In a Crowded Twins Pitching Picture, Don't Overlook This Southpaw Prospect

Organizations need pitching depth throughout a 162-game season, to overcome injuries and poor performance. The Twins hired Derek Falvey to replicate the successful pitching pipeline he helped develop in Cleveland. Minnesota is starting to see the fruits of that labor, with the team projected to have one of the AL’s best pitching staffs in 2024. They have amassed depth by fishing in multiple rivers, including drafting and developing young players and trading for arms, then tweaking specific pitches. 

The Twins drafted Brent Headrick from Illinois State University in the 9th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Minnesota’s current front office has shown a tendency to draft college pitchers from lesser-known schools in the draft’s later rounds, in hopes of working with the player on slight mechanical adjustments to improve velocity and pitch mix. Tracking his development in the Twins system has been challenging, because the pandemic wiped out what should have been his first full professional campaign. Headrick only sits in the low 90s with his fastball, but he has a good slider that can get swings and misses from lefties and righties.

The 2021 season was Headrick’s first chance to make an impression on the Twins organization, but shoulder issues limited him to 16 appearances. In 63 innings, he posted a 3.71 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP and an 88-to-35 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Fort Myers. Minnesota moved him up to High-A for the start of the 2022 season, and he dominated, with a 2.34 ERA and 10.6 K/9 across 15 starts. His strikeout rate increased to 12.3 K/9 when he was promoted to Double-A in the second half, which made it easy to add him to the team’s 40-man roster. 

So, what have been Headrick’s strengths when moving through the upper minors?

“For me, fastball has always been a strength, slider has always been good," Headrick told Twins Daily's John Bonnes. "And now this year, we’re trying to promote the splitter a little bit more to give that third weapon.”

The left-handed pitcher went on to say that he was comfortable using his secondary pitches against righties and lefties, so it will be interesting to see how he approaches hitters early in the season. 

Last season, Headrick began the year at St. Paul, and it was the first time he was over a year younger than the average age of the competition at his level. At Triple-A, he posted a 4.68 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 in what is considered a hitter-friendly league. With the Twins, he was asked to pitch multiple innings in half of his appearances, but he continued to strike out more than 10 batters per inning. His biggest issue was keeping the ball in the park, with seven home runs allowed in 25 2/3 innings. Adding an improved splitter can help him to keep batters more off-balance and improve his big-league performance. 

Headrick pitched as a starter in the minors, but all his big-league appearances came in a relief role. He plans to build up as a starter to begin the season, because it's easier to transition from that to a relief role than to do the reverse.

“I have pretty even splits for the most part, but the slider plays really well to lefties and righties," he said. "My biggest goal this year for righties is to get that splitter moving away from them, so they have a different look than just a slider coming in.”

Headrick’s path to the big leagues in 2024 isn’t as straightforward as it would have been in previous seasons. The Twins have added to the bullpen this winter, which leaves the club with three left-handed options ahead of Headrick on the depth chart: Caleb Thielbar, Steven Okert, and Kody Funderburk. Minnesota has five pitchers penciled into the rotation, with other options slated for Triple-A, like Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Matt Canterino. Headrick will begin the year in St. Paul, and must prove his new pitch mix is effective to earn a call-up.

Fans have clamored for the Twins to add pitching depth, and that’s one of the main goals of the current regime. Headrick fits into that pitching puzzle, and can play a significant role in 2024 and beyond.

What role will Headrick play with the Twins this season? Will his new pitch mix make him more effective? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

Reporter credit: @John Bonnes