Minnesota Twins release pitching prospects Zander Sechrist, Jakob Hall
The Twins have released pitching prospects Zander Sechrist and Jakob Hall, according to TwinsDaily's Seth Stohs.
The Twins selected Hall, a righty, in the eighth round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Oral Roberts. Hall, who had a 4.15 ERA with 239 strikeouts over 232 innings in three collegiate seasons, spent the 2025 season with Single-A Fort Myers, posting an awful 6.83 ERA with 45 strikeouts while surrendering 22 walks and 62 hits across 54 innings. Given Hall's immense struggles during his first professional season, it made sense for the Twins to move on from him.
Twins' decision to release Zander Sechrist is surprising
As for Sechrist, a lefty, it was a bit puzzling that the Twins decided to move on from him. He signed with the Twins in July 2024 as an undrafted free agent from Tennessee. He posted a strong 3.00 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 69 innings for Single-A Fort Myers in 2025. He also had a solid 6.9% walk rate, so control isn't an issue for the lefty.
Sechrist also pitched in the Arizona Fall League in 2025, allowing two earned runs on six hits and four walks while collecting six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. Sechrist had great results during his short tenure with the Twins, but Minnesota seems to think the underlying metrics suggest he won't pan out in the big leagues. It's still surprising the Twins decided to move on from him this early in his career. Maybe another team will pick him up.
Sechrist was great during four seasons with the Tony Vitello-led Volunteers, managing a 2.52 ERA with 165 strikeouts and 29 walks in 161 innings across 68 appearances (42 starts).
Former Volunteer Zander Sechrist deserves another pro baseball opportunity
One likely reason the Twins decided to move on from Sechrist is his low velocity. His sinker sits around 89-90 mph. He throws four other pitches: a changeup, cutter, splitter and slider. Even though his stuff may not appear to be on par with most big leaguers' pitch arsenal, he deserves another shot in professional baseball. His stats for Tennessee, known as one of the top baseball schools in the nation, and his success with Single-A Fort Myers should be enough to give him another look. While this move seems minor and may end up being the right move for Minnesota, the organization could one day regret it.