Dodgers: 3 top prospects most likely to be traded this year

2. Clayton Beeter, RHP

In 2020, the Dodgers managed to draft three consecutive big arms at the top in Louisville’s Bobby Miller, East Tennessee State University’s Landon Knack, and Texas Tech’s Clayton Beeter. All three could be starters, or all three could be ‘pen reinforcements. After a lost year following their selection, we still don’t have the data we need to determine if these collegiate flamethrowers have viable enough secondary stuff to see a lineup three times.

Therefore, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Dodgers dangled whichever one they’re least confident in during this summer’s trade talks.

Beeter has progressed more slowly than Miller thus far (and Knack has barely shown anything, throwing just two innings in his one appearance of the season). Though every pitcher’s development has taken a backseat to conditioning this spring and summer, considering nobody hit their innings quota in 2020, Miller has made five “starts” totaling 14.1 innings pitched, sporting 17 Ks and a 1.26 ERA/0.91 WHIP.

Beeter has been pushed far less thus far; in eight appearances (seven starts), he’s thrown a remarkably low 7.1 innings, striking out 13 with an elevated 1.23 WHIP. Suffice to say, Beeter’s been handled with the special-edition kid gloves, even more so than Miller. It’s hard to glean much from their usage at this point, but Miller outranks Beeter in prospect pedigree, though both have somewhat comparable profiles. While Knack hasn’t shown much, and isn’t quite as clearly on the radar as the rest of his draft class, it seems like the Dodgers are being more careful in deciding when to expose Beeter than when to push Miller.