Minnesota Twins: Is Trevor May ready for closing time?
With Glen Perkins headed to the DL, is Kevin Jepsen really the best option the Minnesota Twins have to produce saves moving forward in the 2016 season?
Three-time All-Star Glen Perkins is headed to the disabled list with a throwing shoulder injury. The Minnesota Twins’ closer’s velocity was down in the spring and he is set to be a free agent following the 2017 season. It’s being called a strain right now, but shoulder injuries always have an ominous feel to a pitcher’s season.
Though Perkins was still an All-Star in 2015, his numbers weren’t particularly sharp compared to his 2011-13 seasons. He pitched at least 60 inning in each season, never registering an ERA over 2.57 and averaged a FIP of 2.71 with 10.2 K/9. Back then, his fastball sat right around 94 mph. Now 33, Perkins’ fastball in spring and the early go of the regular season had dipped to 91 mph.
Trevor May is a nice arm the Twins have on their pitching staff. They’re not quite sure what to do with him — or at least they weren’t last season. The 26-year-old was a fourth round pick from the 2008 draft hailing from the Pacific Northwest. He was starting games last year for Minnesota as early as April 13. He fared okay there with a 4.43 and 7.9 K/9 over 16 starts, but was decidedly better when Paul Molitor moved him to the bullpen.
Through 32 relief appearances in 2015, May went 4-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 31.1 IP. His K/9 spiked to 10.6 and his K:BB ratio improved as well. Kevin Jepsen might be in line to pitch the ninth because of experience and seniority for now, but it’s clear May has the nastier stuff. Jepsen’s lifetime ERA of 3.67 to go with an 8.5 career K/9 doesn’t instill much excitement.
May has become more effective by keeping it simple in 2016. Last year he threw five pitches consistently. Now, he’s offering hitters only three — a fastball, curve ball and change-up. While he might not have the lethal slider that many managers like to see their closer have, May’s fastball maxes out at 96 mph and his bender is a pretty effective one. 34.5 percent of his strikeouts last year came when using it, higher than on any other pitch. By comparison, 51.9 percent of Clayton Kershaw‘s sit downs came using his curve last year, and Kershaw’s dewey is widely regarded as the best in the game.
May has thrown 102 pitches in 2016. It’s not a large enough sample size, but he’s striking out 40 percent with his curve and his K/9 of 15.9 is filthy. Limiting the clutter of throwing five pitches looks to have helped with his approach by becoming more focused and not having to shake the catcher off as often. With that, a rhythm can be found more easily.
Next: Sandoval placed on DL with shoulder strain
The Minnesota Twins might see Perkins return to their bullpen this year. Jepsen might fill in aptly as well, but Molitor should at least explore the idea of putting May into the role. He’s under contract and his arbitration eligible years through 2020. So far this season, he’s pitched only 5.2 innings of relief but has struck out 10 batters. Also, the opposition is hitting only .238 versus him, compared to .500 against Perkins and .417 against Jepsen.