The Twins will open their season without right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who’s headed to the injured list with upper back soreness, Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those to report. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that Odorizzi will be on the shelf for long.
If healthy, the 30-year-old Odorizzi should once again be a key part of the Twins’ rotation in 2020. He helped the club to an AL Central title last season, his first All-Star year, with 159 innings of 3.51 ERA/3.36 FIP ball and 10.08 K/9 against 3.0 BB/9. Odorizzi may have been able to secure a multiyear deal as a free agent after that, though he instead chose to stay in Minnesota when he accepted the team’s $17.8MM qualifying offer. But that means Odorizzi is once again set for a platform season, and beginning the 60-game campaign on the IL makes for an inauspicious start for him and the Twins.
With Odorizzi unavailable for now, the Twins will head into the year with Jose Berrios and three offseason acquisitions – Kenta Maeda, Homer Bailey and Rich Hill – as the top four in their rotation. Matt Wisler, Devin Smeltzer and Randy Dobnak, who are in the Twins’ 60-man player pool, are also among their hurlers who have logged starts at the MLB level.
is Hill ready for OD?
Yes, he’s starting on Saturday
The Twins would be better off finding someone other than the often injured Rich Hill because he spends as much time if not more on the Injured list than he does on the active roster
Pitchers at Rich Hill’s skill level don’t grow on trees. If he gets hurt the Twins will deal with it but anyone they pick up at this point will not be nearly as good.
The Twins have lots of internal depth options such as Dobnak, Smeltzer, and Thorpe if Hill can’t stay healthy. None of those pitchers are on the same level, but they can piggyback and provide fairly serviceable innings
Rich Hill will be super for the Twins. Injuries gone and nothing left to repair.
LOL, should be a big winner.
Go Twins!