Young Guns: The Young Arms of the Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins starting pitching the past few years have been been less than stellar. Gone are the days of Johan Santana and Brad Radke.

For four straight seasons from 2004-2007, the Twins starting pitchers finished in the top ten in earned run average. In 2004 they finished fourth with a 4.08 earned run average. In 2005 they actually had a better earned run average with 3.93, but, finished ninth.

The best the Twins have finished in starting pitching earned run average since 2011, was in 2011 when they finished 26th. In 2012 they finished 29th overall with a 5.40 earned run average. They past two years they’ve finished dead last.

Through 12 games of the 2015 season the Twins are sitting 22nd overall with a 4.84 earned run average. There have been small improvements, but, they still have a long way to go.

How many more gems is Mike Pelfrey going to pitch this season? Can the Twins really depend on a 31 year-old starting pitcher with a 56-70 career record?

The Twins have gone through dark times with their starting rotation from 2011-2014. 2015 may be bumpy, but, good things are on the horizon. The Twins have a nice stash of young arms that are close to making an impact with the big league club.

Mar 13, 2015; Bradenton, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher

Jose Berrios

(68) pitches during the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at McKechnie Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Young Guns

The 2013 fourth overall pick, Kohl Stewart has all the makings of a future frontline starter. A shoulder injury caused a dip in velocity, but, his fastball still tops out at 96 mph. Stewart has started three games for the Fort Meyers Miracle and despite his 0-2 record, reports are that he’s looked good. Stewart is only 20 years old and isn’t expected to make his big league debut until 2017.
Give Alex Meyer a mullet and you got a poor mans version of Randy Johnson. Meyer doesn’t have nasty stuff like Johnson, but, he has all the tools to be the future ace for the Twins. Once Meyer shows he has better command of his pitches he’ll be pitching in a Twins uniform. Meyer is coming off his best start of the season giving up just two hits in six innings pitched. He also struck out 11 batters and issued just two walks.
Did somebody say flamethrower? That’s exactly what Jose Berrios is. Berrios has four quality pitches and has the stuff to be the best pitcher of this group. Berrios is currently 1-1 for the Chattanooga Lookouts with a 3.94 earned run average. Berrios has struck out more batters (23) than he has hits against him (22). It won’t be long before he’s pitching for the Twins Triple-A affiliate.

It will be a major disappointment if Meyer and Berrios are not in the Twins rotation to start the 2016 season. Stewart will likely join them in 2017. Until that time, enjoy watching Trevor May‘s continued development. It’s been a rough couple years for the Twins, but, better days are on the horizon.

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