Twins Daily Pitcher of the Month: July 2024

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins find themselves within striking distance of the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. Their stellar lineup has gotten more headlines, but pitching continues to be a quiet strength for this team. Who was the club's ace in July?

 

The Twins were fourth in strikeout rate minus walk rate among MLB pitching staffs in July, and third in FIP. Here are the individuals who fueled that showing.

Griffin Jax - 10 G, 10.0 IP, 2.70 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, .167 BAA, 10/2 K/BB
When Jhoan Duran was injured out of the gate, it was Jax who immediately stepped in as Minnesota’s closer. He has continued to be one of the best relievers in the sport this season. Jax has operated in high-leverage exclusively, and has found himself in save situations even with Duran on the active roster.

The former starter has completed a near-flawless transition to the bullpen. Jax has racked up strikeouts all season long, and he is about as close to a sure thing as it gets. With arms on the shelf or lacking consistency, Minnesota will need Jax to keep showing up in a big way down the stretch.

Jorge Alcalá - 11 G, 10.0 IP, 0.90 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, .143 BAA, 9/2 K/BB
Shuttled between Triple-A and the big leagues to start the year, Alcalá has established himself as a key cog in Rocco Baldelli’s relief corps. Called upon for 11 appearances in July, Alcalá just kept showing up. He has been utilized in a multitude of different situations, and he could be a high-leverage arm by season’s end.

With Brock Stewart headed back to the injured list, there is an opportunity for Alcalá to operate in an expanded role. His 9/2 K/BB ratio in July was nice to see, and it’s clear that strides have been made to his command. With just two months left in the regular season, this could be a springboard to a really strong end of the year.

Cole Sands - 9 G, 12.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.32 WHIP, .093 BAA, 14/0 K/BB
Sands has been something of a popular breakout pick for the past couple of seasons. It is now happening in 2024. Once just a mop-up long man out of the bullpen, Sands is now being relied upon to get big outs in middle relief. He has honed in his emotions on the mound, and the command has followed suit.

A perfect 14/0 K/BB in July may have been the biggest development of his entire season. With starters like Simeon Woods Richardson and Joe Ryan scuffling a bit last month, it was often Sands who was called upon to keep the Twins in a game. He has been among the greatest development stories for Minnesota this season.

Bailey Ober - 4 G, 27.0 IP, 2.00 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, .168 BAA, 29/4 K/BB
When the Twins didn’t replace Sonny Gray or Kenta Maeda this offseason, they were placing a good amount of faith in Ryan and Ober. Both have stepped up in a big way, and Ober’s July may be his crowning achievement thus far as a big-leaguer. While rocking different custom cleats on a regular basis, he has looked good while pitching great.

Ober has had a couple of tough turns against the Kansas City Royals, but otherwise been dominant on the season. He wrapped up July with a new career-high 11 strikeout performance. It was also his second double-digit strikeout start of the season. Baldelli has shown a greater level of trust in his arm, as well, allowing him to go deeper in ball games.

Congrats to Bailey Ober on being named the Twins Daily Pitcher of the Month for July.

How would you have ranked the Twins pitchers last month? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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[FlyingFinn]

Wow, Sands has been that good for the entire month of July. Great!

[Colbeh]

I've been wondering (hoping) if Josh Winder would go down the Griffin Jax route, can't say i ever considered it would be Cole Sands.

Happy to see him succeeding in a bullpen role! 

[Prince Phillip]

Yeah, Bailey and the bullpen. Good call and a new garage band name…

I think Pablo steps it up for the August award.

[Karbo]

Take out the 2 KC starts and his ERA drops to around 2.80+

[Fatbat]

We really have a great pitching staff.  Sands has been lights out which I wouldn’t have ever thought possible.  Ober was definitely King of the hill last month. 

[JD-TWINS]

Well deserved for Ober, with some STIFF competition!!!

Sands - Alcala - Jax are guys flying under the National Media ……..I did see Jax get interviewed on MLB Network. Sands & Alcala were both “maybe” guys …….even in April & May. Really nice month for both of them!

[LambchoP]

Ober has probably been our best starter lately. Nice to see him going so deep into games. We need to keep him healthy for October. Alcala has finally put it all together. Saw him hit 101 mph this year. As long as he keeps his walks in check he'll be a solid set up man for years to come. I like Sands too. That splitter is filthy. I think if we get anything out of Stewart or Topa this year it will be a real bonus. I think it's time however to put Varland out in the bullpen, same with Paddack if we ever get him back. They looked good in the bullpen last year and they can always come on in long relief to rest some of our other arms as needed down the stretch. Ps, Theilbar needs to be released immediately, but won't happen because we're desperate for lefties.