The Minnesota Twins have been making moves this off-season. They’ve recently added veteran starters Rich Hill and Homer Bailey to one-year contracts. This could be a way for the Twins to try and boost their rotation. However, Rich Hill will likely not be available to start the season, and Michael Pineda is suspended to begin the season. This potential rotation is more geared towards the beginning of the season without Hill and Pineda. With the new additions, here is a look at the potential rotation for the Minnesota Twins in 2020.
Jose Berrios will likely get the ball on Opening Day as he’s proven to be a talented pitcher at the big league level. The 25-year-old posted a 3.68 ERA in 2019, making it his third season in a row with a sub 4.00 ERA. He also had 195 strikeouts in 200 1/3 innings as well as a 1.22 WHIP. He carried those successful numbers into the postseason as well. Berrios threw four innings against the Yankees while allowing just one run with six strikeouts. Minnesota got swept in the series, so deeper pitching may help the team this season.
Jake Odorizzi is quietly building a solid career. He had one of his best seasons in 2019. The 29-year-old made his first All-Star game in 2019. The veteran also had a career-high in strikeouts with 178 through 159 innings pitched. His 16 home runs allowed are also an impressive total given the record-breaking amount of homers hit last season. Odorizzi can be a solid two starter in this Twins rotation if he produces numbers similar to last season.
Homer Bailey pitched for the Reds from 2007-2018. (Image courtesy of MLB.com)
This is just a projection, but it’s possible that Homer Bailey could be used in the third spot or lower. The 33-year-old has productive postseason stats. However, he has only pitched two postseason games giving up just one run in nine innings. In addition, the last time Bailey pitched in the playoffs was 2012. That doesn’t mean he lacks playoff experience, though. Should the Twins make the playoffs this year, they could benefit from Bailey if he builds off of his past postseason experience.
One thing Bailey could work towards is a lower ERA. It wasn’t terrible, but between Kansas City and Oakland, he posted a 4.57 ERA. This is also his career ERA through the 2019 season.
After going undrafted in 2017, Randy Dobnak now has MLB pitching under his belt, both regular and Postseason. In 2019, Dobnak pitched in nine games with five starts. He posted a 1.59 ERA in 28 1/3 innings. His 1.129 WHIP is also a solid stat. The 24-year-old could get a shot in the rotation this season after a hot start to his Major League Baseball career.
Left-Handed Pitcher Devin Smeltzer (Image courtesy of The Action Network)
Devin Smeltzer made his big league debut in May of last season. He started six games and made five appearances out of the bullpen. The southpaw had 38 strikeouts compared to 12 walks allowed, as well as eight long balls given up. He also made an appearance in the Postseason where he threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He is likely not guaranteed a spot yet, but a successful spring training can help the 24-year-old get innings on the mound.
Feature Image Courtesy of Puckett’s Pond.
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