Twins fans will want to watch this pitcher.
Minnesota Twins spring training games are set to begin, with the ball club scheduled to play the Boston Red Sox in their spring opener on Saturday. Twins fans will watch to keep an eye on all of their favorite players, but there is one specific starting pitcher worth closely monitoring this spring. Bailey Ober is the guy who could make a difference in 2026.
Ober is likely the Twins' No. 2 starter at the moment. Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez were expected to lead the rotation, but Lopez is dealing with an injury. As a result, Ryan is now the ace with Ober stepping into the No. 2 role.
What to Expect From Twins' Bailey Ober
Ober, 30, has displayed signs of potential in the past. The right-handed starter made his big league debut back in 2021 and has recorded ERAs in the 3's in three of his five MLB seasons. 2025 did not go according to plan for the Twins' hurler, however.
Ober made 27 starts, pitching to a 5.10 ERA along the way. He surrendered a career-worst 30 home runs, while he only had 120 strikeouts after recording a mark of 190 in 2024.
In 2024, Ober turned in a 3.98 ERA. He ranked in the 91st percentile in pitching run value and 99th percentile in breaking run value. He's never been a guy who has thrown especially hard, but Ober found success with his breaking pitches during the '24 campaign.
In 2025, Ober saw his pitching run value drop to the seventh percentile. He was still in the 82nd percentile for breaking run value. While it is worth noting that Ober also ranked in the 94th percentile for chase percentage and 93rd percentile for walk percentage, he struggled in many other facets of the game.
The right-hander was just in the 24th percentile in strike out percentage, 10th percentile for barrel percentage and sixth percentile in fastball velocity. In other words, he struggled to miss bats, did not strike many hitters out and was not throwing hard.
He has gotten away with lower velocity in past years, but that was not the case in 2025. If Ober is going to bounce back, he is going to need to paint the corners on a consistent basis. He's a guy who simply cannot afford to miss out over the zone. Even if it means giving up a few more walks, working on the corners needs to be his priority in 2026.