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MN Twins Hiding Bailey Ober’s Velocity in First Start?
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- MN Twins Hiding Bailey Ober’s Velocity in First Start?
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
When the Minnesota Twins envisioned an avenue to compete in 2026 it largely revolved around the starting rotation . Unfortunately they haven't seen things move in a positive direction.
Before Grapefruit League action even got underway Pablo Lopez suffered a UCL tear. He has since had Tommy John surgery and is out for the season. Joe Ryan was scratched from his first start and is making his debut Tuesday. Bailey Ober was delayed, and his debut raised question marks.
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After a season in which Ober struggled to find the best version of himself, the early returns are concerning to say the least.
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Bailey Ober still full of concerns for Minnesota Twins
After needing additional time to find his body again , Ober took the mound for the Minnesota Twins last week. The velocity readings on Statcast weren't pretty . Even more alarming is that the MN Twins tried to hide it. John Bonnes (Gleeman and the Geek) was present and noted the in-stadium radar was turned off. He also talked with Ober after his outing.
"The question was, this delay, has it been more about trying to find the feel of your off-speed stuff or has it been about your velocity?
He said, 'a little bit more velocity. I just didn't want to fall into the habits I had last year, so whenever those kind of peeked out a little bit we just took a little pause to try to improve stuff. I felt really good today. Obviously I don't know where my velo was today, but it felt like it was coming out pretty good. Hopefully in a month or so, I'm in midseason form velo wise and able to get the best of the best stuff.'
The [Twins] didn't have the velo on the board on Friday night. Which was like, 'really?' We were of course locked into Baseball Savant and MLB.com to see it.
Minnesota had Ober pitch two innings in his Grapefruit League debut. He faced six batters and didn't allow a base runner while striking out one. Turning off the Hammond Stadium radar gun with Ober on the mound is both obvious and eyebrow raising.
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Ober threw 25 pitches against the Atlanta Braves and averaged just 89.9 mph on his fastball . He also saw a dip in velocity after his first up-down coming back out for the second inning. He did generate two whiffs on six swings when going to his fastball though.
Credit: Baseball Savant
The reality is that Ober has never been a velocity pitcher. His success comes from extension and the frame that allows him to get in on hitters. However, when successful he has averaged more than 91 mph . Last season it was at 90.2 mph and we saw that not work.
MN Twins need Bailey Ober to work
With Joe Ryan penciled in as the Opening Day starter, the MN Twins are already down an arm in the rotation. Ryan has gotten a late start, and Ober being a mess isn't something that can be part of the picture.
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Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley are likely locked into the rotation, and that means one spot remains. If Ober isn't ready, then both Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel should make the squad. David Festa bowed out of the competition after being shut down himself.
Abel has looked incredible this spring, throwing 10 scoreless innings and carrying a 13/0 K/BB. It would be great to see him push for a spot, rather than being called upon out of necessity with Ober not being an option.
Last season the Minnesota Twins were confident in their pitching depth. They quickly found out how that looked once exposed and wound up using 16 starters . Being down three potential options before Opening Day, Ober the next counted on among them, would hurt.
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