Stacey King
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Dean Blossoms When Given The Shot
May 22, 2015 by Phil Miller
MINNEAPOLIS—Triple-A Rochester’s best pitcher has benefited from the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Wait, it’s not what you think.
When the Twins lost Ervin Santana to an 80-game suspension for failing a steroids test, the ripple effect through the organization meant Triple-A Rochester had to call up a pitcher from Double-A New Britain. And that pitcher, lefthander Pat Dean, has blossomed into the Red Wings’ ace through the season’s first six weeks.
“He got an unexpected opportunity, but that’s all it is. It’s up to the player to make something out of it,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “He took it as a challenge and he took advantage of it. He’s responded very well, and he’s made a very good impression within the organization.”
It’s not the first time. Dean, drafted in the third round in 2010 out of Boston College, was an emergency call-up to Rochester in 2013, too, and it appeared he had made a leap forward. Dean no-hit Durham for five innings in his Triple-A debut, shut out Norfolk on two hits for six innings in his second game, and finished the season with a 2.02 ERA in six starts. After scuffling at Class A and Double-A for nearly three seasons, it seemed to be a breakthrough.
But Dean was squeezed out of a crowded roster in 2014, and spent the season back at Double-A New Britain. “He started getting hit,” said Mike Radcliff, the Twins’ vice president of player personnel. “He doesn’t blow guys away (with a fastball in the 91-92 range), so it’s hard for him to miss many bats. And a lot of balls were falling in.”
Stuck at Double-A with his 26th birthday looming, Dean went to the Dominican winter league and worked on sharpening his slider. “Give the guy credit, he’s a smart kid who’s learned a lot coming up,” Radcliff said. “He’s got a lot of action on his pitches now, and he keeps you off-balance.”
More than ever, so far in 2015. Dean turned in four quality starts among his first six, capped by a three-hit complete-game shutout of Toledo that brought his ERA down to 1.93, the best in the International League among pitchers with at least 40 innings.
“You don’t look at him and say, ‘can’t miss,’ ” Radcliff said. “But he gets guys out.”
TWIN KILLINGS
• RHP Stephen Pryor, who owned a 9.00 ERA after eight relief appearances at Rochester, underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Pryor is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
• The Twins have signed OF Aaron Whitfield, an 18-year-old high-school senior from Queensland, Australia.
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