Twins Daily’s 2026 Twins Pitcher of the Year

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The Twins had 32 different pitchers take the mound this season, along with a pair of position players in Alex Jackson and Orlando Arcia(!). There were some bright spots, including a few young pitchers who took important steps forward. But it was an injury-filled year for the Twins’ pitching staff, as only one hurler recorded more than 145 innings.

However, the injuries also gave fans a chance to see some younger pitchers get their first taste of the majors. Minnesota also added a few arms via trade, including a couple who cracked (or nearly cracked) today’s top three. Let’s take a look at the best Twins pitchers of the 2026 season.

Honorable Mentions
Before getting into the top three, a couple of honorable mentions are worth recognizing.

SP Connor Prielipp: 4.87 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 23.9% K, 8.2% BB, 3.73 FIP, 125 2/3 IP (24 G, 22 GS)
SP Dean Kremer: 3.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 22.7% K, 8.5% BB, 3.82 FIP, 54 1/3 IP (10 G, 10 GS)

#3: RP Yoendrys Gómez

2026 Stats: 21 SV, 3.62 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 24.2% K, 13.5% BB, 3.40 FIP, 49 2/3 IP (56 G)

Yoendrys Gómez was acquired from Tampa Bay on May 6 for cash considerations, and he turned out to be an extremely important piece of the Twins’ bullpen. He went 21-for-21 on save opportunities to begin his tenure as the Twins' (accidental) closer, before hitting a rough patch toward the end of the season. He still finished 21-for-23, giving Minnesota a reliable ninth-inning option. That was something the Twins desperately needed, after struggling to find a consistent answer at the back of the bullpen earlier in the year.

Gómez’s sweeper proved to be a dominant pitch, generating a 40% whiff rate while allowing very little hard contact. Pair that with a quality four-seam fastball that sits around 96 miles per hour, and there's a strong foundation for a high-leverage reliever.

There are still some things for Gómez to clean up, particularly his command. His 13.5% walk rate left plenty of room for improvement, and limiting the free passes could help him take another step forward. But he figures to remain a late-inning option for Derek Shelton next season. If he can build on what he accomplished in 2026 while improving his control, he could become one of the better relievers in the AL Central.

#2: SP Joe Ryan

2026 Stats: 3.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 25.9% K, 5.0% BB, 3.70 FIP, 144 2/3 IP (27 G, 27 GS)

Joe Ryan won this award in 2025 and may have been able to repeat, had it not been for injuries. He looked like a legitimate Cy Young contender during the first half of the season, earning a spot on the American League All-Star roster in the process.

He was comfortably the Twins’ best arm before the All-Star break, showing the swing-and-miss stuff and command that have made him such an important part of the rotation. He continued to pound the strike zone and miss bats at a high rate, while his 5.0% walk rate ranked among the best in baseball.

Unfortunately, Ryan didn't look quite like the same pitcher after the All-Star break. He landed on the injured list in early August with a glute strain and missed about a month. Although he returned to the mound, the missed time limited him to 144 2/3 innings. When Ryan was healthy, he looked like an ace. His underlying numbers also suggest he may have slightly underperformed his results, giving Twins fans reason to believe he can bounce back next season.

Barring an offseason trade, Ryan should continue to lead Minnesota's starting rotation in 2027. His ability to miss bats and limit walks gives him a strong foundation, and a healthy season could put him back in the conversation among the American League's best starters. However, when looking at the starting pitchers who made this list, including the honorable mentions, innings pitched mattered quite a bit. Ryan's season was impressive, but he simply didn't have the same workload as this year's winner.

Minnesota Twins’ 2026 Pitcher of the Year: SP Taj Bradley

2026 Stats: 3.73 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 27.4% K, 10.2% BB, 3.82 FIP, 178 1/3 IP (31 G, 31 GS)

Taj Bradley entered the season with plenty of question marks after making a rough first impression with the Twins in 2025. After Minnesota acquired him from Tampa Bay, there were questions about whether he could develop into the frontline starter the organization hoped he would become. He answered a lot of those questions in 2026.

He was one of just 13 pitchers to record 200 or more strikeouts this season, flashing the upside of a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter. He made 31 starts, threw 178 1/3 innings and showed that he could handle a significant workload while missing bats at a high rate.

Five of Bradley's 31 starts featured double-digit strikeout totals, and his 27.4% strikeout rate ranked in the 83rd percentile among major league pitchers. That ability to generate swings and misses gives him an important foundation to build on as he continues developing. In the span of a year, or technically about eight months, Bradley went from a pitcher who needed to prove himself to a leader of the Twins' pitching staff. He's still only 25 years old, which makes his 2026 performance even more exciting when considering what could be ahead.

Of course, there are still areas where Bradley can improve. His 10.2% walk rate shows that his command isn't quite where it needs to be, and he occasionally struggled to get hitters to chase pitches outside the strike zone. If he can clean up those non-competitive misses and improve his command within the strike zone this offseason, there's reason to believe he could produce even better results next year.

Bradley wasn't perfect, but he gave the Twins plenty to be excited about moving forward. After a season filled with injuries and uncertainty across the pitching staff, having a young starter take such a significant step forward is a major positive.

The Twins will need more consistent production from their pitching staff in 2027, particularly if they hope to get back into postseason contention. Bradley's development, Ryan's health and the continued emergence of younger arms could go a long way toward determining how successful that effort will be.