Twins Bullpen Depth Helping One Prospect Focus on Starting Pitcher Role

Derek Falvey's staff clearly has a type when it comes to drafting and developing players from the draft’s later rounds. High-school arms, like Charlee Soto and Marco Raya, have mostly been eschewed by the current regime because they come with high risk, even though that can potentially result in a long-term reward. Instead, the Twins have focused on college arms from lesser-known schools, believing in their own ability to develop those players after they have joined the organization. One left-handed pitcher has started strongly in 2024, and it might not be long until he’s needed as a starter at the big-league level. 

The Twins drafted Brent Headrick in the 9th round of the 2019 MLB Draft from Illinois State University. During the 2021 campaign, he was limited to 16 appearances due to shoulder issues. In 63 innings, he posted a 3.71 ERA with 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.

Last season, Headrick began the year as a starter at St. Paul and posted a 4.68 ERA. The Twins didn’t need him as a starter at the big-league level, so he was asked to pitch in a multi-inning relief role. Headrick continued to strike out more than ten batters per inning, but he allowed seven home runs in 25 2/3 frames. This spring, he talked to Twins Daily about adding a splitter to keep batters more off-balance, and so far, he’s off to a strong start with the Saints. 

In Headrick’s first start, he pitched 3 2/3 innings while allowing two earned runs, both on a home run. He struggled with command in his first appearance, with 37 of his 76 pitches thrown out of the strike zone. Batters swung at 35 of his pitches, with only five balls being hard hits and two being in the air. Eight of the 11 outs he recorded came via the strikeout, and he avoided surrendering any walks, even with his location being imperfect for his first start. He didn’t use the splitter in his first start, as he focused on his four-seamer, changeup, and slider. It was a solid start, with some room for improvement. 

On Saturday, Headrick made his second start of the season and guided the Saints to a 3-0 shutout over Nashville. He combined for five innings on 83 pitches while limiting the Sounds to two hits. Headrick combined for seven strikeouts and three walks while having a higher percentage of pitches in the strike zone. Batters swung at 36 of Headrick’s pitches with only two hard-hit balls, and both were on the ground. His splitter has yet to be identified by the classification algorithms, but some subtle changes to his changeup's spin, velocity and movement suggest that he might be incorporating both that offering and the new one. Perhaps he can start integrating his splitter more regularly as he gets more practice with the pitch on off days. 

At the big-league level, the bullpen has been one of the team’s strengths this season, even with Jhoan Durán, Caleb Thielbar, and Justin Topa on the IL. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has also been comfortable having relievers regularly throw multiple innings. Headrick can continue to develop as a starting pitcher with the Saints, instead of being needed as a reliever with the Twins. Shifting between starter and reliever in the same season can be challenging from a developmental perspective. Headrick is off to a strong start, and it will only be a matter of time before the Twins need him to start games at the big-league level. 

What are your expectations for Headrick this season? Will he continue to be used as a starter? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!