Luke Westphal - 2015

[formerly33]

Luke Daniel Westphal, a left handed pitcher from Clintonville, WI, was signed by the Minnesota Twins this past offseason after being discovered by Twins scout Howard Norsetter when he was pitching for the Doncaster Dragons of Australia’s Baseball Victoria Summer League where he started 14 games and collected 141 strikeouts with an ERA of 0.49 in 80 innings pitched.

 

Westphal, now 25 years old, was born June 14th of 1989 and is listed as 6’3” and 230 lb. Born and raised in Clintonville, WI, Westphal had an outstanding collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In his junior year at Division III, Westphal was an All-American pitcher and was voted the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association pitcher of the year after posting a 7-0 record with a 1.34 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched. That year he held opponents to a .184 batting average, allowed one run in six of his eight starts, and gave up only six extra-base hits. In his four years at UW-Oshkosh, he made 29 starts in 40 appearances, and his stats include a 17-10 win-loss record and a 3.08 ERA and 197 strikeouts in 207.2 innings.

 

Westphal began his professional career with the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League in 2013 after graduating from college. Though he had been a starter for the UW-Oshkosh Titans, the Grizzlies switched him to the bullpen, where he posted a 1.59 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 17 innings before having his season cut short due to an injury. The following year he had 3 wins and 5 losses with a 2.91 ERA in 35 games. During his two years with Gateway, Westphal struggled with his control and walked 50 batters, but he also showed potential with his 69 strikeouts in just 69.2 innings.

 

Last summer he was accepted to play for a team in Doncaster (Victoria Summer League), where he would be back in starting position. Down under, he started 14 games and compiled 141 strikeouts with a 0.49 ERA in 80 innings pitched. That’s where he caught Twins scout Howard Norsetter’s eye. Needless to say, that winter Westphal received the phone call that every young ballplayer dreams of getting, and though he had been traded to the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League back in October, the Twins bought his contract before he made an appearance for Joliet.

 

Westphal pitching for the Doncaster Dragons | photo via Doncaster Baseball Club.

 

Westphal pitching for the Twins in Spring Training | photo by Bryan Green via Flickr.

 

Luke Westphal made his Minor League debut last night on the Fort Myers Miracle and gave a good performance, hurling one inning in relief and getting the opposing team to go down in order with a strikeout and two groundouts.

 

The Twins have high hopes for Luke Westphal, and his story is intriguing. I’m looking forward to see what he can do for us, not only this year but in the years to come, and I’m excited at this opportunity to cover his journey from the Minors onward.

 

 

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal made his first Minor League start today, pitching 3.1 innings and striking out five. Unfortunately, he also gave up five hits and three runs (one unearned) and picked up his first loss, but on the plus side he didn’t walk any batters. Assuming that he’s been working on his control, today he won in that area at least. I expect that they will work with him from there, so I’m looking forward to his next outing.

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal started his 2nd game in Fort Myers tonight and pitched four innings, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out two, walking as many, and throwing three wild pitches.

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal pitched again for Fort Myers yesterday. He started out fairly strong, but everything fell apart in the 4th when he gave up a triple, three singles, and a walk, allowing 4 runs. He finished the inning and then was replaced by Alex Muren in the 5th. Happily for Westphal (and, of course, the intire team), the Miracle came back and walked off Palm Beach in the 11th on a bases-loaded walk. To go on record, his ERA is currently 6.57. Another point of interest is that he struck out only one batter this outing.

[jokin]

I get the feeling that we're soon near a "Luke, we hardly knew ye" moment.  Three SPs on Cedar Rapids are absolutely killing it, it seems only a matter of time until at least one of them is moved up.  

Wouldn't Westphal be in a better position to succeed as a LHRP instead of as a 6th SP?

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal started his 4th Minor League game last night and showed improvement, lasting 4.1 innings and giving up 1 run on 8 hits, lowering his ERA to 5.40. Of course, this had to be the game that Fort Myers couldn't score a run in, and the Bradenton Marauders won 3-0. Needless to say, Westphal picked up his 2nd loss. He had 2 strikeouts and walked the same.

 

I can't help but brag a little and draw your attention to the fact that Austin Meadows was called out on strikes to start out the game. At least there's something to feel good about this game.

[Seth Stohs]

Here is a story I did on Westphal for Twins Daily during Spring Training: http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/luke-westphals-long-road-to-the-twins-r3444

 

He's got good strikeout numbers. Even if Gonsalves replaces him in the rotation, I think Westphal can be a solid reliever. And he's left-handed.

[formerly33]

 

Here is a story I did on Westphal for Twins Daily during Spring Training: http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/luke-westphals-long-road-to-the-twins-r3444

 

He's got good strikeout numbers. Even if Gonsalves replaces him in the rotation, I think Westphal can be a solid reliever. And he's left-handed.

Thanks for the link. I'll admit that that was one of my main references I used when I first started writing about him. I think I remember you mentioning that he was surprised when you went up to talk to him during Spring Training. Well, at your suggestion, I wrote to him right away after I "adopted" him last month, and yesterday I received a letter in the mail back from him. I got the impression that once again he was surprised. I'll post more about that later.

[formerly33]

A couple weeks ago, I sent a letter to Luke Westphal asking him if he would mind answering some questions as I write about his minor league career here on Twins Daily. I remember predicting (to myself, that is) that he would be one of the more likely minor leaguers to respond since he's from Wisconsin, and if there was ever a friendly person in the world, I think I can safely say that they were probably Wisconsinite. Not to bash Minnesotans or anything, but as a general rule, while they are very nice, they are a little more reserved.

 

In answer to my questions, Luke told me that he grew up in a small town about 2 1/2 hours north of Milwaukee, so he was a Brewers fan growing up. Anytime he would go to a big league game it was always at Miller Park to watch the Brewers.

 

Besides baseball, he played basketball and football throughout high school and enjoyed them almost as much as baseball.

 

When he was younger his favorite player was Cliff Lee since he was a lefty, but he would watch a lot of different left handed pitchers and try to learn whatever he could from what they were doing.

 

Obviously he was excited at the opportunity to play affiliated baseball with any team, but he said that being signed by a team so close to home was a great added bonus.

 

He said that he has had a lot of good coaches who have helped him out along the way at every level. His college coach was fantastic when it came to working with pitchers, so he learned a lot in college and still tries to carry that over with him now. He said that his entire family serves as his mentors and that they provide him with enough support and reason to succeed.

 

In answer to my question about whether he had a specific pitch that he was planning to devote extra work on this year, Westphal said that he will just devote extra time to making sure he can throw each of his pitches for a strike whenever he needs to. That way he will have 4 possible pitches in any count (fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup).

 

When I wrote the letter, Westphal had had only one outing from the bullpen so far in the minors, in which he put up good numbers in a single inning. I asked if he hoped to eventually move back to his native starting position or if he saw himself in the bullpen in the future, and he responded, "Well so far this season I came out of the bullpen for one outing, and then I have had 3 starts since then. Right now I am not sure what I will be doing for sure. I enjoy starting and hopefully I will continue to do that for a while, but I will pitch in whatever situation they decide to put me in, starting or relieving."

 

Westphal assured me that he would be more than happy to answer any questions I have in the future, so if anyone happens to have a question of their own, they can pop it to me in this thread or a PM, and I'll consider passing it on based on its pertinence. Hope you enjoyed reading this!

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal pitched two innings in relief today against the Jupiter Hammerheads. The Miracle won in the 10th inning, and Westphal, whose ERA now stands at 4.82, picked up his 1st Minor League win.

[formerly33]

Westphal pitched another inning in relief today and allowed 1 unearned run on 1 hit, 1 strikeout, and 2 walks. His ERA is down to 4.58.

[formerly33]

Here are some photos from Luke Westphal's game on the 9th when he pitched two innings in relief and picked up his first win.

 

Luke Westphal | photo by Bryan Green via Flickr.

 

Luke Westphal | photo by Bryan Green via Flickr.

 

Walk-off win in extras | photo by Bryan Green via Flickr.

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal pitched 1.1 innings in relief for the Miracle this afternoon, replacing Kohl Stewart in the 6th. He pitched a perfect 6th with 2 strikeouts and a groundout, but in the 7th he walked a batter, struck out the next, and then allowed two singles before being replaced by Brian Gilbert; one of those batters went on to score, raising Westphal's ERA to 4.71. However, the Fort Myers Miracle are currently leading the Jupiter Hammerheads 5-3 in the 8th.

[formerly33]

And Luke Westphal picks up his second win of the season! I didn't even realize that he was set to get the win.

 

Just a quick overview of his stats on the year:

 

W-L: 2-2

ERA: 4.71

G: 8

GS: 4

IP: 21

SO: 15

BB: 8

[formerly33]

Making a spot start for the Miracle on Friday, May 22nd, Luke Westphal gave up 2 hits to the Brevard County Manatees to lead off the 1st inning, and then, after a double steal which put both runners in scoring position, allowed a run to score when the next batter reached on a fielder's choice and Manatees' center fielder Omar Garcia beat out the throw. However, Westphal came back with 2 strikeouts and a groundout to end the inning. He remained in the game for 2 more innings, allowing 1 more hit, walking 1, and picking up 1 more strikeout before being replaced by Brian Gilbert in the 4th inning when the game was tied up with 1 run apiece. The Miracle went on to lose 2-1. Westphal's ERA is now 4.21.

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal pitched the 6th inning for the Fort Myers Miracle today, sending Clearwater Threshers' Andrew Knapp, Dylan Cozens, and Aaron Brown down in order.

 

I realized that I missed updating when he pitched on May 19th, going 1.2 innings in relief, walking 2, and striking out 1 without allowing a run, but I'm putting that down now for posterity.

 

As of today, his ERA stands at 4.05. A month ago I mentioned that his ERA was 6.57, so this is a huge improvement since then. He seems to have come into his own in the bullpen, but I can't help but remember that he was phenomenal as a starter in his pre-signing career. While he did have some trouble making the jump into the minors, it's not like he doesn't have the stamina to go deeper into games. I'd like to see what he can do now that he's warming into the greater talent at Class A.

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal pitched 3 innings in relief yesterday, replacing Aaron Slegers after he gave up 8 runs in the first 3 innings of the game. Luke allowed 2 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 1 without giving up a run; his ERA is now down to 3.64. I must say that I am very proud of my prospect, even if he's not a top 100 or anything like that. He's quietly found a spot in Fort Myers, and though he struggled at first, he's out there getting the job done now.

[formerly33]

On June 4th, Luke Westphal pitched an inning in relief for the Fort Myers Miracle in their 7-3 loss to the Bradenton Marauders and allowed a run on 2 hits. He also hit the first batter he faced by a pitch.

 

I meant to cover this up by posting it along with an update on a better performance by Westphal, but it's been over a week since my last update and he still hasn't pitched since the outing in question. Maybe they want him to start game 2 of the doubleheader today...? Not sure, but time will tell.

[formerly33]

Alright ... it worked. It was Kohl Stewart who started the 2nd game of the doubleheader, and he went 6 innings before being replaced by Luke Westphal, who pitched a scoreless inning to end the game and complete a 4-game sweep over the Lakeland Flying Tigers. The Miracle won 7-3. Westphal's ERA is back down to 3.69.

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal came into this afternoon's game versus the Bradenton Marauders in the 11th inning. Unfortunately, he was only able to record 1 out before allowing 3 hits to walk off the game and pick up his 3rd loss of the season. Fort Myers lost 6-5, and Westphal's ERA is once again up to 3.94.

[formerly33]

What game could be more perfect than one in which Luke Westphal not only got the win but Todd Van Steensel got the save? Well, that's what happened last night as Westphal came in for the 7th inning, and...well, at this point I'm just going to forget about relaying numbers. What happened in last night's game is just too entertaining to miss out on.

 

Daytona Tortugas and Fort Myers were all tied up with 5 apiece when Luke came on to pitch in the top of the 7th inning. Daytona's leadoff man Phil Ervin went down gawking, and from what I can see, he wasn't too pleased. Only having access to the recap, however, I don't know whether the call was correct or not, but apparently Phil turned around to bark at John Mang, the fellow who had the duties behind the plate. At least I think that's what happened because he was ejected immediately following the call.

 

The next batter up flew out undramatically to left, but following him, Daytona's Sebastian Elizalde was hit by a pitch. I don't know where or how hard it hit him, but apparently he decided that maybe it was unintentional and took his base with little ado. At least, he wasn't ejected, so I'll assume that. Sadly, Luke threw a wild pitch with 2 strikes to the next batter, who promptly swung at it and then took off for 1st; he was deemed safe by 1st base umpire Matt Winter. The runners ended up making it to 2nd and 3rd on a passed ball by Alex Swim, but Luke Westphal managed to get out of it when he sent Taylor Sparks down swinging to pick up his 3rd strikeout of the night and end the inning.

 

In the bottom half of that inning, the Miracle scored 4 runs to make it a 9-5 game. I won't go into details, but I will note that Tanner Vavra was hit by a pitch. We all know that Tanner isn't a player that terrorizes pitchers, so I think I can say that it was an accident, and that means that the pitcher was lacking control. However, the Tortugas tried to pretend that it was done intentionally, and you'll see why I say that in just a minute.

 

However, first I have to record the sad fact that when Luke Westphal came back out in the 8th he walked 2 in a row and was unable to record an out before being replaced by Todd Van Steensel, who got out of the jam with a double play and pop out to end the inning. The Miracle were unable to score in the bottom half of that inning, and then the Daytona Tortugas returned to the plate.

 

With Todd Van Steensel still on the mound, Junior Felix Arias ground out to 1st base to start the inning. However, the next batter up, Alex Blandino, was hit by a pitch. I don't know how many pitches there were in the count when this happened, but I like to imagine that it was the first pitch he saw. At least, there's a good chance it was, because the same Sebastian Elizalde mentioned earlier was on deck when it happened and was ejected following that at bat. I don't know if this happened in the middle of the count or if he immediately charged the mound when Blandino was hit, but then Daytona's pitcher Amir Garrett (who it should be noted did not pitch in last night's game) was also ejected, so I would assume that there was a brawl. I wish I could find out more about it, but I've been forced to let my imagination come into play. However, I'm only going to relay facts since I don't want any rumors to start, so all I can say at this point is that Daytona's manager, Eli Marrero, was also ejected in the little spit, but all of the Miracle's players, manager, and the rest of the coaching staff remained in the game.

 

Wendell Soto, who replaced Elizalde after the ejection, was called out on strikes and then the next batter flew out to end the game. Luke Westphal is now 3-3 on the year, and Van Steensel picked up his 8th save.

[formerly33]

Luke's been demoted to Low A Cedar Rapids. While I'm saddened by the move, Tyler Jay has his spot in Fort Myers now, not to mention that it makes Luke that much closer to home. Maybe now I'll have the chance to see my first AAP this year; while this may sound backwards, I'd especially like that if he never makes it to the bigs.

[formerly33]

Westphal pitched an inning in relief for the Kernels on the 26th. He allowed a leadoff triple which eventually went on to score a run and struck out the second batter he faced. Needless to say, his ERA at Low A is 9.00. Let's hope he gets that worked down and can maybe stretch out to his dream role as a starter now that he's playing at a lower level.

 

Westphal is no longer wearing #33 (that belongs to Trey Vavra), and his jersey has been switched to 18. He looks sad in his new team photo.

[Guest]

Jim Ecker at MSR did a piece on Luke a few days ago after that initial appearance. Sounds like the plan is to put him in to the Kernels rotation.

 

http://metrosportsreport.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29518:westphal-hopes-to-keep-beating-the-odds&catid=234:kernels-home&Itemid=429

 

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal started the Kernels game tonight and threw 6 innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3. In Cedar Rapids this year he has started 3 games out of 4 appearances and thrown 16 innings, posting a 3.38 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just 4 walks.

[formerly33]

I have been very lax in my duties in the AAP area lately and apologize for that. I will add an update into this comment in a moment, but I'm posting it right now since I'm very jealously guarding my first-ever prospect from anyone else who might take him from me any moment.

 

Since my last update, Luke Westphal made three more appearances for the Kernels, all of them starts. As expected, he found his groove in Low A, throwing 30 innings and holding opponents to a .198 average, striking out 28, and walking only 9. His areas of weakness in both independent and professional baseball improved greatly with the demotion to Cedar Rapids; he walked far less than he did before being signed by the Twins, and his ERA dropped to 2.70 in Cedar Rapids (3.29 on the year). Combining all those stats, his WHIP (the most important pitching statistic, in my most humble opinion) is 0.97 (1.37).

 

Yesterday it was announced that Luke Westphal was promoted to Fort Myers after Sean Miller was placed on the DL due to a right thumb contusion and T.J. White was demoted to Cedar Rapids. He will now wear number 20 as Trevor Hildenberger got 33 when he was promoted. Looking forward to seeing how he performs in his second shot at High A!

 

Here is a photo from Westphal's first start in Cedar Rapids, in which he threw 5 innings, allowed 1 run on as many hits, walked 2 and, struck out 5, picking up his first and only Low A win.

 

photo by Justin Rinaldi via Flickr

[formerly33]

Luke Westphal started his first game since his promotion tonight vs. Palm Beach and went 4.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, walking 2, and striking out 5. Zach Jones, who went on to get the win as Fort Myers won 13-5, replaced him in the 5th inning after Luke allowed both runs on 4 consecutive singles.

[formerly33]

Since my last update, Westphal has started 3 more games in Fort Myers, losing 2 and winning 1. Wins and losses are an irrelevant stat, however, and that is emphasized by the fact that he only gave up 3 runs over the 18 innings he pitched in those games, a huge improvement since his last shot at High A. He is also going deeper into games, throwing 7 innings on the 13th, 5 on the 19th, and 6 on the 25th. He also has 19 strikeouts over the 22.2 innings he has thrown since his promotion while walking only 5. His ERA in High A is down to 3.07 over 55.2 innings (2.94, 85.2 on the year), and his WHIP is 1.46 (1.28).

[formerly33]

Westphal's season stats - 2 teams (Fort Myers Miracle, Cedar Rapids Kernels):

 

W: 6

L: 8

ERA: 2.74

IP: 95.1

H: 94

ER: 34

BB: 32

SO: 81

AVG: .263

WHIP: 1.32

 

Luke Westphal was quietly dominant for the Miracle this year; with his ERA of 2.76, he was one of four Miracle pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs, ranking second only to Stephen Gonsalves and followed by Mat Batts and Aaron Slegers. He might not be the first guy that comes to mind when you're thinking about pitching prospects (though I may be wrong since I'm trying to decide this based on the probably unbiased populace's mind, whereas he's always the first one I think of), but he's inarguably in good company. I'm looking forward to following his career as a professional ballplayer, regardless of who he plays for and whatever the league. I'll always have a special place in my heart for my first ever AAP - the guy I chose because he wore number 33 and who turned out to have an awesome story to go with. And ... sniff, sniff ... now the season's over and I might never have the chance to update for him again.