Joe Ryan

Ryan was on track for the best season of his career with a 3.60 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 115 ERA+ before suffering a Grade 2 teres major strain during a start Aug. 9 that caused him to miss the rest of the season. Ryan doesn't have great velocity (93.9 average mph fastball) but has an extremely deceptive four-seam fastball that helped him generate an excellent 27.3 K% and 13.1% swinging-strike rate. Meanwhile, his off-speed pitches graded below average. His real weakness is as a flyball pitcher (35.7 GB%), he can be prone to the long ball. However, he improved last season with 1.27 HR/9 from 1.78 HR/9 in 2023. Ryan will be counted on at the top of the Minnesota rotation and could improve significantly if he can keep the ball in the park, improve his off-speed repertoire and stay healthy (he also struggled late in 2023 after missing time with a groin injury). Read Past Outlooks