Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account
  • Joe Ryan Is Better Than His Scouting Reports


    Cody Christie

    Joe Ryan came to the Twins organization with plenty of hype. After two starts, it’s clear he belongs in the big leagues, and he is better than his scouting reports.

    Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

    Twins Video

    When the Twins acquired Joe Ryan, there was plenty for the organization to be excited about since he was considered a top-100 prospect. He was an Olympian pitching in the high minors that seemed to be MLB ready. There were some apparent flaws in his minor league scouting reports but those haven't been evident during the tremendous start to his career. Twins Daily's Nash Walker compiled a brief highlight video of Ryan's exceptional introduction to Minnesota, please give it a watch.

    Through his first two starts, he has used his fastball 66% of the time. He has recorded five strikeouts with the pitch, and opponents held to a .120 batting average and a .280 slugging percentage. His fastball has played well so far, but he does use it much more than his other pitches.

    Underdeveloped Secondary Pitches
    One of the other knocks against Ryan was reports that his secondary pitches were underdeveloped because he had been able to rely so much on his fastball. His slider sits in the mid-80s, and it is his best secondary pitch. His curveball and changeup have been used even less often because of when those pitches are needed. 

    With no 2020 minor league season, Ryan was able to work at Tampa’s alternate site and instructional league to refine his secondary pitches. His slider was graded as a 55 by MLB Pipeline, and he uses it as a strikeout pitch against right-handed hitters. His changeup is the pitch he tends to use more often against left-handed hitters. Both his changeup and curveball were given a 45 grade.

    His slider (14.4%) has been the most used of his secondary pitches through his first two starts. Right-handed batters struggle to pick up the pitch out of his hand, which has resulted in a .111 slugging percentage. Batters have yet to record a hit against his changeup or his curveball. MLB Pipeline said both of those pitches “aren’t quite there yet,” and that doesn’t seem to be the case.

    When the Twins traded for Ryan, scouting reports had him as a mid-rotation starter with a chance to make an immediate impact. Fans can now hope that he can be better than those reports and sit near the top of the Twins’ rotation for most of the next decade. 

    What are your impressions of Ryan so far? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

    MORE FROM TWINS DAILY
    — Latest Twins coverage from our writers
    — Recent Twins discussion in our forums
    — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

    MORE FROM TWINS DAILY
    — Latest Twins coverage from our writers
    — Recent Twins discussion in our forums
    — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email
    — Become a Twins Daily Caretaker

     Share


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Featured Comments

    11 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

    no doubt one of top 5 in rotation next year. BUT.... we need a #1 and # 2 to compete for Division next year. Ober Ryan and Pineda are 3 we can count on.... but there are no 1 and 2 in the organization. gotta go out and buy them

    Has Pineda ever pitched a full season? He's a fine pitcher when healthy, but he's not an arm you can rely on. He's a bonus.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    4 hours ago, Cap'n Piranha said:

    Not skeptical at all that he can pitch--as I pointed out, I would have put him above SWR in Twins prospect rankings, i.e. a Top 5 prospect.  I'm skeptical that a guy with two career starts (one of which was mediocre) and a massively unsustainable babip is going to pitch in the majors for the next 10 years.  If you're not skeptical of the certainty of Joe Ryan's 10 year career in the bigs right now, then you're drinking some real strong kool-aid.

    I hope Ryan builds on this.  I hope he is a cornerstone of the Twins rotation for the next decade.  Even bound that, I would love it if someday his number was retired.  But if Joe Ryan continues to induce little soft contact (he's at 6%, the league is 16%) and lots of hard contact (he's at 41%, the league is at 32%), he will be out of the league in the next 2-4 years.  I believe he can improve on that, which is why I am optimistic about him in the rotation next year.  That said, assuming he pitches every 5 days, his next 3 starts will be @NYY, @TOR, TOR.  If he's still performing after those 3, I'll be MUCH less skeptical.

    Other than you, who said anything about 10 years?  Who even cares about 10 years from now at this point?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    We really need someone with a good eye for breaking down film to help explain the deception this guy pitches with.  Watching hitters, they react like his pitches hopped through a wormhole halfway to the mound.  His velocity and movement can't explain that IMO, something about his delivery is frying brains.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    11 hours ago, Cap'n Piranha said:

    The skepticism comes from his .100 babip despite only inducing 6% soft contact, but giving up 41% hard contact; it is impossible for those 3 numbers to coexist for any sustained period.  The number most likely to change out of those, by far, is the babip, and when it does, he won't be throwing 7 inning one-hitters.  This doesn't mean Ryan's about to turn into Happ or anything, but it also means he's not mutant deGrom either.

    I like Joe Ryan, and I'm very optimistic about him--I thought he should have been ranked higher on the Twins prospect list than SWR--but we shouldn't assume that he's ready to be a 10 year starter in the bigs based off of two starts, one of which was mediocre.

    I guess its fair to say those 3 numbers cannot coexist for any sustained period.   I agree.   I also agree that the babip is just most likely to change.   It is absolutely guaranteed to more than double but no one is expecting a career of 7 inning 1 hit games.    The 6% soft contact rate is very likely to triple and the hard contract rate is likely to drop.   I was never super high on Berrios so I guess that is kind of my hope for comp.    Hope is what keeps us coming back.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    At the trade Eno Sarris compared him to Ben Lively and Yusmeiro Petit. I think he had some video of how his fastball and arm action were similar to Petit. Let’s hope he is near the upper extreme with his effectiveness in that style.

    Can he develop the pitch mix to face batters multiple times in the game? Can he be as effective from the stretch as he is from the wind up? Can he survive a likely high fly ball rate and avoid giving up too many home runs with runners on base?

    I think he will have some growing pains but he needs to be at this level.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    16 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

    We really need someone with a good eye for breaking down film to help explain the deception this guy pitches with.  Watching hitters, they react like his pitches hopped through a wormhole halfway to the mound.  His velocity and movement can't explain that IMO, something about his delivery is frying brains.

    He leads with his elbow, which hides the pitch longer. 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    On 9/10/2021 at 6:30 PM, Dodecahedron said:

    Other than you, who said anything about 10 years?  Who even cares about 10 years from now at this point?

    I never said anyone else said 10 years.  I said 10 years because I'm trying to make the point that we shouldn't just assume Joe Ryan can be etched in stone into the rotation for the foreseeable future, based on his first 2 starts.  Nothing more, nothing less.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites




    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...