What to expect from Bartolo Colon in his Twins debut

Tonight against the New York Yankees the oldest player in the majors will start for the Minnesota Twins.

Bartolo Colon will make his Target Field and Minnesota Twins debut tonight against Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. Fans should temper their expectations for Big Sexy as he isn’t anywhere near who he was last season.

Last year with the Mets, Colon was 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA and led the NL in walks per nine innings with 1.5. Colon was selected to the NL All-Star roster as well, all at the age of 43. This year age has caught up to him and his numbers further prove that.

His ERA has ballooned to 8.14 in thirteen starts with a 2-8 record. He was claimed by the Twins and started one game for the Rochester Red Wings in Triple-A. He went 3.2 innings giving up four runs while striking out five.

His debut in a Twins uniform tonight will bring fans to the ballpark as Colon is a fan favorite. One of the best moments of his career happened last year when he hit his first homerun.

Of course Bartolo had his best season of his career when he won the AL Cy Young award in 2005 with the Los Angeles Angels. He led the AL with a 21-8 record and pitched over 220 innings.

What is realistic for his Twins debut?

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In order to make room for Bartolo on the roster the Twins have optioned Kennys Vargas to Triple-A and moved Phil Hughes to the 60-day disabled list.

The Twins continue their search for an answer at the back of their rotation and a trip back to the AL might just help Big Bart. Tonight fans can expect to see Bartolo on the mound for five innings with three earned runs to go with minimal walks and strikeouts.

The Twins should be able to provide run support for Bartolo tonight so a Twins win is not out of the question. This series against the Yankees could be key in deciding whether the Twins are buyers or sellers at the deadline.

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