John Stankiewicz Turns Heads Against Seasoned Big-Leaguers in Triple-A Debut

[Theodore Tollefson]

When a player gets a call-up to the next level of the minors, there are a lot of unknowns. John Stankiewicz is the latest Twins prospect to face those unknowns in Triple-A, and he met the moment in his debut with the Saints on Sunday.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

ST. PAUL–The call-up to Triple-A doesn’t have the same glamor and notoriety as one gets when they reach the big leagues, but it's not without challenges and rewards of its own. That was the case for the Saints' newest reliever, John Stankiewicz, who made his Triple-A debut Sunday afternoon.

His debut at this level may have been like that of any other player who isn’t a top prospect in the farm system. When Stankiewicz was called out of the bullpen to mop up in the top of the seventh inning, however, he wasn’t set to face an ordinary trio of hitters. The opposing Gwinnett Stripers had three men with at least six years of service time in MLB due up: Brian Anderson, Yuli Gurriel, and former Twin Eddie Rosario. 

“It felt great to be out there competing against guys who have been in the game for a while,” said Stankiewicz. “We know who those names are, and you see some of those guys in Spring Training and stuff, face those guys here and there. But it was definitely good to know who those guys were, added a little bit of adrenaline and a boost there.”

Stankiewicz retired all three of them, on just 13 total pitches. He struck out Anderson, got Gurriel on a ground out, and then induced Rosario to hit a short pop fly to second base. When he returned to the dugout, there was no one more ecstatic with his results than his former college pitching coach--and current Saints pitching coach--Pete Larson. 

“I was more proud than anything,” said Larson. “I think that was the coolest part about this, seeing him progress from 2020 and to get the opportunity here. He deserved it, he’s throwing strikes down [in Double-A Wichita], and missing bats.”

Larson has known Stankiewicz as far back as his upperclassman years in high school, when college recruiters scouted him for their programs. After some brief encounters after games, Stankiewicz ended up committing to Fordham University in the Bronx, where Larson was coaching at the time.

With the 2020 MLB Draft shortened to just five rounds with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic still in effect, Stankiewicz was one of many college juniors who missed out on the opportunity to get drafted that summer. Fortunately, the Twins offered him a minor-league contract just a month after the draft, and he joined the organization.

Stankiewicz and Larson reunited a year later when he was assigned to Low-A Ft. Myers, where Larson was the pitching coach for that season. The next year, Larson would be moved up to coach Wichita, while Stankiewicz pitched for both the Mighty Mussels and Cedar Rapids Kernels. It wouldn’t be until Sunday morning, as Stankiewicz arrived from Wichita, that the two got to work together again for the first time in three years.

It was a quick turnaround for Stankiewicz upon his elevation to the Saints. He only found out Saturday afternoon that he’d be making it one step closer to the big leagues.

“I just hopped on a flight after an hour of being told that and got up here last night. It was a late night, but that’s alright,” Stankiewicz said of his trip to St. Paul.

“I talked to him today, and it was short and quick because he got in late last night," Larson said. "I told him, ‘You know what you’re doing, execute, and you have to get to your spots in two strikes,’ and that’s what he did." 

With nine of his 13 pitches landing in the strike zone on Sunday, Stankiewicz showed how efficient he can be in two-strike counts, as Rosario was the only hitter on whom he didn’t get that far. Even with a great start to his Triple-A career shutting down three MLB-caliber hitters on minimal pitches, Stankiewicz is aware there’s still a long road ahead if he's to make it to the next level.

“There’s still going to be learning curves coming up each level, but I’ll just continue to go after hitters and attack them," he said. "Whether they have 10 years of service time or are just another young guy coming up, they’re still good enough to be here at this level. So I just have to go after them and attack them to get my outs."

Knowing the mature mindset Stankiewicz has, Larson is going to help him build off the success from his first Triple-A outing. He hopes Stankiewicz continues to be efficient, no matter whom he faces, so that he can remain a part of the Saints bullpen for the foreseeable future. However, he was optioned back down to Wichita on Tuesday, as Zack Weiss moved up from Ft. Myers to St. Paul to continue his rehab assignment, Larson still had a lot of positive feedback for the young righty.

“He’s thrown strikes and earned everything he’s gotten, so I think that’s huge. It was special for me, and hopefully special for him. Whether he sticks with us until the break or he keeps getting opportunities here, I think [Sunday] definitely cemented him as an option to keep getting those opportunities at higher levels.”

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[SotaSports in NM]

Maybe a guy that can contribute next year. Held guys to .570 OPS while walking few and hardly giving up any homers can be useful if he can keep progressing.

[old nurse]

They optioned him back to Wichita on Tuesday  AAA coffee 

[FlyingFinn]

1 minute ago, old nurse said:

They optioned him back to Wichita on Tuesday  AAA coffee 

Like Eeles, the Saints needed a warm body and he was the right person to fill in. Great story but I'm not expecting him to ever reach the Twins.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Like Eeles, the Saints needed a warm body and he was the right person to fill in. Great story but I'm not expecting him to ever reach the Twins.

Not every player makes the majors but the low minors weeds out the chaff pretty quickly. He didn’t make it as a command and control starter but they still just have seen something there. His FB topped out at 92. Assuredly the Twins have upped that, as he still has a job. 

[Otaknam]

Good for Stinky! I was hoping for some information on his pitching repertoire, fast ball MPH, etc.