Just about every Twins fan old enough to remember Johan Santana¡¯s time as the ace of Minnesota¡¯s rotation can picture the Venezuelan left-hander using his signature changeup to mow down opposing lineups with ease. Back in Venezuela, plenty of young baseball fans were watching, too.
Pablo López, the Twins¡¯ new right-hander, was one of those kids -- and he¡¯s particularly thrilled to join the organization for which he watched one of his baseball idols dominate all those years ago.
¡°I¡¯m incredibly excited to be part of an organization like the Minnesota Twins,¡± L¨®pez said. ¡°Every Venezuelan kid grew up a Johan Santana fan, and Johan Santana had, you know, the time of his career as a Minnesota Twin. I have vivid memories of watching him as a youngster in a Twins uniform.¡±
It¡¯s tough to set Santana as the standard for any young pitcher -- L¨®pez is still only 26 -- but if the newest member of the Twins is to attain a high level of success in Minnesota, it could look somewhat similar to how the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner handled opposing lineups.
That¡¯s because L¨®pez, too, leans heavily on his changeup, which has been one of the most effective pitches in his arsenal as part of his emergence as a front-end starter over the last three years, during which time he has compiled a 3.52 ERA. He threw it more often than ever last season -- 35.3% of the time -- as he simplified his five-pitch mix to rely mostly on his fastball and changeup.
It¡¯s a hard changeup, averaging 87.5 mph last season, but L¨®pez¡¯s highlight reels are filled with lefties and righties alike swinging over the top of the pitch as it dives to the right-hander¡¯s arm side with crisp break before it crosses the plate. He generated a 33.9% whiff rate (swings and misses) with the pitch last season, including 38.7% from right-handed hitters, who typically see right-handed changeups more effectively.
The Twins almost certainly have ideas for how they hope to continue developing L¨®pez. They could work on his cutter more, for example, as it could fit their organizational emphasis on sliders and cutters. But a fastball that touched 97.3 mph last season and that changeup have already driven him to plenty of big league success -- and the Twins felt strongly enough about his track record and potential to part ways with Luis Arraez in a trade.
¡°You talk about his changeup, you talk about the way he can utilize his fastball, this guy has plenty of velocity,¡± Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. ¡°He can put it where he wants. That changeup can be absolutely a beast at times. He¡¯s used it in elite ways against really good lineups and had real success.¡±