5 Dodgers prospects that should undoubtedly be on 2023 roster

4. Ryan Pepiot

Ryan Pepiot is another top prospect that spent time with the big-league team last season that should be around in 2023. While he may not have had the kind of start to his career that Walker Buehler did, the potential is still there and Dodgers fans shouldn’t sleep on him being the team’s fifth starter.

With Buehler likely missing the entire 2023 season, the Dodgers’ current starting rotation consists of Urías, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May. There are a lot of unknowns in that rotation and, while the team could add a big-name in free agency, they also should lean on a young arm like Pepiot to provide innings.

Pepiot is MLB Pipeline’s 74th-ranked prospect and for good reason. The 25-year-old right-hander has one of the best fastball/changeup combinations in the minors, and he proved it could play at the big-league level.

His changeup had the 37th-best xwOBA in the league last season for pitchers with at least 25 plate appearances throwing the pitch. For comparison’s sake, that puts him right in the ballpark of Joe Musgrove, Tyler Anderson, Brandon Woodruff, and even Devin Williams.

Pepiot might be saddled to a Ross Stripling-like bullpen role as he continues to develop his slider to give him a true three-pitch arsenal, but at the end of the day, he should be on the big-league club.