Minnesota Twins 2016 Player Preview: Trevor May

Can the upward trend continue for Minnesota Twins’ Trevor May?

2016 Previews: Miguel Sano, Trevor May

With a future not yet fully written, pitcher Trevor May has spent all spring competing for the fifth spot in the rotation despite being predicted by most to be a reliever for the Minnesota Twins in 2016.

The Twins’ resident cat person rebounded nicely in 2015 from a rough couple of appearances in 2014 and proved to be a capable starter. However, and perhaps most importantly for the Twins’ current state, he stepped up and became an even better reliever after Ervin Santana returned from suspension.

2015 Recap

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After being acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for Ben Revere, May was a highly touted prospect for the Twins. For most of the first half he held a rotation spot and pitched okay with a 4.37 ERA through 15 starts before making the move to the bullpen.

Once converted to a reliever role, May flashed some serious signs of brilliance, posting a 2.87 ERA over 32 relief appearances. He was heralded by the Twins for taking the “demotion” in stride and accepting the necessity of him taking on such a role.

The Twins bullpen was struggling through inconsistency, so it was a relief for the team to get such a boost from May. It could even be argued that if it weren’t for May’s performance as a reliever, the Twins might have not been in the playoff hunt that late into the season.

Overall, 2015 was a very successful first full year for May. After allowing 40 earned runs in 2014 through 45.2 innings pitched, May looked much improved giving up 51 earned runs through 114.2 innings of work.

Next: May's Strengths and Weaknesses