Marco Raya is Finally in the Right Role, at the Level He's Always Aspired to Reach

Marco Raya has never followed a conventional development path. Selected by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school in Texas, Raya immediately encountered obstacles. The pandemic delayed his professional debut after signing, and a shoulder strain cost him the entire 2021 season. Before he ever threw an official professional pitch, the right-hander had already lost two critical years of development.

What followed was a prospect journey defined by patience, flashes of brilliance, and constant questions about what Raya would ultimately become.

Electric Stuff From the Beginning

When Raya finally debuted in 2022, the talent was obvious. The results were often inconsistent, but evaluators couldn't ignore the quality of his arsenal. In 65 innings, he posted a 3.05 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, 28.9 K%, and 8.7 BB%. Minnesota pushed him to High-A and Double-A during the 2023 season, where he continued to strike out over 25% of batters and kept his walk rate below 9%.

Throughout his climb through the system, Raya featured one of the more intriguing collections of pitches in the Twins organization. His fastball sat comfortably in the mid-90s, while his high-spin breaking balls consistently generated ugly swings from hitters who often had no business being fooled by someone several years younger.

As a result, Raya became a fixture near the top of Twins prospect rankings despite concerns that never seemed to disappear. His workload was carefully managed, his command could be erratic, and his statistical production rarely matched the quality of his raw stuff. Still, the upside was difficult to ignore. By 2024, everything appeared to be coming together.

A Breakthrough Season

Raya took a significant step forward in 2024, climbing all the way to Triple-A St. Paul and forcing his way onto Minnesota's 40-man roster. For the first time in his professional career, it looked like he could be a legitimate homegrown starting pitcher capable of impacting the major-league rotation immediately.

In 97 2/3 innings, he posted a 4.05 ERA with a 24.6 K% and a 10.5 BB%. As a 21-year-old, he faced older batters in all but 41 plate appearances for the year, making his performance even more impressive. He held younger batters to a .502 OPS with 10 strikeouts and two walks in 39 at-bats.

Even then, however, some warning signs remained. The organization continued to handle him cautiously. Since being drafted, Raya had never reached the 100-inning mark in a season. Durability questions lingered, and command remained a work in progress. The raw ingredients were there, but the profile still required significant refinement. Then came 2025.

Triple-A Reality Check

Raya's return to St. Paul last season proved to be the most difficult stretch of his career. Instead of building on his momentum, he struggled to consistently throw strikes and put hitters away. Walks mounted, wild pitches became common, and outings frequently turned into labor-intensive battles.

By season's end, Raya posted a 6.02 ERA with a 12.6 BB%, the highest mark of his career. For the first time since entering professional baseball, he looked overwhelmed, rather than overpowering.

The struggles shouldn't completely overshadow the context. Raya spent much of the season as a 22-year-old facing older, more experienced hitters at Triple-A. Few pitchers move as aggressively through the Twins system, and development is rarely linear. Still, the season reinforced what many scouts and evaluators had suspected for years. His future may not be in a starting rotation.

The Bullpen Transition

The Twins began moving Raya toward relief work late last season, and all indications suggest that transition is now complete. Frankly, the move makes sense. Raya's combination of stuff, durability concerns, and inconsistent command has long pointed toward a bullpen role. Shorter outings should allow him to focus on his strengths while minimizing some of the weaknesses that surfaced as a starter.

His fastball already sits in the 95-97 mph range and has climbed higher as he has moved to a more consistent relief role. The sweeper, thrown around 86 mph, remains his signature weapon and continued to generate swings and misses even during last year's struggles. He’s thrown that pitch nearly 30% of the time at Triple-A this year.

His mid-80s curveball gives him another legitimate bat-missing offering, particularly against left-handed hitters, while his cutter sits around 90-91 mph and provides another useful look. As a starter, Raya experimented with as many as six pitches. As a reliever, he'll likely need only a handful.

Why There's Still Reason for Optimism

Despite the disappointing results in 2025, it's important to remember what hasn't changed. Raya is still just 23 years old, even though Twins fans have heard about him for multiple seasons. Raya's overall numbers at Triple-A in 2026 will look poor: a 5.54 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Most of the damage done against him came in April, when he allowed a 1.129 OPS and had an 11.68 ERA. Over the last 28 days, he has a 1.64 ERA and 0.64 WHIP, with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 11 innings.

The Twins remain convinced he has major-league talent, which is why they've continued to invest in his development and protected him on the 40-man roster. The quality of his stuff has never been in question. The challenge has always been finding the role that maximizes it.

Raya's prospect stock may have taken a hit after a difficult season in St. Paul, but his story is far from finished. In many ways, his transition to the bullpen may represent less of a setback and more of a beginning. For years, the Twins have searched for the best way to unlock his talent. Now they may finally have found it.

What role do you envision for Raya in Minnesota's bullpen: middle reliever, setup man, or someone capable of eventually closing games? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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