5 potential breakout candidates for Twins in 2024

Jorge Alcala, RP

Last year was another in a string of disappointments for Jorge Alcalá, who just a few years ago looked like the next big thing to land in Minnesota's bullpen.

Between 2019 and 2021, Alcalá posted a 3.42 ERA and a 1.043 WHIP across 85 innings pitched. He also struck out 89 batters and walked just 22 as well as a 124 ERA+, all of which suggested he was trending hard in the right direction as a reliable late innings pitcher.

All of that came crashing down thanks to injuries, and he's just now working his way back. The fact that Alcalá, after two bad years, seems is on his way back is positive enough but the finer details of his comeback suggest that he might be able to fully tap back into what made him special at the start of the decade.

His fastball has been consistently clocking around 96 to 97 mph this spring, topping out at 98 mph. Alcalá also has a slider in the low-90s that looks like it could get nastier the more he develops it. While he's only seen four innings of work he hasn't allowed a single run on three hits, which is an encouraging sign considering how he was lit up for a 6.23 ERA in just over 17 innings.

There's still work that needs to be done, but Alcalá is showing the type of stuff that will help him emerge from the shadows he's fallen behind in the bullpen over the last few years. If he can tap back into that potential, he's primed to breakout in ways we've been waiting years to see.