Sire of Fort Myers Update: Who Is Derek Law?

Before we get started, let’s take a look at how the talent pool has been thinned out over the past week.

TRANSACTIONS

March 14: Dakota Chalmers, Bailey Ober, Jordan Balazovic and Jhoan Duran all optioned to alternate training site.

March 15: Ben Rortvedt, Nick Gordon, Travis Blankenhorn and Gilberto Celestino all optioned to alternate training site.

March 19: Shaun Anderson and Devin Smeltzer optioned to alternate training site.

In addition to the roster being trimmed, the regulars are starting to see more playing time. That combined with the fact the Twins haven’t been playing very well this spring has resulted in a narrow field in the competition for Sire of Fort Myers.

Entering the weekend, the Twins ranked dead last in on-base percentage and run differential, 29th in slugging and 26th in both ERA and WHIP. Yikes. There’s no reason to panic over Spring Training stats, but you’d certainly rather see the Twins playing well.

Keon Broxton, who entered camp the favorite, still sits atop my Sire of Fort Myers power rankings (remember, guys on the 40-man roster who have MLB time like Kyle Garlick, Randy Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe are ineligible). Aside from Broxton, Derek Law is another player who has impressed.

In four outings so far this spring, Law has pitched four shutout innings, surrendered just one hit to go along with one walk. He was really impressive his last two outings, striking out six of the seven batters he’s faced. The other reached on an error.

Of the non-roster invitee pitchers, Law has the most major league time, racking up 167 games pitched from 2016-19. He spent last season at the Texas Rangers’ alternate site.

Law had an outstanding rookie season for the Giants in 2016, pitching to a 2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 5.56 K:BB ratio in 55 innings. He ranked 16th in both ERA and FIP among the 135 qualified relievers that season. Law, 30, couldn’t replicate that success over the next three seasons, posting a 5.25 ERA while struggling with control. His walk rate ballooned from 4.2% his rookie season to 11.9% over the next three years.

Law strays from the recent Twins relaimation reliever model in that he has a full arsenal. You’re not likely to see him suddenly start featuring one of his pitches excessively, a la Matt Wisler. In 2019, Law threw his fastball 36.7 percent of the time, his slider 30.5 percent of the time, his curveball 19.9 percent of the time and his changeup 12.9 percent of the time. That’s a pretty deep mix for a reliever these days.

Derek’s father, Joe Law, was a pitcher himself. Joe was called up to the Oakland A’s on two different occasions in 1988 but never appeared in a major league game. So you can bet Derek savors every moment he gets in the big leagues. For more on Derek and Joe Law, check out this great profile by MLB.com’s Walter Villa from back in 2016.

In addition to Broxton and Law, there are other candidates who still have a shot at the crown. It’s the same bunch that I featured in my Sire of Fort Myers update last week. Speaking of which, Brandon Waddell may have seemed like an odd inclusion among the top candidates a week ago, but he’s continued to turn heads. He gave up four earned runs in his second spring outing but has given up just one hit over 5 2/3 shutout innings since. In that time he’s struck out 10 batters without issuing a walk.

The Twins have just 10 Spring Training games left to play. Which players have caught your eye so far this spring?

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