Minnesota Twins FCL Minor League Pitcher of the Year- 2025

[Cody Christie]

Pitching in the lower minors is all about adjustments. For some, it’s a first taste of professional baseball in the United States. For others, it’s a chance to show that they’re ready to move quickly through the system. The Florida Complex League gives the Twins’ youngest arms a proving ground, and this summer, a few pitchers stood out above the rest.

Not every prospect thrives right away. Short outings and small workloads make it difficult to bounce back from a rough stretch, while others show enough polish to prove they’re ahead of the level. For the Twins, 2025 brought a mix of both, with a handful of arms making their presence felt in Fort Myers.

Before we get to the top three finishers in the Twins Daily voting, here are a few pitchers who also received recognition from our minor league team of writers.

Honorable Mentions

• RHP Melvin Rodriguez: 11 G, 43 1/3 IP, 3.53 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 17.5 K%, 12.0 BB%
• RHP Xander Hamilton: 7 G, 10 1/3 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.39 WHIP, 31.4 K%, 5.7 BB%
• RHP Brent Francisco: 12 G, 17 1/3 IP, 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 35.8 K%, 3.0 BB%
• RHP Xavier Kolhosser: 10 G, 17 2/3 IP, 2.55 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 25.3 K%, 13.3 BB%

2 (Tie). RHP Will Armbruester
2025 Stats: 15 G, 31 IP, 2.61 ERA, 2.37 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, 22.8 K%, 1.6 BB%
Armbruester’s story is a little different than most in the FCL. After pitching in college at New Mexico and Arizona State, he spent 2024 in the independent Frontier League before signing with Minnesota this April. The Twins shifted him to the bullpen, where his command immediately stood out with 28 strikeouts against only two walks.

At 24, Armbruester was much older than most of his competition, but he handled the role with poise. A high BABIP (.337) inflated his ERA, but his ability to limit walks and strand runners gave the Twins reason to believe there’s more here. The organization has uncovered some hidden gems from the indy leagues in recent years, and Armbruester will look to join that list as he moves up the ladder.

2 (Tie). RHP Anderson Ramos
2025 Stats: 17 G, 28 1/3 IP, 3.81 ERA, 3.46 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 31.1 K%, 13.9 BB%
Ramos represents the opposite end of the spectrum compared to Armbruester. He was a teenage signing out of the Dominican Republic who made his stateside debut this summer. After some early struggles in the DSL last year, he came to the FCL as a 19-year-old and made a big jump, leading the team in strikeout rate among pitchers with a minimum of 18 IP.

Ramos piled up multiple strikeouts in 12 of his 19 outings and kept hitters to a .506 OPS. Control remains the biggest question mark, as his walk rate climbed by 2.4% compared to 2024. Still, his last 11 appearances showed real growth with no extra-base hits allowed and 21 strikeouts in 61 plate appearances. He’s one of the younger arms to watch as he likely moves into full-season ball next year.

1. RHP Joel Garcia – Twins FCL Pitcher of the Year
2025 Stats: 11 G, 43 IP, 3.35 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 1.21 WHIP, 28.8 K%, 6.8 BB%
Garcia was the clear choice for our FCL Pitcher of the Year, appearing at the top of nearly every ballot from the Twins Daily minor league writers. Signed out of Venezuela, this was his third season in the organization and his second year in the FCL. After a solid but limited sample in 2024, the Twins sent him back for a longer look, and he delivered.

Used exclusively as a starter, Garcia got stronger as the summer went on. Opponents posted a .731 OPS against him in May, but he held them to just a .581 OPS over the next two months. Nearly 82% of his matchups came against younger hitters, but his mix of strike-throwing and strikeouts stood out regardless. By August, Minnesota promoted him to Low-A Fort Myers, where he’ll likely begin 2026.

The Florida Complex League is just the first step, but performances here can be a glimpse into the Twins’ future. For Garcia, Ramos, and Armbruester, 2025 was a big step forward in their development, and a reminder that the next wave of pitching talent is already on its way.

How would your ballot look for pitchers in the FCL? Leave a comment and join the discussion.

 

 

View full article

[rdehring]

Thanks, Cody.  

[FlyingFinn]

How old is Garcia? Found it, just turned 21.

[Dman]

Control might be a problem but I like Ramos's age and line better.  Nice to see Garica turning things around as you need arms from the FCL to feed A ball.  

[DocBauer]

Stats at this level don't always tell an accurate future for pitchers at this level. There's a really good collection of 21-22yo arms scheduled to throw for CR Rapids in 2026 that are ahead of Garcia. Still, those are some good numbers and the progression made during the season is what matters. 

But just for interest sake, if nothing else, Xavier Kolhosser was the 13th pick in the 2024 draft. As is traditional following being drafted, he did not throw until this season, where he was a 22yo rookie. While he did start some games, he was mostly used out of the pen. He was almost 50-50 between the FCL and A- Ft Myers. Great K numbers at both levels, surprisingly higher K numbers at Ft Myers, but the WHIP increased. Possibly a closer for Ft Myers who could fast track to the CR pen with a good start next season?

Xander Hamilton was a 14th round pick in the 2023 draft. Unlike most drafted pitchers, he actually threw some some in '23. In SSSS he had a crazy 16 K per 9 and a 4.9 BB per. But we're only talking 7 IP between the FCL and Ft Myers.

He began 2024 at Ft Myers and while his ERA was high, and his BB per 9 was high at 4.3 per, he threw 50 IP while allowing only 39 Hits, and K'd at 10.9 per. He got 6.2 IP for CR with an even higher K%, but the rest of his numbers cratered. But we're only talking 6.2 innings.

I can't recall exactly, but I do remember something about an injury. That's why he was back in the FCL this season and got a late call up to CR just recently where he has 3 appearances and 6.1 IP of nothing good to report. While he's going to be 24yo next year in the CR pen, let's not forget 2025 was mostly a lost season.