RandBall: Is it time to think differently about Twins pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson?

Simeon Woods Richardson has made 41 starts for the Twins since the start of the 2024 season, compiling a 10-9 record and a 4.14 ERA during that span.

Those are numbers that suggest a baseline functionality but not excellence. His advanced pitch quality stats are worse.

A typical Woods Richardson start will last just five innings, meaning he (and more so the Twins’ plan for him) puts a strain on the team’s bullpen.

And because of all those things, I get highly skeptical the Twins will win every time I see his name in the “pitching probables” section of their schedule.

What I am slowly coming to realize, though, is that maybe this is my problem and not Woods Richardson’s problem.

That is to say: My default, one shared by plenty of other Twins observers, is to focus in on everything Woods Richardson is not.

Maybe it’s time to think differently, as La Velle E. Neal III and I talked about on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

Woods Richardson doesn’t have overpowering stuff?

Maybe it doesn’t matter if his pitch mix and command are enough to consistently get hitters out.

Woods Richardson rarely pitches more than five innings and isn’t allowed to see a lineup a third time because that’s when batters start to figure him out?

Maybe it doesn’t matter if the five innings are really good ones, as they have been lately. Consider this: In four of his last five starts, SWR has thrown five innings and allowed two hits or fewer while giving up one total run.

Could he be allowed to work deeper into games sometimes, given that he was lifted after 53 and 61 pitches and five shutout innings in two of his last five starts?

Sure, but it’s also OK to get the most out of him and know his limitations (even if his numbers facing a team a lineup a third time are actually pretty decent). It made sense after 61 pitches Tuesday, for instance, with the Twins holding a slim 2-0 lead and the bullpen fully rested after a Monday off day.

Is unlikely that he ever becomes more than a back-end-of-the-rotation pitcher?

Quite possibly, but there’s also something to be said for pitchers in those spots who consistently give a team a chance to win.

Anyway, I’m going to try to look at Woods Richardson with fresh eyes and fewer preconceived notions for the rest of this season.

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