Twins – Who’s That Guy? Logan Darnell

Aug 1, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher

(38) throws against the Chicago White Sox at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports

As the long, difficult Minnesota Twins’ season winds down in its final month, we’ll take a closer look at some of the new (and some not so new) faces added to the roster with our new Who’s That Guy? postings. Our next entry: Starting Pitcher Logan Darnell

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Who’s That Guy?

• Name – Logan Reece Darnell
• Age – 25
• Position – Starting Pitcher
• Career stats (2014 MLB debut, 4 Games) – Record: 0-2, 16.2 IP, 8.64 ERA, 15 SO, 5 BB

Experience – Many eyebrows were raised when it was Darnell, not touted prospects Alex Meyer and Trevor May, that was called up from AAA Rochester as a roster fill-in when Kyle Gibson when down in late July.  Darnell has had a solid, if not spectacular, rise through the minor leagues, posting a 3.22 ERA in 27 games with the Red Wings in 2013 and a 3.60 ERA in 23 games with the Triple-A affiliate in 2014. His performance during his 4 games with the Twins has done little to quell any doubts about his promotion, however, as he has struggled greatly against major league hitting.

What he’s done in 2014 – As stated above, Darnell appeared in 23 games and pitched 115 innings with AAA Rochester, posting a 7-6 record.  His strikeout to walk ratio was solid, striking 90 batters and walking 49. His Twins line is less impressive, though, going 0-2 with an ERA over 8.

September expectations – Rebound.  Quite frankly, Darnell has struggled during his brief time with the big league squad.  He has been hit hard by big league hitting and that has raised concerns about his long-term ceiling.  He has had lapses in pitch placement, leaving himself open to big innings filled with crooked numbers.  He probably has 3 or 4 appearances to show the organization that he has the ability to shake off a tough start and be a pitcher that the staff feels they can throw out there every fifth day as a roster fill-in.

Looking forward to 2015 – Let’s face it, if you’re a starting pitcher in the high minors with the Minnesota Twins, you’re going to have an excellent chance to play for the major league team in 2015.  The Twins rotation has just not been that good, that consistent, or that healthy. While Darnell hasn’t done much to inspire great optimism for his long-term prospects, he has shown some ability to strike out players (15 SO in 16+ innings pitched) and his minor league career has proven that he can be an innings-eater.  If he can bounce back on the back end of September and pitch well in the spring, don’t be surprised to see him getting the call-up again in the 2015 season.

Next player that will be spotlighted on Who’s That Guy? will be Josmil Pinto.

Until next time…