Tyler Duffey: Potential Playoffs Gem?

One of the better, if the not the best, stories from this season has been the surprise playoff run that the Minnesota Twins have been able to go on. They have one of the interesting and impact young cores that could be fantasy mainstays for the years to come.

One of the Twins major downfalls over the last handful of years, has been their inability to construct a solid rotation. This season they have been able to finally do that, mainly through their inclusion of young arms.

Out of all the young prospects that the Twins have, one of the more overlooked recent runs has been the great pitching from Tyler Duffey. Duffey made his big league debut in early August, and after a rough debut against the Blue Jays, he has been able to produce solid numbers.

More from Fantasy Baseball

Now I know owners are in the midst of the playoffs, and may be hesitant to add a rookie pitcher, and a Twins pitcher at that, but Duffey has shown that he could make a difference down the stretch.

Over his last two starts he has thrown 13 innings, not allowed more than two runs and has struck out at least seven over each start. These starts were also against the decent lineups of both the Tigers and Astros as well.

This gives him a season line of 3 W/3.72 ERA/1.45 WHIP/37 Ks. The WHIP is high, but he has been able to survive it through his ability to strike people out. He has used mainly a fastball/curveball combo, he throws them both more than 30% of the time, and his curveball has maintained a pretty decent Whiff% of 15%.

His best swing and miss pitch has been his changeup, 22% Whiff rate, but he has not showcased it as much, mostly saving it as his put away pitch. Another positive note on Duffey, has been that since he was drafted he has been able to produce this same kind of success, he minor league career ERA is 3.20 and SO/9 comes in at 7.4.

Taking a flier on Duffey is certainly a leap of faith, and I would see why owners would shy away from making this type of move for the playoffs. But, the backend of our rotations can always be upgraded, and favorable matchups down the stretch can often dictate who we decide to pick up during the playoffs.

Duffey gets the Angels for his next start, a team that has struggled to score runs all season. The Angels do have a good top of the lineup, but once you get past Albert Pujols there are many soft spots that Duffey can take advantage of.

I would recommend owners who are looking for streaming options, or potential matchup plays for the playoffs, to take a hard look at Duffey. He has quietly been on recent surge, and that success could parlay into a quiet, yet valuable addition to your team.

Home/Fantasy Baseball