Twins’ top pitching prospect’s dominant stretch should force issue with front office

Left-handed starting pitcher Connor Prielipp, MLB Pipeline's No. 1 Twins pitching prospect and Baseball America's No. 94 overall prospect, has looked sharp for the St. Paul Saints this year. After allowing one run on four hits and one walk with a professional career-high eight strikeouts over five innings in his last outing on April 16, Prielipp, 25, has a 2.30 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings across four appearances with St. Paul this season. The southpaw's dominant stretch proves he belongs in the majors soon.

Should Prielipp be a starter or reliever with the Twins?

Prielipp threw 82 2/3 innings with Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul last season. Because of injuries, the lefty threw just 6 2/3 innings in 2023 and 23 1/3 innings in 2024 after being drafted by Minnesota out of the University of Alabama. Prielipp also dealt with injuries in college, which led him to throw just 28 innings with Alabama.

The Twins are developing Prielipp as a starter, but the organization has significantly limited his pitch count throughout his professional career to limit injury risk. Obviously, Prielipp would be more valuable as an effective starter than a reliever, but he could still end up in the Twins' bullpen.

While Zebby Matthews and Andrew Morris are likely the next men up in the rotation if a starting pitcher suffers an injury or Bailey Ober or Simeon Woods Richardson continue to struggle, the Twins could consider having Prielipp fill that role. But the Twins would be wary of having Prielipp pitch deep into games as a starter, which would leave the bullpen more exhausted.

Minnesota's bullpen, which ranks 21st in ERA (4.78), could use some help. Prielipp has a nasty pitch arsenal, which includes a mid-90s fastball that has reached 98 mph, a plus slider that can reach the low-90s with elite spin rates, and a changeup that generates a lot of swing-and-miss. He also occasionally throws a sinker and has been experimenting with a new curveball. For a bullpen that lacks electric stuff, Prielipp could be the high-leverage arm it needs.

If Minnesota, which has the best record in the AL Central (11-9), remains competitive this year, it needs to address its bullpen issues. Calling up Morris was a good start. Promoting Prielipp could be exactly what the team needs to further improve its bullpen. The lefty could throw multiple innings at a time for Minnesota as a reliever this year and then go back to being a starter next season.

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