Minnesota Twins: Projecting the 2020 Opening Day Bullpen
With the season temporarily on hold, we take a look at how the Minnesota Twins bullpen could look when baseball starts up again.
The Minnesota Twins struggled a lot out of the bullpen to begin 2019, but thanks to pitching coach Wes Johnson and the team’s development system, the bullpen found a way to finish the season as one of the five best groups in the league. As the team enters 2020, the bullpen hopes to take another step towards becoming the top group in the league.
In order for this to happen, the team needs some repeated strong performances from 2019 and some more help from the fresh faces. We take a look at who might miss the cut, who could pitch a lot of innings, and more as we take a look at who could make the Minnesota Twins bullpen in 2020.
Missed the Cut:
Fernando Romero (RHP): Fernando Romero only threw 14 innings with the big league club in 2019. He has a good fastball and slider, but his other stuff needs refining. He has had some issues getting his work Visa that are not helping his case to join the bullpen early on. He’ll pitch with the team at some point in 2020, just not right away.
Jorge Alcala (RHP): The No. 19 prospect on Puckett’s Pond’s Top 30 Prospects List and part of the Twins return for trading Ryan Pressly to the Houston Astros, Jorge Alcala has a strong fastball that can touch 98 MPH on the radar gun. He’s close, but he’s not ready to join the major league bullpen just yet.
Sean Poppen (RHP): Armed with a strong slider and above average fastball, Sean Poppen could make an impact soon for the big league club. He’ll be a key innings eater as the season goes on. There just doesn’t seem to be a spot for him now.
Matt Wisler (RHP): Claimed off of waivers by the Twins, Wisler has jumped between a few teams since 2018. His experience and lack of minor league options make him an interesting option, but he will likely get beat out by some of the more talented options on the list.
Low-Leverage Relievers:
Devin Smeltzer (LHP): Devin Smeltzer is likely bound for the bullpen to start the season. He doesn’t throw heat like other pitchers on this list, but his ability to miss bats with his curveball and changing speeds is hard to pass up. He struggled at times in 2019, but ZiPS (ZiPS shows how good a player can be) projects him to post a 7.61 K/9 rate, and only a 1.50 HR/9.
Cody Stashak (RHP): Cody Stashak looked like a breakout candidate for the Twins last season. Posting a 9.00 K/9 in 25 innings pitched at the MLB level, and a 12.50 K/9 in 53.1 innings pitched between AA and AAA ball. His change-up needs work, but his slider has the making of a future high leverage reliever.
Zack Littell (RHP): Since moving to the bullpen full-time, Littell has been fantastic. Posting a 2.68 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP in 37 innings pitched is more than we can ask for out of a rookie pitcher. Littell showed that he deserves a spot in the majors and will get an extended chance to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke.
Middle Leverage Relievers:
Tyler Clippard (RHP): Signing a 1 year, $2.75 million contract in the offseason, Tyler Clippard looks to add another veteran presence to the bullpen. Clippard has been pretty consistent over his 12 seasons, with an 0.85 WHIP and .204 BABIP which rank 5th and 3rd in the league respectively among qualified relievers. The Twins hope he will do more of the same for them.
Sergio Romo (RHP): Sergio Romo, re-signed with the Twins for his age-37 season after being traded to Minnesota last summer. Romo throws his slider nearly 60% of the time and relies heavily on his change-up and sinker to set up his fastball. Romo boasts a 48.8% swinging strike percentage, making batters miss and brings lots of energy and veteran leadership as well.
High Leverage Relievers:
Tyler Duffey (RHP): After years of waiting, Tyler Duffey broke out with authority in 2019. He posted an exceptional 12.80 K/9 with a 1.01 WHIP in 57.2 innings pitched. His fastball increased velocity for a third year in a row, averaging 94.2 mph, while he threw his curveball 45.5% of the time, helping him be more successful.
Becoming a reliever full-time allowed Duffey to move on from his sinker and change-up, focusing on his best pitches, his fastball and curveball. Becoming a reliever also allowed him to increase the spin rate on both, making them a lot harder to hit well. He has earned his spot as top reliever.
Taylor Rogers (LHP): Taylor Rogers has been a beacon of hope in the bullpen for Twins’ fans. Over the past two seasons, Rogers has grown the best relievers in baseball. Posting an average of a 2.62 ERA and a WHIP under 1.00 over the past two seasons is proof that he is the real deal.
Rogers also throws a lot of strikes. His 11.74 K/9 and 1.43 BB/9 (that rank 5th in the league) show that. He may have been named the team’s closer last season, but the Twins may not use just one pitcher as their closer in the 2020 season, instead rotating between who is most rested and lines up the best against the opposing team.
Trevor May (RHP): Trevor May, just like Duffey, finally broke out in 2019. May has always had the stuff, posting a K/9 above 12.65 in both 2016 and 2018, but Tommy John surgery interrupted his progress. Finally healthy, May posted an 11.05 K/9 over 64.1 innings pitched in 2019, and increased his fastball velocity to reach 99 MPH.
May has usually been strong pitching in tough situations, showing that he has the “clutch” ability teams look for in a closer. If the Twins do decide to go with just one player as their closer, don’t be surprised if it is May over Rogers. This will allow Rogers to pitch in other high leverage situations and allow May to show off his skill.
Next. 2020 Opening Day Lineup Prediction. dark