Austin Barnes Has High Expectations for Dodgers' Young Pitching Prospects
The Los Angeles Dodgers are going to be using a lot of their young guys during the 2023 season. From Miguel Vargas to James Outman to Ryan Pepiot to Michael Grove and more, there's going to be quite the youth movement happening in LA.
For some teams, that could be a bit worrisome, and even grounds for a bit of a rebuild. But for the Dodgers, it's quite the opposite. The Dodgers know these guys are ready to play, and not only play, but contribute on a championship team.
Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes has spent time catching some of these young pitchers. Before he went to the World Baseball Classic for Team Mexico, he caught up with Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation for a really great interview about where the team stands right now. You can watch the full thing here:
McKain asked Barnes about the young pitching prospects, and the longtime catcher had some high praise for the up-and-coming stars.
"There’s a ton of them. Bobby Miller — I really like Bob. Gavin Stone, the way he carries himself, really like him, especially his presence, I think it’s really good. And Pepiot has been making a lot of strides, too. The Dodgers have a wealth of talent and those kids, sky’s the limit, really."
So far, Gavin Stone and Ryan Pepiot have been quite impressive in spring. Bobby Miller is on a slower ramp-up, so he didn't get to pitch with the big league club this spring — but his stuff is as good as anyone's, and he's going to be incredible when the time comes.
But at this point, Pepiot and Michael Grove are fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster, and Stone just keeps proving that he should be there very soon.
The Dodgers enter 2023 with some question marks in their bullpen, so we may see some of these young guys sooner rather than later.
