On Thursday, the Dodgers acquired Cardinals pitcher Ryan Loutos after Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen were placed on the 60-day IL. Although Loutos has only pitched 2 1/3 innings in the majors and has a 4.82 ERA in the minors, his addition might not grab much attention from Dodgers fans until he is called up. However, Loutos brings a unique skillset from St. Louis that could prove valuable for the team in the future.
A graduate of Washington University in computer science, Loutos went undrafted but signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals in 2021 after initially being hired to develop a pitcher development app for the team. He helped create “Chirp,” an app that enables Cardinals pitchers to review performance videos, analyze data from their outings, and examine pitch-by-pitch breakdowns.
Though he fully transitioned to pitching after joining the Cardinals, the app remains in use, and Loutos used it to refine his fastball, sweeper, and curveball, while also boosting his fastball’s velocity.
The Dodgers already benefit from advanced technology for player development, but with Loutos joining the team, they could learn a few tricks from the Cardinals’ methods to improve their own system.
Loutos, despite his unconventional route to the majors, has experience in baseball, having pitched for Washington University’s D-III team and contributing to their appearance in the D-III World Series. After initially accepting a job offer from a tech company in Chicago post-college, Loutos played in a collegiate summer league and ultimately chose to sign with the Cardinals.
His Triple-A performance in 2024 has been solid, despite some early struggles after his promotion in 2022 and ongoing challenges in 2023. Last year, he logged 53 innings with a 3.40 ERA and earned a brief call-up to the majors, pitching 2 1/3 innings over two appearances with just two hits and a walk allowed. Before the trade, he posted a 3.38 ERA over eight innings in Triple-A and hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven innings.
Loutos could see time in the majors soon, especially if another injury hits the Dodgers’ bullpen (which seems increasingly likely). In the meantime, the Dodgers may utilize him in the minors to further assess their pitching technology.
