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First, a couple of relievers worthy of mention:
- Moises Gomez - GCL - 5 G, 1.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 15.0 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 7 K
- Brandon Peterson - Chattanooga - 6 G, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 6 H, 8 BB, 16 K
- Johan Quezada - Elizabethton - 8 G, 1.93 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 14.0 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 9 K
- Williams Ramirez - Cedar Rapids - 7 G, 1.98 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 5 H, 11 BB, 15 K
THE TOP FOUR RELIEF PITCHERS
#4 -
Nick Anderson
- Ft. Myers - 10 G, 1.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 11 H, 5 BB, 18 K
The Twins signed Nick Anderson out of independent ball last July (2015), and he helped the Cedar Rapids Kernels to the Midwest League championship series as their closer. He returned to the Midwest League to start this season, but after dominating again, he moved up to Ft. Myers. He had some initial struggles there, but has been terrific the last five or six weeks. In August he was terrific. Opponents posted just a .519 OPS off of him. He struck out a lot of batters and generally was dominant.
#3 -
John Curtiss
- Ft. Myers - 10 G, 1.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 17 K
Earlier this week, we learned that Curtiss would be part of the Twins contingent at the Arizona Fall League. He was our choice for relief pitcher of the month back in April and was promoted to the Miracle as the calendar turned to May. He had some ups and downs the first couple of months, but in August, he teamed with Anderson at the back-end of the Miracle bullpen and got the job done. He also has the ability to strike batters out with a mid-90s fastball. The Twins 6th -ound pick in 2014 out of the University of Texas, Curtiss has thrived in the bullpen.
#2 -
Andrew Vasquez
- Cedar Rapids - 7 G, 1.15 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 15.2 IP, 10 H, 7 BB, 18 K
After a so-so pro debut in the GCL last year after being a late-round draft pick, Vasquez began the 2016 season at Extended Spring Training. He actually made a couple of appearances for Elizabethton before coming up to the Kernels. Since then, he has really helped solidify Jake Mauer's bullpen. Vasquez is tall and strong, but he occasionally has some bouts with his control. But when he's on, he misses a lot of bats and makes opposing batters uncomfortable. They posted just a .474 OPS off of him in August.
And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is:
Rochester Red Wings – RHP Jake Reed - 10 G, 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 11 K
It's almost hard to believe that Jake Reed was only drafted by the Twins two years ago. We have heard his name so many times over those two years as a future bullpen arm. The Twins used their 5th-round pick in 2014 to take the reliever out of Oregon. In college, he was a solid starter his first two seasons, but the move to the bullpen helped him take off.
The Twins signed him and sent him to Elizabethton, but he very quickly got to Cedar Rapids where he was completely dominant. He gave up one run in 25 innings (0.72 ERA). Then he dominated in the Arizona Fall League.
He began the 2015 season in AA Chattanooga, but he struggled and went back to Ft. Myers where he pitched great. He returned to the Lookouts and helped in their Southern League championship run.
He again went to the AFL last year and pitched really well again. He earned an invitation to Twins big league spring training where he made a good impression. He began this season in Chattanooga again where he had some ups and downs early, but he really pitched well before being promoted to Rochester. In his first appearance for the Red Wings, he struggled and allowed a couple of inherited runners to score. Since then, he has been dominant.
He should again be invited to Twins spring training and there is a chance he surfaces with the Twins before June. He is blessed with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball with a lot of movement. Sometimes it's clear he's getting so much movement that it runs out of the strike zone. He also has a very good slider. He's got great makeup for a late-innings reliever.
There were several very strong relief pitcher performances in August. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent month.
Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for August 2016, Jake Reed.
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