Minnesota Twins promote Alex Meyer… to the bullpen?

Well, it’s not how they envisioned, but he made it. The Minnesota Twins have recalled their top pitching prospect Alex Meyer to the big leagues.

Meyer — who came in at No. 28 on the Grading on the Curve Preseason Top 50 — was seen to be on the road to being the future ace of the Minnesota Twins rotation. That road has taken a different turn on Meyer’s way to the Majors. 

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The 25-year old righty was the Washington Nationals first round draft pick in 2011. He came to the Twins in the Denard Span deal and worked his way up rather quickly ever since.

Last season, he made 27 starts in his Triple-A debut, and though his problematic control which has always haunted him was still present, he did relatively well. Meyer finished his Rochester Red Wings “rookie” year with a 7-7 record and a 3.52 ERA. He struck out 153 in 130.1 innings. The downside was that his WHIP was a bit higher than desired (1.38) and opponents batted a career worst .241 against him.

This season started out a nightmare. Meyer was lit up in his first seven starts, allowing four or more runs four times. Opponents were batting .325 against him and his WHIP was 1.91 as he walked 24 batters over his first seven starts.

The Red Wings then moved Meyer to the bullpen and he has excelled ever since the late May move. The 6 foot 9 righty has been dominant with his 70-grade fastball. He has pitched 17 innings as a reliever and his numbers are fantastic, positing a 0.53 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP while striking out 20. He now brings his three-pitch arsenal to Minnesota.

There is a lot of good that can come out of this. Luckily for Meyer, Phil Hughes is the current No. 1 starter (notice I didn’t say ace) in the second place Twins rotation. Hughes’ climb to the front of the rotation was a bit like Meyer’s.

Once the prize of the New York Yankees eye, Phil the Phenom was transitioned from starter to the bullpen where he excelled on and off for two seasons in working his way back to the rotation. His tutelage could be invaluable to Meyer’s progress.

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Secondly, the Twins are stacked in the pitching department. The aforementioned Berrios could see the big leagues this year. Stewart isn’t expected to make an impact for another year, but he too is progressing nicely. Chih-Wei Hu has also been very impressive this season, and could be in line for a promotion to the higher levels soon.

Altogether 18 of the Twins top 30 prospects are pitchers. Of course not all of them will hit, and some may wind up being better suited as relievers by the time they reach the big leagues. It simply shows that the Twins have many options, and Meyer has time to evolve into the best he can be.

Twins fans should be excited about Meyer’s promotion, and not look at it as a failure that he is a bullpen arm for now. Facing big league hitters and learning the ropes successfully does not mean he will become a permanent fixture. He still has time to transform into an top of the rotation pitcher, whether he is in the bullpen or not. Just ask Phil Hughes.

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