Lou Hennessy

The club is hoping this “substantial package” will continue inspiring their resurgent lineup. In an unprecedented move, the Minnesota Twins are adding a third hitting coach to their uniformed squad, making it the meatiest trio in Major League Baseball. The club announced that their beloved Rally Sausage is being promoted to this new role after inspiring the Twins’ hitters over their recent hot stretch. “Coaching isn’t just about the depth of information that’s in your brain, but how you inspire others with your everyday routines,” said an emotional Twins’ President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey as a single tear drop slowly cascaded down the ridge of his cheek. “We owe everything to Rall'. He’s not just another guy in the room. He’s our muse.” It’s a meteoric rise for the one-pound package of summer sausage, who has yet to comment on his promotion. He just made his debut in the Twins’ dugout last week, when the Twins were just starting their nine-game winning streak that propelled them back into contention. For Twins’ hitters, seeing their beloved Rally Sausage finally don a team uniform for every game is going to be a welcome sight, and one that is well-deserved. “I can’t wait to see him repping our squad and looking the part – a vital part of what we’re trying to do,” said manager Rocco Baldelli as he bowed his head in reverence, almost to genuflect at the sight of his new hitting coach. “In my many years in baseball, I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone that can be so effective at inspiring a group of men while being completely inanimate.” Baldelli paused and leaned in as if he was going to whisper discretely. “I am a little bit afraid of how these new uniforms are going to fit him,” he said with a skepticism drenching his hushed voice. “Let’s be real – these things are practically see-through. We’re going to be able to see the sausage through those pants clear as day.” While many have fallen in love with the Rally Sausage in his short time sweating in the spotlight, this new development is bound to rub some people the wrong way. Critics will point to his lack of experience, his fat content and the fact that he’s never possessed the capability to have a cogent thought and likely never will. “I get it. Sure, Rally Sausage is just a big tube of gross, smelly meat. That’s going to be something that a lot of people can’t get over,” said star catcher Ryan Jeffers as he put the finishing touch on his homemade oil painting of his new mentor. “But at the end of the day, aren’t we all just big tubes of gross, smelly meat? Pretty sure I read that in the bible.” The Twins are hoping that the trio of David Popkins, Rudy Hernandez and Rally Sausage will come together to form a knowledgeable, insightful and naturally hardwood slow-smoked tandem that keeps their bats as tangy as they have been in recent weeks. If all goes well, the current crop of surging Twins hitters could earn the moniker The Boys of Summer Sausage. View full article

The red-hot Minnesota Twins are getting their closer back, after the fireballer missed the last six weeks of action with an oblique strain. He’ll be available Tuesday night in Chicago, as the club tries to extend their winning streak to nine games. Image courtesy of © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK The Twins are activating Jhoan Durán from the injured list, which should improve the back end of an already solid bullpen picture. To make room on the active roster, the club is designating righty Matt Bowman for release or assignment, per their announcement. Durán has been one of the premier arms in the American League since making his debut in 2022, and there’s a case to be made for him being the most electric arm in club history. In his first two seasons of action at the major-league level, the righty has dazzled with a combined 2.15 ERA and a stellar 33.2% strikeout rate. His fastball has touched 104 MPH, and his high-90s splinker and hard curveball have proven to be excellent complements to that heat. He’ll join Griffin Jax and Blake Stewart as high-leverage arms in the club’s relief corps. Durán’s return is pretty much right on schedule, based on the club’s comments at the onset of his injury diagnosis. The speculation was that it would be a four- to six-week recovery period, making early May a target for his return. But after two rehab outings in St. Paul last week, the club decided to send him straight to Chicago to join the major-league unit. The team is taking a risk by designating Bowman for assignment, as it will expose him to other teams who could be interested in submitting a waiver claim. The veteran hurler was surprisingly effective in his five games with the Twins, pitching to a 2.35 ERA across 7 2/3 innings, with six strikeouts against four walks. His underlying metrics left much to be desired, though, as he had trouble missing bats (20% whiff rate) and gave up plenty of hard contact (47.4% hard-hit rate). In the unlikely event that every other team passes on their opportunity to claim the 32-year-old, he could theoretically remain in the Twins' organization, albeit off the 40-man roster. Other speculated candidates who could have been removed from the major-league roster to make room for Durán include lefty Kody Funderburk (2.38 ERA) or righty Cole Sands (1.35 ERA). Both have minor-league options remaining, and could therefore avoid being exposed to the waiver wire. The club will likely have to make another roster decision shortly, as righty Justin Topa has started a rehab stint with the Saints, and assuming all goes as planned, he should be ready for activation in the coming week. For now, though, they'll keep the impressive Funderburk and Sands around and risk losing Bowman. What do you think? Can Durán reclaim his throne as the hardest-thrower in baseball? Was designating Bowman for assignment the right call? What should the club do when Topa returns? Let us know what you think in the comment section, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

The Minnesota Twins are getting one star infielder back on the field. But in the process, they’re sending down a young guy who (mostly) held his own in his first stint in the major leagues. Even with the Twins riding a seven-game winning streak, Correa’s return is a welcome development for a lineup that just recently pulled itself out of the cellar. Before being placed on the injured list with what was thought to be an oblique injury on Apr. 12, the veteran shortstop was having his best April at the plate since joining the Twins in 2022. Correa had a .306/.442/.444 line (162 wRC+) across 11 games, with a career-high 18.2% walk rate on top of just nine strikeouts. Luckily, it was discovered that the injury actually occurred to his intercostal muscles, which presented a much shorter recovery time than an oblique strain likely would have. If he can pick up right where he left off despite skipping a rehab assignment, Correa will deliver stabilizing production from the right side of the plate, while giving his backup, Willi Castro, some much-needed time off. For his part, Martin held his own in his 22 games since being promoted after Royce Lewis suffered a strained quad on Opening Day. The speedy 25-year-old sports a .226/.294/.371 (94 wRC+) clip, while playing a defensively sound left field and a passable center field. Martin also presented some much-needed diversity when it came to his approach at the plate, especially during a stretch where strikeouts were at an all-time high for much of the Twins’ lineup. He’ll now head to the Saints to get everyday playing time in the outfield, and possibly second base, where he only appeared in one game for the Twins. One of the other speculated options to be demoted would have been infielder José Miranda, who is limited to first base, third base and designated hitter, but he’s been on a tear over the last week, and the optics of sending down a player who has helped rejuvenate the Twins’ offense with an .820 OPS might have presented an issue. With this decision to keep him with the major-league club, the Twins can play Miranda’s hot hand, and they can easily reverse the move if he goes through a cold streak and Martin's performance in St. Paul calls for another call-up. What do you think? What will Correa’s return mean to the red-hot Twins lineup? What should Martin work on in the minor leagues as he awaits another shot in the big leagues? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

Things are about to get porky at Target Field. (Can we say that on God's own internet?) Image courtesy of © Reid Glenn / USA TODAY NETWORK After a shaky start to the season by the Twins, the team’s top brass made a move to bring in some fresh meat. It was announced earlier today that OzemPig, the team’s top mascot prospect, would be taking over as the club’s primary cheerleader for the time being. The incumbent, TC Bear, is going down to Triple-A St. Paul to work on his mechanics as he tries to get himself back on track. “We still have the utmost confidence in TC, but at this point we’re not doing him any favors by keeping him up here on a nightly basis,” said the Twins’ President of Baseball Operations, Derek Falvey. “And on the other end, OzemPig has really burst onto the scene with the Saints and we’re excited to see what he can bring to our big league club.” Figuring things out in the minor leagues is going to be new territory for TC Bear, who has been with the major-league club since debuting on Opening Day in 2000. But it’s a necessary move, as his sa-bear metrics have taken a noticeable plummet in the season’s first few weeks. So far, TC Bear is seeing career lows when it comes to T-shirt cannon exit velocity, bear-el rate and xwO-BEAR. “We know TC will get it going eventually, but right now it feels like he’s still in hibernation,” said the club’s vibes coordinator, Chet Simpson. “And what the hell happened to his paws?” In his place, OzemPig will try to establish himself as a high-energy contributor, and less of the distraction that he was in the first week of the minor-league season. Many Saints fans complained that his name was somehow insensitive, as it reflects a controversial weight loss drug that has been promoted by many celebrities. “Wait, that’s what people are upset about now?” said Twins’ manager Rocco Baldelli. “Geez, I guess Minnesotans really can find a way to cry about anything.” OzemPig has the chops to ignite some excitement in what has been a relatively lifeless start to the season for the Twins. His calling card is his OAA (Oinks Above Average), but he’s starting to develop some offensive firepower, as well. In 12 games with the Saints this year, he has a .969 slOPS+ and he leads the league in xwo-BACON. “We’re excited to see what Ozzie can do,” said Simpson. “At the risk of sounding cute, I guess you could say it’s time to bring home the bacon." OzemPig is expected to make his debut on Friday night against the Detroit Tigers, which by pure coincidence happens to be Pork Belly Appreciation Night sponsored by Minnesota Pork Farmers. View full article

Thanks for the click!

Thanks for the feedback! Really not intended to be gloomy. I think Thielbar can still be a really effective option and I by no means wanted to suggest he's washed-up.

Thank you very much for the click and the comments, Bombo. I'm glad my shocking headline was able to reel you in.

I wouldn't disagree with that. I didn't call for the team to shoot him out of a cannon. I merely asked if they should go with a committee mindset rather than relying on one primary high-leverage lefty as they've done over the last few years.

Did this really come off as a doomer article?

Caleb Thielbar was somewhat of a reclamation project when the Twins brought him back into the fold in 2020. But since then, he’s established himself as one of the best left-handed relievers in club history. But after losing some steam in the final couple months of last season, and a delayed ramp-up this season, is it time for him to pass the baton to someone else? Caleb Thielbar isn’t just another veteran reliever that the club churns through year after year. Maybe that was the club’s intention when they convinced him to delay his collegiate coaching career in lieu of one last opportunity to compete for a roster spot coming into the 2020 season, but something has kept him in their long-term plans ever since. Surely the club saw something they liked about the veteran hurler, but there’s no way they expected him to become the buzzsaw that he’s been ever since. Since returning to the league in 2020, Thielbar has a combined 3.36 ERA across 174 ⅓ innings pitched, with a superb 30% strikeout rate on top of a very reasonable 7.4% walk rate. He’s nailed down big outs time after time, and he’s taken younger pitchers under his wing with each new season. But the sun will set on him at some point, as it will with all pitchers. Are we seeing Thilbar’s twilight? Have we already seen it? It’s easy to say it’s time to pass the baton when Thielbar has an 81.00 ERA on the year, even if it is after about as small of a sample size as you can get. The veteran southpaw had a delayed start to his season after experiencing some hamstring discomfort during spring training, then coughed up three earned runs and the lead in his first game back on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers. That’s not exactly the start that Twins’ brass envisioned when constructing their veteran-heavy bullpen picture, with Thielbar penned somewhere in the inner ring. But now that he’s back on the mound, are we going to see manager Rocco Baldelli throw him right into the fire as a primary set-up option? Is he going to be the high-leverage lefty that he’s been for the last four seasons? There are two major factors that should be taken into account when answering these questions – Thilebar’s age and the possible replacements that they have in tow. At 38-years-old, it’s hard to rely on Thielbar being the same lights-out weapon on a contending team that he has been. Can he still pitch meaningful innings if his stuff does start to understandably slip? Absolutely, and the Twins’ decision-makers are likely banking on that. But it doesn’t mean he needs to sit atop their pecking order when it comes to left-handed relief options, or even late-and-close situations. In his absence early on, Steven Okert has performed quite admirably, albeit over a very small sample size of five innings pitched. In those five games, the 32-year-old lefty has a 1.80 ERA and is striking out 40.9% of the batters he’s faced. He hasn’t been able to get his opponents to chase as much as you’d like from a high-leverage arm (21.6%), but part of that is due to the fact that he gets plenty of swing-and-miss within the strike zone, especially with his lethal slider that he’s leaned on pretty heavily. In fact, opponents have a miss rate of 33% on pitches in the strike zone this season, which is good for fourth-best in all of baseball so far this year according to Inside Edge. Kody Funderburk has been another lefty option out of the pen in this young season, and he’s mostly passed every test he’s been given. In six games with the club, the 27-year-old rookie has a 1.29 ERA and has struck out 11 batters across seven innings pitched. He doesn’t boast the same raw stuff that an Okert or Thielbar has, but he gets ground balls at an impressive 55.6% clip and he has yet to give up an extra-base hit with his slider so far in his big league career. Could the Twins shift toward using these three with a committee outlook rather than sticking to a lefty hierarchy as they have in the past? It could help mitigate the risk of Thielbar regressing as he ages, and it could help keep the bullpen arms fresh throughout the year. Of course, the hope is that Thielbar can get back on track, and he hasn’t shown us any specific reason why he can’t to this point. Besides having a spotty track record with injuries in recent years, the veteran has mostly performed up to the high standards that have been set for him when he’s been healthy. But the sun sets fast on a lot of players as they enter their late-thirties, and the Twins should be proactive as they navigate a lengthy season that is still in its infancy, especially as it pertains to the veteran lefty that should go down as one of the best in franchise history when all is said and done. What do you think? Does Caleb Thielbar still have gas in the tank? Should the Twins shuffle their relief plans knowing regression could be on the way? Who has impressed you most out of their bullpen so far this season? Let us know in the comments, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

In the moment, the trade that shipped away fan favorite Luis Arráez certainly stung. But it's time for fans to embrace Pablo López as an organizational cornerstone, on and off the field. That's why Pablo Day matters. Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports Pablo López has become as likable as the guy he was traded for. Sure, nobody will hold the same space in the hearts of countless Minnesota dads as the spectacular Luis Arráez, but the Twins’ ace has done everything that he can on and off the field to win those same hearts and minds. It’s no easy task to take over the same clubhouse stall that once belonged to an elite bat-to-ball guy--a perennial batting champion. It’s particularly painful for fans to remember what they had, given the lineup’s current cold streak. Yet, with his solid start on the mound and a new charitable endeavor that he’s starting with the Twins, López is teaching Twins Territory to love again. The 28-year-old righty announced earlier this week that he and his wife, Kaylee, are partnering with the Twins to offer special “Pablo Day” ticket packages for every home game that he starts from May through September. Fans who purchase these packages will receive a special Venezuela-themed jersey and a seat in a designated section. The hope would be for this section to emulate the fabled “King’s Court” in Seattle, which once hosted hundreds of rabid Félix Hernández fans for each of his home starts. Not only will this promotion create an electric atmosphere in the ballpark, but it benefits three local charities off the field, as well. A portion of each ticket sold for these “Pablo Days” will go toward three charities selected by López himself; Children’s Minnesota, Project Success and Ruff Start Rescue. For López, finding a way to give back to Twins Territory has meant the world. “It means a lot to me and a lot to us that they're allowing us to be a part of something big and something unique that's happening,” López said to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. “To be a part of this community has always been very special to us. Kaylee's from the Midwest and I met Kaylee playing in the Midwest League, so obviously, the quality of people that belong to Twins Territory means a lot to me.” López is establishing himself as a standout member of the community, and a cornerstone of the team’s roster. In his two starts this year, he’s put his dynamic repertoire on full display, with an elite chase rate (39.2%) and control (one walk in 12 ⅓ innings pitched). Add that admittedly small sample size to his work in his first year with the Twins last season, and he looks much like the ace that fans have been clamoring for since baseball bloggers were collecting Beanie Babies. In his young Twins career, López has a 3.61 ERA in 204 ⅓ innings pitched across 34 starts, good for 4.8 Wins Above Replacement, according to FanGraphs. While that ERA may come across as more good than great to many casual fans, his numbers under the hood are more representative of the caliber of pitcher that he’s been. Since the beginning of last season, López has 48 three-pitch strikeouts, which is third-most in baseball, according to Inside Edge. And he has proven to be an uncomfortable at-bat for his opponents, even when they would seemingly have the edge. When behind in the count, López has been able to get his opponents to chase 40% of the time, by far the best in baseball since the start of last season. This is what an ace looks like. Arráez could do so many things that are crucial to building a winning ballclub, but it’s hard to argue that he could’ve had the same impact that López has given the Twins. He hasn’t just added to the box scores, the standings and the league leaderboards on behalf of his club, but also to their community impact. He's already healed generational wounds, by taking the ball and ending the team's playoff victory drought last fall. He's become a bridge between fans whose angst has crusted over with bitterness in the frustrating years after Johan Santana departed, and a new generation who needs a way out of that shadow of gloom and grump. He doesn't want to merely produce for his club; he wants to add to ballpark experience. “I think it's going to be truly special if I happen to peek at the stands and I happen to see a lot of people wearing the jersey waiting for a strikeout, waiting for a big out, big moment,” López said. “I think it will definitely add adrenaline and passion to the moment itself.” Because of this, it’s no wonder the club decided to lock themselves into many more “Pablo Days” over the next four seasons. Fans can get used to rooting for a new fan-favorite. Yes, even you, Minnesota dads. What do you think? Has López won you over? Looking back, are you glad that the Twins made this trade with the Marlins? Let us know what you think in the comment section below, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

In an effort to regain some veteran depth in their relief corps depth chart after a handful of injuries, the Twins have brought in a well-known veteran to join their mix of bullpen options. Image courtesy of © Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports After a slew of injuries to their relief corps, the Twins have brought in Diego Castillo on a minor-league deal. He will begin the year with the Triple-A Saint Paul Saints. The former Tampa Bay Ray and Seattle Mariner had inked a minor-league deal with the Texas Rangers in the offseason, but he was granted his release on March 27th. The veteran right-hander is coming off of a challenging 2023 campaign, where he struggled to the tune of an unsightly 6.23 ERA across 8 ⅔ innings with the Seattle Mariners before being sent down in late-April. From there, Castillo didn’t find much success with Triple-A Tacoma, either. The 30-year-old had a 5.13 ERA in 47 ⅓ innings pitched, with a sky-high 15.5% walk rate and a career-low 22.1% strikeout rate. Last year’s production was a far cry from what was expected of the righty, and the Twins are banking on it being an outlier to an otherwise very impressive career. From his debut in 2018 through the 2022 season, Castillo was one of the most-stable setup relievers in the American League, saving 35 games on top of 52 holds. In those five seasons, he had a 3.12 ERA with a rock-solid 28.1% strikeout rate thanks to a standout slider and a pair of fastballs that averaged between 95-97 MPH. His velocity did take a notable dip last season, as both his four-seam fastball and sinker averaged just 93 MPH. The Twins are hoping Castillo can get back on track with the Saints, and to be in the mix as an early-season call-up to the major league bullpen in lieu of the injuries to Jhoan Duran, Caleb Thielbar, Justin Topa and Josh Staumont. If he can regain his form, and velocity, from his first five seasons, he could find himself climbing the Twins’ bullpen ladder into higher-leverage opportunities. View full article

When Target Field added their state-of-the-art scoreboard upgrade at the beginning of last season, it came with a flurry of unforeseen challenges. Nobody knows this better than the official scoreboard operator tasked with fighting off a nightly-flurry of glitches and errors. “They just kept coming, man. I was getting bombarded with snags left and right,” said Woody Cunningham, the former top-ranked scoreboard operator at the collegiate level who signed a multi-year deal with the Twins in 2022. “Have you ever seen that movie The Birds? It was like the phone booth scene, but I was getting swarmed with error codes and really mean Tweets each and every game.” It was a rookie year that Cunningham would love to forget, but he knows the adversity will help him in the long run. And he took the task to heart this off-season, vowing to leave the ghost of his lost season in the past. I asked him about his challenging year in 2023, which saw the newly-hired technical prodigy struggle through countless glitches and technical errors on a nightly basis. Whether that was the wrong player’s picture being displayed during an at-bat, stat lines not adding up correctly, a misfire when it came to finding a proper celebrity look-alike or the semi-regular crash of the entire system, Cunningham got a lot more than he could chew. The two of us sit in the pregnant pause of silence while he thinks about how to answer. Cunningham cracks his knuckles, leans back in his chair and looks me dead in the eyes. “The game doesn’t slow down for you. You have to grab that bull by the horns and hold on for your dear life,” he said as he took a long hard drag of the heater between his calloused fingers. “This year is going to be different. That I can promise you.” It’s not the first time the wunderkind has been tested. While interning with the Missoula Timberjacks, Cunningham set a record for being the youngest scoreboard operator in baseball history since Charlie “The Chalk Whisperer” Chalmers in 1906. Because of that reputation, Target Field’s Game Presentation department continues to have faith in their young gun. The 24-year-old graduate of Saint John’s University spent the offseason training in the mountains with world-renowned graphic designer Joel Sullivan, who helped develop the fabled Walks Will Haunt graphic that originated in the Metrodome in 1987 and helped lead the club to a World Championship. The Twins counted on Sullivan to carry them in the franchise’s heyday. Now they’re calling on him to help right the ship of their brightest wayward star. “Woodrow has all the raw tools that you’d want from a boardie, trust me,” the grizzled Sullivan said emphatically. “I ain’t coming out of retirement to work with no loser.” Cunningham is said to have returned to the club in phenomenal shape, gaining 35 pounds of raw muscle after an offseason training regimen that included chopping wood for three hours each morning, sets of stadium stairs and isolated punch-dancing. “I’m in the best shape of my life,” Cunningham said as kissed his massive bicep. “I’m coming into this year faster. Faster. Stronger. Better. Go ahead, try me. Give me the name of any beat writer and I’ll give you their perfect celebrity look-alike.” I play along, naming media personalities one by one. Tom Schreier of Zone Coverage. “Ben Affleck in AIR.” Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. “Jonah Hill in Moneyball.” John Bonnes of Twins Daily. “John Lithgow.” Dan Hayes of The Athletic. “Mayhem from the Allstate Insurance commercials.” I’m awestricken, as if I had seen a genius at work. Cunningham still has his fastball, and he knows it. But that was never really in question. We know he can execute at the facets of the game that he’s good at. How will he adjust to the areas where he needs improvement? Time will tell how Cunningham responds, but the eyebrow-raising improvement to his physical health is notable, if superfluous to his role. “I know you don’t need to be this jacked to run the scoreboard, but let’s just say you don’t want any noodle-armed mouth-breathers pulling these strings, either,” Cunningham said. “We’ll leave those chumps to write for Twins Daily.” View full article

The discouraging, yet predictable, news of Anthony DeSclafani’s extended absence from the Twins’ rotation clouded what was looking to be a pretty sunny outlook for the club as they near Opening Day. The silver lining could be the extended runway that it grants Louie Varland as he tries to re-establish himself as a starting pitcher. Louie’s been here before. Last season, the electric right-hander wasn’t viewed as worthy of one of the five slots in the Opening Day rotation, but he found himself starting a bundle of games throughout the year, and then dominated in a quick flash in the bullpen at the end of the season. But now, he’s been granted an extended runway in the Major League rotation to start the year, and there’s reasons to believe this time could be different for North St. Paul’s native son. The Opportunity Varland went into this offseason with as much clarity as the rest of us when it came to his role with the club in 2024. Was he going to stay in the big league bullpen after a masterful September and October stretch as a reliever? Would he have to spend some more time in the Triple-A rotation to begin the season? Varland didn’t know how the club’s plans would shake out, but he said all the right things in the meantime. “I’m going to pitch to the best of my ability, in either role,” Varland said in front of a few hundred beer-soaked patrons and a handful of tipsy Twins Daily writers at their annual Winter Meltdown in January. “Come Spring Training, I’m going to do my best to compete for a starting role. I want to make the decision on the coaches as hard as possible.” As luck would have it, the decision to have Varland take hold of a spot in the Twins’ rotation out of spring training is looking like a rather easy call for the club’s decision-makers. Anthony DeSclafani, who was already looking like a long shot to join the starting five at any point in the first few weeks of the season, left his minor league outing with more elbow discomfort and will seek the opinion of Dr. Keith Meister, who has performed Tommy John surgery on a handful of MLB stars in recent years. Now, instead of being tasked with fill-in duties until the club’s veteran acquisition returns to action, Varland has as open of a runway as he could hope for. He shouldn’t have to worry about the ticking clock that leads to his trip down I-94 back to CHS Field. A bad start on any given night won’t hold the same weight. He can fine-tune his offerings on a macro scale at the game’s highest level. And from there, Varland’s success can speak for itself. What’s different? This isn’t the first time we’ve felt optimism for Varland as he got an opportunity with the big league rotation. I wrote about this being Louie’s time to shine in early-May last year, and he went on to have a 5.72 ERA across his next seven starts before being sent back down to Triple-A. But this time can be different because of what the 26-year-old developed as a reliever late last year, as well as what he’s been tinkering with in the offseason. These new weapons can elevate him to a solid middle-of-the-rotation arm if all goes to plan, and their usage will be put under a microscope in the early going. First, it’s clear that a boost in velocity when he transitioned to a relief role helped elevate his fastball to new heights. While he sat at a comfortable 94-96 MPH level with his heater as a starter in the first half of 2023, that number rose to 97-98 MPH as a reliever. However, the more enticing development from that switch occurred with his cutter, which became one of the best raw pitches in baseball in a short sample size of seven relief appearances last September. That cutter became uncrushable, as opponents only mustered a .118 batting average and failed to get a single extra-base hit off of it. It also missed bats at an electric pace, with a 45.7% whiff rate, which was enough for Varland to make it one of his most-trusted tools to finish off a hitter late in at-bats. Inside Edge pegged Varland as having the second-highest percentage of strikeouts coming on cutters (32.4%), trailing only Corbin Burnes (44%). That’s very good company, as Burnes is known to have arguably the best cutter in the game. The hope would be that Varland’s effective cutter can follow him into the rotation, proving his success in the bullpen wasn’t solely because of his four-seam getting a velocity boost. If he can keep missing bats with the cutter, he instantly becomes a vital piece to the Twins’ rotation puzzle. Besides trying to keep that promising whiff rate at a high level, Varland is also working to develop his sinker in an effort to jam right-handed hitters. His righty opponents crushed 11 home runs off of him last year, and tuned him up with a .275/.317/.526 slash line. Those numbers need to come down if Varland is to stick in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Using the cutter to get more swing-and-misses, and mixing in his sinker in hitter’s counts to avoid major damage should help his cause. Varland’s opportunity in the rotation is going to paint a pretty good picture about his future with the club. If he’s shaky for an extended period, some more fine-tuning in the minor leagues could be on the table. If he really takes off as a starting pitcher with a cutter that is anywhere near as nasty as it was out of the bullpen, and a tinkered-sinker to boot, he could be a potential building block as a mid-rotation arm with multiple years of club control. Whatever happens from here, it’s going to start on the extended runway that Varland has been granted. What do you think? What are some realistic expectations for Louie Varland as a starting pitcher? Let us know what you think in the comment section below, and as always, keep it sweet. View full article

Topa was pretty great last year, and I would put his 2023 right up there with Jax's. But I think Jax was a top-10 non-closer in the American League last year, and I consider that to be premier. I also think his age and track record make him a better bet than Topa heading into 2024 and beyond. Jax's 3.86 ERA last year was misleading, as it was inflated by his only two outings where he allowed more than two earned runs (of course, those bad outings still count, not trying to suggest otherwise). But looking at Jax's raw stuff and his 2.88 xERA paints a better picture of his performance than just ERA and Saves/Blown Saves. I hear you on the endless optimism on every Twins player. I think spirits are high with the general health of the roster (knock on wood) and an exciting playoff push last year.