There is Still Time For Minnesota Twins to Recast Griffin Jax as a Starting Pitcher

[BillyBallLives]

2 hours ago, old nurse said:

The Twins did not set themselves up for a good rotation. No number eight starter, questions for 4-7

Everything is debatable:

 

. National Consensus

• MLB.com ranked the Twins' rotation as one of the top in baseball, praising the trio of Pablo López, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober as a formidable top-three.

• ESPN’s Cy Young futures placed all three of them in the AL top 15. López, in particular, was highlighted as a legitimate ace and Cy Young frontrunner.

• Sports Illustrated, referencing Steamer projections, placed López at #11 and Ryan at #17 among all MLB starters.

2. Statistical Backing

• ERA+ (2024 Season): López (123), Ober (122), and Ryan (116) — All well above league average.

• K/BB ratio (2024): All three in the AL’s top 20.

• xFIP & WHIP: Each posted top-30 metrics leaguewide. These weren’t just solid #2 or #3 arms—they were performing like low-end #1s or high-end #2s.

3. Depth and Ceiling

• Chris Paddack was slotted as the #4 with a healthy offseason and promising velocity bump.

• Young arms like David Festa and Simeon Woods-Richardson offered upside and Triple-A success.

4. Expert Takeaways

• Fangraphs’ Positional Power Rankings put the Twins’ rotation in the top 10 overall, emphasizing their efficiency and consistency.

• Keith Law (The Athletic) said, "Minnesota is sneaky-good in the rotation. Not flashy, but three above-average arms, and a fourth in Paddack who could make noise."

Conclusion The idea that the Twins lacked a strong rotation in 2025 is simply revisionist. When the season opened, both numbers and expert opinions placed them near the top of the league. Yes, injuries and regression happen, but that doesn’t erase the fact: Minnesota entered 2025 with a legitimate, top-tier rotation.

 

 

[BillyBallLives]

5 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

don’t use ChatGPT to generate arguments to post under my articles please and thank you. 

What's the difference?  Just used it to find all the things I read in the pre-season. Took 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes. Don't miss the point.  

 

 

 

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, BillyBallLives said:

What's the difference?  Just used it to find all the things I read in the pre-season. Took 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes. Don't miss the point.  

 

 

 

It's both lazy and often wrong. 

Someone else on this site used AI to try to convey their arguments and the data was just plain ****. 

Not to mention AI is just an extension of the flawed people that create and train it, yet again proven by the nazi Elon Musk's AI turning into a nazi that calls itself MechaHitler. 

[BillyBallLives]

?

 

[BillyBallLives]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

It's both lazy and often wrong.

"wrong and flawed? !"  Prove it, use AI if you want.

The facts are the facts...what year is it....1991?

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Uh...there's been quite a few over the last 3 seasons. This is becoming a fairly common practice now, due to the low risk and high reward. 

3 of those converted relievers to starters earned CY votes last season - Lugo, Lopez, and King. 

King and Lopez are on the il with shoulder injuries.  Were you trying to prove my point or are you just happy to have a pitchers be injured and useless 

[Mike Sixel]

14 minutes ago, BillyBallLives said:

"wrong and flawed? !"  Prove it, use AI if you want.

The facts are the facts...what year is it....1991?

You can't be serious? AI is so wrong so often it's not even funny anymore. That's even counting how awful it is for the environment and people trying to breathe. 

[David Maro]

This is a no way!! In relief he is able to go all out for 1 inning. If he steps in as a SP he would have to change his approach and more controlled velocity. They could have gotten some information by using him as the opener the other day. This seems to be something to talk about here.

[old nurse]

3 hours ago, BillyBallLives said:

Everything is debatable:

 

. National Consensus

• MLB.com ranked the Twins' rotation as one of the top in baseball, praising the trio of Pablo López, Joe Ryan, and Bailey Ober as a formidable top-three.

• ESPN’s Cy Young futures placed all three of them in the AL top 15. López, in particular, was highlighted as a legitimate ace and Cy Young frontrunner.

• Sports Illustrated, referencing Steamer projections, placed López at #11 and Ryan at #17 among all MLB starters.

2. Statistical Backing

• ERA+ (2024 Season): López (123), Ober (122), and Ryan (116) — All well above league average.

• K/BB ratio (2024): All three in the AL’s top 20.

• xFIP & WHIP: Each posted top-30 metrics leaguewide. These weren’t just solid #2 or #3 arms—they were performing like low-end #1s or high-end #2s.

3. Depth and Ceiling

• Chris Paddack was slotted as the #4 with a healthy offseason and promising velocity bump.

• Young arms like David Festa and Simeon Woods-Richardson offered upside and Triple-A success.

4. Expert Takeaways

• Fangraphs’ Positional Power Rankings put the Twins’ rotation in the top 10 overall, emphasizing their efficiency and consistency.

• Keith Law (The Athletic) said, "Minnesota is sneaky-good in the rotation. Not flashy, but three above-average arms, and a fourth in Paddack who could make noise."

Conclusion The idea that the Twins lacked a strong rotation in 2025 is simply revisionist. When the season opened, both numbers and expert opinions placed them near the top of the league. Yes, injuries and regression happen, but that doesn’t erase the fact: Minnesota entered 2025 with a legitimate, top-tier rotation.

 

 

The Twins started with three good pitchers and question marks behind them. Your posting does nothing to disprove that. They have used 8 different starters i most of the recent seasons due to injuries or ineffectiveness Nothing having anyone for a number eight was a mistake. Nothing you posted disproves that. Minnesota entered as a top tier on the strength of the top 3 pitchers. The sorry state of pitching in general could indeed make them a top tier team with 3 starters. That still does not make for a great rotation What in the last few years would cause one to think the top 3 wouldn’t miss starts? 

[BillyBallLives]

25 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Nothing having anyone for a number eight was a mistake. Nothing you posted disproves that.

  Nothing you said disproves nothing I didn't say about the nothing they didn't do.

[old nurse]

Just now, BillyBallLives said:

  Nothing you said disproves nothing I didn't say about the nothing they didn't do.

You posted a lot of words. Reality The Twins started with three very good pitchers for the top of the rotation. That will get you a top 10 rotation for the start of the season. That does not get you a good rotation for the season. They had nothing but question marks after the top 3. They did not have anyone close to being an eighth starter That is the reality Nothing you have posted disproves that

[Riverbrian]

6 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Let’s suppose this is an idea worth trying. It seems like the right time. They don’t have a viable fifth starter and they could be in selling mode.

I don’t think it would be wise to send him to the minors to stretch out. Could they stretch him out in the majors? They don’t have a fifth starter. Start him in that slot and maybe he pushes towards 40 pitches. Make it a bullpen day. The next start he might get through 3 innings and around 45 pitches. It seems like this would give a better chance for the Twins to win those games than sending him out.

Should they wait until next spring? I wouldn’t. Let’s find out if Jax is a playoff caliber starter as we close this season. If not return him to the relief role.

I don’t know if it is worth considering. If the linked article hadn’t sourced Jayce Tingler in stating the Twins were considering it I would dismiss it as a possibility. Maybe the Twins considered and dismissed it this spring.

Somewhere in the universe... there is a way to get your best pitchers more innings and your worse pitchers less innings. I don't know the answer but somewhere in the universe there is an idea that will allow you to increase the innings of your best pitchers. Some of your bullpen guys are your best pitchers and some those sitting in the starting rotation are your worst. 

The standard rotation and bullpen utilization that has been in place for decades surely can't be the method that will be used in the year 2057. 

So yeah... I agree with you. To me... Jax doesn't even have to start... he can come in any inning and throw 2 or 3 innings... just increase his work load incrementally like the Dodgers are doing with Shohei Ohtani right now.

Just figure out a way to increase his innings, determine what the rest interval should be and get your best pitchers to cover as many innings as they can. 

I'd love for someone smarter than me and the authority to give it a shot give it a whirl. 

 

 

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

King and Lopez are on the il with shoulder injuries.  Were you trying to prove my point or are you just happy to have a pitchers be injured and useless 

As we all know, normal career path SPs never get injured. Can't wait to see Pablo pitch this weekend. 

[Sjoski]

Wow...reviewing this thread and see AI has been banned from TD...or at least article by the posting author. 

AI is a tool. Just like a > computer> internet > search engine > wifi >AI.

So...where do you draw the line? 

We've reached the end of the road?

The opposite is more realistic, AI is barely getting started.  

 

[JD-TWINS]

On 7/10/2025 at 10:10 PM, NYCTK said:

I was right there with you. It was dumb for the Twins not even considering it. We were definitely in the minority on this site though. 

And I agree that it would be incredibly dumb to attempt it midseason. He should be traded if we're being honest, but I can understand how many would prefer to keep one of Jax or Duran. 

What’s the obvious reason for Jax to be traded? ……,if we’re being honest.

It’s the only thing, IMO, less sully than trying to make him a Top 2-3 guy in the rotation.

It’s like saying “……Varland is successful now, why don’t we make him a starter?……..” 

[USAFChief]

On 7/11/2025 at 4:48 PM, Riverbrian said:

Somewhere in the universe... there is a way to get your best pitchers more innings and your worse pitchers less innings. 

 

 

How about "have them do it?"

Maybe ask your best pitchers to pitch. 

Instead of training pitchers in the minors to throw 80 pitches o er 5 innings once a week...

Train them to throw more. 

Like they used to do. With results as good or better, over more innings, with fewer injuries.