Minnesota Twins right-handed starting pitcher Bailey Ober's four-seam fastball averaged just 88.7 mph against the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field on Sunday. But that didn't stop the veteran from striking out 10 batters, his most in an outing since 2024, and getting 14 whiffs while allowing zero earned runs on 102 pitches across 6 1/3 innings. Four of Ober's strikeouts came on called strikes on pitches out of the zone, but his outing was still extremely impressive. The Reds could've challenged many of those pitches, but chose not to. Unfortunately, despite leading 3-1 entering the ninth inning, the Twins lost to the Reds in extra innings by a score of 7-4.
Twins' RHP Bailey Ober finding success despite velocity concerns
Ober heavily relied on his changeup and four-seamer on Sunday, throwing his fastball 31 times and his changeup 32 times. His sweeper and slider accounted for 32 pitches total, and he used his sinker seven times.
Ober began the season by allowing six earned runs in eight innings across two starts. He then had a solid outing against the Detroit Tigers, surrendering two earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. He gave up four earned runs in his following outing against the Boston Red Sox, but impressively struck out seven batters in six innings. Then he absolutely dominated the Reds.
Ober's four-seam fastball averaged 91.7 mph in 2024 when the righty had a 3.98 ERA in 178 2/3 innings. Ober then had the worst season of his career in 2025, posting a 5.10 ERA in 146 1/3 innings while his four-seamer averaged 90.3 mph. Ober's fastball is even slower this season, averaging 88.9 mph. His lowered velocity has understandably created concern among Twins Territory.
Ober has appeared to figure out how to pitch more effectively with his lowered fastball velocity. He's using his changeup at about the same rate as his four-seamer this year, which is likely a big reason for his success.
Most Twins fans probably view Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and Mick Abel as the Twins' top three starting pitchers. Ryan is coming off an All-Star season, Bradley is fifth among starting pitchers in fWAR (1.1), and Abel threw 13 scoreless innings across his last two starts. But if Ober continues to hit his spots effectively, he could soon be in the conversation as one of Minnesota's best starting pitchers despite his relatively low fastball velocity.
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