Twins Add Another Left-Handed Outfielder on Minor-League Deal

[Theo Tollefson]

There can never be too much depth at the minor-league level, but the Twins seem to have a soft spot for left-handed hitting outfielders as they added another Thursday afternoon.

Image courtesy of Geoff Burke, USA Today

The Twins signed the player who may be the hardest to remember from the Washington Nationals 2019 World Series roster at bar trivia to a minor-league deal. Andrew Stevenson, 28, spent all of his 2022 season at the Nationals Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings. He had been removed from their 40-man roster early in the season and was never called back up. 

Stevenson had spent his entire career in the Nationals organization. He made his MLB debut in 2017 and accumulated 449 plate appearances in 248 games from 2017-2021. 

His greatest asset is his defense, but Stevenson has shown flashes of offensive production at times in the minor leagues and in the big leagues. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Stevenson posted a .366/.447/.732 (1.179 OPS), though it was in just 47 plate appearances. 

His 2022 season with the Red Wings was solid. He hit .279/.344/.457 (.801) with 16 home runs and 67 RBI in 135 games for the Red Wings. 

Stevenson’s addition to the Twins organization is great for any pending injuries. However, the possibility of his call-up would likely entail injuries to the other left-handed hitting outfielders including Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, Nick Gordon, Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, and Mark Contreras. 

The timing of the signing is interesting. Gilberto Celestino had surgery on his thumb and will miss two months while rehabbing. Plus, the plan was to let him develop in St. Paul this season anyway. Byron Buxton has yet to play this spring. Nick Gordon has been out with a high ankle sprain. Could it mean those players will be out longer than anticipated? Alex Kirilloff has also not played in a spring game yet which might mean that Joey Gallo may find himself at first base early in the season. Providing the Saints with some outfield options is also wise. 

Stevenson will likely receive nearly every day playing time with the Saints. His hitting abilities will be exciting to see against Triple-A pitching. If Stevenson ends up in a game for the Twins, hopefully, it will be due to hitting too well to ignore and not due to injuries. 

While this is just a minor-league signing, what do you think it means? Discuss in the COMMENTS below. 

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[ashbury]

His 2022 at AAA looks like he's on the cusp.  Too old to be a prospect, but sometimes old dogs learn one more trick.  Good luck to him.

[Oldgoat_MN]

I think it means we shouldn't be too optimistic about the recovery from injuries sustained by our OF players. I'm not fond of my interpretation, but there it is.

Worse still, there may be some news which has not yet been made public.

[Doctor Gast]

Maybe there is more serious offers for some cOF LH bats. As to take a chance on Stevenson. Besides possible set backs.

[TwinsDr2021]

This guy isn't young, isn't on the cusp and if he ends up on the Twins things have gone really, really, really wrong. IMO he is a guy that can take over in St. Paul when other prospects move up, that is it. Even if he is hitting .400 with an OPS of 1400 on the Saints I don't want to see him in a Twins uniform! (In this case trade him)

[cheeseheadgophfan]

Jake Cave's replacement in St. Paul......

[Dman]

5 minutes ago, cheeseheadgophfan said:

Jake Cave's replacement in St. Paul......

I was thinking the same thing.  An older player with some MLB experience but hasn't quite had the bat to make it.  Plays all three spots and if he can get the bat working maybe he gets a chance.  But just like last year he is pretty much a break glass in emergency type of player at this point.

[JD-TWINS]

Seems like a cheap depth move. No conspiracy theory that everyone else is going to be out for extended period. Good athlete that can play all 3 OF positions if we are really desperate at some point. Good organizational move.

[jmlease1]

10 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Seems like a cheap depth move. No conspiracy theory that everyone else is going to be out for extended period. Good athlete that can play all 3 OF positions if we are really desperate at some point. Good organizational move.

i think this is right. If you get a rash of OF injuries all at once and you need someone to fill in as a emergency, having a guy who is still right in his prime and has spent some time in the majors already sitting in AAA on a minor-league deal isn't a bad thing at all. he's not going to slot in ahead of Larnach or Wallner but gives you another option to keep the floor a little higher if disaster strikes. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Cave didn't show up until we got to disaster levels last season and while he didn't do great, he was professional and not horrible, so having a player for that type of role stashed in AAA seems good. Cave didn't take ABs away from Nick Gordon or Trevor Larnach last season like some people (including me) feared: he was the break glass in case of emergency OF...and we had to break the glass. Stevenson feels like a similar version.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Hitting left-handed is an advantage in baseball, due to being closer to 1B than a R/H batter, having one's body going in to direction of 1B as the swing is completed and due to there being 75 % (plus or minus) right-handed pitches in the major leagues, which means that 75 % of pitches faced by a lefty stand to be from an easier to see R/H pitcher. I know lefty relievers are brought in to face lefty hitters, but with the relatively new requirements of a reliever facing 3 batters, that affects these stats some. Therefore I am happy the FO has obtained an abundance of L/H hitters. I'll close with this: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Tris Speaker, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Rod Carew, Tony Gwyn, Mel Ott, Ichiro Suzuki all had something in common. Can you guess what it is?

[ziggy]

Quote

 I'll close with this: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Tris Speaker, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Rod Carew, Tony Gwyn, Mel Ott, Ichiro Suzuki all had something in common. Can you guess what it is?

Um, they all played professional baseball before Luis Arraez?

[Fire Dan Gladden]

This could also be a culture/mentor move as well.  Every team needs players in the organization that are "seasoned" minor leaguers.  Beyond the organizational depth piece, could be he is also there to help some of the younger guys.

[D.C Twins]

5 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Seems like a cheap depth move. No conspiracy theory that everyone else is going to be out for extended period. Good athlete that can play all 3 OF positions if we are really desperate at some point. Good organizational move.

Do NOT take my conspiracy theories away from me! What will I have left!  :)

[joefish]

45 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

Do NOT take my conspiracy theories away from me! What will I have left!  :)

You will always have hope. Just like the rest of us. 

[Mike Sixel]

Also, a few veterans in AAA is good for mentoring.

[KBJ1]

More depth and mentoring in the minors is fine. But I agree with the others.  God help us if he is up here playing, that means the four or five guys ahead of him are hurt. Also agree with if he is tearing up Triple A, trade him.

[JD-TWINS]

10 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Hitting left-handed is an advantage in baseball, due to being closer to 1B than a R/H batter, having one's body going in to direction of 1B as the swing is completed and due to there being 75 % (plus or minus) right-handed pitches in the major leagues, which means that 75 % of pitches faced by a lefty stand to be from an easier to see R/H pitcher. I know lefty relievers are brought in to face lefty hitters, but with the relatively new requirements of a reliever facing 3 batters, that affects these stats some. Therefore I am happy the FO has obtained an abundance of L/H hitters. I'll close with this: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Tris Speaker, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Rod Carew, Tony Gwyn, Mel Ott, Ichiro Suzuki all had something in common. Can you guess what it is?

They all look like Don Matingly, Tony Oliva, Carl Yastrzemski, Norm Cash, Fred Lynn, Justin Morneau, David Ortiz, Kent Hrbek, George Brett & Joe Mauer in the batter’s box.

[old nurse]

The Twins used 13 outfielders last year. Many proved to not be worthy of a roster spot. There shouldn’t be a problem adding a depth piece that is far better than Beckham, Cave,, Celestine, or Hamilton. Contreras did not fare well at the major league level, either. The front office has come to realize outs above average is important

[Doctor Gast]

On 3/10/2023 at 9:51 AM, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Hitting left-handed is an advantage in baseball, due to being closer to 1B than a R/H batter, having one's body going in to direction of 1B as the swing is completed and due to there being 75 % (plus or minus) right-handed pitches in the major leagues, which means that 75 % of pitches faced by a lefty stand to be from an easier to see R/H pitcher. I know lefty relievers are brought in to face lefty hitters, but with the relatively new requirements of a reliever facing 3 batters, that affects these stats some. Therefore I am happy the FO has obtained an abundance of L/H hitters. I'll close with this: Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Tris Speaker, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Rod Carew, Tony Gwyn, Mel Ott, Ichiro Suzuki all had something in common. Can you guess what it is?

I think the Twins are trying to corner the market on LH OFs.

[Joey Self]

On 3/10/2023 at 9:51 AM, tarheeltwinsfan said:

 Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Tris Speaker, Stan Musial, Barry Bonds, Rod Carew, Tony Gwyn, Mel Ott, Ichiro Suzuki all had something in common. Can you guess what it is?

People who have never been in my kitchen. 

(IYKYK)

JcS

(if you don't: 

 

[sun]

The past has shown that the front office knows how to wheel & deal in the MLB meat market. I think that it shows that they're stocking up on players to make moves before the trade deadline. Every team can have injuries & needs as the season progresses that the Twins can capitalize on. Just look at how the Twins needed to make an emergency trade with Cleveland for a catcher last year.

I like that he's a veteran player that probably has a sound foundation of baseball fundamentals that won't be as likely to make rookie mistakes like base running blunders and throwing the ball to the wrong base behind the runner. Some foreign players never seem to have been taught properly like Rosario which led to his demise with the Twins. Others seem prone to injuries which may lead to them being traded while they're healthy.

You never know what the Twins are up to because it's a meat market, If he can stick with the Twins for a couple of years you never know where he may end up. A .248 lifetime BA is just about as good as most any rookie in the Twins system.  Taylor, Kepler & Gallo aren't going to be around forever, There's plenty of teams kicking the tires before deciding who they can use in trade. His nickname is Stevo, so welcome to the Twins Stevo. Maybe Stevo will stick around long enough to see how fast the TC weather changes.