Josh Winder's strong outing keeps him in mix for Twins' starting rotation

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Amid all the questions and concerns swirling around the Twins' pitching staff, one name might have gone overlooked with all the talk of another potential blockbuster move.

But the Twins wouldn't need to pull off a monster trade to benefit from Josh Winder's arm. And he could end up impacting the Twins' starting rotation as early as the season's opening weekend, alongside the likes of Sonny Gray, Dylan Bundy, Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said as much Wednesday after Winder's first outing of the spring. Winder gave up two hits and a walk but struck out three during his first two innings of the Twins' 10-4 victory at the Boston Red Sox.

In an alternate timeline, Winder might have already made his MLB debut last season, as Ober and Ryan did toward the end of the playoff-less year. But the 25-year-old tapped out of the minor league season after July 21 because of a right shoulder impingement.

"I knew I was knocking on the door. I was right at the doorstep there," Winder said Thursday. "But the way I viewed it, I was able to kind of correct some things through that injury process, and I think I'll be more prepared when I do get a call — if I do get a call — to stay up there as opposed to just touching up there."

Winder attributed his injury to being "off-routine" during a season with a lot of moving parts. He started the year at Double-A Wichita before ascending to St. Paul by early July, then represented the Twins at the MLB Futures Game on July 18. All this came after a 2020 without a minor league season because of the pandemic.

"I don't think I was used to that long of a season. So it just kind of got a little cranky," Winder said. "And we didn't want to take any chances with pushing through it and hurting something else or hurting it worse. So we were very conservative and shut it down just to make sure I could be ready for this year."

Although he started only 14 games last year, he finished with a 2.63 ERA in 72 innings. In 2019, his only complete season since the Twins took him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft, he had a league-low 2.65 ERA for Class-A Cedar Rapids.

Winder impressed during his second collegiate season at Virginia Military Institute, when he set the single-season record for strikeouts at 112 and innings pitched at 107⅔ with his 3.59 ERA. But his stats dipped the next year, causing his draft stock to fall.

But since the 6-5, 210-pound right hander joined the organization, he has been impressive.

"He's out there competing for a reason this spring," Baldelli said. "But really, when you check all the boxes of what good-looking starting pitching prospects and young players look like, that's what you're really hoping to see. He does all of those things.

"… He's kind of ahead of the curve on his routine and his work ethic for a guy that hasn't appeared in the big leagues yet."

Winder spent his offseason at home in Richmond, Va., and was able to face hitters as early as October after rehabbing his shoulder. Since being in camp, he has honed his four pitches — including a fastball in the high 90s — with the help of peers Ober and Ryan as well as veteran Gray.

Beyond baseball, Winder spends a lot of time in front of a screen, either watching any and every sporting event or the latest cinematic masterpiece, from the NFL to March Madness to Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" to Denis Villeneuve's "Dune."

But as soon as two weeks from now, Winder might not have much time to indulge all of his viewing wishes.

"I've just been really focused in on working on my stuff and just becoming the best pitcher I can be. So I'm not really listening to anything or worried about anything else," Winder said. "Just working on adjustments I need to make to get guys out. Whether that's in Triple-A, whether that's in the big leagues, I'm going to play regardless."