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
More from Puckett's Pond
- Minnesota Twins: Holiday Wish List for the rest of the Offseason
- Minnesota Twins: After signing with the Mets, Correa spurns Twins again
- Minnesota Twins: You Spin Me Right Round, Right Round
- Minnesota Twins: What happens next at Shortstop?
- Minnesota Twins: Grading the Twins’ Joey Gallo signing
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
Strengths
-May’s emergence as a reliever proved invaluable for the Twins. He is a definite strike out pitcher with a 1.06 WHIP as a reliever. Numbers like these will be what the Twins need coming out of the bullpen. Especially with the current uncertainty there.
-He showed some great control as a reliever in 2015, walking only eight batters and allowing 10 earned through 31.1 innings of work.
-His capability of being a spot starter for the Twins will also be key. If injuries or struggles hurt any starters, the Twins will have the advantage of not having to call up a prospect unless they want to. May did start his Twins career as a starter and could still be a one in the future.
Weaknesses
-If May wants to become an eventual starter for the Twins, he will need to become consistent. While he pitched very well in relief, May’s numbers as a starter showed he works better in short spurts.
-More of a disadvantage, but without any defined role with the Twins, May finds himself prepping to be a hybrid pitcher. Mentally, one would think it would be better for May to know straight up if he will be reliever and use him exclusively as one this spring. With the likes of Jose Berrios, Ricky Nolasco and Tommy Milone also being thrown in the mix, it’s tough to see May emerging as the fifth starter after such a successful 2015.
Next: May's 2016 Outlook
2016 Outlook
As previously mentioned, it would be difficult to see the Twins not use May as reliever after the season he had in 2015.
With very little movement by the front office to go out and find another reliever, it would make little sense to force the issue of having May be the fifth starter and leaving the bullpen without one of its best options.
May should have more than enough opportunity to find his way back into the rotation in future seasons. As this will only be his second full season in the majors, May’s role as of right now should only be that of a reliever.
May should join the likes of Glen Perkins and Kevin Jepsen as the only real locks for the Twins bullpen. With so much uncertainty in an area that was perhaps the Twins biggest struggle in 2015, why not keep one of the top performers in that role for the upcoming year?
Baseball Reference projects May to perform slightly worse than his 2015 campaign. The site predicts May will go 6-8 with a 4.46 ERA through 101.1 innings pitched with 95 strikeouts.
I would respectfully disagree with those numbers. While May is starting just his second full season with the club, he made some huge strides last year in terms of command and consistency. I project that trend to continue for May in 2016 and his numbers to be more in line with his reliever numbers of last season.
There’s really nothing that would say otherwise and if you need a different case to compare this situation to, I would look at LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins found little success as a starter but was able to strike out batters. When he made the move to a middle relief/set-up role, Hawkins thrived and soon turned that into a long career.
Could May be the Twins’ new version of Hawkins? The upcoming season will be a huge indication of what might be in store for his future.