In mid-February, the Minnesota Twins made it clear that they were disappointed in Jordan Balazovic. News had just broken that someone had injured the star pitching prospect at a Fort Myers bar. The Twins had taken Balazovic in the 5th round of the 2016 draft, and the Canadian hurler had quickly ascended through the minor league ranks. However, he owned a 7.39 ERA in Triple-A last year, the first time he had struggled at any level. Still, Balazovic pitched well late in the season and had the opportunity to make the major-league roster out of spring training.
Now doctors had wired his mouth, and he was eating out of a straw.
In late February, Balazovic revealed that someone had sucker-punched him at the Fort Myers bar and that it was completely unprovoked. He was back in Minnesota’s good graces and looking to build off a strong September, when he had a 3.43 ERA. He had battled back and knee injuries after COVID wiped out the 2020 season. Perhaps he could return to form after recovering from the jaw injury.
But Balazovic faced a daunting challenge. He sits 95 with his fastball, but he’s 6’5”, 215 lbs. and probably could throw harder if he added weight. He also didn’t have a clear pathway to the starting rotation. The Twins had a full rotation, and Bailey Ober and Louie Varland were big-league ready depth in St. Paul.
With the exception of his 2017 season in rookie ball, the Twins mostly used Balazovic as a starter in the minors. In seven seasons, Balazovic, 24, has pitched in 106 games, making 82 starts. But he made 79 of those starts before this season. Balazovic pitched in 14 Triple-A games this year but only made three starts.
The St. Paul Saints piggybacked him, meaning he’d come in as a long reliever after another starter pitched. They also used an opener, having a reliever pitch one inning before he made a truncated start. Minnesota called Balazovic up on June 18, and he pitched 3⅔ innings without giving up a run. “It’s been a long road,” he said after the game.
But the Twins put him on a good path. Balazovic has starter potential. He primarily throws a fastball and a curveball, but he also has a slider and a changeup. However, there wasn’t a clear pathway for him to start this year, and he’s almost 25. There’s no sense in keeping a star prospect in the minors when he’s about to enter his prime. While there is more value in developing a starter, Minnesota needs relief help immediately. Plus, any prospect who sticks in the majors is a success story.
Jhoan Durán is an excellent example of this philosophy. Most fans were upset when the Twins traded Eduardo Escobar to the Arizona Diamondbacks for three prospects in 2018. They moved him at the trade deadline of a disappointing season. Minnesota had surprisingly won 85 games in 2017 and made the Wild Card game. But they lost 84 games the following year, and Derek Falvey and Thad Levine replaced Paul Molitor with Rocco Baldelli in the offseason.
However, the trade continued to look less lopsided as time passed. Now Durán is a steal.
The Twins initially used Balazovic as a long reliever, which makes sense. He’s stretched out to be a starter and throws four pitches. But lately, they’ve been using him in higher-leverage situations. He has the stuff to be a reliable reliever, especially if he can bump his fastball up a couple of miles per hour. Instead of being starter depth in the minors, toiling away in St. Paul while Minnesota has bullpen needs.
Given that Jorge López has struggled since the first month of the season, they’re relying on Griffin Jax to set up Durán. Brock Stewart and Caleb Thielbar have been steady veterans, but they’re injured. Jovani Moran can get players out when he stays in the strike zone. However, he’s had some control issues. So Balazovic not only fills a need from a depth perspective. He could also become Minnesota’s setup man or at least another high-leverage reliever.
Better for the Twins to fill a hole in their bullpen than try to fit Balazovic into the starter’s mix. Instead of making every great pitching prospect a starter, they should try to find a place for the older ones in the majors. It would have been fun to see Durán as a starter, given his velocity and mind-bending off-speed stuff. But now they have an elite reliever who can pitch multiple innings. Balazovic doesn’t need to turn into Durán to help the Twins. He just has to bridge the gap to him.
