A lot was made about how the Minnesota Twins didn't make any moves this winter, and rightfully so. But in dogging the front office for cowering when faced with a revenue challenge, we all unintentionally spoke ill of the guys who were already in the clubhouse.
That's something manger Rocco Baldelli pointed out when talking about the lack of spending this winter and it's something that other players are adjacently supporting.
One player who is gaining some serious momentum as a potential breakout candidate this season is Bailey Ober. He's secured a place in the starting rotation and is coming off a season where he took steps toward being a solid No. 3 starter and went so far as to make his postseason debut after taking the mound for Game 1 of the ALDS in Houston.
It's not just Twins fans and coaches who are speaking highly of Ober, as he's also earning praise from MVP opponents.
Bryce Harper had high praise for Bailey Ober
Ober made his first start of Spring Training on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies, and while he only pitched three innings he made the most of his afternoon.
After the game, Phillies star and form NL MVP Bryce Harper went out of his way to praise Ober and hype him up by wishing the rest of the AL Central luck if he's able to fully tap into his potential.
Bryce Harper on the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast after facing Bailey Ober today:
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 2, 2024
"I think, facing a guy like that, if he’s going to be 95 or 96 [mph], good luck to anybody in the Central."
Ober: "Yeah, that would be nice. ... Speak it into existence, you know?"
That's not praise to take lightly. Keep in mind, Twins game have not yet been boradcast on Bally Sports North, so not only was Harper going out of his way to praise Ober but he was doing it on Philly airwaves.
Beyond being one of the most respected players in the game, Harper is a superstar so to hear him hype up Ober is something to absolutely take notice of. He's not wrong, either, as Ober had a fantastic outing against the Phillies.
Ober pitched three innings and struck out seven batters, including Harper who went down swinging in the first. That was the only time he saw Ober but it was enough for him to draw the sort of conclusion he did after the game.
Minnesota needs to find a way to ensure pitching remains a strength this season, but has to do it without Sonny Gray or Kenta Maeda. Ober isn't going to replace either of them directly, but taking another step forward in his development and breaking out this year will go a long way in helping support Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan at the front of the rotation and potentially give the Twins an even deeper rotation than it had last year.