St. Paul’s Rotational Depth and the Emergence of Minnesota’s Pitching Pipeline

Organizations strive to build a pitching pipeline, and the Minnesota Twins enter the 2025 season with an enviable amount of starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level. Prospects like David Festa, Zebby Matthews, Marco Raya, and Travis Adams highlight a deep collection of arms, and the organization’s approach to managing this talent will be key to its success.

Instead of a traditional five-man rotation, the Saints are expected to deploy a piggyback system early in the season. This means starters will likely be capped at 40-50 pitches per outing in the season’s early weeks. Then, those pitchers will be followed by another multi-inning arm, to maximize the number of innings and gradually build up the arms. Given the abundance of arms with starting experience, this method allows the Twins to ensure pitchers get their work in, while also limiting early-season wear and tear, especially in cold weather. 

Beyond the core group of pitching prospects, several non-roster invitees in Twins camp could factor into the Saints’ plans. Huascar Ynoa, Andrew Morris, Cory Lewis, Randy Dobnak, and Darren McCaughan provide additional depth and could slot into either primary starter or piggyback roles. Morris and Lewis rank among the organization’s best pitching prospects, so there is a chance the team will have them start at Double A to get more regular work. Lewis made one Triple-A start last season, while Morris pitched over 33 innings for the Saints. Ynoa, Dobnak, and McCaughan have all pitched at the big-league level and provide veteran organizational depth. This flexibility allows the organization to balance workload management with competition for potential big-league opportunities later in the year.

Simeon Woods Richardson is also a wild card in the discussion for the Saints' rotation to begin the year. Some believe he has the inside track for the parent club's final rotation spot, after a rookie campaign where he pitched better than expected. Across 133 2/3 innings, Woods Richardson struck out 20.6% of batters and held an ERA of 4.17. His ERA was significantly lower before the season’s final month, when he pitched past his career high in innings. It sounds like the Twins are holding an open competition for the team’s final rotation spot, though, and that could leave Woods Richardson back in St. Paul to start the 2025 campaign. 

One of the bigger storylines is how the Twins handle Louis Varland and Matt Canterino. Both pitchers have the stuff to be major-league starters, but with the organization’s starting pitching depth, they're overwhelmingly likely to transition into bullpen roles. Varland has previously seen success as a reliever, and Canterino’s high-octane arsenal could also play up in shorter stints. How the Twins deploy these two talented arms will be crucial for their development and impact on the major-league roster.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli spoke highly of Canterino earlier this spring.

“He's got a good, really talented arm, you know, and he's a guy that can do a lot of things," Baldelli told reporters. "And, you get a guy like that healthy and on a little bit of a roll. You do not have to squint too hard to see him getting a ton of swing and miss at the big-league level.”

Baldelli also discussed Varland in the same interview.

“He's not preparing for one role in particular. He's a guy that can adapt very quickly if we needed him to. I think it's very possible that we see a good amount of him out of the bullpen this year. We've seen the way he looks when he pitches out of the bullpen, but I'm not ready to say 100 percent locked in that Louie will pitch there.”

Managing innings and pitch counts is challenging for every organization in the modern baseball world. For example, the Twins have aggressively promoted Marco Raya while limiting his pitch count and innings. In his first 55 career appearances, there was only one time when he threw more than 75 pitches. The Twins let him cross the 75-pitch mark in multiple appearances at the end of last season, so it becomes a balancing act of keeping pitchers healthy while also building a starter’s workload. 

With so much pitching depth, the Saints' staff should be one of the most intriguing in all of Triple-A baseball. If the Twins manage their talent correctly, the depth at St. Paul could pay dividends at the big-league level as the season progresses.

Is this the start of Minnesota's pitching pipeline? 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!