Minnesota Twins: 5 prospects that could make an impact in September
The Minnesota Twins will be looking to make a final push for the postseason, but who could help them lock up the AL Central with a September call-up?
The Minnesota Twins will face their most important month of September in roughly a decade once the calendar turns next week. With the Twins going after their first American League Central championship since 2010, Minnesota will need to have all hands on deck as they look to hold off the Cleveland Indians for the division title.
With the need for depth (especially from their pitching staff), the Twins will give a long look at players that can come up and help the active roster. In a perfect world, the Twins won’t need many players, but with the current injury situation, it’s possible that several fresh faces could make an impact in the season’s final weeks.
While it’s unlikely that the Twins will unearth a superstar, they could still have a player that could help mask one of their deficiencies. There aren’t many in the Twins’ system that could be ready for a call-up, but here’s a shortlist of those who could be in Minnesota for the final push for the postseason.
Ian Miller
While the Twins have plenty of power in their everyday lineup, one of their biggest weaknesses has been their lack of speed. While that should improve this week with the return of Byron Buxton, they’ll need someone else to pitch in as Buxton owns 14 of the Twins’ MLB-low 25 stolen bases.
The Twins made a move to address this issue and while it didn’t grab major attention, it was still noteworthy when they acquired Ian Miller from the Seattle Mariners.
Miller has yet to make his major league debut and a lot of that has to do with his performance at the plate. In seven minor league seasons, Miller owns a dreadful slugging percentage of .356, but the Twins did not acquire him for his bat. Instead, Miller’s specialty has been on the bases as he’s become an above-average base stealer.
During his minor league career, Miller has swiped 242 bags on 293 attempts, which comes out to an 82.5% success rate. Adding him to the roster in September would give the Twins another option for speed outside of Buxton that would come in handy when Miguel Sano, Nelson Cruz and others get on base late in games.
It’s important to note that Miller is not currently on the Twins’ 40-man roster, but there is an open roster spot available. If the Twins feel they need to add some speed, Miller would be a prime candidate to get the call.
Devin Smeltzer
Devin Smeltzer has been a fan-favorite for Twins fans this season and with a great backstory and solid performance on the field, fans would love to see him back in Minnesota. While Smeltzer’s season has been solid, his recent performance might give the Twins a little hesitation before making the call.
Smeltzer started 2019 strong as he posted a 2.08 ERA in his first five appearances and held opposing hitters to a .204 average during those starts. Those starts also included a .208 BABIP, however, which is usually a sign that a pitcher is heading toward major regression.
In his previous two appearances (one start), that regression appeared to take place as he allowed nine earned runs in his last 8 1/3 innings and hitters have posted a .389 average and 1.089 OPS during that timeframe.
Despite his recent struggles, the Twins will need plenty of arms down the stretch and Smeltzer could fit the bill. He’s been a part of the carousel at the end of the Twins’ bullpen this season and could be an arm that could eat up innings to save the bullpen at the end of well-decided games.
Randy Dobnak
The Twins bullpen has raised the blood pressure of the coaching staff and fans throughout the season and even though the collective performance has been a roller coaster, they could still use one more arm to even things out.
Much like in the case of Smeltzer, Randy Dobnak has been one of the relievers that have been on the Minneapolis to Rochester pipeline this season, making his major league debut back on Aug. 9. While four scoreless innings doesn’t indicate that he’ll be a shutdown reliever, the 24-year old could be a factor down the stretch.
Dobnak has had a rapid rise to the major leagues, posting a 2.07 ERA while rising through High-A Fort Myers all the way to Minnesota. It’s not a given that success translates to the majors in the biggest month of the season, but the Twins could certainly do worse with their call-ups.
Zack Littell
If you’re looking for someone that can make an immediate impact at the major league level, Zack Littell is someone that has had his share of success this season. Despite allowing eight runs in a sacrificial lamb outing against Tampa Bay on May 30, Littell has a 0.96 ERA since and the two runs he has earned came in a two-homer outing against Oakland on July 20.
What’s more impressive about Littell’s season is that nobody has been able to hit him. In that same stretch, Littell has held opposing hitters to a .212 average and he’s been able to limit the damage with a .364 slugging percentage.
With numbers like that, it’s curious to wonder why Littel isn’t already with the major league club and be called up prior to September in order to be eligible for the postseason roster. Either way, Littell would be a valuable arm that the Twins could use to their advantage down the stretch.
Brusdar Graterol
We save the most impactful prospect who could be coming up in September for last. Eyes have been fixated on Brusdar Graterol for the past couple months and it’s not hard to wonder why. Since returning from a shoulder injury in July, Graterol has been lights out in the Twins system and was recently promoted to Triple-A.
The Twins have seemingly been waiting for Graterol to prove himself during this time as they’ve used him exclusively as a reliever and even have let him close games. Since his return, Graterol has been dominant in the pen throwing 11 1/3 shutout innings while allowing just five hits, three walks and 12 strikeouts.
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While the Minnesota front office has sworn not to rush Graterol to the majors, it sure seems like they have a plan in place for the 20-year old to be a key piece of the Twins postseason push. The only question remaining is if those plans will come to fruition or if the Twins exercise their usual caution with their prospects.