3 Key Takeaways From Connor Prielipp’s MLB Debut

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Connor Prielipp’s long road to the majors finally led him to the mound, and his debut showed both why the Twins are excited and where there is still room to grow. The 25-year-old left-hander worked four innings, allowing two runs while striking out six and walking none. He generated 10 swinging strikes and leaned heavily on his best pitch, navigating a dangerous lineup that featured Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.

After giving up a run on two hits in the first inning, Prielipp quickly settled in and retired the next eight hitters he faced. The early nerves were real, but they did not linger.

“I’ve been calm my whole life, so it’s really not been a big problem for me,” he said. “But yeah, that first inning, the noise, it’s loud, it’s hard.”

For a pitcher with limited professional experience and an extensive injury history, it was an encouraging first step. Beneath the surface, his debut revealed three key truths about his current profile.

The Slider Is Already a Weapon
Prielipp’s slider looked every bit like a big-league out pitch. He threw it 51% of the time and used it to rack up five of his six strikeouts. Hitters consistently chased it out of the zone, including seven whiffs on the pitch. Overall, it helped him to a 43.4% chase rate and a 35.3% strikeout rate for the entire game.

The pitch showed sharp break and late movement, diving below barrels even when opponents were anticipating it. That level of confidence in a secondary pitch is rare, especially in a debut. Prielipp didn't just show the slider. He relied on it, and it carried him through much of the outing.

Because he leaned on the pitch so heavily, it was also the one that took the most damage. Mets hitters produced a 62.5% hard-hit rate against his slider, with all four hits coming off it. Still, the expected slugging percentage was 165 points lower than the actual result, suggesting some of that damage may have come down to poor luck rather than poor execution.

New Pitches Begin to Take Shape
Another notable development was the use of his newer offerings. Prielipp mixed in both a curveball and a sinker, pitches he still considers recent additions to his arsenal. The sinker was introduced last season, while the curveball came out of a January pitching camp. The Twins were intentional about building his innings base before expanding his repertoire, and now those additions are starting to show up in games.

“We kind of wanted to get through the [2025] season before trying anything else,” said general manager Jeremy Zoll. “[The curveball is] showing really good promise. It’s showing good early results. That’s all, really encouraging.”

Neither pitch was a focal point in this start, but their presence matters. They give Prielipp more ways to attack hitters and could become critical as he faces lineups multiple times. This will be critical for him to stick as a starting pitcher.

Fastball Command Remains the Next Step
While the slider stole the show, Prielipp’s fastball still needs refinement. He topped out at 97.3 mph, but his command was inconsistent. Several fastballs missed high and out of the zone, limiting his ability to establish it early in counts. Some of that might have been nerves from making his debut, so it is something to monitor.

That said, the pitch does have some natural synergy with his slider. Elevated fastballs can change a hitter’s eye level before the breaking ball drops out of the zone. Still, to stick in a starting role, Prielipp will likely need to rely on it more and locate it more effectively.

His fastball was the lone pitch with a positive run value from his debut, but it had a 1.456 xSLG in limited use. With his current pitch mix, improving fastball command could be the key to unlocking another level of consistency.

A Debut That Means More
Prielipp’s journey to this point has not been straightforward. A 2022 draft pick out of Alabama, he has already undergone two Tommy John surgeries and entered pro ball with limited innings. That made his debut as much about perseverance as performance.

“Whenever someone goes through as much adversity as someone like Connor did,” said Zoll, “going through two rehabs without pitching in meaningful games in pro ball yet, you’re just always rooting for someone like that to get a chance.”

Now healthy, Prielipp is beginning to show why the Twins remained patient. The organization’s 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year is still something of a blank canvas, but the early returns are promising.

Four innings is only a snapshot, but it was enough to highlight a legitimate out pitch, a developing arsenal, and a fastball that could determine his ceiling. For a first impression, that's more than enough to build on.

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What stood out about Prielipp’s debut? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Nshore]

It's kind of counterintuitive, but command of the off speed stuff seems to be of greater value at the Major League level than the heat.  Ryan and Ober are examples.  Prielipp has both, so I can see why the Twins have been so excited about him.

[jkcarew]

The stat line that had more to do with the encouraging results than any other: 0 walks.

Strike ratio (63%) probably needs to be a tad higher in the long term…but, he got away with it last night because they were constantly chasing and/or whiffing on the slider.

Good for him. Rojas shaky, but he escaped. Congrats on the milestone to him, as well.

[Linus]

He has some pitches to be excited about. Command is clearly an issue that needs to be improved upon for him to have consistent success. Like all players, we won’t know anything conclusive until the league sees him a few times. 

[Parfigliano]

Slider.  Slides.

Steve Carlton banked on that.

[DocBauer]

I agree the FB was a little inconsistent. It almost looked like he was overthrowing a few times? 

The slider was WICKED, as advertised. Not sure if it was trying to "get it over the plate" or him messing with the batters, but I noticed a drop in velocity here and there.

I saw a LOT of promise with his new curveball. While it missed at times, I saw a really nice 11-5 bend that could really mess with hitters once he gets better command.

Nerves were present. That was obvious. But you could clearly see the STUFF that has all of us excited. He's NOT a finished product just yet. That will take time. What I'm wondering is if they keep him up to replace Abel's spot for now, or do they send him down and move Morris...still stretched out...for the meantime? 

Considering the pen's need for another arm, one with decent velocity, and Prielipp's potential, I'm thinking Prielipp stays up and Morris sticks in the bullpen.

Regarding Rojas, who was brought up, I can see the reason for excitement. He wasn't great, a little wild, probably some nerves involved, but he really held his own and did OK. I DON'T want to set back his timetable as a possible SP, but DAMN does he have some good stuff. It's really tempting to keep him instead of Banda and see what he might bring to the pen along with Morris also sticking around, along with Sands, Funderburk, Rogers, Orze, Topa and the surprising Acton, SSSS allowed. 

Can they afford to keep a pair of SP arms in the pen like Morris and Rojas without diminishing potential rotation futures and later reinforcement if someone else gets injured? IDK, but the pen, and it's future, sure looks a lot more interesting if they could do so. (Hopefully Laweryson's injury is minor, because he's looked really solid so far).

[Otaknam]

A positive outing for a big league debut. Great slider and 97mph fastball, with some solid secondary pitches. Let’s hope his arm holds up and he gets more starts to build his innings and stamina. Rojas also managed two scoreless innings in his debut. 3 walks, though, so his command needs to improve. But he looks like he has a couple of above average pitches, a good sign! Now let’s hope Able doesn’t have arm trouble and he comes back soon.

[DataNerd]

24 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

The slider was WICKED, as advertised. Not sure if it was trying to "get it over the plate" or him messing with the batters, but I noticed a drop in velocity here and there.

That would be the curveball, all of the sliders were 86-89.  Spinrate of 3369 RPM, absolutely filthy

[Brett]

He was fun to watch. We need more players like that.

[HerbieFan]

I get the health issues he's overcome.  That said, in one appearance he already has established his floor as a dominant reliever with that slider.

[LastOnePicked]

I was skeptical he'd ever reach the majors, so I give him and the Twins minor league development staff a ton of credit. I hope he has a great MLB career ahead and makes me look even more foolish.

[tony&rodney]

Prielipp, Morris, and Rojas have been fun to watch. They each have good stuff and can still improve quite a bit with more consistent command.

I'm wondering if these three are better off learning in AAA or MLB, but I could easily support either position depending on what the Twins specifically do with each of them.

[Peter]

As bad as fire sale was last year! Twins prospects have great future!!! As much as I hate seeing twins lose-future looks bright!!! Happy days are coming!!! Go twins!!!