“We were just driving straight on that street, and we see a car that was going pretty fast, but honestly, Wallner let me know,” Julien said via The Athletic. “He started screaming, like, ‘Oh my God! Oh my God!’ He was cussing a little bit, and I’ve never heard Wallner scared like that.

“So I look up, and I just see a car that’s in a ditch, like in the middle of the road, just going through bushes and going through trees, smaller trees. And all of a sudden, he just jumps up, like six feet in the air.”

The experience left a mark on Alcala.

“It was something really scary, a little traumatizing,” Alcala said through an interpreter.

The Twins are looking to take a step forward in 2025 after a mediocre campaign last season. The team will look to make some additional moves before the season begins.

Jorge Alcala primed for breakout season with Twins

Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) celebrates with pitcher Jorge Alcala (66) after defeating the Cincinnati Reds at Target Field.
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins are looking to make progress in 2025 after an up-and-down season in 2024. Right-handed relief pitcher Jorge Alcala is expected to be one of the Twins’ most dependable arms this season.

The 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic made a TwinsDaily.com list of three arms that could be impactful for the Twins this season despite not making the opening day roster.

“Despite dealing with various injuries and inconsistency throughout his career, Alcalá has shown flashes of being a very good reliever,” Matthew Lenz wrote. Before imploding in August last season, he carried a 2.93 FIP with a 24.7% strikeout rate and an opponent OPS of just .500.

There’s also some strategy to starting him with the Saints: Alcalá is a mere eight days from five years of service time, at which point he can no longer be optioned without his consent.

Although he did find his footing in September, the Twins’ best strategy may be to open the season with him in St. Paul and make him one of the first calls when a bullpen spot opens.

PECOTA projects Alcalá to be an above-average reliever, with a 3.80 ERA across 60 innings.”

Alcala appeared in 54 games for the Twins last season. He ended the campaign with a 3.24 ERA through 58.1 innings pitched. He had 58 strikeouts to 20 walks.