The Minnesota Twins endured a difficult 2025 season, finishing with a 70-92 record and landing fourth in the AL Central.

While the front office initiated a "fire sale" at the trade deadline that saw 11 players shipped out of town, including fan favorites like Carlos Correa and Jhoan Duran, one pitcher stayed put and continued doing his job at a high level.

That pitcher is Joe Ryan, and he is the most underrated Twin heading into the 2026 season.

Joe Ryan's Breakout Campaign

Ryan, who turns 30 in June, delivered his best season yet in 2025, even if few people outside of Target Field took notice.

The right-hander finished the year with a 13-10 record and a career-best 3.47 ERA across 171 innings, while racking up 194 strikeouts against just 39 walks.

He earned his first All-Star selection and proved he could be a true front-of-the-rotation arm when healthy.

What makes Ryan so special is his ability to limit walks and keep hitters off balance with his fastball-changeup combination, along with a devastating sweeper he added to his arsenal in recent years.

His 1.04 WHIP was among the best of his career, and he went at least five innings in the majority of his starts despite pitching for a team going nowhere in the standings.

Why Ryan Flies Under the Radar

The biggest reason Ryan does not get the recognition he deserves is simple: he plays in Minnesota.

The Twins do not generate the national attention that larger-market teams do, and their disappointing 2025 season only made that worse.

While pitchers like Tarik Skubal and Seth Lugo dominated Cy Young conversations, Ryan quietly put up numbers that rivaled many of the league's best.

Ryan also had some rough stretches down the stretch, giving up five or more runs in four of his final seven outings, but the overall body of work was impressive for a pitcher on a rebuilding club.

He showed he can handle a full workload and compete with anyone on his best days.

Can the Twins Surprise in 2026?

Minnesota enters the 2026 season with plenty of question marks after shedding payroll and trading away key pieces last summer.

The Pohlad family ownership situation added uncertainty, though they ultimately decided to keep the team and bring in new minority investors rather than sell.

The Twins still have talent to build around, most notably Byron Buxton, who hit .264 with 35 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 2025 while making the All-Star team for the second time.

If Royce Lewis can stay healthy after his injury-plagued campaign, and if young players like Brooks Lee develop, Minnesota could be more competitive than people expect.

But the key to any Twins turnaround will be their pitching, and that is where Ryan comes in.

He and Pablo Lopez, who posted a stellar 2.74 ERA in 14 starts before injuries limited his season, give Minnesota a solid one-two punch at the top of the rotation.

If Ryan can build on his All-Star season and the Twins get some luck with health, they could sneak back into contention in a wide-open AL Central.

Either way, Joe Ryan deserves far more attention than he currently receives, and he is the player to watch in Minnesota heading into 2026.