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After missing the first couple months of the season thanks to an ailing back, Balazovic has made six starts for the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge, hurling a total of 24 ⅓ innings with his last start on June 30 (5 ⅔ innings) being his longest of the season. He currently owns an uninspiring 4.44 ERA, though 10 of the 12 runs he has surrendered came during two of his first four starts. Over his last 10 ⅓ innings, Balazovic has allowed two earned runs while striking out 14 batters and walking only two.
Balazovic possesses a funky-ish delivery that isn’t so much violent as it is...flaily?
This delivery is simultaneously one of his strengths as well as a weakness, at least potentially. The sheer volume of movement of his limbs not only serves as a peripheral distraction, but also helps hide the ball remarkably well, making it difficult for opposing batters to get a solid read on which pitch is barreling towards the plate. Combine that with his healthy wingspan and Balazovic has a natural proclivity for getting people out with his heater (more on that in a second).
However, this extraneous movement also likely increases the amount of torque placed on his shoulder and back, in particular, potentially threatening his durability. (There’s no way to know for sure unless the Twins allow us to strap electrodes on him and register the force these structures are exposed to and I don’t think Twins Daily has either that kind of budget or access.) That said, Balazovic pushes off well with his back leg, which is the main reason why he is able to sit 93-95 mph with his fastball.
Speaking of which, Balazovic’s fastball is, in my estimation, one of the better ones in the Twins’ system. He most frequently unloads the pitch near the top of the zone and while command can sometimes be an issue - his 7.1% BB% is tied for the second highest of his career - the fastball can touch as high as 97 mph and possesses great rising action.
Of course, Balazovic’s fastball doesn’t actually rise - that would either 1. defy the laws of physics or 2. suggest that he’s secretly Tyler Rogers in disguise - but rather it simply appears as though it is rising to the batter. One of the worst pitches a hurler can have is a fastball that neither sinks nor plays tricks with opponent’s mind and luckily Balazovic checks at least one of those boxes.
As for his other pitches, Balazovic infrequently throws a changeup that sits 87-90 mph with tailing/sinking movement as well as a slider and curveball that are essentially the same pitch, though the slider is both a little faster (83-86 mph versus 81-83 mph) and has a slightly sharper break.
The fastball and slider are the two pitches he relies on most frequently to rack up strikeouts and induce outs, in general. The curveball is most often employed in the middle of an at-bat while his changeup is very frequently an afterthought.
Watching Balazovic, it’s easy to get excited for what his future holds, and it’s apparent why many in and around MLB think that he is perhaps the Twins’ top pitching prospect; he simply looks like a modern day pitcher and has the stuff of one, too. If he can stay healthy, keep the walks low, and keep the ball in the park, he has the potential to be a very solid pitcher with a long career.
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