Right-hander Louie Varland stands a good chance to be the most-improved pitcher in the Twins bullpen in 2025.
Varland's mix of five pitches, a residual of his time as a starting pitcher, gives him a bigger palette than most relievers. Aside from his four-seam fastball, which has reached 98.7 mph in Spring Training, Varland's knuckle curve has a chance to be his most difficult pitch to hit.
It is running 3.0 MPH faster than it did in 2024. He also throws a promising changeup, a slider, and a sinking fastball.
Here's Varland jamming the heck out of Toronto's George Springer in Spring Training:
Beyond his physical talent, Twins staff members identify Varland as a pitcher who offers a skill in relief that many around Major League Baseball struggle with: He has the mental ability to just take the ball, no matter the situation, and not worry about the details.
Teams frequently define roles in a bullpen because that's how a lot of pitchers (and many managers) prefer it. Somebody is the closer, someone else is the top setup man, the lefty specialist, the long reliever, the low-leverage mop, etc. The Twins employ their relievers in these kinds of slots too, but they also envision Varland as someone who could fill any role on the spot.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and pitching coach Pete Maki said in the Minnesota Star Tribune that Varland comes in ready regardless of the type of challenge.
"A lot of guys mentally might get pigeonholed into a role where they just want to know, and need to know, and if they don't know what's going on, they don't perform,” Baldelli said. “But that’s not what Major League Baseball is about in a bullpen sometimes. The guys that are just ready to pitch... that's Lou Varland's mentality, and it’s a huge plus for him."
The Twins let Varland define his own role in '24, and he began it in the Twins starting rotation, making seven starts and posting a 6.40 ERA with nine home runs allowed in 32 1/3 innings. His appearances came over three different stints, in August, June and August.
He fared relatively better in 16 starts at Triple-A St. Paul, but his results regressed compared to his performance as a starter the year before.
The Twins used Varland is relief for the rest of '24 after rosters expanded in September, and the results were inconsistent. He was shelled for eight runs in his first appearance, and six runs in his third. In his other five outings: one total run allowed. Plus, an overall K-BB ratio of 17-to-5 in 13 innings. Varland's return to the pen included five stints that lasted more than one inning.
That kind of extended duty could preview a key way Maki and Baldelli will use Varland in the coming season.
Over the winter, the Twins did give Varland a specific instruction about what was coming: Prepare for pitching from the bullpen.
It's not what Varland wanted in recent seasons; he preferred to be given opportunities to start. His results weren't there, but maybe another team might have more room for patience. The Twins didn't have space in their rotation, but saw a place for Varland in their bullpen, which many consider the deepest part of the roster.
Varland still had to buy in.
He has coming out swinging in Spring Training. While results in the Grapefruit League or Cactus League should be viewed with circumspection, several of Varland's data points are intriguing.
There's the fastball with more zip, and the knuckle curve that has lots more zip plus good depth, but also this: Varland in 11 1/3 innings has allowed seven hits -- all singles. His curve is running a 42.9% swing-and-miss percentage. His overall average exit velocity against is just over 83.5 mph.
At just 27 years old, the Twin Cities-area native still has most of his career ahead of him. It might not look like Varland's original vision, at least not yet, but his ability to roll with change could serve him and the Twins well in 2025.