Jackson Kowar was a dream come true for every scout and front office member. Coming out of a strong program in college at Florida, Kowar's 6-5, 200-pound make-up was almost too good to be true. The right-handed starting pitcher threw hard, he struck out 13 batters in his final start at the College World Series, and he was a certified winner with the Gators. All signs pointed to him being a star in the pros.
That was nearly eight years ago and things couldn't have gone worse for Kowar since. He's had Tommy John surgery. He's had shoulder problems. He's been sent up and down more times than anyone would wish on their worst enemy. This is sadly Kowar's career in baseball.
Kowar is one of four pitchers taken by the Royals within the first 40 picks of the 2018 MLB Draft:
- Brady Singer: 18th overall (12.1 bWAR)
- Jackson Kowar: 33rd overall (-2.5 bWAR)
- Daniel Lynch IV: 34th overall (3.1 bWAR)
- Kris Bubic: 40th overall (5.6 bWAR)
Singer is the one who stands out most. He'll finish with well-over 1,000 career strikeouts as a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter for his entire career. Lynch IV and Bubic were late bloomers, but they each seemed to figure it out in 2025. Bubic was an All-Star and Lynch IV produced a career-best 3.06 ERA.
Then, there's Kowar, who finally had a positive bWAR for the first time ever, doing so with the Mariners in 2025 (0.1 bWAR). His fastball is good, but it's too obvious when it's coming. A 12.5 whiff percentage last year, Kowar needs to find comfort in throwing his slider more often, which registered a .158 BAA and 24.3 whiff percentage. That's a good start.
Showing some upside in 2025 in the bigs with the Mariners, Kowar had moments of positivity, but he ultimately still has a career ERA north of 8.00. Those few competitive outings were good enough to draw interest from Minnesota, however, as he was picked up by the Twins this week, marking the 29-year-old's fourth organization.
Twins claimed reliever Jackson Kowar off waivers from the Mariners.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) February 3, 2026
Seattle designated Kowar for assignment after acquiring Jhonny Pereda from the Twins for cash.
So, kind of a trade.
Kowar was a 2018 first-round pick. Now he's 29 and has an 8.21 ERA in 91 career MLB innings.
In 17 innings with Seattle last year, Kowar allowed eight runs. Three of them came in one appearance, though, where he recorded one out. If you remove that one outing from his game log, he bolstered a 2.70 ERA. Now we're getting somewhere.
So maybe it isn't over for Kowar after all. Yes, he's spent time with three organizations that have developed good pitchers (Royals, Mariners, Braves) and he clearly hasn't stuck. With Minnesota, this could be his final opportunity to show the world that he is truly meant to be an every day pitcher in Major League Baseball. We know Twins fans are rooting for that to happen.
What is really going to help Kowar's case in Minnesota is that this team needs bullpen help. There are minor leaguers on the brink of getting promoted, pending strong performances in the spring, but Kowar has the ability to land a consistent role here. That's not to say this is his guaranteed formula for success, but knowing he may have a longer leash can allow him to win the mental game.
This, of course, is also dependent on how well he does in the spring. If he does not pitch well down in Fort Myers, then there's likelihood of getting DFA'd. That spells trouble for an aging Kowar. Would a fifth team take a chance on him if he struggles with the Twins? It's fair to say his chances are low. The 2026 season is make or break for Jackson Kowar.