The long-awaited debut of Minnesota Twins’ top prospect, Louie Varland, didn’t disappoint. Despite not picking up the win, the Minnesota native dazzled against the New York Yankees, proving he’s here to stay.

Varland is a Minnesota native and played Division II baseball at Concordia-St. Paul. The Twins selected him in the 15th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and he’s had nothing but success in the minors.

The former CSP star pitched in 47 career games and went 18-10, with an ERA of 2.61.

In his first career start in the big leagues, Varland looked sharp.

• Final Stat Line: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

He came out of the gates throwing quick and fast. His best pitch is his fastball, which he used a lot. He can throw in the upper 90s but will need to improve his control when he touches 96 MPH and above. Something that was sort of unexpected was his use of the off-speed pitch when he had guys with two strikes.

Varland didn’t give up a hit until the third inning when the ninth guy in the lineup recorded a double. One thing that stood out was Varland’s composure on the mound, especially after giving up a home run to Aaron Judge.

After giving up that solo shot, Varland went on to strikeout the next two batters and got the third out with an easy grounder.

He didn’t get the win after Gleyber Torres hit a two-run home run, but Varland looked good. It was still impressive, despite the Yankees rolling out a weak lineup. With all the injuries the Twins have suffered this season, it’s going to be pivotal for Varland to step up in Tyler Mahle’s absence.

Varland was sent back to Triple-A because he was the 29th man due to the double header. However, I would think that if the Twins need someone to step into the starting rotation, they’d call the former CSP star.

If there was anything to take away from Varland’s first career start, it’s that he’s here to stay for a long time.