Make Or Break Players On The 2025 Twins: Kody Funderburk

[Matthew Lenz]

The Minnesota Twins enter the 2025 season with largely the same core of players who finished the 2024 campaign. Looking past a historic collapse, the Twins were a playoff team for much of last season and multiple outlets are not only predicting the same in 2025 but also like them to take the American League Central crown. While not one of the team’s stars, a productive season from left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk is crucial to the Twins turning those predictions into reality.

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / © Landon Bost/Naples Daily News/USA TODAY Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK

Of course, the Twins’ season largely rests on the shoulders of its best players, and it’s those players that provide a very solid floor for the team to win 70 odd games. It’s the contributions of the role players that elevate this team from a fringe competitive team to a team vying for a playoff spot and division title. Funderburk is one of two southpaw relievers that are on the 40-man roster and represents one of those players who are make or break for the 2025 season.

Went Wrong in 2024?
Funderburk was very effective in 24 of his relief appearances in 2024. Unfortunately, he made 27 appearances total and the three that weren’t as effective inflated his overall line to a 4.55 FIP with a poor 10.6% strikeout minus walk rate and an elevated home run rate. Nearly half of his earned runs from last season came in just three appearances. Other than a four earned run outing on May 5th, Funderburk was well on his way to establishing himself as a very reliable big-league reliever two months into 2024. Then, on May 28th he was optioned to St. Paul in favor of Diego Castillo. His peripherals in St. Paul were very good which led to him being recalled on June 21st. After another stretch of effective appearances, Funderburk’s pitch velocities and spin rates dropped considerably in back-to-back appearances on July 8th and 12th. While a link between injury and those data points has never been publicly confirmed, it may explain why he wasn’t used for nine days and placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain which effectively ended his season.

It’s not unusual for a reliever's stats to be heavily inflated by just a few appearances so, aside from staying healthy, I’m not overly concerned with his ability to make an impact for the Twins this season although it may not be right away.

What Can Go Right in 2025?
Although we have a fairly limited sample of just 46 ⅔ big-league innings across 38 appearances, Funderburk has been a very good reliever outside of the three aforementioned outings. He’s an extreme groundball pitcher who has excelled in generating weak contact, so I’m not worried about his home run rate from 2024. Moreover, he’s been serviceable against both handed hitters, but particularly effective against lefties due to having three pitches with above average movement.

 His slider specifically features some of the best glove slide movement in baseball and devastated his left-handed counterparts with a 46.5% whiff rate and 90.2 mile-per-hour average exit velocity. While righties don’t whiff on the pitch nearly as often, they’re also susceptible to weak contact and had a .241 batting average against in 2024. His sinker, used almost exclusively against left-handers, is another offering with good movement although opponents handled the pitch fairly well in 2024 with a .422 wOBA (for what it’s worth, it was .058 in 2023). Again, it’s important to remember we’re dealing with pretty small sample sizes here.When he gets his opportunity, projection models like the 28-year-old to be an above average reliever in 2025 and I think that’s reasonable considering his arsenal and the depth of the Twins bullpen that should allow for Rocco Baldelli to use his relievers in the positions that make them the most successful.

How Will This Impact the Twins?
You may have noticed that I previously suggested that Funderburk’s impact may not happen “right away” in 2025 This is in part due to the bullpen only having two or three open spots for about five competing arms, and if we read the tea leaves from Baldelli’s first interview from camp we get an idea of how things may shake out. While answering a question regarding recently acquired southpaw Danny Coulombe, the Twins skipper said “We have a [need for a left-handed reliever] to fill on our roster. And I have longer term hopes that Kody Funderburk can also do some of those things too.” Coulombe’s spot on the active roster was never up for debate so it’s not overly surprising to hear Baldelli talk about him feeling that gap on the roster. What may be a little surprising is the phrase “longer term hopes” that seems to indicate Funderburk is likely to start the year with the Saints before he even gets his first opportunities in camp.. Regardless, as Twins’ fans are all too familiar with, injuries and poor performance will come and when they do Funderburk likely represents one of the first bullpen arms to get recalled.

While the Twins' success in 2025 hinges on the performance of their star players, the contributions of role players like Kody Funderburk will be crucial in determining how far they can go. Funderburk's 2024 season was marred by a few disastrous outings and an injury, obscuring his underlying potential. If Funderburk can recapture his form and stay healthy, he has the potential to be a difference-maker for the Twins, solidifying their bullpen and contributing to a successful campaign.

What are your thoughts on Funderburk entering 2025? How about Baldelli’s comments? Join the conversation in the comments!

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[LambchoP]

I am really glad we got Coloumbe and don't need to rely on Funderburk as our number one lefty. That said, Coloumbe is gone next year so hopefully with a full, healthy year in AAA with maybe an occasional cup of coffee, Funderburk will be ready to compete for a starting role in the pen next year 

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Left handed relief pitchers will always get opportunities somwhere, especially younger ones.  It may be a pivotal year for him with the Twins, but not a final stop if he fails.

[rv78]

Can't be much worse than what Thielbar was last year.

[bean5302]

Funderburk was terrible last year, but it had to do with location. He wasn't placing his pitches remotely close to where he needed them. His stuff is very good, but if you can't throw strikes to hit your spots, it's a moot point.

[Doctor Gast]

I'm glad we have an established LHRP veteran in Coloumbe. I don't think it's make-or-break season with Funderburg. Injury could have been part of his poor outings & he's shown some promise so I don't think he has anything to worry about, If Prielipp stays healthy & progresses with limited innings. he could by-pass both Coloumbe & Funderburg as the top LHRP.

[Linus]

Well if things go as planned he won’t even get a chance to make it or break it.  He’s not young and has poor control and command.  Hopefully the Twins won’t need him this year.

[Fatbat]

He will likely fill a very much needed depth role. Seems like we are set with backups to backups in most roles. Depth is a wonderful thing!

[Parfigliano]

Not a plethora of LHRP to compete against so I'll be amazed if he doesn't make the MLB club.

[DocBauer]

I was really disappointed in Funderburk's season as I had really high hopes following his 2023 work at St Paul and his Twins debut. But i hadn't realized he was that good/solid overall other than those handful of games pre injury.

While he's not exactly young, we have to remember he turned 28 this past November, so he's not exactly old for a reliever. Further, he was a college draftee who was primarily a 1B in college before the Twins drafted hum as a pitcher. From there he was primarily a starter, but spent some time working out of the pen as well. So not debuting until age 27 is somewhat understandable. And he's got some pretty good stuff, and is a 10K per 9 guy overall as well.

So no, I don't think 2025 is a "make or break" season for him, not only due to potential, but also the lack of LHP in the system. I do think he probably begins the season in St Paul though, just based on what is already a pretty crowded pen.

But I do have to say that I'm really interested in what the Twins do this season with Nowlin. He finished the season in St Paul and I just can't see the Twins moving him back to AA at this point. He's been OK as a starter, but inconsistent. The HITS and K per 9 are solid, but he has control lapses. Still only 24yo, they may want to keep him stretched out. And I never want to move a talented young arms to the pen "too soon". But I suspect he could be VERY GOOD in the pen, and his BB issues would be mitigated somewhat there as well. ASSUMING Coulombe is only here for 1 season...and that's not carved in stone at all...Funderburk and Nowlin could potentially give the Twins a strong LH pen duo in 2026.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Did the OP put 70 wins as the baseline for ALC competition?

uh, 80 might not be competitive, 70 would put you solidly 4th, only because Sox are pathetic

[ashbury]

Very effective in 24 of 27 appearances???  Yes, there were those 3 games he gave up 3 or 4 earned runs; but there were way too many others (11 appearances) where he was scored upon, and rarely did he pitch to the minimum number of batters and/or have a "clean" inning.

He let 9 of 19 inherited runners score.  The Twins "led" the majors in this dubious stat at 41% and Kody was worse than the average Twin at it - he was part of the problem, not part of the solution.

LH batters pummeled him for an .810 OPS.  Reverse splits? Nope, righties tattooed him for .888.  His entry in a game meant to hold your breath and hope to escape.

Yeah, at age 28, make or break sounds about right for him.  Another season like the last one, and he enters the perpetual purgatory that all left-handers are eventually invited to: MiLB contracts for as long as he wishes to keep at it.  Some team will offer him a chance but not a major league salary each off-season, unless he switches to throwing with his right hand or stops breathing in which case the offers evaporate.

He's already beaten the odds as a 15th rounder by even making it to the Show, so good for him, but he has to show more in order to stay.

I hope he finds the key to success because we sure could use a reliable southpaw or two in the pen this year; crossing fingers that the age-35 season isn't the year Danny Coulombe decides to turn into a pumpkin.

[Doctor Wu]

17 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

If Prielipp stays healthy & progresses with limited innings. he could by-pass both Coloumbe & Funderburg as the top LHRP.

Good point. I realize that the Twins are planning to treat Prielipp very cautiously this season, certainly keeping him on an innings/pitches limit, but if he's healthy I don't think giving him some bullpen time will do any harm, especially if his "stuff" is looking good. 

[Doctor Wu]

8 hours ago, DocBauer said:

But I do have to say that I'm really interested in what the Twins do this season with Nowlin.

Count me as interested too. Like you said, he's still young, and if he continues to work on his control he could be a sneaky good guy to have. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

18 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

If Prielipp stays healthy & progresses with limited innings. he could by-pass both Coloumbe & Funderburg as the top LHRP.

Very true, but I would hope Prielipp would become more of a closer/setup man than a situational lefty.

[Doctor Gast]

47 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Very true, but I would hope Prielipp would become more of a closer/setup man than a situational lefty.

Absolutely, that what I mean.

[old nurse]

Funderburk is like every other player with option. Break does not happen until you run out of options