Minnesota Twins: 5 prospects that saw their stock rise in 2019
By Chris Schad
Jordan Balazovic
One of the biggest question marks with the Twins’ major league product is their pitching. With the starting staff falling to shambles in the second half of the season, Twins fans may have an interest in who could be on their way to the majors in to help solve their mess either as 2020 approaches.
A name to keep an eye on as we head into next season is Jordan Balazovic. The Canadian right-hander had a tremendous season in 2019 as he looked to build off a solid 2018 (7-3, 3.94 ERA) at Low-A Cedar Rapids. Although he started the season with the Kernels, he made sure he wasn’t there long going 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA in four starts including 33 strikeouts and just four walks in 20 2/3 innings.
Once he earned a promotion to High-A Fort Myers, the fun didn’t stop there for the 21-year old. Balazovic was great for the Miracle, going 6-4 with a 2.84 ERA in 15 appearances (14 starts). While his absurd strikeout rate dipped to 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings in Fort Myers, he still was able to harness his 97 MPH fastball to 21 free passes in 73 innings.
With a tremendous second professional season in the books, the Twins could opt to start Balazovic’s 2020 season with Double-A Pensacola. Much like we saw with Brusdar Graterol, a strong performance could have him knocking on the door of the big league club either late next year or early in 2021.