FORT MYERS, FLA. — The Twins hope they've found the answer to their shortage of reliable bullpen arms. Turns out it was right there all along, in their starting depth.
Griffin Jax, who started 14 games for Minnesota last season, and Lewis Thorpe, who started four more, are being moved to the pen this spring, manager Rocco Baldelli said Tuesday, a transformation both pitchers say they embrace.
"It's a good opportunity and I'm definitely excited for it," said Jax, a starting pitcher since high school a decade ago. "It's definitely going to be different. I'm going to have to learn a new routine, and I'm excited to see how my arm and my body is going to handle it. But change can be good."
Constant change can be bad, though, which is why Thorpe, a 26-year-old lefthander, was enthusiastic about the idea when Baldelli approached him about it on Monday. Over the past three seasons, Thorpe has made 30 starts and 22 relief appearances, whether in the majors or Class AAA, and frankly, the Australian said, "it's not easy."
"It's good that I have some clarity now. The whole starting-then-relieving thing is pretty tough, making so many adjustments," Thorpe said. "I was happy to do it — I just want to be up in the big leagues and throwing that white baseball, helping the team win — but I feel like I can be more effective if I'm focused on one role."
Baldelli agreed, and said both pitchers' workloads will be aimed at getting them ready for one- to three-inning assignments, two or three times a week. "That's the plan, just so they have something to aim for as this camp goes on," the manager said. "These are guys that haven't spent a ton of time in the bullpen, but we want them to lock in on that."
Jax, in fact, had never pitched on consecutive days in his professional career — until his first two days in the major leagues, when he was asked to face the Yankees last June 8-9. He threw 23 pitches the first night and 51 the next, and "the thing I learned the most was that my body was able to handle the stress of going back-to-back days," Jax said. "Mentally, I was like, man, I don't know if I can go 100 percent for 20 pitches and then come back the next day and do it again. But I did it. That gave me confidence that I can do it."
The Twins have had some good experience with these transitions; Glen Perkins gave up starting in 2010 and turned himself into an All-Star reliever. And both pitchers cited current Twins relievers Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers as projected starters who found increased effectiveness in smaller doses.
