The RailCats on July 2nd, signed LHP Destin Dotson, who is from Zachary, LA. Dotson is 24 years of age and is 6-7, 231 lbs. He played High School ball at Scotlandville High School in Baton Rouge, LA. He was committed to Tulane but was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 12th round in the 2018 draft.

Dotson played his 1 year of affiliated ball in the Arizona Rookie Ball League. He had a 2-3 record, pitched in 10 games, and started in 5. His ERA was 2.29 in 35.1 innings pitched. He recorded 1 save, gave up 33 hits, 12 runs, 9 of which were earned, didn’t give up a home run, walked 13 batters, while striking out 41. He had a WHIP of 1.302.

He reached High A in 2022. Dotson had a record of 1-2, played in 28 games, all in relief. His ERA was 5.19 in 34.2 innings pitched. He gave up 29 hits, 20 runs all earned, 4 home runs, 32 walks, 3 batters hit, and 42 strikeouts. His WHIP was 1.760, H/9 7.5, HR/9 1, BB/9 8.3, SO/9, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 1.31.

Destin only played 3 seasons in affiliated ball. He played from 2019-22 but missed 2020 due to a Covid-canceled season. Looking at Dotson’s 3 seasons, he would be mostly a reliever as he only started in 5 games and played in 66 games. He only recorded 4 saves so it’s safe to assume he was used either as a middle reliever or a setup man. He pitched 120.1 innings, gave up 104 hits, 67 runs (58 of which were earned), 10 home runs, 70 walks, hit 8 batters, and had 156 strikeouts. His WHIP was 1.446, H/9 7.8, HR/9 .7, BB/9 5.2, and SO/9 11.7, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.23.

My thoughts on Destin are more positive than negative. The biggest negative is the almost 2-year gap in stats. Now, that could be 2 main reasons. First, he could have been playing on a travel ball team, but I’m not sure if that’s the case as his numbers are on the more positive side of the stat sheet. So, that leads me to the 2nd reason; I believe it could be an arm injury issue. If that’s the case, then it feels like Lamarr is trying to find another diamond in the rough. Take Franklin Perez for example. He was a top-ranked Prospect in all of MLB, but he has an arm injury and it’s not turning out the best for the RailCats.

Let’s focus on the positives, because who doesn’t like positive things in life? The strikeout numbers are what jump out at me. He has a 2.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio, basically striking out 2 for every walk he gives up. He has really good control, walking only 70 batters in 120.1 innings and hitting only 8 batters. Walks are something this RailCats staff has, and bringing in a power reliever who could get you out of more trouble than not is a big plus in my eyes. Also, being a power pitcher, you would expect higher home run totals, but he only has a 0.7 home run per 9 innings. Giving up only 10 home runs in just over 120 innings means that when they do get a hold of one, it doesn’t leave the park.

If Destin can pitch the way he did in affiliate ball, this could be a key piece of the puzzle we may be missing from the bullpen. The storyline with Dotson will be if he was injured, how is he going to bounce back in a RailCats Uniform.

WELCOME TO THE SOUTHSHORE!!