This post will be about which pitchers some of whom were on the big league team in September and some others who have been on the big league team previous years. 

The first pitcher I’ll talk about is Jorge Alcala. This one is easy Alcala will be a part of the Twins bullpen in 2022. He can even have a high leverage role going into the season with how good he pitched at the end of the year. Alcala didn’t have the best 1st half of the season. Alcala was put on the Injured List on August 9th with a triceps injury. It was when he was activated off the injured list he started showing Twins fans what he’s capable of. August 27 Alcala was activated off the injured list. Since August 27 to the end of the season which was October 3rd Alcala had 14 relief outings in that span he pitched 14.8 innings and only gave up 1 run. That shows some promise for the Twins going into 2022 that he can maybe be pitching some pretty meaningful innings and maybe can be a closer of the future sometime in 2022. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Charlie Barnes. Barnes wasn’t a well known minor league pitcher. Barnes was added to the 40 man roster in July 17th, 2021 and made his major league debut against the Detroit Tigers. Barnes pitched 4.2 innings giving up 1 run, 4 hits, while striking out 1 and walking 1 batter. Barnes final stats for the season was this: 9 games pitched in, 0 wins, 3 losses, 5.92 Earned Run Average, 38.0 Innings pitched, 20 strikeouts, and had a WHIP of 1.63. These numbers aren’t very good, but Barnes wasn’t asked to do too much this year. I think he will be a depth starter for the Twins next year and might make a few spot starts depending on health of Twins starters next year. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Alex Colome. I am going to admit when I’m wrong and I was definitely wrong about Alex Colome. I was excited when we signed Colome. Rogers didn’t have a very good shortened 60 game 2020 season and the Twins needed a veteran that can pitch high leverage innings for the team in 2021. The 2021 campaign for Colome with his new team wasn’t very good. In 2021 Colome had 17 saves, 7 blown saves, Colome also pitched in 67 games, had 4 wins and 4 losses, had a 4.15 Earned Run Average, pitched 65 innings, had 58 strikeouts, and sported a WHIP of 1.40. These are not good numbers at all for a veteran like Colome. The Twins have a couple avenues they could go down with Colome. If they want him back he will be back with a salary of $5.6M for 2022, or they can buy Colome out but they’ll still owe him $1.25. I believe the Twins are done with Colome and will owe him the $1.25M for the buyout. However, I won’t be surprised if he’s back in 2022. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is reliever Danny Coulombe. Danny is up for arbitration. If the Twins want Danny back they’ll owe him $800,000 if they don’t want him back they’ll just make him a free agent by non tendering him. This one is hard for me. I personally don’t think he will be back because, I think the Twins can find a better reliever than Coulombe either on a minor league deal or a cheap major league deal. However, again I won’t be surprised if he starts the 2022 as a Minnesota Twin. Coulombe’s 2022 stats are this: pitched in 29 games, had a record of 3 wins and 2 losses, 3.67 Earned Run Average, had 34.1 innings pitched, had 33 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.22. If the Twins are serious about winning in 2022 they can find a better option than him on the free agent market. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Randy Dobnak. As most Twins fans know he’s a feel good story. He used to be a Uber driver, and he was called up in 2019 and was a pretty good starting pitcher for the Twins and even made a start against the Yankees that very year. Last spring the Twins signed Dobnak to a 5 year, $9.25M contract. Dobnak did not live up to expectations, however, I don’t think it was really his fault because he was supposed to be a starter and we signed Matt Shoemaker to take his spot in the rotation. Dobnak was optioned to St Paul a few times this season because of how he was pitching. Dobnak’s 2021 stats are this: pitched in 14 games (some were starts), he had 1 win and 7 losses, had a 7.64 ERA, pitched 50.2 Innings, had 27 strikeouts, and had a WHIP if 1.54. These are obviously bad stats, but I think Dobnak has a spot in the 2022 opening day bullpen, and maybe can be the teams ”6th Starter.”

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Tyler Duffey. Duffey is up for arbitration this year, if the Twins want him back they can tender him a contract which he is projected to make $3.7M in arbitration, if they don’t want to pay him the projected $3.7M they can non tender him and make him a free agent. I think if the Twins are truly wanting to be contenders in 2022 they will pay him the $3.7M. Before the 2021 season Duffey was a relied upon high leverage bullpen piece. However, Duffey didn’t have the best 2021 season but it wasn’t bad. Duffey’s 2021 stats: 64 games pitched, had 3 wins and 3 losses, had a 3.18 ERA, pitched in 62.1 innings, had 61 strikeouts, and had a WHIP of 1.22

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is John Gant. Gant was acquired from the Cardinals in the JA Happ deal. I was really surprised that the Cardinals gave up on Gant even though I don’t think he’s that great of a pitcher. Gant is both a reliever that could get some innings as a starter and that’s what he did with the Twins and Cardinals. Something that hurts Gant is he walks way too many batters. Gant’s 2021 stats: he pitched in 39 games, had 5 wins and 11 losses, had a 4.09 ERA, pitched in 110 innings had 92 strikeouts, and had a WHIP of 1.51. Gant is also up for arbitration he can make $3.7M if the Twins want him back if they don’t want to pay him $3.7 in 2022 they will non tender him a contract by making him a free agent. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Ralph Garza Jr. The Twins claimed Garza off waivers from the Astros on August 4, 2021. Garza Jr had a pretty good short sample size for the Twins. His 2021 stats: 27 games pitched, had 1 win 4 losses, 3.56 ERA, pitched in 30.1 innings, had 29 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.25. Garza’s last 7 relief appearances for the Twins didn’t come nice to him he had a 6.00 ERA. Garza Jr might not make the Twins 2022 opening day bullpen, but I think he can be called up during the season. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Griffin Jax. Any team could’ve selected Giffin Jax in the Rule 5 draft last winter but no team wanted him so he stayed with the Twins and eventually made his major league debut. Jax had some ups and downs. Jax’s 2021 stats: pitched in 18 games most of them starts, had 4 wins and 5 losses, had a 6.37 ERA, pitched in 82 innings, had 65 strikeouts, and had a WHIP of 1.35. The alarmingly bad stat he had was giving up the home run ball in 82 innings he gave up 23 of them. I don’t think Jax makes the opening day roster out of spring training but I think he can pitch some meaningful innings for the big league club next year. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Kenta Maeda. Kenta will be out of most if not the whole 2022 MLB season because Kenta underwent Tommy John surgery the beginning of September. Kenta was runner up for AL CY Young Award for the shortened 2020 season. Kenta was not the same pitcher for the 2021 season his stats: he had 21 starts, had 6 wins and 5 losses, had a 4.66 ERA, pitched in 106.1 innings, struck out 113 batters, and had a WHIP of 1.30. Losing Maeda for the 2022 season hurts the Twins because the team will need to look for at least 2 maybe even 3 starters this offseason. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is reliever Juan Minaya. Like a couple other pitchers I named above Minaya is up for arbitration. The Twins can pay him the $1.1M if they want him for the 2022 season, if they don’t they won’t pay him the $1.1M. If I were the Twins GM I wouldn’t pay him the $1.1M in arbitration. The reason I think this is because I think the Twins can maybe find a better option than him on the free agent market. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back in 2022. Minaya’s stats: pitched in 29 games, had 2 wins and 1 loss, had a 2.48 ERA, pitched 40 innings, had 43 strikeouts, and had a WHIP of 1.18. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Jovani Moran. Moran was on of the best Twins minor league pitchers this year and made his major league debut this year. Moran is 24 years old and is from Puerto Rico. I don’t think Moran had enough innings to say for sure if he’ll be in the Twins 2022 opening day bullpen. I however, don’t think he’ll be in it to start the season, but with a good spring training I could be wrong. Moran’s stats: he pitched in 5 games, had 0 wins and 0 losses, had a high 7.88 ERA, pitched in 8 innings, struck out 10 batters, and had a WHIP of 2.00. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Bailey Ober. Ober like Jax wasn’t selected in the Rule 5 draft last year and because of that the Twins got lucky. Ober wasn’t the best prospect and I’ve never heard of him before this year. Ober and his 6 foot 9 inch frame comes up and has a great year. Being as tall as he is makes it look like he throws way harder than he does and he throws low to mid 90’s. Ober obviously won a spot in the back end of the Twins rotation in 2021. Ober’s 2021 stats: Ober had 20 starts, had 3 wins and 3 losses, had a 4.19 ERA, pitched in 92.1 innings, struck out 96 batters, and had a WHIP of 1.20. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is free agent to be Michael Pineda. I wasn’t going to put any free agents in this blog post, but with all the rumors swirling around that Pineda himself saying he wants to be in Minnesota because he loves being on the Twins team just would be easy to bring him back. His 2021 stats: 22 starts, 9 wins, 8 losses, 3.62 ERA, 109.1 innings, 88 strikeouts, and had a WHIP of 1.23. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is reliever Taylor Rogers. There were rumors that Rogers would’ve been traded at the trade deadline last year if it wasn’t for a finger injury he sustained in a games days leading up to the deadline. Now Rogers is up for arbitration and if the Twins want him back for 2022 they’ll have to pay him $6.7M if they don’t want to pay him that they’ll non tender him and make him a free agent. If Rogers is healthy he will be back with the Twins in 2022. Rogers 2021 stats: 40 relief appearances, 2 wins and 4 losses, 3.35 ERA, pitched in 40.1 innings, struck out 59 batters, and had a WHIP of 1.14. 

The next pitcher I’ll talk about is Joe Ryan. Ryan was acquired along with minor league pitcher Drew Strotman when the Twins traded Nelson Cruz to the Rays on July 22nd. Ryan pitched for team USA in the Olympics in 2021. Ryan will be at the back end of the Twins opening day 2022 starting rotation. Ryan’s stats: made 5 starts, 2 wins and 1 loss, had a 4.05 ERA, pitched 26.2 innings, struck out 30 batters, and had a 0.79 WHIP. 

The last pitcher I’ll talk about is Caleb Thielbar. Thielbar hails from Northfield, Minnesota. Thielbar was arguably the Twins best relief pitcher, and that’s why he’ll obviously be in the Twins opening day 2022 bullpen. Thielbar’s 2021 stats: made 59 relief appearances, had 7 wins and 0 losses, had a 3.23 ERA, pitched 64 innings, struck out 77 batters, and had. WHIP of 1.17. 

Pitchers who will not be on the Twins opening day rotation or bullpen or might even be DFA’D

Drew Strotman 

Lewis Thorpe

Devin Smeltzer

Cody Stashak

Thanks for reading this post. Let me know what you all think about this. My next post will come out next Friday.