Minnesota Twins’ Nick Burdi Lights Up the Radar Gun
The Minnesota Twins started their climb toward contention in 2015 after finishing with an 83-79 record. While Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton made their big-league debuts, there are still some very intriguing prospects down on the farm for the Twins. Right-hander Jose Berrios, 21, is ranked as the team’s #2 prospect and #20 in baseball after an impressive 14-5 season split between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester. Berrios compiled a 2.87 ERA between the two stops and could be a rotation option for Minnesota early in 2016.
Another young right-hander that could be looking at a 2016 debut is hard-throwing 22-year-old Nick Burdi. Selected in the second round of the 2014 Draft, Burdi split time between Hi-A Fort Myers and Double-A Chattanooga in 2015, logging 63.2 innings pitched and a cumulative 3.82 ERA/1.366 WHIP combo.
With the Fort Myers Miracle, Burdi’s WHIP stood at just 0.750 over 20 innings, allowing 12 hits and three walks in that span. That number got inflated when he moved up a level due to a walk rate of 6.6 per nine innings. In the lower levels of the Minor Leagues it’s easier to rely on 100+ mph to get outs, but as one climbs the ladder batters don’t swing and miss quite as often.
In the Arizona Fall League, Burdi has amended these issues in a small sample size, posting a 0.00 ERA and a minuscule 0.29 WHIP over seven innings. Those innings include just two hits allowed and nine strikeouts. On a team with fellow flamethrower Raymond Black of the San Francisco Giants, it hardly seems fair that opposing batters would have to face two potential future Major League closers in the same relief group.
With Burdi’s struggles in Chattanooga last season, it’s likely that he will spend at least the first month of the season with the Lookouts to prove to the Twins’ front office that he’s ready for the next step. After that month he’ll be re-evaluated and likely promoted if he continues to show growth.
Depending on just how well he performs and the team’s expectations moving forward, it’s unlikely, but possible, that Burdi could be called straight up to the Majors from Double-A. Glen Perkins has shown that he can close at the big league level, racking up 102 saves over the last three years and doing so while putting up a 3.08 ERA. If Burdi shows that he can hang in The Show, then Perkins could become a valuable chip at the trade deadline. The Twins could also keep Perkins as the closer for the remainder of the season and move him next offseason with two years still left on his deal.
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The Minnesota Twins have just started showing off their farm system at the Major League level, and could be surprise contenders if players like Burdi, Berrios and Buxton all continue to develop on the big stage. Burdi is currently the Twins’ #12 prospect and his fastball is rated by MLB Pipeline as an 80, while his slider and changeup rate at 65 and 45.