I initially said this would be the third and final part of the series, but I lied. Oops. I could include both the starters and bullpen in this, but it would be too long for the society of short-attention spans. So, this is part three of FOUR, detailing the starters. The Twins are already seven games into the season when this comes out, and their starting pitching has held their own at first and has shown some inconsistencies as well. It will be key for starters to perform well, as the league is full of power pitching, which results in success for most clubs (see the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and Cleveland Indians). The Twins also have a top-5 offense in the league, so if the starting pitching is good enough the sky is the limit for this ballclub.
The Twins made some moves this offseason regarding pitching, and it all began with the hiring of Garvin Alston, who will be the new pitching coach. He replaces Neil Allen. Alston, who has worked with the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, and San Diego Padres, is a former big-league pitcher himself. He pitched nine professional seasons for the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The firing of Allen and hiring of Alston shouldn’t be lost in the array of acquisitions by the club. In an interview with the Pioneer Press, he stated one of the biggest things he teaches pitchers is to ‘command the zone with the fastball.’ Which makes 100 percent sense; if one can’t locate their fastball, how are they going to be successful? The vibe he and 2017 Manager of the Year Paul Molitor had when they first met was nothing short of comfortable, and he could be the key to make the Twins relevant in pitching again.
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The Twins lost their ace Ervin Santana to a middle-finger injury on his throwing hand. He most likely won’t return until the earliest being mid-May, but ideally before June. Molitor flirted with the idea of going with a four-man rotation during Spring Training, and that is what he and the Twins are sticking with.
The Starters: Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, and Lance Lynn
Ervin Santana, RHP
As previously stated, Santana will be out for quite some time, as the latest news revealed he will miss more time than initially planned.
When Santana returns, the Twins are hoping they get to see more of the Santana that was pre-All-Star break in 2017, rather than post-All-Star. In 18 games to begin the 2017 season, Santana went 10-6 with an ERA under 3 (2.99). He held hitters to a tough .206 batting average, and a WHIP of 1.08. After the All-Star break, it seemed as if the tall righthander was running out of steam. Through 15 games, he went 6-2 with an ERA of 3.66. Hitters faired a little better with a .249 BA, and a 1.19 WHIP. His postseason appearance is more than forgettable for Twins fans at Yankee Stadium. His veteran leadership and performance will be counted on, but the surgery was done on his throwing hand. Pair that with his age (35), and it’s no guarantee he will be the same old Santana.
Jose Berrios, RHP
Berrios is undoubtedly their best arm on the staff, as he brings an electric fastball with some wicked off-speed weapons. In 2017, Berrios compiled a 14-8 record, with a 3.89 ERA. He struck out 139 batters through 145 innings pitched. The 23-year-old is the very much the future for the Twins’ pitching staff, and while Santana is out he could be the guy to lean on for the next couple of months. Berrios’ biggest weakness is consistency and making sure his stuff isn’t left over the plate. In his first start this season against the Baltimore Orioles, he recorded a complete game shutout victory. In his second start against the Seattle Mariners, he was unable to last 5 innings, giving up 5 runs in the process. He still struck out 7 batters and walked none. Strikeouts and walks are certainly not the issue with the young righthander. It’s the constant progression of hitting his spots and making each pitch count.
Jake Odorizzi, RHP
In what could potentially be one of the under-the-radar moves in the slow offseason of 2018, Odorizzi was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league prospect Jermaine Palacios. In a lot of ways, this was a potential steal for the Twins. With the absence of Santana coming into play and the Twins on the hunt to bolster their rotation, they traded a shortstop (which is genius, considering the Twins already have that position loaded with talent with guys like Jorge Polanco, Eduardo Escobar, Nick Gordon and Royce Lewis) for a legitimate starting pitcher who could be a solid third or fourth guy in the rotation. On top of that, they are only paying him $6.3 million through 2018. It was a solid move for Thad Levine and the Twins’ front office. In 28 games in 2017, Odorizzi went 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA, and 127 strikeouts on a less-than-lethargic Rays club.
Kyle Gibson, RHP
Personally speaking, it is remarkable the 6-foot, 7-inch Gibson is still in the starting rotation, let alone the roster in 2018. The right-hander is the Twin that will never seem to disappear, no matter how poor he performs. Every good start leads the Twins to believe the ‘real’ Gibson is about to break out… but that hope is shattered almost as quickly as it comes, every time. Through 6 seasons with Minnesota (counting his two starts in 2018), Gibson has a 45-48 record with an ERA of 4.64. Many other teams would move on from an ERA like that, but for some reason, the Twins are giving Gibson another shot. 2018 could be the final year of the Gibson experiment, as his contract expires at the end of the season. The Twins have many young arms in the minors, so Gibson would most likely have to impress like he did when he first came to the Majors to stay on the club in 2019. The biggest issue for the 30-year-old is the fact he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, so if pitches are left where they shouldn’t be he gets shelled. Keeping his off-speed and sinker low is always key, as he does find success when getting groundball outs.
Lance Lynn, RHP
In what was surely a late and surprising signing, Lynn comes to the Twins from free agency. Minnesota already had traded for Odorizzi, and many fans thought that was the move of the offseason in acquiring starting pitching. Lynn signed with the Twins for 1 year/$12 million, which again was a steal because of the depressed market. Lynn is two years removed from Tommy John surgery, and he isn’t quite the same authoritative figure on the mound like he once was with the St. Louis Cardinals. The 31-year-old has never had an ERA over 4.00 in his 7-year career and shows he can handle a lofty workload. In 2017, a year removed from surgery, Lynn threw over 186 innings, posting an 11-8 record and respectable 3.43 ERA. The only thing that is glaring from last season is the spike in home runs hit against him. He surrendered 27 of them; he never allowed more than 16 in a season before that. Whether that is just getting his form back on the mound, or a flaw that may turn into something more, it will be interesting to see how Lynn fares in 2018. In one start already in 2018, he gave up a home run. The Twins know they will not get the 2012 All-Star who won 18 games. The hope is Lynn will stay healthy and eat innings up, what he has been known to do well.
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