Josh Winder Comes On Strong At Instructs

Image credit: Minnesota Twins

When the Twins chose righthander Josh Winder in the seventh round in 2018, they hoped to salvage what once was a prospect projected several rounds higher. When they organized a month-long instructional camp in October, they hoped to salvage a little player development from a season lost to Covid-19.

Turns out, the two were made for each other.

“Josh has been one of the most impressive players in camp. He’s really been pretty dominant,” Twins farm director Alex Hassan said. “He was already a guy we liked, but he’s made some adjustments that our guys have given him, and we’ve seen some real improvement in his stuff and in his command. There’s a lot to be excited about.”

Plenty of scouts were excited about Winder during his second season at Virginia Military Institute, when the 6-foot-5 righty rode a mid-90s fastball to the school’s strikeout record. But his junior season in Lexington included noticeable slippage in velocity and effectiveness, and Winder fell out of the top 200 picks.

But “he’s always thrown strikes, so that’s a good starting point,” Hassan said. Winder adapted quickly to pro ball, posting a 3.72 ERA at Rookie-level Elizabethton a few weeks after the draft, and bringing that down to 2.65 in 21 starts in 2019 at low Class A Cedar Rapids.

That doesn’t mean the Twins were prepared for what they saw when Winder, now 24, arrived in Fort Myers, Fla., for four weeks of instructional camp.

“His fastball is up to 97 (mph), which is great, but he’s also got four pitches that he trusts now. He’s taken some real steps forward with his slider and his curveball,” pitches that were secondary in the past, Hassan said. “He clearly worked hard during the layoff, and it’s paying off. We’ve seen obvious improvement in his stuff.”

Winder’s strikeout rates “were never off the charts,” Hassan said, “but he’s certainly striking out a lot more hitters in camp. It’s been a focus for him . . . He’s probably got the least amount of prospect pedigree in our camp. Being drafted in the seventh round, he’s a little under the radar. But he’s really come on strong.”