Previewing the Minnesota Twins 2017 Potential Arbitration Eligibles

Ryan Pressly

In spite of posting his best WHIP of his career, Pressly by far had his worst season in ERA by nearly a full run. Pressly also allowed his most home runs by a long ways as well.

Pressly does have legit quality relief stuff out of the bullpen, with quality velocity (averaged 95.8 MPH on his fastball in 2017) and a slider/curveball combination of breaking pitches that are both positive value pitches via Fangraphs.

Pressly’s curve is the breaker that he uses most, just a hair more than a quarter of the the pitches he throws. It’s a spiked curve that has a strong vertical break. His slider comes in roughly 6 MPH faster with a shorter, more sharp break at its best. The two pitches can blend into one another.

Pressly has reduced his slider usage every year of his big league career, increasing his fastball usage and even adding wrinkles, going to a two-seamer that came in roughly a mile per hour slower than his four-seam (96.1 to 95.0) on average, and he even added in a cutter as an extra wrinkle.

Pressly’s loose arm and solid size (6’3″, 210 pounds) allows for him to project to continue success with his pitches. At the right price, he would be worth the investment. He earned $1.175M last season, so he’ll likely earn at least $1.5M in his first season in arbitration. The Twins will have to consider his cost and the other pieces from the minor leagues and outside the team that they choose to bring in for the bullpen and whether his cost will be worth the cost. Pressly would likely be a quality trade candidate if the Twins were not going to offer him a contract as he could be valued more highly around the league than in Minnesota.

Next: A Pair of Backstops