Flamethrower could make immediate impact for Minnesota Twins
Honorable Mentions
#20: Travis Blankenhorn #19: Wander Javier #18: Stuart Turner
#17: Jermaine Palacios #16: Mason Melatokis #15: Jake Reed
#14: Taylor Rogers #13: Lewis Thorpe
Bullpens win championships.
There, it’s been said. The Kansas City Royals recent victory over the New York Mets in the 2015 World Series may be the biggest piece of evidence to this claim.
It’s for that reason there is hope the Minnesota Twins may begin to compete for a title within the next couple of years as help may be on its way in the form of a few notable minor league pitchers including our pick for the team’s No. 12 prospect, J.T. Chargois.
Name: J.T Chargois
Position: RHP Age: 25
Height: 6’3’’ Weight: 200
Throws: R Bats: S
Acquired: 2012, 2nd Rd (72nd Overall)
The 25-year old right hander from Sulphur, LA has seen his path to the majors delayed after missing two straight seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2013, but if his numbers in 2015 are any indication, Chargois has a bright future ahead of him.
Chargois split time in the minors last season between Single-A Advanced and Double-A and accumulated a season ERA of 2.63 with 15 saves in 15 opportunities, 53 strikeouts and two wins in 48 innings of work.
Those 53 strikeouts along with a fastball rumored to be clocked at 100 MPH may be the key factors in whether Chargois makes the club out Spring Training. Between the two classes, he held a 9.9 K/9 innings ratio, a statistic the Twins were definitely missing in their bullpen.
Despite only appearing in 32 Double-A games, MLB.com’s list of Top 30 Prospects in the Minnesota Twins’ organization predicts Chargois may make his big league debut this upcoming season. And for the Twins, that should be music to their ears as they have come under some criticism for what many perceive to be a lack of focus on improving the bullpen, which ranked 21st in ERA and last in strikeouts.
Back in November, the Twins added Chargois to their 40-man roster signifying the team’s belief he may ready to make his debut. The Twins have shown a willingness in the past to bring up players straight from Double-A, as seen with the likes of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton.
And if Chargois doesn’t break camp with the team, the Twins do have the option to bump him up to Triple-A if they deem him not ready for the majors.
So what is the outlook for Chargois in 2016? The Twins do have a lot of holes to fill in the bullpen after parting ways with the likes of Blaine Boyer and Brian Duensing but also will have a decision to make on several pitchers such as Trevor May, Ryan Pressly, Alex Meyer and Ryan O’Rourke.
Will May be in the starting rotation? Will Pressly, Meyer and O’Rourke make the 25-man roster? Regardless of how the bullpen ends up looking, Chargois’ prospects remain bright and the chances of seeing the young flamethrower in a Twins uniform this season are very high.