New Twins starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani finally healthy, looking to recapture 2021 success
FORT MYERS, Fla. — In terms of his health, new Twins starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani said he had a totally normal offseason. He actually even started throwing a bit earlier than he typically would after missing most of the second half of the 2023 season with a right flexor strain.
In terms of the rest of his offseason, well, that was a little less normal.
DeSclafani was shipped by the San Francisco Giants to Seattle on Jan. 5 as part of the trade that sent former Cy Young winner Robbie Ray to the Bay Area. Less than a month later, DeSclafani was on the move again. He was one of four players whom the Twins received in a Jan. 29 trade for veteran second baseman Jorge Polanco.
“A long, long history as a Mariner,” DeSclafani joked. “… I’m used to bouncing around. Now, I’m excited for a fresh start, new team. Just kind of learning a new organization. I think there is some fun in that.”
And after spending much of the past two seasons dealing with injuries, his focus is on both remaining healthy and recapturing the success he had in 2021, a season in which he made 31 starts and posted a 3.17 earned-run average.
Coming off the best season of his career, DeSclafani made just five starts in 2022 as he dealt with an ankle injury. Last season, he was plagued first by a shoulder issue and then the flexor strain, for which he said he received a platelet-rich plasma injection over the summer.
Coming off the best season of his career, DeSclafani made just five starts in 2022 as he dealt with an ankle injury. Last season, he was plagued first by a shoulder issue and then the flexor strain, for which he said he received a platelet-rich plasma injection over the summer.
“I had a really good year, and I was looking forward to building off that, and I was just never able to really do that,” DeSclafani said. “I was looking to do that last year and I got off to a hot start. Just from health reasons, everything was starting to be a grind and it kind of snowballed on me.”
DeSclafani, who did not make a start after July 23, had ample time then to let his arm rest and started throwing in early October, giving him some time to ease into it slowly. He arrived in Fort Myers and proclaimed himself 100 percent ready to go after what he called a “really good offseason” and a “really good buildup.”
I’m ready to go,” he said.
Pitchers and catchers report
Rocco Baldelli will save the full speech for a few days from now when the whole team reports to camp, but the Twins manager did say a few words Wednesday to the congregated group of pitchers and catchers.
“I told them our pitching is the backbone of our team and that’s always going to be the case,” Baldelli said. “It’s easy with a group like we have, and a group that we have a lot of confidence in, to say those things to them.”
Aside from Jovani Moran, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, the group is in relatively good health coming into camp. Baldelli did mention that reliever Josh Winder will be behind as he heals from a right scapular stress fracture.
Winder said he was diagnosed with the stress fracture after undergoing magnetic resonance imaging in October. After a period of rest, he started playing catch a couple of weeks ago.
Briefly
While position players do not have to report until this weekend, a number of them are already in camp. Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner are among those already working out at the Twins’ facility
