Welcome to the Blue, Nick Tepesch!

Word spread quickly yesterday that the Dodgers were going to call up minor league right-handed starter Nick Tepesch to pitch on Friday (tonight) against the Pittsburgh Pirates. As you'll recall, the Dodgers signed Tepesch to a minor league contract on June 6th after he opted out of his contract with the Rangers.  Since then he has started three games for Oklahoma City.  Per Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider:

The 27-year-old Tepesch, who was born the day of Orel Hershiser’s 1988 National League Championship Series Game 7 shutout, has a 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings (three starts) for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had been cut loose by the Texas Rangers’ Round Rock affiliate, for whom he had a 4.11 ERA.

You can follow Nick on twitter here: @n_tepesch.  As for what he throws, check out what Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest wrote:

A quick look at Brooks Baseball reveals Tepesch has a 4-pitch mix. His 4-seam fastball that he sinks (and throws the 4-seamer and sinker about the same amount), a slider, curveball and changeup. His fastball sits in the 90-92 MPH range. His slider is his go-to off-speed pitch. It sits in the 85-86 MPH range and is his best swing-and-miss pitch. His curveball is a high-70s pitch, while his mid-80s changeup is more of a “show me” pitch.

In celebration of his promotion to the Dodgers I made the above fantasy Baseball card of him.  I used a photo grabbed from OKC Dodgers/True Blue LA and the 1989 Fleer Baseball card design.

Below are his career stats, via Baseball Reference:


UPDATE:  Per a Dodgers press release:

The Los Angeles Dodgers today selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Nick Tepesch (#48) from Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated outfielder Will Venable for assignment.

Tepesch, 27, was signed by the Dodgers on June 6 and went 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts with Oklahoma City, including his last start, June 17 at New Orleans, when he allowed just one run on three hits and struck out eight in 8.0 innings in a victory. Tepesch began the season with the Rangers’ Triple-A Round Rock and has posted a 7-2 combined record with a 3.66 ERA in 14 minor league starts this year.

Tepesch made his big league debut with the Rangers in 2013 and has gone 9-17 with a 4.56 ERA in 42 games (39 starts) with Texas from 2013-14 before missing the 2015 season on the disabled list with nerve inflammation in his right arm. In five minor league seasons with the Rangers (2011-14, ’16) and Dodgers (2016), Tepesch has a 32-14 record with a 3.49 ERA in 81 games (73 starts) after being selected by the Rangers in the 14th round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Missouri.

Venable was signed by the Dodgers on June 14 and went 1-for-10 with a double and run scored in six games.

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