Madison Boer
| IP | 284 |
|---|---|
| ERA | 5.039 |
| WHIP | 1.472 |
| BB/9 | 3.201 |
| SO/9 | 6.18 |
- Full name Madison James Boer
- Born 11/09/1989 in Saint Louis Park, MN
- Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Oregon
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Drafted in the 2nd round (87th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2011 (signed for $405,000).
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Boer has the type of frame scouts look for in starting pitchers. He's big and strong at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds and he's a good athlete that ran a 6.7-second 60-yard dash for scouts in the fall. The athleticism helps give Boer a clean and efficient delivery and helps him maintain stamina throughout game. His fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range, but there could be more in there--he's touched 96 before in relief stints and moved back to the bullpen late this spring as he tired out. Boer has a good slider, but it's the splitter he added to this year that has helped the most. He throws the pitch with two different grips. If he needs to throw it for a strike, he'll keep the ball closer to his fingertips, throwing it like a changeup. But he can also put the ball deeper into his hand to get more depth on the pitch if he's trying to get a hitter to chase.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Among the legion of Twins relievers-turned-starters, Boer had the roughest 2012 season, giving up 173 hits and posting a 5.84 ERA. Minnesota challenged the former Oregon closer with a promotion to high Class A in May of his first full pro season. He promptly went 0-6, 11.22 in his first six starts at Fort Myers. He did finish with seven quality starts in his last 11 outings as he gradually adjusted to the better competition, the new role and the reduced quality of stuff that came with it. A Minnesota native, Boer has the size and arm action to start, as well as a four-pitch mix. His fastball tends to straighten out, which became a problem when he averaged 90-92 mph as a starter. He hit 95-96 regularly in relief, so he got away with less movement. Now he's working to add cut action and armside run to his fastball, which has tailing action. He has an average slider that touches 86 mph, and he throws a fringy changeup and get-me-over curveball. Boer's arm tended to drag last year as he rushed through his delivery, making his pitches flatter, but he did make late-season adjustments. His lack of a putaway pitch was evident in his 2012, though he did handle a starter's workload well and always can fall back on relieving. Despite his ugly numbers, he'll move up to Double-A in 2013. -
Boer grew up in Eden Prairie, a Minneapolis suburb, and was lured out of state by Oregon's resuscitated baseball program. He made 26 starts and picked up eight saves in three seasons for the Ducks. The Twins grabbed him in the second round of the 2011 draft and signed him for $405,000. He dominated in his pro debut, working in relief after pitching 99 innings in the spring. Boer has the type of strong arm the organization sorely needs. As a college starter, he showed a 90-93 mph fastball. As a reliever, he works at 93- 94 and peaks at 96. His fastball has good sink, and he complements it with a mid-80s slider that is an out pitch at times. He worked with a splitter at Oregon but incorporated a straight changeup after his debut. Minnesota intends to use Boer as a starter in 2012, both to get him comfortable with the changeup and to see if he can stay in the role. He'll open the season at Beloit. Reaching the big leagues could function as a homecoming for Boer, whose parents still live about a half-hour from Target Field.
Minor League Top Prospects
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Boer grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie and signed quickly for $405,000 after the Twins selected him with the 87th overall pick in June. He built a reputation at Oregon as a big-bodied yet athletic righty with a potential starter's repertoire if he refines his split-changeup. Mindful of the 99 innings he threw this spring, Minnesota used Boer exclusively as a reliever during his first pro summer. Boer can run his fastball up to 96 mph out of the bullpen, but he generally attacks the strike zone with a 92-94 mph fastball with sinking action. His mid-80s power slider functions as his out pitch, and he also has a changeup that he didn't go to frequently in a relief role. Though he recorded saves in all nine of his opportunities with Elizabethton and struck out nearly half of the batter he faced, the Twins plan to develop Boer as a starter beginning next season.
