Twins pitching prospect focused on becoming next great knuckleballer

Remember the name Devin Kirby.

Devin Kirby at UConn. / University of Connecticut

Devin Kirby decided to become a knuckleball pitcher roughly 15 months ago and he's determined to be MLB's next great knuckleballer.

The Sports Daily's Kyle Odegard recently caught up with Kirby for a Q&A and discussed what prompted Kirby, who signed with the Twins in 2023, to make the decision to become a knuckleballer after a few years following Tommy John surgery while pitching in college at Connecticut.

"It opened my eyes to, you don’t have to throw 100. It would be cool to, don’t get me wrong, but people talk about my knuckleball. Throwing 100 is pretty usual nowadays. Everybody is watching me throw this knuckleball. I always have a crowd. It’s cool, because it’s only been a year and three months, and it’s probably developed more than my org probably thought," Kirby explained to Odegard.

"I’m just so determined to be the next knuckleballer in the major leagues. I would love to be as good as (R.A.) Dickey, or maybe better. That’s my ideal, so I push myself to throw it almost every day. It’s always feeling for it, and nailing my mechanics."

You can read the full Q&A with Odegard and Kirby here.

In 2024, Kirby played 17 games between rookie ball and single-A competition. He pitched 38 total innings, struck out 51 batters and finished the season with a 3.32 ERA. He didn't allow a single home run while posting a 1.37 WHIP.

Devin Kirby unleashes the Knuckleball's most devastating movement profile -- arm side and down pic.twitter.com/W0U9HdAF3f

— Knuckleball Nation (@KnuckNation) November 29, 2024

He played in the Arizona Fall League with the Salt River Rafters in October, but he couldn't find the same success. He walked 13 batters and allowed 12 earned runs in 11.1 innings. Now 25 years old, it has been a unique journey for Kirby, who joined the Twins system on a minor-league contract in July 2023.

Last October, Kirby told MLB.com's Jim Callis that the sweaty days in Florida made it hard to grip the baseball and the dry days in the Arizona Fall League were equally challenging. Why? Because he grips the ball with his fingertips instead of his fingernails.

"So if I have just my natural hand oil, it's good. The Arizona heat dries my hand out so much it was a little learning curve in the game. But I've always been a pitcher to get outs. I've never been too powerful, just get outs and put up zeroes," Kirby told Callis.

What separates Dickey and Kirby? Dickey, who won the NL Cy Young award in 2012, is a 6-foot-3 former first-round pick, while Kirby is 5-foot-10 and new knuckleballer will be compared to R.A. Dickey, who won the NL Cy Young in 2012. As a former first-round pick, his career path is much different than Kirby's and Dickey was 6-foot-3, compared to Kirby who's only 5-foot-10 and wasn't drafted.

Kirby might not be on any Twins top prospect lists now, but he could be a quick riser if he continues to find his rhythm in 2025.