Pitching prospect Jackson Ferris says Dodgers 'a breath of fresh air'

SURPRISE, Ariz. — One inning at a time, Jackson Ferris is showing the Dodgers exactly why the organization targeted him in last winter’s trade with the Cubs. The 21-year-old left-hander fired 1-2/3 scoreless frames Saturday in Los Angeles’ 7-6 split-squad loss to the Rangers, running his early Cactus League totals to 2-2/3 innings, four baserunners allowed and zero runs.

The outing was another small checkpoint in what has already been a career-altering 12 months. Ferris came to Camelback Ranch last January expecting to open the season in the Chicago system. A few days later he, outfielder Zyhir Hope and a minor-league pitcher were shipped west for infielder Michael Busch and reliever Yency Almonte.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting it after only throwing like 55-ish innings in my first year and doing well,” Ferris recalled. “The Cubs coaches were talking highly of the Dodgers coaches, so then I was pretty excited.”

The excitement has only grown. Ferris describes the transition as “a breath of fresh air,” praising the precision with which the Dodgers’ staff attacked his development. Where his initial pro season felt like an extended look-see, Los Angeles immediately broke down his delivery, designed a drill package and set measurable goals.

“It was cool to see how different things were,” he said. “The Dodgers are just as good, if not better, at everything in the minor leagues and in the big leagues.”

The numbers back up the lefty’s optimism. After posting a 3.20 ERA in 27 starts for high-A Great Lakes and double-A Tulsa in 2023, Ferris logged a 3.86 ERA across 126 innings for Tulsa last season. The club named him minor-league pitcher of the year in 2023, and manager Dave Roberts has taken notice this spring.

“I like Jackson,” Roberts said. “A lot of talent … It’s a good fastball. He needs to continue to get ahead, be able to put hitters away with the secondary pitches, be efficient with his pitches per inning.”

Ferris’ five-pitch mix—four-seam and two-seam fastballs, a “bullet” slider, straight change and 12-to-6 curve—gives him the arsenal to heed that advice. If the early efficiency carries into the regular season, an already-thin bullpen could find itself reinforced by a homegrown arm who never expected to be here a year ago.