Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - May 2022

[Seth Stohs]

Oh, what a relief it is... I think we all understand that feeling of relief. And that's true in baseball. When a manager goes to his bullpen for a reliever, it sometimes can feel like an oxymoron. The job of a relief pitcher is often to come into the late innings of games and get the last outs of the game. There are a few relievers and situations when fans feel comfortable, but often the situations can cause some anxious moments. Which relief pitchers provided their teammates with great relief in May? Find out below. 

It is always fun giving credit where credit is due, and with our monthly awards, we certainly do just that. Today, you'll get to read about four Twins minor-league relievers. My guess is many of you haven't heard of as many as three of the top four. I've also included several Honorable Mentions who had strong May performances out of the bullpen and deserve to be noticed. This is our final award for May, so before we get started, you can see who the April Reliever of the Month was, and who all of the other May award winners are. 

Of course, we want these to be interactive. Feel free to tell us if we're wrong, or, more importantly, if others should have been mentioned too. How would you rank these performers. 

Let's get started. 

Previous Relief Pitchers of the Month:
April – Tyler Viza, Wichita Wind Surge

Previous Twins Daily May 2022 Awards:
Minor League Hitter of the Month – Spencer Steer, Wichita/St. Paul
Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month – Steve Hajjar, Ft. Myers

Twins Hitter of the Month – Luis Arraez
Twins Pitcher of the Month – Sonny Gray

Honorable Mentions

• RHP Cody Laweryson (Cedar Rapids) – 6 G, 1 GS, 1.38 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, 13 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 14 K, .152
• RHP Ian Hamilton (St. Paul) – 9 G, 0.77 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 11 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 BB, 16 K, .146
• LHP Evan Sisk (Wichita) – 8 G, 1.59 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 11 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 15 K, .195
• RHP Andrew Cabezas (Cedar Rapids) – 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 9 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 14 K, .121
• RHP Hunter McMahon (Ft. Myers) – 9 G, 1.35 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 13 1/3 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 15 K, .191

The Top Four Twins Minor League Relievers for May 2022

#4 RHP Malik Barrington (Ft. Myers)
8 G, 1 GS, 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 12 IP, 8 H, 1 B, 20 K, .186

A Jacksonville native, Barrington pitched at Albany State in Georgia. While he went undrafted, he signed to play in the United Shores Professional Baseball League, the same league the team signed Randy Dobnak from. He pitched in just five games for the FCL Twins last year. A burly 6-3 and 230 pounds, Barrington gets strength from his lower half and is able to throw hard. He also has a solid mix of pitches, though he has been inconsistent with them. While several relievers had strong Mays, Barrington is the choice here because of that fancy 20:1 K:BB ratio. Already 24, the Twins could push him, or they can keep working with him and let him develop at his own pace to see how far up the organizational ladder he can climb.

#3 RHP Austin Schulfer (Wichita/St. Paul)
9 G, 1.32 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 13 2/3 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 18 K, .163

After working out of the Wind Surge rotation, and leading the Twins minor leagues in innings pitched last year, he returned to Wichita and pitched out of the bullpen. In 15 games and 23 innings, he gave up just one earned run (0.39 ERA) on 11 hits and four walks (0.65 WHIP). He struck out 30 batters (11.7 K/9). Late in May, he was finally promoted to the Saints and gave up one run on two hits over two innings in his Triple-A debut. Again, we like relievers who don’t walk many batters and miss a lot of bats. Schulfer was the Twins 19th round pick in 2018 from UW-Milwaukee. The 26-year-old is now just a phone call away from the big-league dream, in an organization that appears to need some more bullpen options.

#2 RHP Bradley Hanner (Cedar Rapids)
8 G, 0.77 ERA, 0.51 WHIP, 11 2/3 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 16 K, .083

Hanner was the Twins 21st round pick in the 2019 draft out of Patrick & Henry Community College. In 2021, he pitched in Ft. Myers where he posted a 7.13 ERA in 26 games and 41 2/3 innings. However, he had 49 strikeouts (and 34 walks) and a big arm with a mid-90s fastball and a big slider that has emerged as a great pitch for him in 2022. It’s pretty clear that something has clicked for Hanner this season in Cedar Rapids, and the numbers have been fantastic. You see his numbers for May. Overall this season, he is 3-0 with a 0.45 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. In 20 innings, he has struck out 22 batters and walked seven. That equates to a 3.2 BB/9 rate, which can surely come down a little more, but it is significantly better than the 7.3 BB/9 he posted in 2021.

Most months, Hanner’s numbers would probably make him the pitcher of the month. Same is true of Schulfer. That tells you just how good the May…

Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is…
RHP Matthew Swain (Ft. Myers)
8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.42 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB (2 IBB), 16 K, .081 BAA

When the Twins selected Matthew Swain in the 23rd round of the 2019 draft out of Georgia Gwinnett College, they knew they had a talented pitcher with potential. Swain stands 6’7” and a sturdy 230 pounds. He possesses a strong arm with mid-to-high 90s fastball velocity. He’s got a couple of secondary pitches that still need some work but have come a long way.

In 2021, he spent the season with the Mighty Mussels. In 35 games, he pitched 60 2/3 innings. He had a 4.60 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He struck out 70 batters (10.4 K/9), but he walked 31 batters (4.6 BB/9). He went 6-2 with five saves last year with Ft. Myers.

He returned in 2022, and he has been incredible. In 13 games, he is 2-1 with seven saves. In 19 innings, he has given up only an unearned run. He’s only allowed four hits (1.9 H/9), four walks (1.9 BB/9), and struck out 27 batters (12.8 K/9). In May, he walked two batters… both intentionally.

Now that Schulfer has been promoted to St. Paul, if there is a pitcher who most deserves a promotion to the next level, it is the 24-year-old Swain. He could join the Cedar Rapids Kernels soon, one would think.

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This is an impressive group of relievers coming off of an incredible month of May. What do you think of the performances, the pitchers, and maybe how you would have ranked them?

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[Seansy]

A lot of older players dominating younger hitters. Hopefully promotions start happening soon to challenge some of these pitchers.

[Karbo]

Is it time to make room on the 40 for Hamilton? Seems like they have tried just about all the starters out, maybe time to check out a reliever. He didn't do bad when with Chicago as I remember, though I could be wrong he seems to be doing well in AAA.

[mikelink45]

Who comes up next?  You have done a nice summary, but many are in too low levels.  Who do you predict is the next one to wear a Twins uniform?

[roger]

Am most interested, and excited, about Schulfer.  That's because he is from the Badger State AND close to helping the Twins.  Now the younger guys are all putting up astonishing numbers.  Can that continue as they move up the ladder?  Only time will tell, but it would be one way to build a strong bullpen a few years from now.

[4twinsJA]

A lot of good arms in system, always skeptical about pitching numbers in low A- pitchers parks. But don't know what else Swain could do to move up. Hope to see some shuffling of rosters in minors in the next couple of weeks.

[RJA]

Thank you, Seth, for the information on Swain and Hanner.  I saw Swain and Hanner last year and liked their stuff, but both had iffy control in the games I saw.  Hanner really looks like he has solved that problem this year, and Swain has improved as well.  I hope both get bumped up to see how they do at the next level.  I will say it for the hundredth time, the pitching depth in this system is amazing and bodes well for the future.