Griffin Jax Looking to get Back Into Minnesota Twins Starting Rotation?

The Minnesota Twins sought to have baseball’s best bullpen this year. That hasn’t been the case, but Griffin Jax has been one of baseball’s best relievers. When Rocco Baldelli needed the heart of the Chicago Cubs order sat down earlier this week, he went with his former setup man. That may not be the height of his effectiveness though.

Griffin Jax with a mix to fit in the Minnesota Twins rotation

When the Minnesota Twins broke camp this spring they did so without Jhoan Duran . Griffin Jax took over the closer role. He also through the highest leverage innings. All season Jax has continued to come up huge for Minnesota . He has seen so much success with some small tweaks, but it’s a four-pitch mix that keeps hitters off balance. The Athletic’s Eno Sarris wonders if that’s enough to push him back to the starting rotation.

“ The Minnesota Twins reliever with the best pitch in the bullpen might be Griffin Jax and his sweeper. It’s a top-three slider by Stuff+ , which looks at the physical characteristics of a pitch, and it’s got the best expected results of any pitch thrown at least 100 times in that Twins pen. It was worth asking him to model the pitch and its mechanics just because of its dominance. But Jax has something else going for him: He’s one of a handful of relievers who has four pitch types with above-average stuff. His command is good. Could the former starter go back to his old role? That’s a question for the offseason, but you have to wonder, considering how it’s gone for other converted relievers this year. “

Eno Sarris on Twins reliever Griffin Jax

At 1.6 fWAR this season , Jax has been the fourth most productive reliever in all of baseball. It’s hard to consider removing that sort of talent from the bullpen. If he is deemed capable of replicating that production in the rotation though, it’s worth considering.

Related: Louie Varland to Get Another Shot with Twins

Does Jax want to go back to starting for Minnesota Twins?

You have to go back to his rookie season to find the last time Griffin Jax worked as a starter. He made 14 appearances out of the rotation and owned a 6.10 ERA across 69 1/3 innings. Opposing batters posted an .842 OPS against him. He was a heavy fastball pitcher then and the pitch was roughly three miles per hour slower than it is now. Jax has evolved as a pitcher since then. The rotation is often where the paydays are, and it’s who typically gets the glory.

Would Jax really want to turn away from what is working though? Jax has been an under-the-radar reliever for a bit now. A 17% whiff rate with a 34% chase rate are probably numbers he won’t replicate with larger workloads. The Twins also need to determine where they have the greatest need. It should be assumed that Duran can get healthy and back to himself over the offseason, but the bullpen needs more pieces. The rotation will have some holdovers and a handful of emerging names.

Minnesota can make future determinations on Jax this offseason. What they have in Jax right now is among the best relievers in the game. He will need to remain as such if they want to progress deep into the postseason.

Related: What We Know About Minnesota Twins Ace Joe Ryan’s Arm Injury

More must-reads:

• Minnesota Twins are Dangerously Close to Being the Best Team in the American League
• Kyle Farmer Takes Brooks Lee’s Spot on Minnesota Twins Roster Amid Flurry of Moves
• Louie Varland to Get Another Shot with Twins