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Acquired from the Miami Marlins for right-handed pitching prospect Logan Whitaker on April 2, Garrett Acton joined the Minnesota Twins' 40-man roster, hoping to pitch more than the one inning he threw for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025. The 28-year-old accomplished that feat in his first appearance as a Twin, facing eight batters over two innings against the Detroit Tigers on April 9. Acton pitched 4 2/3 more innings that month, netting an impressive 2.70 ERA, 2.20 FIP, and a 32.1% strikeout rate—before being placed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain on April 26. He was later transferred to the 60-day IL, before joining the Triple-A St. Paul Saints' roster on August 1.
“The shoulder thing was a hiccup.” Acton said. “[But] I feel like it’s largely been a successful year … I’ve learned a lot from Pete [Maki] and Luis [Ramirez].” Before receiving insight from the Twins pitching coaches, however, Acton had already gotten good advice. He believes his time in Miami played a big role in his success this season.
“I guess one of the things that was kind of an emphasis with Miami was expanding the arsenal, right?" he said. "In spring training, I was working on a sweeper, obviously, and a kick change. Coming over here, [Maki and Ramirez] were like, ‘You have two really good pitches in your fastball and slider. Let’s get a third pitch.’ And that ultimately ended up being my old changeup.”
Before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, Acton threw his four-seamer 69% of the time; his slider 23% of the time; and his changeup 9% of the time with the then-Oakland Athletics. In his one inning pitched for Tampa Bay last season, he threw only his four-seamer (81%) and change (19%). Yet, with Minnesota this season, he has almost exclusively become a fastball-slider pitcher, throwing his four-seamer 54% of the time and his slider 45%. He throws what Baseball Savant categorizes as a splitter 1% of the time; that's the “old changeup” Acton was referring to.
“(We prioritized) tightening up the arsenal," the journeyman explained. "But the emphasis was still the same. Dominate the strike zone pre-[two-strike counts], be able to expand, and use my best pitch [once I get to two strikes].”
After being recalled from Triple-A when major-league rosters expanded to 28 players on September 1, Acton initially pitched well. with four innings of one-run ball in his first two appearances. He fanned four and allowed just five baserunners in those outings. Things went sour on Sunday against the White Sox, but Acton felt he tapped into something real and valuable.
“Ultimately, I’m trying to play the north-south game," he said. "I’m trying to get some killshots up [with my fastball]. I know that’s where I’m going to generate most of my swing-and-miss … But I also need to be able to work below with my slider and change.”
The Sunday night shellacking got Acton a ticket back to St. Paul on Labor Day, as the Twins reinstated Joe Ryan from the injured list. He was optioned, but not cut loose from the organization. There's still a chance for him to have an impact next year.
Some of the club’s eight-pitcher bullpen is already constructed for 2027. Given good health, Yoendrys Gómez, Jeff Hoffman, Andrew Morris, Kody Funderburk, and Tommy Nance are all but guaranteed their spots. A slew of mid-to-low-leverage candidates presently possess 40-man roster spots alongside Acton: Travis Adams, Jack Anderson, Marco Raya, and Eric Orze, with Cole Sands, Mike Paredes, and Anthony Banda set to return from the injured list before spring training. There's ample room for an affable late bloomer with plus stuff to carve out a role, though, and Acton is closer to doing so now than he was five months ago—even if much of the time between then and now was spent mired in frustrating stasis.
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- Andy MacPhail and thelanges5
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