Starter or Reliever Series: Cole Sands

[Cody Christie]

Lines continue to blur between starting pitcher and reliever, with starters pitching fewer innings and relievers often asked to record more than three outs. Minnesota may ask multiple players to shift to a non-starting role in 2023.

Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Entering last season, Jhoan Duran had been a starting pitcher for his entire career. A lengthy injury history made the Twins reconsider his long-term role with the club. He was shifted to the bullpen and became one of the team's most valuable assets. Only some players can be as successful in transitioning to the bullpen, but there are multiple players the Twins may consider shifting to a bullpen role during the upcoming season.

The Twins selected Cole Sands with their fifth-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft from Florida State University. His professional career started at Low-A in 2019, and he made it to Double-A by the season's end. In 97 1/3 innings, he posted a 2.68 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP and 108 strikeouts. He controlled the strike zone and limited batters to 1.8 BB/9. The Twins would have penciled him into the Double-A rotation for the 2020 season, but he was limited to time in the instructional leagues due to the pandemic. 

Sands started the 2021 season back at Double-A, where he ended the 2019 campaign. As a 23-year-old, he was still over 1.5 years younger than the average age of the competition. He made 19 appearances (18 starts) and posted a 2.46 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and 10.8 K/9. Injuries also limited him to just over 80 innings, but he entered the 2022 season ranked among the Twins' best pitching prospects. 

Season in Review 2022
Sands started the year in the Saints rotation and posted quality starts in his first two appearances (10 IP, 1 ER). In his next two appearances, he allowed ten earned runs in fewer than three innings, but the Twins had a need, and the team promoted him for his big-league debut. He pitched two innings at the end of a blowout win and allowed two runs on three hits. He spent most of May bouncing back and forth between Triple-A and the MLB level, and that trend continued for the remainder of the season.  

For the season, Sands split his time between being a reliever (14 appearances) and a starter (16 appearances). The opponent's OPS against Sands was only separated by four points in these two roles. The Twins never gave him an extended look at the big-league level, with the team bringing him up to make spot starts or to fill in for injured players. Sands never made more than four consecutive appearances with the Twins. His last 11 appearances came in a relief role, which might indicate the team's long-term plan for him entering the 2023 season. 

Projections for 2023
Currently, the Twins' rotation and bullpen don't have any glaring openings to fit someone like Sands. Injuries or poor performance might open a bullpen battle, but it seems likely for Sands to head to St. Paul, where higher-ranking prospects will pack the rotation. During the 2022 season, his longest stretch of starting games was 12 in a row in the middle of the season, but that was interrupted with multiple calls up. In July, Sands will turn 26 years old and has yet to establish himself at the big-league level. To get the most from Sands, it might help him find consistent success at one level in a specific role. 

On the mound, Sands threw his fastball over 50% of the time last season, averaging 92 mph. His lower arm slot helps to deceive batters, and he can top out in the high-90s. His best breaking pitch is classified as a curveball but has horizontal movement, so it has some qualities that resemble a slider. His split-finger held batters to a .292 SLG last season, so it will be interesting to see if he can use that pitch more regularly. He has a cutter that he uses against righties and a changeup against lefties, but opponents hit both pitches hard last season. Even with a five-pitch mix, Sands seems more comfortable utilizing his top three pitches. 

Summary
Sands makes the most sense to move to a bullpen role out of the pitchers covered in the series so far. He's most successful when using his top two-three pitches and has shown the ability to add more velocity when used in multi-inning relief appearances. During the 2022 season, nearly half of his appearances were in a relief role, so that percentage likely would increase during the 2023 campaign. 

Should the Twins transition Sands to a multi-inning reliever? Can he add even more velocity in the bullpen? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES
-Ronny Henriquez
-Josh Winder

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[LA VIkes Fan]

Yes. I think of all the candidates that Sands makes the most sense to transition to the bullpen. I just don't think his "stuff" is good enough to navigate through a lineup 2 to 3 times a game over the course of the season. He is already 26 and I just don't see him improving enough to be an MLB starter. On the other hand, I think Winder, Varland, SWR, Headrick, and even Dobnak have enough that they can become at least decent mid- rotation starters, maybe Dobnak as a backend guy. I even like to see Henriquez get a little more play in the AAA starting rotation, although I think he winds up in the bullpen eventually.

My plan would be to start this season with Aaron Sanchez in the bullpen as a long man/multi-inning guy with Megill in the AAA bullpen as a late inning short man. I would have Sands filling a long man/multi-inning role in AAA to start the season to get him ready to fill that role at the MLB level when the inevitable need arises. This would be more of a transition year with the long-term goal to make Sands a regular bullpen fixture in a multi-inning role.

[HerbieFan]

Agree with you Cody in that Sands makes the most sense to move to the bullpen now.  It'd be interesting to see how much velo he could gain and how he'd fair as a 2-pitch, or maybe 3-pitch bullpen guy.

[cheeseheadgophfan]

I've seen him pitch several times and i've never seen his fastball come anywhere near the upper 90's.  If he really has that in him, make him a reliever and let him go with that in shorter stints.  I do like his curveball.

[Mike Sixel]

No chance he should be a starter. Zero. 

[Doctor Gast]

Sands has no future as a SP. He could fill in as long relief if needed mainly in mop up. I couldn't tell you if he'll ever be that good.

[Mike Sixel]

Here's the thing....he can languish in AAA as a starter, or make real money in the majors as a reliever

[DocBauer]

He's got an interesting pitch mix, and had a really good 2019 and 2021 as a SP, so it's hard for me to say he should be converted to the pen after an inconsistent 2022.

However, sometimes you just watch a guy and look at his offerings and something just tells you he'd be better off in the pen. And I think I see that when I watch Sands. While inconsistent, I've seen really good flashes from his breaking stuff. And his fastball has looked average at best.

I'd like to believe his FB would gain velocity and effectiveness throwing 1-3 IP and facing batters a single time. And the breaking stuff could be that much more effective doing so as well. Whether he can make the conversion quick enough now to take one of the final bullpen spots, or go to St Paul and help later on, I think he should be moved now. 

[Vanimal46]

This one isn’t even close. Reliever is his only chance sticking on a major league team. 

[JD-TWINS]

12 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

This one isn’t even close. Reliever is his only chance sticking on a major league team. 

Agreed!……I do think, because of experience, a healthy Dobnak may be more effective to start in long roll at beginning of the year. He can get 6-7 outs……Sands is probably our 2nd best option for long relief. If our starters are healthy later this summer maybe SWR goes to a long roll with Big Club?

[mikelink45]

I do not see him making it as a SP, but based on what we have seen, I am not sure he is a quality reliever either.  With all the names at St Paul, he is in danger of being on another team before the year is over.

[PatPfund]

Agree strongly with @mikelink45. RP may be his better stuff, and there have been some flashes, but I'm not convinced Sands is MLB-quality at all, or maybe he is on a lower level team than I'd like the Twins to be. If Sands has a great spring, I'd totally be working the trade circuit for him.

[Rosterman]

If players start going on the short-term IL list in any quantity more than 1, the Twins will have to rely on starting arms to pitch in relief to fill out the major league roster.

That is not necessarily a bad thing, if the mindset is there. If a guy pitches long relief, he will still build on innings going forth, and could transition back into a rotational role in the future.

It is figuring out what a pitcher may bring to the team in that role. Henriquez showed sparks of being a bullpen arm as St. Paul winded down their season, and in his brief Target Field showcase. Winder and Sands would be high on the list, if you want to keep Woods Richardson and Varland strictly as rotation arms. But, in a pinch, the major league exposure would do them good in any capacity.

Interesting that the Twins basically list 15 pitchers as mainly rotation arms on their 40-man roster, and only eight as bullpen arms.