The Twins’ pitchers and catchers reported to Ft. Myers for their first spring training workout of 2015 Monday.
Last season pitching – especially starting pitching – was the biggest reason the Twins lost 90 games for a fourth straight year. Outside of Phil Hughes, Twins starters were unable to consistently work deep into games, which put extra stress on the bullpen.
So the Twins have worked to correct that problem, and have brought in 29 different pitchers to compete for a spot on the team.
One of those is highly-touted prospect Alex Meyer. At 6-foot-9, 220-pounds with a fastball that’s been known to touch 100 mph, Meyer is hard to miss. Meyer was acquired in the trade that sent Denard Span to Washington
He has been ranked as one of baseball’s top prospects, by nearly all of the major ranking services, and it’s not hard to see why.
#MNTwins video: Alex Meyer throws his first bullpen in the shadows, his usual spot. http://t.co/MIwLKH0Cvq
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) February 23, 2015
But is this the year for the 25-year-old to crack the Twins starting rotation? He certainly hopes so. Meyer was 7-7 at Rochester with a 3.52 ERA in 2014.
“I’m in the mid-90’s usually, but sometimes it goes up,” Meyer told FOX Sports North. “It just depends on the day.”
According to 1500 ESPN, the knock on him has been control issues. Meyer walked 4.4 batters per nine innings last year an increase over the previous two years when he walked just over three batters per nine.
Alex Meyer having a chat with new pitching coach Neil Allen. #mntwins pic.twitter.com/cNsDO0SzlV
— Derek Wetmore (@DerekWetmore) February 23, 2015
He is also working to develop a few secondary pitches to go with the blazing fastball.
“The changeup is coming along, getting better,” said Meyer. “My curve ball is my strikeout pitch. I’m confident when I throw it that it will get good results. I feel good and I’m ready to go.”
But cracking the Twins rotation this season could be tough. Hughes won 16-games for the Twins last season, and figures to be the Opening Day starter.
Kyle Gibson and Ricky Nolasco both will have spots in the rotation and the Twins signed Ervin Santana to a four-year $55 million contract in the offseason – leaving one spot for Meyer to battle with Trevor May and Mike Pelfrey.
