The Minnesota Twins have been playing better baseball lately and the excitement is rising in the Twin Cities.
One player who is currently leaving his mark with the Minnesota Twins is reliever Matt Magill. Magill has spent parts of two seasons in MLB with middling results prior to this season.
He made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2013 season. Magill pitched 27 2/3 innings while starting six games and finished with a 6.51 ERA. The right-hander allowed a whopping 20 earned runs while having a measly .93 strikeouts per walk.
Following his poor performance during the ’13 season, Magill didn’t get back to the Majors until 2015. He pitched only 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen with the Cincinnati Reds. It wasn’t pretty for Magill that season either. He struck out only one hitter while walking five and his ERA was well north of six again.
Magill started 18 games, appearing in 20 games total, in the San Diego Padres Minor League system during the 2017 season. However, Minnesota has moved him back to the bullpen this season and that move is paying off. Magill has put it all together and has quickly become one of the Twins more reliable arms out of the bullpen.
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Looking at his numbers this season
The first thing that stands out about his numbers so far during this season is his 6.00 strikeouts per walk. I agree, that’s not an otherworldly number, but for Magill, it is a vast improvement. He has been stellar from the moment the Minnesota Twins brought him up from Triple-A.
Magill has 14 appearances and has finished five games during his short time with the Twins this season. He has surrendered only three earned runs during his 23 1/3 innings pitched. Magill has walked only three batters while striking out 18 and his improvement in that department has played a big role in his turnaround this year.
Limiting baserunners is a key component of success for any pitcher, even more so for a reliever. Magill has allowed only 19 baserunners and two home runs during his first 14 games. Although it’s a small sample size, his 1.14 ERA is one of the best on the team and he has played a big role in the Twins recent success.
The Twins bullpen has been a strength for the team through the first two and a half months of this season. For Minnesota to achieve their postseason goal, the team will need Magill to continue his current performance.
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Trevor Hildenberger has been spectacular this season along with Zach Duke and Addison Reed. However, this bullpen has been used a lot early in the season and having someone like Magill step up will help ease the burden.