Louie Varland

Louie Dennis Varland

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 205 lb.
• School Concordia University-St. Paul
• High School North High School (St. Paul)
• Debut September 7, 2022

• Born December 9, 1997 in St. Paul, MN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Louie Varland made his major league debut on September 7, 2022 as the starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins against the New York Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader. He gave up 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings but was not involved in the decision as New York won the game in 12 innings, on its way to sweeping the twinbill. His first career strikeout victim was none other than Aaron Judge, who later got even by hitting his 55th homer of the season off him.

He was selected in the 15th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Concordia University-St. Paul. After sitting out the 2020 season because the minor leagues were shut down by the Covid-19 pandemic, he was the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2021. He went 10-4, 2.10 in 20 games between the Fort Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels, in Low-A and High-A respectively. In 2022, before his call-up, he had spent the bulk of the season in AA with the Wichita Wind Surge before getting a late-season promotion to his hometown team, the AAA St. Paul Saints. He went 8-5, 3.06 in 25 games between the two stops.

His older brother Gus Varland made his major league debut in 2023. Louie was the first graduate of Concordia to reach the major leagues since it became a four-year university, and his brother was the second.

Further Reading

• Do-Hyoung park: "Local kid Varland makes it to The Show", mlb.com, September 7, 2022. [1]

Related Sites

• Louie Varland on mlb.com
• Concordia bio