St. Paul – Connor Prielipp has been one of the Minnesota Twins’ most exciting prospects since they drafted him out of the University of Alabama in 2022. The only problem was that he’d thrown a total of 28 innings in his three years at Alabama.
Prielipp needed Tommy John surgery in his sophomore season at Alabama, which limited him to seven innings over three games in 2021. The Twins cleared him to start throwing again in spring training 2023, but he ran into injury trouble again once the season began. First general soreness in his left arm kept him sidelined for two months. Then, after one start in June, Prielipp learned he’d need surgery on his left UCL.
He healed from the injury and returned to the mound on July 27, 2024. Prielipp finished the season healthy with a 2.70 ERA in 23 ⅔ innings between his rehab starts in Florida and High-A Cedar Rapids. Last year was all about finishing the year healthy; this year has been about maintaining health throughout the year. Aside from a blister on his left hand in June, Prielipp has achieved this goal.
“This year has been awesome just being able to play baseball again,” said Prielipp after his Triple-A debut on Tuesday. “It feels like it’s been a long time actually being able to be on a team and play baseball, so this year has been awesome.”
“We’re all super happy for him,” said Saints pitching coach Jonas Lovin. “This is the most innings he’s thrown, I’m sure, ever in his life, so it’s cool to see. It’s cool to see him continue to learn and get better. It’ll be cool to see how he adjusts to this level and what it looks like helping him get to the big leagues.”
Prielipp had a combined 58 innings thrown between college and the minors from 2020 to 2024. He surpassed that total during his last start in Wichita, reaching 61 ⅔ innings on the season and pitching another 3 ⅔ innings in his Triple-A debut on Tuesday night. While the Twins Player Development has still kept his workload short over 19 starts, the milestone is important to Prielipp and his coaches because it shows what he’s capable of over a full season.
“I mean, you want the kid to be on the field. That’s the big thing is he’s got great stuff,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. “He’s a big prospect for us, and you never want to see these guys get hurt. I’m happy he’s been able to pitch and show what he can do this year, and hopefully keep him rolling.”
It was always possible that Prielipp would finish the season in St. Paul. Once that moment finally came for him last Friday, it wasn’t just an assurance of his hard work paying off. It was also a nice treat for his friends and family in his hometown of Tomah, Wisc., 10 of whom drove up I-94 to see him make his debut with the Saints.
“Yeah, it’s really exciting,” he said. “Found out last week they told me you’re going to Triple-A, so that was awesome. Called my family and let everybody know, and everyone was really excited.”
The accumulated numbers from his start allowed four walks, a couple of hits, and runs in his Triple-A debut. His first inning of work was a great glimpse of what his future can be as a reliever. Two pop outs and a strikeout at 97.9 MPH to retire the minimum number of batters on just nine pitches. The Saints were impressed, to say the least, to see what the organization’s best left-handed pitcher could do.
“It’s electric stuff, it’s electric stuff,” said Patrick Winkel, who caught Prielipp on Tuesday. “I mean, you know what you’re getting. You’re getting an electric heater and a wipeout slider, and when those pitches are on, it’s really tough to beat in the opposing dugout.”
“He does a nice job mixing the pitches to all three sides and doesn’t make himself a two-pitch guy,” said Lovin.
“The fact that he mixes up the strike zone that much with that velocity and he’s left-handed is just a difference maker for him. Maybe if you give too many pitches in the heart of the plate tonight, and there’s some spot to leave the zone a bit more. But all things he has been working on, I’m sure we’ll continue to work on.”
Prielipp will spend the rest of the week working on his skills in bullpen sessions, as the Saints placed him on the development list on Wednesday afternoon. It wasn’t a demotion or injury-related. Prielipp has not made more than one start a week all season, and the Saints want to have the open spot for an extra relief arm if they know Prielipp won’t pitch until the next series.
He will likely become a full-time reliever in the big leagues. Still, since they’ve used him as a starter all season, the Twins feel best to keep him on that schedule for the rest of 2025. That way, he can maintain the routine he’s had in place all year and finish the season strong.
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