Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins could not be more of a proving ground on the pitching front right now. They dealt five-of-eight relievers at the trade deadline. Three consistent starters are also on the injured list.
Rocco Baldelli’s pitching plan has been in flux for much of the past two weeks. It will continue as such through the final month-and-a-half of the season.
If arms are healthy and productive at Triple-A St. Paul, they should assume to be near a big league debut. The Saints just got another addition in the form of Connor Prielipp.
Minnesota drafted the Tomah, Wisconsin native in the 2nd round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He brought incredible prospect pedigree coming out of Alabama, but had serious injury and durability concerns as well. Now three seasons into his professional career, he has reached the farm system’s highest level.
Twins pitching prospect Connor Prielipp is now knocking on the big league door.
He has been promoted to Triple-A @StPaulSaints
— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 15, 2025
The 6’2″ lefty has made 19 starts at Double-A Wichita this year. He has thrown just 61 2/3 innings, which averages out to less than four innings per start. Given his injury history, Minnesota has been incredibly cautious with his usage.
Of those 19 starts, Prielipp has completed four innings just five times, and he was allowed to pitch into the fifth inning on two occasions. He owns a 3.65 ERA with a 73/18 K/BB. Despite being a southpaw, Prielipp has the velocity and stuff to both dominate and overpower the opposition.
Connor Prielipp with the @WindSurgeICT yesterday:
3.2 IP / 3 H / 2 R / 0 BB / 6 K #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/CYxglJ8vdD
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) May 22, 2025
It remains to be seen how aggressive the Minnesota Twins want to get with him the rest of the way. He could conceivably take a couple of turns at Triple-A before being utilized out of the big league bullpen.
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Realistically the Twins want him to remain as a rotation option. If things break right for Prielipp, he has top-end-starter pedigree. If injuries or durability continue to be a problem, a shift to a high-leverage bullpen role makes a good deal of sense.
St. Paul is currently on the road in Omaha before returning next week. Prielipp joins the likes of Marco Raya and Andrew Morris as holdover prospects knocking on the door. Mick Abel and Taj Bradley both came over at the trade deadline.
Mentioned in this article: Connor Prielipp
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