Top 5 Minnesota Twins Pitching Prospects

Jordan Balazovic may be the fastest rising pitching prospect in the Twins system at the moment. This Canadian hurler has been easily the most dominant pitcher in the system posting absolutely filthy, disgusting numbers. His 0.813 WHIP, 13.1 K/9, and 2.09 ERA combined with Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids are very impressive.

Balazovic on the surface doesn’t grab your attention with a 100 mph but has a solid 96 mph fastball. Balazovic has solid a change-up, slider, and curve-ball with good contrasting speeds. If Balazovic continues to pitch the way he is in the minors it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to see the majors this season. It would still be unlikely that he’s in a Twins uniform this year but possible.  The more likely scenario is that Balazovic and Graterol are both possible candidates to get into the back of the rotation in spring training in 2020.

Balazovic was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft. At the age of 17 in 2017, he made his first start in Rookie ball. At 18 he again started in Rookie ball but struggled with control. The control issues may be related to Balazovic maturing physically as his frame was filling out but at the same time that also allowed him to game velocity on his fastball. In 2018 he made move up to Single-A and has dominated ever since. Many have Graterol as the top pitching prospect in the system but Balazovic may be more deserving of that honor.