This story was excerpted from Matthew Leach’s Twins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CHICAGO – As Taj Bradley took the mound at Rate Field on Saturday night, it was hard not to look back a little bit.
It’s just over 12 months ago, in late August of 2025, that Bradley made his Twins debut at this very same ballpark, in somewhat inauspicious fashion. Acquired from the Rays for Griffin Jax as part of Minnesota’s Trade Deadline selloff, Bradley didn’t even start his tenure with his new organization in the Major Leagues. He made three starts for Triple-A St. Paul before being recalled to start down the stretch for Minnesota, beginning with that game against the White Sox.
There were some highs, and there were some lows. He ended the year with a superb start, but his debut wasn’t great.
It’s almost funny to think about that, a little more than a year later, as Bradley has established himself as not only a bedrock of the Twins rotation but one of the most exciting starters in the American League.
His overall line on Saturday night wasn’t eye-popping – four runs in five innings – but if you watched, you saw what Bradley has shown all year: elite stuff, quality command, and significantly improved maturity and composure.
He’s a better pitcher than he was at this time last year, and it’s not just physical.
“I see growth in bits and pieces when I allow myself to,” he said. “Excited about all the stuff I’ve learned within looking at the game, reading swings throughout the game, talking with my catchers and figuring out what’s their reasoning for calling this next pitch. And it’s helping me grow as a pitcher.”
Saturday was a great example of something Bradley said back in Spring Training that he wanted to work on: not letting a bad sequence derail him. He surrendered a pair of homers in the first inning, putting the Twins in a 3-0 hole. Then he locked in, allowing one more run while racking up six K's and allowing his teammates to get back in the game.
“I think you even see the maturation of it this year,” said manager Derek Shelton. “He continues to get better. He continues to get stronger. … He is doing such a better job as he matures of being able to flush those innings.”
It was the kind of showing that highlights what he’s currently capable of, and reminds you of what he might still grow into. Especially since it came in September, as Bradley set a career high with his 28th start. He’s already set personal bests in wins and strikeouts. And remember, even though it may seem like ages ago that he was a top prospect, he’s still only 25, and under team control for three more seasons after this one.
“He’s built to pitch,” Shelton said. “He’s built to pitch late in season, deep in games.”
Not only was he not fazed by the rough first inning on Saturday, Bradley used it. He channeled the frustration rather than giving into it.
“That was just more of an aggressive Taj,” he said. “I was just mad as hell about all of that other [stuff] so I just took it out on the mound and stuff like that. Just maintained controlled aggression. I think that’s my best style of pitching, just throw some ‘eff you’ at the hitters, which I learned that at Low-A. I just maintained that throughout the way.”