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Do the Minnesota Twins have enough starting pitching?

By Chris Schad

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MAY 31: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins acknowledges the crowd after being removed in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on May 31, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MAY 31: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins acknowledges the crowd after being removed in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on May 31, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 04: Devin Smeltzer #31 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning of the game on August 4, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 04: Devin Smeltzer #31 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning of the game on August 4, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

The Alternatives

Devin Smeltzer – Smeltzer was one of the best stories on the 2019 Twins, making his major league debut after defeating cancer as a child. While his numbers (2-2, 3.86 ERA) where solid last season, he also has some flaws that saw his performance tail off as the year went on. Perhaps the presence of Hill will help Smeltzer, who has a sixth-percentile fastball in terms of velocity but ranked in the 87th percentile in spin rate, will help him make a jump, but he stands as a favorite to take an early-season spot in the rotation.

Randy Dobnak – Dobnak has spent the offseason getting treated as a human pinata for having the audacity for driving an Uber last spring training. As the Yankees also teed off on the 25-year-old in the ALDS, it’s hard to remember that Dobnak was very good for the Twins (2-1, 1.59 ERA) and made the jump from High-A to the major leagues in the course of five months. His analytics do not jump off the page, but his audition as a starter late in the season (2-0, 1.10 ERA in three starts) could serve as a springboard in 2020.

Lewis Thorpe – The overall numbers for Thorpe (3-2, 6.18 ERA) were not pretty, but there are a couple of things that could lead to future success. The No. 11 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline struggled with his control with 10 walks in 27 2/3 innings but also showed an ability to miss bats thanks to a slider that logged a 44.6% whiff rate and fueled a 10.1 K/9 rate. If there is an improvement from the left-hander in 2020, he could be a prospect that exceeds expectations.

Brusdar Graterol – Graterol will begin the 2020 season in the bullpen, but that’s a smart move for a pitcher that’s never thrown for more than 102 innings in a professional season. By keeping him in the bullpen, Graterol can work on his craft against MLB hitters and if things go well (and poorly in the rotation), the Twins have the option of stretching him out late in the year to plug him into the rotation.

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