Should The Twins Look to Upgrade From Kyle Garlick?

[Cody Pirkl]

Kyle Garlick is headed into another offseason having produced admirably while missing a good chunk of games due to injury. As the Twins hopefully head toward a roster shakeup, could they move on from their lefty-mashing specialist?

Image courtesy of Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

 

2019 seems like a long time ago, back when the Twins’ eyes would light up seeing a left-handed pitcher take the mound. The outfield in particular has become so left-handed heavy that the team’s performance against southpaws as a whole has taken a hit. Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, and Nick Gordon all saw significant time in 2022 and the Twins ranked 20th in OPS matching up against lefties.

A handful of outfield prospects remain, though not of the right-handed variety. We’ve seen Matt Wallner, and another top outfield prospect, Emmanuel Rodriguez, hits from the left side as well. In other words, help in this department is not on the way internally. For that reason, bringing back the cheap and known commodity Kyle Garlick makes sense… right?

Garlick’s overall numbers fail to impress, but the Twins brought him in to hit lefties and he’s done that well. Posting an .805 OPS and 128 wRC+, six of his nine homers came in these matchups. When healthy, Garlick was penciled into the top of most lineups in an advantageous matchup.

One issue at this point, however, is Garlick’s health. After playing in just 36 games in 2021 due to a core muscle injury, he again missed significant time, playing 66 games in 2022 before rib and wrist issues shut his season down and limited his effectiveness. Now over the age of 30, is it fair to count on Garlick suddenly becoming healthier?

Also, consider the state of the Twins outfield. Byron Buxton is going to miss time. Kirilloff and Larnach have also done so in each of the last two seasons. Max Kepler may be on the outs, but if he remains with the team it seems a foregone conclusion that he’ll be limping his way through September every season. Garlick’s complementary right-handed bat may be canceled out by his inability to stay on the field.

Even if healthy, it’s important to keep in mind that Garlick is a one-dimensional player. He was brought in to mash lefties and that’s about where his capabilities end. Though a nice potential role player on a competing team, it’s fair to ask whether a team coming off back-to-back losing seasons can justify giving a roster spot to such a player. Without much defense to provide, Garlick also posted just a .631 OPS against right-handed pitching. On a roster such as the Twins where players are simply going to miss time, Garlick is bound to find himself in inopportune situations as we saw this year. In those cases, the negative impact Garlick has on games begins to overshadow the somewhat rare opportunities he was brought in to fill against lefties.

It’s possible the Twins bring Garlick back. He’s cheap and his skillset does complement their roster. Big changes are needed, however, and the Twins days of pretending they have the baseline of a first-place roster capable of carrying one-dimensional role players may be in the past. A roster shakeup may be coming. Many have called for parting ways with Max Kepler. While the Twins have prospects such as Wallner ready, they could also part with someone like Garlick and bring in a right-handed bat with more than just one skill to offer.

After parts of two seasons, we know what Kyle Garlick is. While he has his flaws, his career will certainly carry on with another team should the Twins move on. The question is whether they should. Is Kyle Garlick the perfect match for the Twins left-handed heavy outfield, or should they look for an upgraded version of his skillset?

 

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[Karbo]

Time to move on. There will be others available. Lets just sign Judge. LOL. 

[bighat]

Twins don't need any more so-so players who are injury prone. We've got tons of guys like that on the roster that we can't get rid of - if there's an option to jettison Garlick, they should do so.

Seems like a great guy and can really mash lefties, but he just can't stay on the field. And that's enough for me to think it's time to move on.

[baul0010]

We won 5 more games than last year's sad performance.  We need health and upgrades at just about every position.  

[Linus]

Definitely need to target a really good right handed outfielder in free agency. Hopefully one that plays good enough defense that they could slide over to CF occasionally.   If they can’t find a good defender then Max becomes the backup CF. If he complains about it, trade him.  Oh and no more Celestino. I am done with boneheads that can’t hit cutoff men, throw to the wrong base and are clueless on the bases. This club needs a wake up call. 

[FlyingFinn]

I'm fine with Garlick in AAA, ready to fill in for the Twins if needed. But we need someone who is healthier, can hit lefties and hopefully play defense a little better.

[Game7-91]

"...the Twins days of pretending they have the baseline of a first-place roster capable of carrying one-dimensional role players may be in the past..."

Speaking truth Cody. I would only swap "may be" for "is".

In answer to title question, yes.

 

[Blyleven2011]

 the twins FO should always be looking to upgrade  ....

Garlick has served his purpose  but hasn't stayed healthy enough to stay on the field  ...

Finding a healthy righthanded hitting outfielder with alittle pop shouldn't be to difficult to find for depth ...

[jmlease1]

I think they should look to upgrade. Garlick isn't a bad fallback position, but there's good reason to be concerned that he won't be able to stay healthy even in a limited role and they flat-out need a RH hitter in the OF who can punish lefties. Garlick has done the job against lefties when healthy, and isn't completely helpless against righties, but they should definitely be looking to explore the possibilities in the market, especially since most of their young OF coming up in the system hit from the left.

[tony&rodney]

Too many players whose best position is DH: Jeffers, Arraez, Miranda, Larnach, Garlick, and Wallner. Did I miss someone? The list does not count at bats for anyone who needs a day off their feet, especially Buxton. 

[mike8791]

Nice article, Cody.  If the Twins are going to win in '23, guys like Garlick, Celestino, Cave, etc. should not be around by next spring.  We need a solid RH OF with good enough defense to slot in at a corner.  Trading from minor league depth does not seem realistic.  That ship has sailed, leaving FA the only way to go.  Guys like Larnach and Kirillof  cannot be counted on and even if these two erstwhile stars can overcome injuries and previous erratic perrformances, relying on either at thisd point is more a dream than reality.  Wallner is a possibility but has defensive deficiencies, bats LH, and has far too slim of a major league record to be counted on.  The good news is that corner FA OFs are usually plentiful so help is available here if the FO takes off their rose-colored glasses and recognizes the need for improvement..  

[Doctor Gast]

We don't face that many LHPs, for that fact and his health problems I certainly would not protect him on the 40 man. But if he passes waivers, he be a good break glass emergency  type player. We could definitely use an upgrade from him. Celestino has been great, maybe he'll turn out be our Judge? But we need another RH hitting OFer. I still scratch my head on how so many players were drafted ahead of Judge.

[Nine of twelve]

Garlick is the type of player who would be good to have in AAA so that he could fill in occasionally on the major league roster. 

[RpR]

43 minutes ago, Nine of twelve said:

Garlick is the type of player who would be good to have in AAA so that he could fill in occasionally on the major league roster. 

So is Jeffers,  Larnach, Celestino, Wallner, etc., etc., etc.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, Linus said:

Definitely need to target a really good right handed outfielder in free agency. Hopefully one that plays good enough defense that they could slide over to CF occasionally.   If they can’t find a good defender then Max becomes the backup CF. If he complains about it, trade him.  Oh and no more Celestino. I am done with boneheads that can’t hit cutoff men, throw to the wrong base and are clueless on the bases. This club needs a wake up call. 

Celestino is an anchor

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

I'm fine with Garlick in AAA, ready to fill in for the Twins if needed. But we need someone who is healthier, can hit lefties and hopefully play defense a little better.

Judge?

[roger]

Where does he play?  Certainly shouldn't be in the outfield.  And if he is at DH, who sits that day?  Arraez?  Miranda?  Urshela?  Gordon?  Makes the decision easy for me.

[lukeduke1980]

I say let's not try to out-Tampa Bay Tampa Bay.  Move on and find a full time RH RF.

[TwinsDr2021]

Should The Twins Look to Upgrade From Kyle Garlick?

Yes, for sure, absolutely without a doubt. The guy will be 31 when the season starts and has done nothing to this point in his career to display he is anything more than an injury replacement level type of player. I can't see any team that is even pretending to compete giving him a major league job.  Which that said good luck Kyle on your future.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, baul0010 said:

We won 5 more games than last year's sad performance.  We need health and upgrades at just about every position.  

Oh my. I didn't realize we were almost as bad a team as last year's team. 

[Riverbrian]

It wasn't that long ago. We should all still remember what happened. 

Let's look at what our OF provided for us during a pennant chase.

Sorted by AB's in September

95 AB's -- Jake Cave OPS .628

77 AB's -- Gilberto Celestino September OPS .570

43 AB's -- Matt Wallner OPS .798

37 AB's -- Kyle Garlick OPS .270

20 AB's -- Max Kepler OPS .300 272

How About August if we can remember that far back. ?

81 AB's -- Nick Gordon OPS .891

81 AB's -- Max Kepler OPS .505

60 AB's -- GIlberto Celestino .606

53 AB's -- Jake Cave OPS .699

49 AB's -- Byron Buxton OPS .750

The OF killed us. It should be fresh in our memories. 

If you want to keep a specialist on your roster. You run the risk of needing that specialist in September and I remember it like it was just a month ago. 

 

[David Maro]

Can't stay healthy,time to go. If he was in the lineup 3 days in a row he got hurt. This team doesn't have room for a one dimensional player. Still looking for a Left fielder after letting Eddie go. At last count I think over 10 or is it more. Wish full thinking that Judge is coming. People want Correa to stay,so all the money will go there. We still need pitching,pitching and more pitching. There are way to many questions in that area.

[PatPfund]

Short answer is Yes!!! Because, does he really 'mash lefties'? His four year OPS+ is 98. In two years with the Twins, and starting mostly against LHPs he has 14 HR and 28 RBI (meaning a full half of his RBIs were himself), and an OBP under .300. Then there is the health thing; we faced a radical string of something like 7 straight starts by LHP and Garlick was available for 0. DFA him, and sign him to a minor league contract (if he is willing) with a spring training invite.

He'll make a decent litmus test; if he can make next year's team (with Max still a clear starter), we are in for trouble. If he is minor league depth, that's fine, because that is what he is.

Plus, I'm with @Linus. No Celestino until he shows in the minors he actually knows how to play baseball. I already thought he was one of the stupider players I'd ever seen, and then he forgot the count and started jogging to 2B, because he thought the batter walked (there were only 3 balls). I also agree with @Parfigliano that Gilberto is an "anchor". The kind that pulls you down to the bottom if you hold onto it.

[CRF]

Just about anything would be an upgrade over Garlick. 

[jorgenswest]

Upgrade? Yes. Upgrade the outfield.

Keep Garlick? Maybe. I see 1 option listed on his Fangraphs page but I don’t know if that is updated for next year or whether he used an option this year. It seems like his AAA time was on a minor league contract and not an option. He has some value with an option. I hope they find 40 players with more value but the fringe of the 40 are not the critical decisions here. They need a really good and reliable outfielder that hits both left and right handed pitching. I don’t care which side of the plate he stands on.

Seems like the discussion should be about upgrading Kepler who has to be on the major league roster rather than a fringe guy that can fill a shuttle role.

[DocBauer]

Absolutely move on to a better option. I've been saying for at least 2yrs now we needed a RH OF who can produce and play some decent corner defense. If he could cover CF now again, that's just a bonus and not a prerequisite. Kepler and Gordon can cover CF with Buxton taking a day or two off. Celestino should be in AAA remembering how to hit again, and just "settle down" and remember how to do the small but important things that are so necessary, like running the bases and throwing to the right base. I still believe he was rushed and his head was swimming.

I'd like Gaelick back on a milb deal as insurance. He does hit LHP well. His .600+ OPS against RHP isn't killer when you realize the league wide OPS, on average, for LH vs LHP is worse. But shouldn't we be aiming higher? Someone who can stay in the lineup? Someone who can play better defense and perform better to balance our LH bats? Someone who isn't a black hole when pressed in to regular duty if/when injuries happen.

Time to find someone better, and it doesn't have to be some All Star, expensive stud. Just a better overall player. Period!

 

[USAFChief]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

It wasn't that long ago. We should all still remember what happened. 

Let's look at what our OF provided for us during a pennant chase.

Sorted by AB's in September

95 AB's -- Jake Cave OPS .628

77 AB's -- Gilberto Celestino September OPS .570

43 AB's -- Matt Wallner OPS .798

37 AB's -- Kyle Garlick OPS .270

20 AB's -- Max Kepler OPS .300 272

How About August if we can remember that far back. ?

81 AB's -- Nick Gordon OPS .891

81 AB's -- Max Kepler OPS .505

60 AB's -- GIlberto Celestino .606

53 AB's -- Jake Cave OPS .699

49 AB's -- Byron Buxton OPS .750

The OF killed us. It should be fresh in our memories. 

If you want to keep a specialist on your roster. You run the risk of needing that specialist in September and I remember it like it was just a month ago. 

 

 Wasn't that long ago you were asking for MORE ABs for Garlick. Including against RHers.

I remember it like it was just a month or two ago.

But I agree with the call for some reliable offense from the OF.

[Greglw3]

Kyle Garlick, along with Cave and Kepler should be on another team besides the Twins.

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, USAFChief said:

 Wasn't that long ago you were asking for MORE ABs for Garlick. Including against RHers.

I remember it like it was just a month or two ago.

But I agree with the call for some reliable offense from the OF.

I did and if he is on the roster next year... I will ask for it again and the numbers the OF produced in September is why I was asking.

I'd rather know before the trade deadline if he can help us after the deadline. ?

[MTV]

Trade off Kepler and Celestino, option Garlick and Wallner to AAA to start the year, have an opening day outfield roster of Buxton, Gordon, Kirilloff, Larnach, and a righty who can hopefully play CF (I like the option of Austin Slater, a CF/RF option who has about an .825 OPS against Lefties the last 2 years, has stayed healthy for a while and won’t be expensive to trade for or expensive to pay in his final 2 years of arbitration, plus SF has a string of young outfielders on the way and won’t necessarily need him.