Minnesota Twins Pitchers of the Month - June 2025

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Thieres Rabelo

Entering June, Minnesota boasted one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, backed by a dominant rotation and a reliable bullpen. But the month quickly unraveled, both on the field and in the trainer’s room. Pablo López and Zebby Matthews landed on the injured list, forcing the team to dig deeper into its pitching depth. Bailey Ober, a steady force over the past few seasons, endured the worst month of his (or most hurlers') career by giving up 14 home runs, tying the franchise record for the most allowed in a single month. And Ober wasn’t alone. The numbers paint a bleak picture of a staff plagued by multiple issues

As a whole, the Twins posted a league-worst 6.07 ERA in June, the highest ERA for that month in franchise history. They managed only single-digit wins and finished with a -45 run differential. Perhaps most glaring, they gave up 10 or more runs in seven of 22 games during June, after not allowing 10+ runs once in their first 61 contests. That’s the backdrop. Now let’s shift the focus. Despite all the chaos, a few pitchers did what they could to steady the ship and they deserve some recognition

#4 Simeon Woods Richardson
4 G, 3.92 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 20 2/3 IP, 15 H, 8 BB, 17 K
With injuries reshuffling the rotation, Woods Richardson was asked to take on a bigger role, and he delivered. While his first start of the month in Texas was forgettable (six earned runs in under five innings), he quickly turned things around. Over his next three outings, he allowed just three earned runs combined. That stretch included a stellar five-inning scoreless outing in Houston where he held the Astros to one hit and struck out four.

Woods Richardson closed out the month with another five shutout innings against Seattle, fanning six and continuing to show poise beyond his years. He led the staff in fWAR for the month and could be a steady presence in the rotation moving forward.

#3 Brock Stewart
11 G, 1.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 10 2/3 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 15 K
Stewart was nearly flawless in June, tossing scoreless outings in 10 of his 11 appearances. The lone blemish came in Cincinnati, when he gave up two earned runs after the Twins had just rallied to take the lead. But aside from that, Stewart was rock solid for a bullpen that has carried a heavy workload all season.

Five of his 11 outings featured multiple strikeouts without allowing a hit, and he finished the month with the fourth-highest Win Probability Added (WPA) on the team (second among relievers). Stewart has carved out a key role bridging the middle innings to Minnesota’s back-end trio.

#2 Joe Ryan
5 G, 3.49 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 28 1/3 IP, 18 H, 11 BB, 32 K
After winning Twins Daily’s Pitcher of the Month honors in May, Ryan continued to shine in June. He finished second on the team in both fWAR and WPA, and remained remarkably consistent: five innings or more in every start, and no more than three earned runs allowed in any of them.

Over his final three starts (18 1/3 IP), he posted a 2.45 ERA with 22 strikeouts and a 2.38 FIP, holding opposing hitters to a .184 batting average on balls in play. While Byron Buxton looks like a lock for the All-Star team, Ryan has built a strong case of his own. He ranks among the AL’s top-eight pitchers in fWAR and strikeouts per nine innings, and only Jacob deGrom and Tarik Skubal boast better WHIPs.

#1 Louis Varland – Twins Daily Pitcher of the Month
10 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 10 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 11 K
Varland’s transition to the bullpen has transformed him into one of the most dominant arms in the American League. He appeared in 10 games in June without surrendering a single run, and his 0.00 ERA is no fluke as he’s now allowed just one earned run since May 4. The added velocity has been a major weapon. As a reliever, his fastball is averaging 1.7 mph faster, while his knuckle curve has gained 3.6 mph. The increased power has helped him rack up four holds in June, bringing his season total to 13, second only to Griffin Jax on the team.

On June 15, he was called upon for a rare two-inning appearance and responded by retiring seven Houston batters while inducing five groundouts and allowing just one hit. That ground-ball success has defined his emergence; his 60.0% ground-ball rate ranks in the 97th percentile. Hitters are managing just a .255 slugging percentage against his four-seamer and an absurd .193 against his knuckle curve.

Manager Rocco Baldelli summed it up best:

Quote

“You have maniacs like Lou Varland, who want to pitch every single game. A good maniac. A wonderful maniac. Who has been throwing incredibly for us in a ton of different spots. Turned himself into a dominant bullpen arm. And he’s of the mentality that he’s ready to pitch every game.”

The Twins’ staff was dealt a tough hand in June, but strong efforts from both the rotation and bullpen kept them afloat. Ryan has been as reliable as ever. Stewart has stabilized the middle innings. Woods Richardson proved he belongs. But it was Varland who shined brightest, stepping up as a dominant weapon in high-leverage situations.

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Should Varland get the nod over Ryan? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[mikelink45]

Surprised but happy with your choice.  I expected Ryan, but had not been paying as much attention as I should to Louie.

[FlyingFinn]

"On June 15, he was called upon for a rare two-inning appearance and responded by retiring seven Houston batters"

 

Now, THAT is hard to do!

[Patzky]

18 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

"On June 15, he was called upon for a rare two-inning appearance and responded by retiring seven Houston batters"

 

Now, THAT is hard to do!

The math ain't mathing! 

[Ricky Vaughn]

After the numbers this staff put up during June no one deserves an award.

[LambchoP]

This team needs major starting pitching. Our hyped up pitching pipeline has completely dried up as most of our AAA arms have all had disastrous seasons so far. Hopefully we can acquire some kind of help for next year or the future at the trade deadline.

[Bodie]

And Varland takes his award and pitches his next game like he earned it.

Wait..

[Bodie]

On 7/2/2025 at 8:55 AM, Ricky Vaughn said:

After the numbers this staff put up during June no one deserves an award.

We deserve something for sitting through the worst month's ERA in team history... (anyone using any variation of "pitching pipeline" as anything other than mockery will be executed at sunrise!)

Personally, I'd be happy with actual effort through the entire lineup!  Probably be disappointed on that count 24 out of 25 games with this bunch...