Recently the Minnesota Twins signed veteran starting pitcher
J.A. Happ to bolster their rotation. He’d slot in as the 4th starter
with where things stand currently, and Randy Dobnak would be the clubhouse
favorite to round out the group. It remains to be seen whether or not another
move is coming, but there’s a dark horse to eat someone’s lunch.
At the risk of sounding too punny, maybe he’s a dark
kangaroo. Lewis Thorpe recently turned 25-years-old and is a former top-100
prospect. He couldn’t be further from that stature right now, but talent
shouldn’t be the question. After battling back from Tommy John surgery, and
then an extended bout of pneumonia, he put together impressive seasons on the
farm. The past two years have been anything but, however he’s worth believing
in under one key condition.
I liked Thorpe as a potential contributor to the big-league
club when 2020 Spring Training kicked off. He was coming off a 4.76 ERA in just
shy of 100 Triple-A innings, but it was largely reflective of the home run ball
and his 11.1 K/9 paired with a 2.3 BB/9 was still plenty enticing. Then Florida
happened.
No, for Thorpe, it wasn’t the Covid-19 related shutdown.
Without divulging too many specifics or risking secondary information, what is
publicly known is that he took an extended leave of absence from the team. His
parents flew in from Australia and he needed to undergo a mental reset.
Ultimately, he didn’t appear in a Major League game until July 26 and
contributed just 16.1 innings for the Twins. His 6.06 ERA was ugly and giving
up a homer in roughly 25-percent of his innings pitched was not going to play.
Again though, the stuff has always been there.
Observing the offseason without having directly communicated
with Thorpe, things appear to be trending in a different direction. The Twitter
account has been dormant since his birthday in 2020, and his workouts have been
shared on different forms of social media. What was at least an erratic
presence a year ago has once again subdued as was the case previously.
Whether by his own doing, or a helping hand from the
organization, if Thorpe has recalibrated himself, he can certainly be a
difference maker on the bump. I was uncertain as to his place within the
organization during periods of roster trimming, and there were times that his
inclusion in a trade may have even made sense. The pitcher that forced his way
into the big leagues in 2019 is a force to be reckoned with however, and Rocco
Baldelli can make use of that.
Physically we saw Thorpe’s velocity diminish in 2020. He
posted just an average of 90 mph on his fastball. It’s never that he’s been a
hard thrower but losing nearly 2 mph at such a young age wasn’t a great
development. It was clear that the lack of carry made a difference last season,
and Wes Johnson unlocking the tank would be a great step forward for the
Southpaw. The Twins ratcheted up his slider usage last season, and that trend
could continue for 2021. Looking to regain the whiff and chase rates from 2019
form, tinkering will certainly be valuable as more data is collected.
There’s not reason to believe an ace is in the making here,
but right now it’s not Dobnak or bust when it comes to the back end of the
Twins rotation. Jhoan Duran and Jordan Balazovic may force themselves in
eventually, but don’t count out the best version of Thorpe to make noise before
the dust settles.
