Kohl Stewart was once a potential successor to Johnny Football.
But after being selected fourth overall by the Minnesota Twins in 2013, Stewart backed out of his football scholarship at Texas A&M so he could play professional baseball. He has now returned to throwing a football in order to rehab a shoulder injury that cut into his season last summer, and forced him to miss about a month of baseball.
Stewart believes that by throwing a football every day this offseason, it will help him prepare for the upcoming season. He mentions that the ball is heavier and will help build arm strength as the season approaches. At “TwinsFest” last month, Stewart informed fans in attendance that his shoulder was 100% and he was fully ready for Spring Training.
He has also used this offseason to help out with the control of his fastball, as well as the development of a curveball.
In 19 starts for the Cedar Rapids Kernels (Class A) last summer, Stewart posted in impressive 2.59 earned run average but his record was just 3-5. He claims that his goal for the 2015 season is to start the year at the High-A level and advance to Double-A by the end of the season.
Stewart is among the best pitching prospects in baseball, and for the Twins, he is just another big name prospect in their stacked farm system. Baseball America ranked Stewart the 52nd best prospect before the 2014 season, and he is currently the team’s fourth ranked prospect according to most experts, sitting behind top ranked outfielder Byron Buxton, power hitting third baseman Miguel Sano, and fellow starting pitcher Alex Meyer.
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