Minnesota Twins: Grading the Twins Grapefruit League Pitching

The Minnesota Twins opened spring training with 33 pitchers in the major league camp. Of the 22 free agents general manager Terry Ryan signed in the offseason, 13 of them were pitchers.

The biggest of these signings was Jason Marquis, a 12-year veteran of the National League who comes to the Twins with a 104-98 career record and a 4.55 ERA.

It's obvious that the approach appears to be to throw as much stuff against the wall and see what sticks. That must be the right approach when your pitching staff finished with the second worst ERA in baseball at 4.60—only the Baltimore Orioles had a higher team ERA.

Things got so bad last season, that even right fielder and first baseman Michael Cuddyer was forced to pitch an inning for the Twins.

The Twins, who are still trying to recover from the bullpen losses of Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier to free agency following the 2010 season, now have to deal with the loss of closer Joe Nathan—again. After injuring his ulna collateral ligament in spring training and missing the entire 2010 season, this time, they're losing him in free agency to the two-time reigning American League champions, the Texas Rangers.

The Twins will be relying on Carl Pavano to pitch another 200-plus innings, and for Francsico Liriano to finally settle down and become the dominating pitcher they have been waiting for since 2006 when he went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA.

Here's a look at how the most likely candidates to make the Twins pitching staff have fared so far this this spring.

Starting Pitcher, Carl Pavano

The Twins work horse was looking good this spring until he allowed six runs in four innings against the Baltimore Orioles in his latest outing.

Carl Pavano's ERA this spring jumped from a very respectable 3.95 to a scary 6.11.

Pavano leads all Twins pitchers with 17.2 innings pitched this spring.

With nothing to prove and no reason to panic, perhaps he was just getting in some work against the O's.

As a Twin he's 31-28 with a 4.11 ERA, leading the team with an average of 221.5 innings pitched the last two seasons.

If you look at his spring training numbers since 2010, a poor spring might be a good omen.

In 2010 he pitched 28.2 innings with a 4.71 ERA. That season he finished the regular season with a 17-11 record and a 3.75 and a league-leading seven complete games. 

During the 2011 Grapefruit League play he finished with a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings pitched. It didn't carry over, and during the regular season he was 9-13 with a 4.30 ERA and only three complete games.

If the pattern follows, 2012 should be a very good year for Pavano.

Grade: C+

Starting Pitcher, Francisco Liriano

Since returning from Tommy John surgery in 2008, Francisco Liriano has pitched better in even years than odd ones.

In 2008 and 2010 he is a combined 20-14 with 267.2 inning pitched and a decent 3.70 ERA.

Compare that to his performance in 2009 and 2011 where he is 14-23 with a 5.45 ERA over 271 innings pitched.

So far this spring he has been very good. In 13 innings he has had 18 strikeouts with a 2.77 ERA and a 0.62 WHIP. 

Looking at his spring training statistics the success seems to follow. In 2010 he had a 2.70 ERA, while last season it was 4.82.

Grade: A-

Here's to a great even year from Liriano.

Starting Pitcher, Scott Baker

This has not been a good spring for Scott Baker.

Due to elbow soreness he has been limited to pitching only two innings for the Twins.

He pitch in a minor league game on Thursday. According to a Tweet from Joe Christensen, Baker's velocity was in the 83-86 range.

It's unlikely that Baker will be ready when the season opens in a couple of weeks.

Grade: Incomplete

Starting Pitcher, Nick Blackburn

Nick Blackburn career seems to have as many lives as a cat. Over his five-year career he has a 39-46 record with a 4.50 ERA.

He has never won more games than he has lost in a season. Yet, he continues to make the Twins' starting rotation.

Over the past two seasons he is 17-22 with a 4.98 ERA.

In seven innings pitched this spring he has not given up an earned run and has a 0.71 WHIP.  The problem is we've seen Blackburn pitch well during the Grapefruit League.

Last year he was 3-1 with a 1.73 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP in 26.0 innings.

Grade: A

I'm grading their spring performance, and Blackburn has been very good. Hopefully this year it will continue into April and beyond.

Starting Pitcher, Jason Marquis

With a 4.55 ERA over 12 seasons in the National League, where the pitchers hit, don't expect a whole lot from the Twins' fifth starter—of course with Scott Baker possibly opening the season on the DL, he just moved up a slot. 

So far this spring, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to get excited about. In 12.2 innings Marquis has an 8.53 ERA and a 2.21 WHIP.

That seems to the be the norm for Marquis in the spring. In 2010 he finished the exhibition season with a 9.15 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched.

Grade: C

Closer, Matt Capps

Matt Capps is the Minnesota Twins closer; with the loss of Joe Nathan in free agency to the Rangers, there will be no questioning that in 2012.

In 2010, when Capps joined the team at the trade deadline in July, he finished the season with a 2-0 record with 16 saves in 18 attempts and a 2.00 ERA.

That season he made the National League All-Star roster finishing the first half of the season with 26 saves and a 2.74 ERA for Washington.

Last season he stumbled to a 4-7 record with 15 saves in 24 opportunities and a 4.25 ERA.

So far this spring he has pitched six innings with a 3.00 ERA with four strikesouts and only one walk.

Grade: B

Set-Up Man, Glen Perkins

Glen Perkins, the former Stillwater High School and University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, has remade his career from failed starter to effective set-up man.

In 2009 Perkins went 6-7 with a 5.89 ERA in 17 starts. In 2010 he spent most of the season pitching for the Rochester Red Wings at the Triple-A level, appearing in only 13 games with a single start for the Twins.

Last season he thrived out of the bullpen, leading the Twins with a 2.48 ERA, pitching 61.2 innings in 65 games.

Like Matt Capps, Perkins has a 3.00 ERA over six innings pitched. Where he has looked better is that he has nine strikeouts and only one walk.

If Capps struggles at all, fans will be calling for Perkins to be the closer.

Grade: A

Long Reliever, Brian Duensing

From successful middle reliever in 2010 to failed starter in 2011, Brian Duensing, like many of the Twins, is hoping 2012 to be more like 2010, especially since he will be back in the bullpen.

In 2010 he led the Twins with a 2.62 ERA. He finished the season with a 10-3 record with 13 starts in 53 games.

Promoted to the starting lineup for 2011, he struggled to a 9-14 record in 28 starts with a 5.23 ERA.

Duensing has yet to allow a run over six innings with a 1.00 WHIP this spring.

Grade: A

Back where he seems to be comfortable, here's hoping he doesn't need to start too many games in 2012.

Reliever, Anthony Swarzak

Last season with Brian Duensing promoted to the starting rotation, Anthony Swarzak replaced him in the bullpen as the long reliever and spot starter.

He pitched in 27 games with 11 starts and finished with a 4-7 record and a 4.32 ERA.

Swarzak will make the team out of spring training, but he will need to pitch effectively to stay there.

So far this spring he has struggled with a 6.35 ERA over 5.2 innings in four games.

Grade: C

A passing grade, but he needs to pitch better once the season opens.

That makes five starters and four relievers, with a huge question mark for Scott Baker. That leaves only three and possibly four spots left on the Twins pitching staff. 

Reliever, Alex Burnett

The upside on Alex Burnett is he will only be 24 years old when the season opens.

The downside is that over the past two seasons he has not been able to keep his ERA below 5.2.

The Twins see plenty of potential from their 12th-round draft pick from 2005, but he will need to start pitching better if he wants to stay with the Twins.

Last season he appeared in 66 games for the Twins and finished with a 5.51 ERA and 2-5 record. 

This spring over five innings in five games he has a 9.00 ERA.

 

Grade: C-

He's definitely on the bubble to make the team.

Reliever, Lester Oliveras

The good news is Lester Oliveros has a 3.00 ERA this spring. The bad news is he has only pitched three innings.

This was going to one of the issues opening spring training with 33 pitchers, finding enough innings for everyone.

Acquired from the Tigers as part of the trade that sent left fielder Delmon Young to Detroit, Oliveros made his major league debut July 1st last season right before the trade.

In only three games for the Twins he finished with a 4.05 ERA over 13.1 innings. 

Grade: B+

At only 23 years old there is plenty of upside for Oliveros.

Reliever, Jared Burton

Jared Burton was a Rule 5 draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds from Oakland before the 2007 season.

Over his first three seasons with the Reds he appeared in 154 games with a 3.47 ERA and a 10-3 record.

Due to injuries in 2010 and 2011 he was limited to only 10 games.

He signed with the Twins as a free agent last November.

He has looked good this spring with a 1.50 ERA over six innings with six strikeouts.

Grade: A

If he is completely healthy, Burton has a very good chance of making the Twins bullpen.

Reliever, Matt Maloney

It took me a long time to convince myself that this wasn't another picture of Jared Burton.

The fact that Matt Maloney is a left-hander is what convinced me it was not the same person.

Maloney, another free agent signed from the Cincinnati Reds, is having an exceptional spring.

So far in 9.1 innings over six games he has not allowed an earned run with 13 strikeouts and a 0.75 WHIP.

Over his three seasons in Cincinnati he had a 4-9 record with a 5.40 ERA in only 22 games. Perhaps he is ready to make the jump in the American League.

Grade: A

The key will be if he can take this success North to the Twin Cities.

Reliever, Liam Hendriks

The Twins signed Liam Hendrik as an amateur free agent in 2007.

Over four minor league seasons he has primarily been a starter with only two relief appearances in 68 games. He has a 29-14 record with an impressive 2.78 ERA.

Last season he made his major league debut, starting four games for the Twins and going 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA.

This spring he has pitched 11.0 innings over five games with an impressive 1.64 ERA.

If Scott Baker opens the season on the disabled list, there's a very good chance Hendriks will be in the rotation.

Grade: A

Reliever, Jeff Manship

The Twins have given Jeff Manship a couple shots to pitch in the majors over the past three seasons.

He has a combined 3-2 record with a 5.63 ERA over 64.0 innings in 29 games with six starts.

He's looked good this spring with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.62 WHIP in 6.1 innings over six games.

The key will be if he can bring that kind of success to the Twins.

Grade: A

Manship is another pitcher on the bubble to make the team. It might come down to him and Alex Burnett.