incredible now he has had some pretty high walked for nine innings in his past you know 2022 at AA his first stent when he first got there was over 10 he's had walks for n of over five and and over four and that kind of deal but he said point blank when he repeats his delivery that is his key for him and so yeah hey man just absolutely explosive stuff super excited I hope he stays at the major league level all year so finish your thoughts on him before we get to a little bit of imit Sheen yeah I also think it's important to keep into context that that is not just really good strikeout numbers that is some of the best strike out numbers in all of minor league baseball as well and so with Kyle hurt you're talking about just the electric stuff if he's able to repeat his delivery he is going to be a Difference Maker for the Dodgers not just a guy that you can throw out there a Difference Maker for the Los Angeles Dodgers out of the bpen as an opener as a piggyback starter whichever role that he is put in he can be that guy that the Dodgers rely on okay let's get to imit Sheen now obviously his ETA was last year and we saw him a little over 60 Innings but wanted to get to him and wanted to to skirt over him a little bit and kind of talk about what he might bring for the Dodgers this year I actually misstated on the last show I said he only threw 60 in I was only looking at his minor league numbers he actually threw over 60 minor league over 60 major leagues a little over 120 Innings total last year so I think he's ramped up to about you it'll be projected for about 130 Innings this next year for for uh the the Los Angeles Dodgers so emit Sheen Austin you know that I've said this way before and people even were like what the hell are you talking about who is this guy right back when nobody know who knew who he was after last year when he went to the Arizona complex and struck out eight guys in a row I said it right then possibly the most explosive fastball of any fast ball in the system that includes Bobby Miller Dustin Bay the Los Angeles fans got to see it it's because of the extension look how far down the mound he gets then also look at that 3/4 slot Austin what that does is that that that creates that ride back into that run back into a right-hander that armide run so you're getting sometimes plus 20 in of movement to the arm side with a fast ball that has reached as high as 99 mph with the extension of let's say that that he's releasing it at 55 ft something like that 50 54 ft so when you combine all that together that is huge upside for IM anden yeah emen has huge upside and right now he is in the conversation to be that number five starter right now for the Los Angeles Dodgers if the season started tomorrow obviously season does not start tomorrow they still have some time to potentially add a pitcher but if they decide to have m in be that number five starter which I'm assuming that he is going to get a lot of runtime at the major league level no matter what the Dodgers plans are as far as adding more starting pitching emiten is one of those guys that the Dodgers can rely on he has incredible stuff just as we talked about with Kyle hurt emit shean was right up there as far as the strikeouts per nine the strikeout percentage during his MB season last year you're talking about at the double a level which he got a pretty good uh sample size of 53 Innings last year at doublea strikeout percentage of 41.7% which is unreal as far as that strikeout percentage in to get guys out that is almost 15 per nine innings yes that is just absolutely nasty stuff and he's showcased that and with MN he has shown so much growth I remember seeing him at the high level with great legs during the opening weekend of 2022 and then he got injured after that missed some time and we came back it was a really real struggle to get back onto that horse but once he was able to make the appropriate adjustments he just exploded onto the scene so with MN we saw last season we saw some really good starts we saw some starts at the major league level where he struggled a little bit I think he's going to be able to utilize each one of those experiences to just really help elevate his game and really learn from it he he really is a guy who has learned from each level that he has come from he has learned from the experiences where he has struggled I think he's going to be able to utilize that at the major league level and his stuff is just incredible and I think Dodgers fans are really excited for the possibility of M hen being another one of those starters in the mix at the major league level so if you to ask me there's all the top end stuff there's all the ceiling types stuff what what does he have to do to become as dominant as he's capable of being well Point Blank his home run numers for nine innings he's given up quite a few home runs in his career I mean going back even to the single a level he gave up one almost one and a half home runs per nine innings and then at the doua level in 2022 over two home runs per nine innings he was better at that last year because his strikeout rates were bigger and then his walk numbers were down it's amazing how that works together when you don't walk as many people that means you're ahead in the count more you don't give up as many home runs so at doublea last year he actually got underneath one per nine innings and then it went back up to almost two per nine innings at the triaa level and then a little over one and a half per nine innings at the major league level so he does give up too many home runs that's going to be have have to be one of the adjustments he makes it's figuring out how to not give up the long ball right I think the biggest adjustment he's going to have have to make is just get the ball in the strike zone more so if you look at his walker at 16.20 in uh 2021 at the high level and then it's been 6.23 at first go round in doublea and then he started last year 3.88 is the best that he's done but that's still I would think he would be the first one to say he needs to get that under three at the triaa level it was 559 so those two numbers hand in hand control and command he's still at the control level you know Landon KNX at the command level he already throws strikes now can I command it in the strike zone and actually hit the exact Spots I'm trying to hit imitan still working on the control level the Dodgers had to FastTrack him and so if he can get that that strike out that that walk per nine innings kind of like we're talking about River Ryan to under three I also think those home runs per nine innings with his stuff will go under one and then whenever you get into that scenario that's when emit chin becomes a dominant major Leaguer yeah I think I think you're right with that and I think with emish and look he's not a dominant ground ball type pitcher he's going to give up his fly balls as well and with that he's going to give up home runs especially if he's not able to have Elite control with that so I think being able to have that Elite control uh is something that's going to be really important for him could potentially get him into more ground ball scenarios where you don't have to worry about the Home Run for that but I think something that gives Dodgers fans a lot of hope is his expected batting average from last season just being 186 and that is in the 98th percentile in all of Major League Baseball uh so I think that gives Dodgers fans hope as far as the consistent quality of contact just being really poor from Major League hitters they are not reading a lot of his pites well it's had just a couple of pitch pitches that were left in the zone that were left for hitters to basically smash that really hurt Eman if he's able to control that ring that in just a little bit more that's just going to elevate his game to the next level and you talk about his ability to strike batters out I think that's going to continue I think that's going to be able to stay fairly steady yeah and I think if you can just control this one aspect of the game that's just going to elevate him to another level and make him a really solid pitcher for the rers to rely on in 2024 Okay so we've talked about the starters that are imminent obviously emiten and Kyle hert those those two guys are obviously definitely imminent because they they actually got their their debuts last year and then River Ryan and uh River Ryan and who else have we talked about here Austin Nick fro and Landon n yeah River Ryan and then emit Shen and Kyle HT yeah so so River Ryan is probably the furthest away just because he is not on the 40 man so let's talk about a a guy that finished doua last year and he actually pitched in the Arizona complex League some really good results some really not so good results kind of up and down Ben casparus and the reason is is that he was really working on his pitch mix he was working on his sequencing he was working on his locations trying to duplicate everything so Ben casparus finished last year although the numbers look very inconsistent right he finished last year throwing the ball better than he ever has he feels like he's in the best spot he ever has been as a pitcher in terms of being in control of his mix in terms of his vo he unlocked a whole lot of V Austin he hit 98 last year and he's and his fast Ball's never been his best pitch metrically it's always been his off speed he pitches backwards he's almost like a Landon Knack that can hit 98 if you will when he's pitching well so talk about Ben casparius yeah with Ben casparius who friend of the pro program they we have been Casey has had a job good job interviewing him in the past Ben casparius has been a guy who has been kind of rising throughout the system um has had points where he has struggled as you have mentioned but he has learned from those struggles and being able to make adjustments I had the chance to witness that uh this past season uh in 2022 he spent a large portion of the season in high a great lakes and there is times during the season where he really struggled during that uh but he went back in 2023 to Great Lakes to start the season had eight starts and he shined in each one of those eight starts uh he was able to have a 2.68 erra in comparison to the previous season where he had a 6.45 erra which I think just speaks to his ability to adapt and learn from the different environments that he is in I think with uh Ben casparius uh he is going to work through a bunch of different things he's going to try a bunch of different things as you mentioned him pitching backwards a lot uh I think he's going to I think that's also showcases some of the um disparities between some of the numbers and kind of what these guys are working on and the talent level that he has because Ben casparius is an incredible talent and I expect with him even though his numbers at Double A don't look necessarily pretty I expect him to be able to make those adjustments because I saw him make the adjustments if he is going back to doublea like he did when he returned to high a Great Lakes the previous season so with casparius starting pitcher he does have a lot of great stuff you mentioned his off speed pitches just be being metrically really really good um I expect him to continue to build off of this success and be able to adapt going forward into next season okay so Ben aserious I I think it he's an outside shot at his ETA being 2024 this next season he's not on the 40 man did just finish in in AA still has some inconsistencies that he's working with but I can tell you the Dodgers are very high at where he's at right now he has a lot of value in this system so super pump to see where Ben casparius Heads next year Kenda Williams a young man that some people thought might get picked up in the rule five I think we were pretty steadfast and saying that he was not going to we were pretty confident in that but another young man that hey not 100 milph but he does have a unique pitch in that split finger fast ball and jumped three levels last year started at the high a level and finished at Triple A so kinda Williams the another young man hey picked up again from Toronto he was in that that that trade that brought Ryan Nota over last year Nota by the way I believe led the national or the American League in walks last year so congratulations to him just communicated with him just the other day or Rhino still doing great so talk about Kendall Williams yeah Kendall Williams started off this past season on the injured list didn't start until a month or two into the season but once he started off he was really able to pitch well and you mentioned it he got to spend some time in the Arizona fall league as well as Ben casparus which shows just how talented they think that these pitchers are uh he's not going to be one of those guys who blows you away with the strikeouts he's not going to be able guy that's going to blow you away with the stuff but he's able to consistently get hitters out he's able to generate a healthy good amount of ground balls as well you talk about that split finger as well it is really nasty as well uh Kendall Williams is a really talented pitcher I expect him to to probably be play a majority of the season in triaa Oklahoma City which if you're at the AAA level you're one call up away from being at the major league level and especially with the rumors going around about him potentially people potentially being interested in him in the rule five draft whether that is from fan speculation whether that's from actual sources um I think that just showcases how talented people think Kendall Williams is and just how close he is to the major league level so I think it's important to keep notice of Kendall Williams as well and he's long 6'6 so he has good extension there's Austin gothier right there so Kendall Williams he's kind of been the B cirious I know he did make it to Triple A which tells you what the Dodgers think about him but I think with all the depth I think it definitely would be an outside shot at him making the major leagues but again and I think if he does it's probably because you had a bunch of injuries and and you didn't foresee all that happening so he's a situation that you need to keep an eye on see how he does at the AAA level I think he does start well obviously starts at the AAA level I think that b sparus probably starts at the triaa level too who knows though we'll see how that goes but I think there's a lot of play for those guys cuz you also know the Dodgers are going to want to get a bunch of those quad a veterans to fill out their their triaa pitching staff like they did last year with Dylan kovi and Matt Andre and Robbie Erin so they're going to get two or three of those guys as well so Kendall Williams will see how that goes for 2023 okay let's dive into our our our uh relief pitchers now that we think that have a 2024 Ricky Vasco is the guy that's the most immediate because he's on the 40 Man already signed a major league contract but the first guy I wanted to cover was Alec Gamboa a young man from Fresno California one of the best three sports stars ever in the Central Valley he was a fortime state Placer and wrestling this guy people in that area of the world love this guy he grew up a dieh hard Dodgers fan his entire family is diard Dodgers if you look at his delivery the Austin who does he look like Fernando Valenzuela right there is a reason for that look at that number right there's a reason for that because Fernando was his Idol he grew up idolizing Fernando Valenzuela and so whenever he got to the Dodgers he requested his number got to wear it and boy the day that he gets to step on Dodger Stadium on that mound it is going to be electric when he pitched in I believe it was like Sacramento somewhere like that his entire family was there and it gave him so much adrenaline he hit 99 an hour so I just hope and pray that Alec Gamboa makes his major league debut this year he's been up and down most of the middle part of the Season he was completely dominant finished the season struggling Just a Touch so there has been some ups and downs but as Alec Gamboa says he never not gets back up he is one of the most mentally toughest human beings you will ever be around yeah I think he certainly is very close to the major leagues and if he gets that call up it would be a dream come true and certainly make us who have been had the privilege to be able to cover him throughout his minor league career just so incredibly proud and happy for him because we know how hard he has worked and what it would mean not just pitch in the major leagues but to pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers as well and it's not very often that you see a left-handed pitcher with the velocity that he has which I which makes him so close to the major League level especially since the Dodgers don't have a ton of depth of left-handed pitchers at the major league uh level they have a couple of pitchers but especially with Victor Gonzalez moving on to New York I think that just raises the chances of guys like Alec amboa and John Rooney who we're going to talk about in just a minute of their ability to make the major league level so I think it's important to keep that in mind he has the electric stuff you talk about the velocity if you can work on a little bit of the command that he has I think he's going to be one of those guys that you could see make his call up sooner than later get some appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers hopefully in 2024 that would certainly be some some amazing story that would happen no doubt about it and remember with Rooney and gambo both they were starters until last year I mean they converted to the bullpen just last year so these are guys that can come in give you three four five innings or a start or an open or whatever very very very versatile Gamboa you mentioned the command no doubt about it it's more so consistency with the command meaning when he's on he's like an artist I mean he just Paints the corners and when he's on he's really on the problem is when he's not on then I mean he's really not on so it's like one of the other and not only just on specific nights but in periods of the season so he'll have periods of the season of like 6 weeks to two months to where he's on every single night and it's like you're just watching watching a guy just just paint art right and then he'll have periods of the Season like of two three weeks maybe a month to where he's struggling with his command he's always fighting the strike zone it just seems like there's always guys on base so for Alec Gamboa Point Blank you know hey he said rub the rubber was going to meet the B last year he definitely met that challenge the the the hurdle is all it for for it is all in his hands the hurdle is going to be consistency the stuff is there the mentality there is there the toughness is there but can Alec Gamboa be consistent enough to be on a team that is trying to win a World Series for the Dodgers I think that's fair to say about him and so as we move into our next guy this is John Rooney picking off Jose Altuve had to play that first best best pickoff move in all of baseball John Rooney and I'm not exaggerating you're not exaggerating that yeah he's he has the best pickoff move in the minor leagues perhaps in all of baseball as well it is just deadly if you're able to get on base and that isn't big if you're able to get on base John Roney is a very talented pitcher another left-handed reliever in the Dodgers system who we we had talked about building up to the rule five draft of him being a possibility the Dodgers got really lucky that he is still in their system and they can really utilize a guy like him and he could be one of those guys who could make the call up in 2024 he had been a really consistent pitcher as well through the minor leagues you talked about him converting to the bullpen in this past season was a really good season a good season of growth for him as well big tall Lefty gets a really good healthy extension one of the better extensions in the minor leagues um he is a very talented pitcher the Dodgers fans if you have not heard the name John Rooney I think you will in 2024 they completely revamped his mix last year they changed him to be more of an East and West guy he is a cutter he is a cutter twoam guy used to be the four seam change up so John Rooney again not on the 40 man but I think he is a guy that is imminent to the major leagues and again just like John Rooney he was a starter for his entire career he transitioned over so could be very very very versatile so hey we're going to talk about a last guy here that the Dodgers I told I've been telling you about him this is Ricky Vasco I've been telling you how good he he was he got DFA by the Rangers he was a starting pitcher and then came over to the Dodgers went to the complex made some adjustments and just hit the ground running with Tulsa he has reached as high as 99 milph that slider right there you just saw is absolutely dirty and I can tell you he is one of the most focused human beings I've ever been around he is just a cool dude had just very kind of mild-tempered but so competitive and so focused I was I was just shocked that the Dodgers didn't resign him to begin with and then when he became a free agent I was like I well Dodgers daily fans know that I guaranteed he was going to sign a major league contract and he did and thank God he signed that major league contract with the Dodgers Ricky vanasco I could not look at that dirty hook right there I could not be more impressed with this young man yeah and with Ricky Vasco following the 2023 season he became a minor league free agent and I think the Dodger showcase your point about just how good of a pitcher he is and just how much he showcased during this past season because they didn't just sign him to a minor league deal they signed him to a major league deal meaning he's on the 40 man roster meaning he is very easily in line for a major league call up and I think that showcases what he was able to do this past season uh spent some time with Texas then he came over to the Dodgers spent a lot of time in doublea Tulsa and and during that time double Tulsa he was so dominant uh struck out about 13 and a half a little over 13 and a half for nine uh had an erra of 1.52 you talk about his FP and xvip being fairly similar to that as well being in the three to2 range um he is an incredible P pitcher he talked about the just the skill set that he has the pitches that he has but I think the thing that can be a Difference Maker for him is the mind set knowing what he's had to battle knowing what he's had to go through and overcome if he can channel that onto the mound in 2024 knowing that he has a clear path to the major leagues because he's on the 40 man roster I think you could see showcase something that is really good really Dominate and could be a picture that the Dodgers utilize and we'll be so glad that they added him and signed him to a major league deal added him to the 40-man roster because I think he can just really Elevate this Bullpen uh and be a pitcher to watch out for for the Dodgers in 2024 okay so those those are the guys that we think are the most imminent another couple of guys that I think are outside shots at the relief level Braden Fischer could not be more impressive impressed by Braden Fischer just pitched in every single role multiple Innings most of the time wonderful young man I think if there is an outside shot that he could possibly get up there and make the major league level but again finished at doublea started last year at high a and then another guy that I think that you know I think is slider is one of the best pitches in all the the organization I think Antonio nolles he's kind of in that same boat that that you know if if all hell broke loose you needed to hit a bunch of depth I think he could also be up there too I think those are both guys that will be Major Leaguers I think next year 2024 it's an outside the box shot for their yeah I I don't think you're wrong with that I think both of these guys are two pitchers who are going to pitch in the big leagues one day whether you're talking about Ren Fisher fish or or they talking about Antonio nolles I think they're going to get a lot of time in triple A Oklahoma City this next season which again is one stop away from the major leagues and I think both of them show case incredible skill they all had you talk about nolles with his slider just being one of the best pitches the Dodgers organization with fish just showcasing a lot of growth this past season both of those guys are really close to the big leagues I think it's important to highlight them and be able to uh just mention them when we're talking about pitchers who could make their debut in 2024 okay I hope you enjoyed your our show on on all the pitchers that you know that we've heard of all the all the CL the the Clayton Kershaw of course he hadn't been signed yet but the Walker buers all the big signings you've had as of late wanted to cover all the guys that we thought you could add depth to this organization that might make their 2024 Major League debut so Austin thank you so much for joining again hope you had a Merry Christmas hope you have a Happy New Year and same to all of the Dodgers fans out there go Dodgers