Twins auditioning 2022 pitchers after this year's choices fell way short

After assembling one of the least effective pitching staffs in baseball, the Twins already have started work on their 2022 edition.

Some of their moves were on display on Wednesday during their tidy 1-0 win over the division-leading White Sox.

There was rookie Bailey Ober, making his 13th start of the season and throwing 5⅓ shutout innings. And there was Juan Minaya, recently called up from the minors, coming in from the bullpen and striking out three of four batters.

A day earlier, Rookie Griffin Jax outdueled Dallas Keuchel. And John Gant has a 1.59 ERA in 5⅔ innings since being traded by the Cardinals to the Twins.

Of the 13 pitchers on the Twins' major league roster, eight were not on the Opening Day roster. There's going to be turnover during a season. In this case, it was necessary.

Last summer, the 2020 staff was fifth in baseball in team ERA. The Twins' fortunes this season would have been different with similar production.

No doubt, a myriad of issues have plagued the 2021 Twins: injuries, offensive slumps, a virus outbreak, bad luck. The reason they are one of baseball's most disappointing teams is because many of their pitching decisions blew up in their faces. They thought Matt Shoemaker and J.A. Happ would hold down the back end of their rotation. Both are gone. They let Trevor May leave as a free agent. Hansel Robles threw hard but didn't throw enough strikes and was traded. Until recently, Alexander Colome was a disaster in the ninth inning. And make sure you are sitting down before discovering that 49% of inherited runners have scored against the Twins bullpen, the worst in the game.

Changes need to be made. Now that Jose Berrios has been traded to Toronto, Kenta Maeda needs a partner at the top of the rotation. Or two. Their offseason homework assignment: Add impact pitching via trade or free agency.

For now, the remainder of this season will provide opportunities for in-house candidates to audition for roles.

Ober, for example, looks like he belongs. His fastball is good enough. At 6-9, his pitches get on hitters a tad quicker. His secondary pitches are effective. He pitches inside and works fast.

Gant has a starter's repertoire, and he would like to try starting again. But his effectiveness as a reliever has been evident since the trade.

Minaya was with the White Sox in 2019, signed a minor league deal with the Twins and spent most of 2020 at the alternate training site. He was called over for one game, didn't pitch, and was sent back the next day. But he throws 95 mph with a split-fingered fastball that flummoxed Houston and Chicago batters. The Twins have asked Minaya to throw that pitch more often.

Before the season ends, you might see righthander Joe Ryan, one of two pitchers the Twins obtained from Tampa Bay for Nelson Cruz. Ryan has returned from pitching for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. A scout from an AL West team praised Ryan's makeup and willingness to attack the strike zone.

Another is lefthanded reliever Jovani Moran, who had a 1.91 ERA at Class AA Wichita and has a 2.60 ERA through eight appearances in St. Paul. He has an excellent change-up to go with an average fastball and solid slider.

The Twins dealt for six pitchers, five of them starters, before the trade deadline. Most of them could debut next season. They will join starting pitching prospects Jhoan Duran, Jordan Balazovic and Josh Winder on the 2022 radar.

Are any of them aces? That remains to be seen. To compete sooner rather than later, the Twins will need to bring in a quality arm or three.

Mistakes were made while assembling the 2021 pitching staff. By working now on options for 2022, the Twins are showing that they don't want to make the same mistakes come next season.