Meet Kevin Slowey May 29th, 2007 at 11:12 pm

By Kris Richardson

Kevin Slowey Mug I just mentioned it in my game recap, but I feel like it’s big enough news to deserve its own post. Ron Gardenhire made it official in his post-game press conference: Kevin Slowey will make his major league debut for the Twins on Friday night in Oakland. In case you’re not familiar with Slowey, here’s a quick list of what you should know:

Slowey just turned 23 years old and was drafted out of High School by the Colorado Rockies, but went unsigned and played at Winthrop University. In 2005 he was picked in the second round (73rd overall) by the Minnesota Twins and has quickly become a top prospect.
He throws with his right arm and can perhaps be compared to Brad Radke in that he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but has excellent control. He’s walked just five batters in 64 1/3 IP at AAA Rochester this season. His fastball tops out in the low 90’s and his mixed in with a good slider and his changeup.
In 2006 he posted a 1.01 ERA in 14 starts at Ft. Myers before being promoted to AA New Britain where he posted a 3.19 ERA.

Don’t expect the second coming of Francisco Liriano, there are no similarities at all, but there’s no doubt he should have better results than the man he’s replacing, Ramon Ortiz.