bailey Ober Pitching for the St. Paul Saints - Minda Haas Kuhlmann/Creative Commons
Bailey Ober did everything that he could do to head north with the Twins as spring training broke this year. He spent all last season with the club and despite a groin injury, he posted a 3.21 ERA in 11 starts for the team. And although he held the opposition scoreless in three of his four spring outings, the cards were stacked against him.
When Pablo Lopez was obtained in the Luis Arraez trade, he became the leading candidate for the last opening in the Twins’ starting rotation. There was vague discussion about a six-man rotation, but the assumption was that Ober would be heading to St. Paul to pitch with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints. And at the conclusion of the Grapefruit League season, Ober was on his way to the east side of the Mississippi River.
Bailey Ober Heads to St. Paul
To Baily Ober’s credit, he did not mope around and complain about being optioned back to the minors. He adjusted his attitude and determined that he was going to be ready whenever his opportunity arrived. And he took advantage of this opportunity with his outstanding mound work for the Saints. In four starts with St. Paul, Ober struck out 22 batters in 17 2/3 innings, recorded a WHIP of 1.08, and registered a FIP of 2.71.
With these performances, he more than proved he was ready to return to the bigs. And his opportunity arrived sooner than anyone expected. First in a spot start for the Twins on April 23 where he pitched five and two-thirds innings against the Washington Nations and recorded the win. Then starter Kenta Maeda went down with a tricep strain, and the Twins recalled Ober again, this time to take Maeda’s spot in the rotation.
Back to the Majors
And how did Baily Ober fare on his return? In his first official start as a member of the 2023 Twins’ rotation, in a game against the Kansas City Royals, he again pitched five and two-thirds innings. He left the game with no decision. Ober had only surrendered a run in each game and had collected 10 strikeouts in those two starts. These two performances restored hope for the back end of the Twins’ rotation.
And how has Bailey Ober pitched since then? Quite well actually. So far this season, he is 4-4 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He had struck out 66 batters in 69 and 2/3 innings and has registered quality starts in 7 of the 10 games he has pitched since the first two in April. His best game to date was a winning gem in Cleveland on May 5. In this outing, he went seven innings, held the Guardians scoreless, surrendered only three hits, and struck out six batters.
Bailey Ober Has a Bright Future
Only Joe Ryan has been a more consistent starter for the Twins since Ober’s call-up. Other than a little situation with a “sticky substance” in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month, the Twins have had no worries when Ober has taken the mound this season. This fan thinks that Bailey Ober will continue his inspired pitching through this season and beyond. And hopefully, he helps lead the Twins to a division win and a playoff berth.
