A two-way player at NCAA Division II UNC Pembroke, Ryan drew more pro interest as a pitcher but wanted to focus on hitting in his pro debut, which the Padres allowed him to do after signing the fifth-year redshirt junior for $100,000 as an 11th-rounder in 2021. He impressed on the mound during instructional league that fall and caught the eye of the Dodgers, who acquired him in a March 2022 trade for Matt Beaty. His stuff has taken off as he has concentrated on pitching and he may have the deepest repertoire in the system.
Ryan's best offering is a fastball that parks at 95-97 mph and peaks at 99 with plenty of induced vertical break that makes it hard for hitters to lay off or barrel up in the zone. He owns a pair of plus breaking pitches, preferring his tight 87-91 mph slider/cutter to a downer 81-84 mph curveball that has more movement but is also more difficult to land for strikes. He got away from using his fading upper-80s changeup in 2023 but it has shown the potential to become solid or better.
Ryan's outstanding athleticism and clean arm action have eased his transition to full-time pitching and add to his upside as a No. 2 or 3 starter. While his control and command are still works in progress, he has the tools to become an average strike-thrower with more experience. He posted a 1.33 ERA in four starts after Los Angeles called him up in mid-July before sustaining an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in his final outing.
A two-way star at NCAA Division II UNC Pembroke, Ryan batted .349 with nine homers as a second baseman while posting a 3.66 ERA with six saves as a fifth-year redshirt junior in 2021. Though teams preferred him as a pitcher, the Padres granted his wish and allowed him to focus on hitting in his pro debut after signing him for $100,000 as an 11th-rounder. He impressed on the mound during instructional league, went to the Dodgers in a March 2022 deal for Matt Beaty, then recorded a 2.45 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings while advancing to High-A.
Ryan features four solid or better offerings, headlined by a fastball that parks at 95-97 mph and reaches 99 with quality induced vertical break. The consensus is that his best secondary pitch is his tight 88-92 mph cutter, though some evaluators believe his fading upper-80s changeup could be just as good with a little more velocity separation from his heater. His feel for spin extends to a solid low-80s curveball that gives him a vertically breaking pitch.
Because Ryan has pitched just 140 2/3 innings between college and pro ball in the last six years, he still needs more polish on the mound. While his control and command are still works in progress, he has the outstanding athleticism and clean arm action and delivery to become at least average in both regards with more experience. Los Angeles allowed him to go five innings in just one of his 15 outings last year, and how he handles an increased workload in 2023 will shed light on his ability to reach his ceiling of a mid-rotation starter.
How this works: Every pitch is affected by the forces of gravity,
which means that every pitch drops on its way from the mound to the plate.
These numbers are reported with gravity, which makes them larger and
different than other pitch movement numbers you may have seen. Since gravity
requires time, and slower pitches aren’t ‘better’ just because they have
more time to move, the movement of a pitch is compared to ‘average’ movement
by comparing it to other MLB pitch types within +/- 2 MPH and from within
+/- 0.5 feet of extension and release.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
24.5
1
1.5
-1
3
0
1
100.0
Player
24.5
1
1.5
-1
3
0
1
100.0
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
2
Player
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
3
2
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here
LAD 
