Twins Video
HONORABLE MENTION
- Brady Anderson - Ft. Myers - 5 G, 2 GS, 17.1 IP, 1-0, 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 15 H, 2 BB, 8 K
- Randy LeBlanc - Ft. Myers/Chattanooga - 4 GS, 24.0, 2.25 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 25 H, 9 BB, 5 K
- Felix Jorge - Chattanooga - 5 GS, 31.0 IP, 2-1, 3-0, 3.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 30 H, 10 BB, 15 K
THE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS
#5 - Clark Beeker - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 GS, 2-1, 3.19 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 25 H, 6 BB, 20 K
Beeker was the Twins 33rd-round draft pick last June after four years at Davidson University. He made an appearance on this list last month too when he went 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA. In May, he did a nice job of keeping runners off base well, though his ERA is a bit higher. Opponents hit just .225/.273/.405 (.678) off of him in the month. Beeker relies on control and command of a fastball that reaches into the upper 80s. He mixes his pitches well.
Get to know more about Clark Beeker in his Twins Daily Q&A
from November.
#4 - Sean Poppen - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.97 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 30.1 IP, 30 H, 8 BB, 27 K
Another Kernels starter, Poppen was the Twins 19th-round pick last year after four years at Harvard. He started with the Kernels this season, and he’s been solid all year. Of his ten total starts, he has quality starts in nine of them. While Poppen sits 91-93, he works with a strong four-pitch mix and good control. Opponents hit just .259/.318/.328 (.645) during May. He is a good combination of enough smarts and with a strong baseball IQ.
#3 - Nik Turley - Chattanooga Lookouts - 6 G, 4 GS, 0-1, 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 16 H, 6 BB, 26 K
Turley was a 50th-round pick of the Yankees, was once their minor league pitcher of the year and on their 40-man roster. The Twins signed him this offseason from the independent leagues, and he’s been a pleasant surprise. After dominating AA in April, he spent May going back and forth between Chattanooga and Rochester, and between starting and the bullpen. But he handled it well. While his strikeout rate was down a bit (it had to come down from an incredible April, right?), opponents hit just .216/.272/.365 (.636) off him.
#2- Ryan Eades - Chattanooga Lookouts - 5 G, 4 GS, 3-1, 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 25.0 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 20 K
A former Twins second-round pick, Eades had moved to the bullpen last year, and it was the role he spent April in Chattanooga filling. But early in May, the Lookouts needed a starter, and he made the start. He has made three more starts, including what may be a spot start in AAA Rochester, and done quite well. Opponents hit just .220/.280/.330 (.610) against him. His future role may be in the bullpen, but he’s always had a good mix of pitches
And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is:
RHP Aaron Slegers- Rochester Red Wings – - 5 GS, 2-1, 3.41 ERA,
0.98 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 27 H, 4 BB, 11 K.
It’s been an interesting season for Sleegers, the 2013 fifth-round pick of the Twins out of Indiana. He wasn’t added to the 40-man roster last fall, but he was invited to big league spring training. He went to Rochester, and in his first start, he went six innings of no-hit ball. He then struggled a bit, but he seemed to figure things out well again in May. In fact, he had another game in which he had a no-hitter through seven innings. Opponents hit just .225/.248/.392 (.640).
Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. There were several solid starters in May without one that really stood out. And it’s always good to have lots of starting pitchers throwing well!
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