Taj Bradley and the lethal splitter fueling his breakout season

Taj Bradley has long been a pitcher that many were waiting to step up and deliver. He was a fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2018 MLB Draft and was recently traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Griffin Jax ahead of last year's trade deadline. 

This has turned into a great trade for Minnesota, as right before the season started, they learned they would be without ace Pablo Lopez, who underwent an internal brace procedure to repair his UCL. 

Bradley has since stepped up and delivered. Across five starts, he holds a 3-0 record with a 1.63 ERA and 34 strikeouts on 27.2 innings of work, and is currently operating as Minnesota's best pitcher, which is saying something with Joe Ryan and Mick Abel in that rotation.

MORE: The Twins swap out two left-handers ahead of Rays series

Taj Bradley and the lethal splitter fueling his breakout season

Bradley has been a gem for a Twins team that has gotten off to a solid start. They are in the thick of things in the AL Central with their 12-13 record. 

After a shaky second-half with Minnesota last season, Bradley has committed fully to improving his splitter, per Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter. 

"After serving up a 6.61 ERA in 31.1 innings over six starts with the Twins following the trade, he was far from a lock for the Opening Day rotation. An improved splitter that is generating a 43.8 percent whiff rate in support of his upper 90s fastball has helped him level up as one of the breakout pitchers of 2026."

This improved splitter has been central to his success this year. It keeps batters on their toes and allows his fastball, cutter, and curveball to be a bit more effective. 

If Bradley can keep this up, and the team can avoid injuries, this could be a team in the mix all season long.

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