The Minnesota Twins selected left-handed pitcher, Tyler Jay earlier this month with the sixth overall. The southpaw from Illinois University made his professional debut last night for the Fort Myers Miracle (High A-ball).
Jay pitched a scoreless eighth inning against the Charlotte Stone Crabs. He gave up one hit and registered his first strikeout.
In his final season at Illinois, Jay went 5-2 with a 1.08 earned run average. He recorded a strikeout per inning pitched. The Twins have invested heavily into power arms as of late and Jay fits the mold.
There have been a lot of Brandon Finnegan comparisons when talking about Jay. The Kansas City Royals drafted Finnegan, in the first round last year. The TCU Horned Frog went from pitching at the collegiate level in the spring to pitching in the big leagues in September. Finnegan made seven relief appearances and gave up just six hits and one earned run. He wasn’t as effective in the playoffs giving up seven earned runs in six innings of work.
Can Jay have that type of immediate impact for the Twins? When the roster expands in September, it would not be shocking if Jay joins the team in a relief role.
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