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But before that, let’s take a look at some of his numbers. He posted a 6.43 ERA in just seven games before missing the rest of the season due to injury. However, in the two seasons prior to 2015, he was a workhorse in the Brewers bullpen. He pitched in 135 games (135.1 innings) he posted a 2.93 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and walked just 2.1 per nine innings. Of course, the one less encouraging number is the 5.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
He is a ground ball machine. For his MLB career, he has averaged about 2.7 groundouts per fly out. He coaxes a ground ball about 58% of the time. He throws a lot of sinking fastballs. He also mixes in a slider with an occasional change up.
His path to the big leagues was a bit unusual. The Las Vegas native was the 40th round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2004 out of Dixie State College of Utah. He pitched that season and one more in that organization before he was released. He was a starter.
“I went to independent ball. I actually played for the St. Paul Saints in ‘09. The Brewers signed me out of there.”
After pitching in Winnipeg for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, he made 14 appearances for the Saints in 2009 before the Brewers signed him. They sent him right to AA.
In 2010 after pitching to a 0.40 ERA in 20 AA games, he moved up to AAA. He posted a 2.36 ERA in 22 AAA games. In early September, 2010, the then-26-year-old made his major league debut. He was up and down with the Brewers the next two seasons before pitching in 71 games for the big league club in 2013.
Kintzler felt great about his usage those years. He said, “The more I’m in there, the better I pitch, the more rhythm I have.”
However, toward the end of the 2014 season, Kintzler started to experience some pain in his left knee, his landing knee.
“I had knee surgery at the end of 2014. I actually pitched with a torn tendon all of that year. The rehab didn’t go well, so I had to strengthen my leg all last year. I tried to pitch. It just wasn’t happening. That’s probably why my numbers weren’t too good.”
Of course, when you’re experience pain in one place on your body, there is a tendency to over-compensate elsewhere.
“I’d take a knee over an arm. Problem is that it was affecting my arm. I strained my shoulder at the beginning of ‘14. It was affecting a lot of things. That’s why we basically shut it down for the year, and we took care of it. So now it’s good.”
Unfortunately, it took experiencing the shoulder pain to even consider taking a look at his knee. That’s when Brewers doctors found that he had a torn tendon in his knee. That was very frustrating for the right-hander.
Following the 2015 season, the Brewers removed Kintzler from their 40-man roster. He had some options, but he chose to sign with the Twins.
“There were about five or six options out there. I’ve liked the Twins for awhile. Obviously I was rehabbing all year and they were a team I watched a lot. I felt like, with knowing Eddie Guardado ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to play for him. It seemed like it was a good spot for me to be in.”
How did Kintzler know Eddie G?
“His agent was my coach when I was a kid, so I just knew him. He always came around and gave advice growing up a little bit. I’ve always heard good things. Now he’s the bullpen coach. I’ve heard a lot of people liked him a lot. I need guys like that, with that kind of attitude. When I was in Milwaukee, I played with Mike Gonzalez. He was kind of like the same attitude, and I had a great year. If I can be around someone like that, it’s good for me.”
Twins fans often get frustrated with Terry Ryan for not telling them everything they want to know. However, players (Twins or free agents) appreciate how much of a straight-shooter that Ryan is. That was one of the things that made Kintzler pick the Twins.
“I felt like they were going to give me the best chance. I wasn’t looking to be depth anywhere. I felt like I had two good years, in ‘13 and ‘14. Then last year it’s not like I had a bad year, I was just injured. I felt like they were going to give me the best opportunity, the best look in spring training. So, that’s why. They didn’t sign a bunch of guys, which is what I liked. I felt like they weren’t lying to me. It’s the best situation.”
Not only was it clear to him that he was wanted when the Twins (and other teams) were courting him, but it has remained the case ever since.
“Terry Ryan’s called me. Paul Molitor’s called me. I mean, that goes a long ways with any player. I don’t think the Brewers called me other than when I got released.”
Asked what it meant for him to be invited to Twins Fest, again, something that the Twins don’t typically do with non-roster minor league free agents, Kintzler smiled and said it continues to make him feel good about his decision.
“The fact that you get invited to this as a non-roster guy is big. I’ve been on the (MLB) roster the last five years, and when you’d see a guy coming in, you think that means a lot. The fact they invited me on the day after they signed me means a lot to me. It just shows that they were serious about the signing. It’s not just we’re going to sign you, and we’re going to lie to you, and you’ll be some depth. They’re really going to give me a chance.They obviously think highly of me if they want the fans to know me and the players to know me. Something I’ve really looked forward to.”
Of course, he didn’t really know any of his new teammates having played in the National League, well, except one. “Basically I don’t know anyone, except Mike Strong who we claimed the other day. He’s the only other guy that I know.”
Kintzler made it clear that he wasn’t just saying that he is in the best shape of his life, like we often read this time of the year. However, he does feel good for the first time in a couple of years.
“I’ve just been trying to stay on the program I learned in my rehab. My legs feel really good. My throwing is great. It’s probably the best I’ve felt in three years. I’m really, really excited about how my body feels. I’ve learned a lot through my training as far as what I need and what I don’t need through the therapist. You learn things as you go. It sucks that I had to miss last year, but if it helps me gain another five or six years, that’s fine with me.”
And that’s the right attitude for the 31-year-old to have. He is healthy and optimistic that he can make the team and contribute.
“I’ve just been pitching with so many knee injuries, now that I’m finally healthy, I’m really excited for what’s to come. It will be different, but I like the fresh start. I think it was time for me to get a fresh start away from Milwaukee, and obviously they’re doing a fresh start too.”
This is the kind of minor league contract that made a world of sense for the Twins. It is a low-risk deal. Though he likely would not be a back-of-the-bullpen option, he could be a guy who throws often and gets a lot of ground balls. He will be given a chance, and if he performs as well as Blaine Boyer did most of 2016, Twins fans should be happy.
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