Twins Quietly Sign Homegrown Indy League Prospect

Baseball is about building depth through the farm system, and the Minnesota Twins have continued to do just that. Derek Falvey was hired to generate a pitching pipeline similar to the one he developed during his time with the Cleveland Guardians.

Given the success of arms like Bailey Ober and Zebby Matthews, it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t done so thus far. As players come and go, franchises must continue to turn rocks over looking for diamonds in the rough.

Independent league baseball isn’t glorious at all, but it’s where Minnesota found a postseason starter in Randy Dobnak. He posted a 2.07 ERA across 135 minor league innings in 2019 before making a postseason start at Yankees Stadium. He parlayed that opportunity into a $9.25 million contract and should have opportunity to continue his career.

Mitchell Mueller signs with Minnesota Twins

If Mitchell Mueller had the same career arc as Dobnak did, both he and the Twins would be ecstatic. The St. Louis Park native pitched at Parkland College (IL), Winona State, and Utah Valley State. On March 7th he signed with the Twins from the Lake County DockHounds of the American Association.

Mitch Mueller RHP

Looking for affiliate opportunity.
This summer in Northwoods and American Association…
51 K’s.
4 BB’s
.783 WHIP
0 hr
30.1 IP in relief

Track man data from American Association
31% Whiff on fastball
17 IVB 14 HVB
2391 Spin Rate max 2564
Dm for more info pic.twitter.com/bO0a6XCHQp

— Mitchell Mueller (@mitch_mueller19) October 21, 2024

Now 23 years old, Mueller was 22 last season with the DockHounds. In 22 innings for Lake County he owned a 3.68 ERA. He worked exclusively as a reliever and had a ridiculous 32/4 K/BB while giving up just 14 hits.

It’s certainly a long shot that Mueller makes it to the big leagues one day, but the Minnesota Twins have had recent success scouring the indy ball circuit. On the hitting side of the ball, St. Paul Saints infielder Payton Eeles is a quick example to look at.

Minnesota signed Eeles out of indy ball for $500 last year and he went from Single-A to Triple-A in just one year. Eeles slashed .307/.435/.497 across 111 minor league games. He’s going to begin the year on the injured list after having offseason knee surgery, but he is now a legitimate candidate to have a big league debut.

Related: Minnesota Twins Provide Updates on Injured Pitchers

Mueller pitching for the Twins at Target Field sure would be fun to see. Both Matt Wallner and Louie Varland currently occupy spots on the Minnesota roster while hailing from the state, and there is certainly more room for those types of stories to take place. Although Mueller went to high school in Wisconsin, he came back for college at Winona State University in Minnesota.