2021 Twins Short Season Pitcher of the Year: Samuel Perez

Before getting into this year’s crop, here are the previous recipients of this award:

2016: Huascar Ynoa
2017: Jovani Moran
2018: Andrew Cabezas
2019: Cody Lawyerson

There were a handful of notable performances this season. With every organization putting such a premium on developing pitching, having players stand out early at the lowest level is a must. Being able to continue to foster that growth throughout their experience in professional baseball is what hopefully will translate to major-league success. Coming off a year with no minor league action, these guys really stepped up when returning to the mound.

Before getting into the top three, here are some honorable mentions.

Others Receiving Votes:

• Giovahniey German 12 G, 11 GS, 5.59 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 33 H, 32 BB, 43 K
• John Wilson 14 G, 3.86 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 23.1 IP, 32 H, 4 BB, 16 K
• Ramon Pineda 13 G, 4.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 20.2 IP, 22 H, 2 BB, 17 K
• Cole Bellair 10 G, 6.43 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 21.0 IP, 27 H, 7 BB, 34 K

Short Season Pitcher of the Year
Here are the top three vote-getters for Twins Short Season Pitcher of the Year.

3. Develson Aria 13 G, 6 GS, 3.16 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 14 H, 23 BB, 39 K
Aria was signed out of the Dominican Republic prior to the 2019 season. He played stateside for the first time this year at the age of 20. Despite lacking command on the bump, Aria posted gaudy strikeout numbers and was able to work around potential damage. Notably, he avoided allowing any home runs during his 25 2/3 innings of work.

2. Juan Mendez 12 G, 5 GS, 3.58 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 21 H, 14 BB, 37 K
Making his professional debut, Mendez was 22-years-old for the FCL team this year. He allowed opposing batters to hit just .196 off of him and gave up just two home runs during his season of work. Signed in 2020 as a free agent, Mendez put a strong foot forward to start his pro career.

1. Samuel Perez 13 G, 1 GS, 1.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 37.1 IP, 29 H, 5 BB, 39 K
Working primarily as a reliever, Perez was utterly dominant for the Complex League squad this year. He posted more than a strikeout per inning and had a sub 1.00 WHIP. Perez made his stateside debut this season after being signed by the Twins organization in June 2021.

Having previously played in the Dominican Summer League through the Angels organization, Perez has consistently posted strong strikeout numbers and low ERA totals. He is now 21-years-old and will be looking towards a debut with Fort Myers next season.

The Ballots

• Seth Stohs - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Develson Aria
• Nash Walker - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Develson Aria 3) John Wilson
• Cody Christie - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Develson Aria
• Tom Froemming - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Ramon Pineda
• Ted Schwerzler - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Giovahniey German 3) John Wilson
• Steve Lien - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Develson Aria 3) Juan Mendez
• David Youngs - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Giovahniey German 3) Juan Mendez
• Allen Post - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Develson Aria
• Matt Braun - 1) Samuel Perez 2) Juan Mendez 3) Cole Bellair

Feel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look?