Minnesota's lineup in 2024 and beyond

[Sean.h]

DH Julien

1B Alex Kirilloff

2B Lewis

3B Miranda

SS Carlos Correa

LF Trevor Larnarch

CF Byron Buxton

RF Matt Wallner

C Jeffers/Vazquez

This has the potential to be a pretty good lineup! Lee and Martin probably also factor in, though maybe not on day 1. Would the Twins hold onto Polanco this offseason? In that case maybe Lewis starts the year in the OF. Thoughts?

[Beast]

I like it.  But a suggestion I would make:  I wouldn’t want to waste Lewis’ athleticism at 2B.  I’d put Julien there, Lewis in the OF or 3B, and Miranda or Larnach/Wallner at DH.

Not sure how things will go without our two best players (Gallo and Polanco), but you have to move on from those studs at some point.

[Major League Ready]

Miranda will probably have to be an 800+ OPS guy to keep that spot much beyond the start of 2024.  I hope he does that and more.  That's kind of the first linchpin here.  If Miranda sticks at 3B, Lee or Lewis probably end up at 2B.  Lewis might end up being the most adaptable utility guy ever.  He could play a corner OF spot while backing up Correa and Buxton.  He could be incredibly valuable in that type of role.  If Martin picks up where he left off in the AFL, those two guys would be incredible for covering injuries and days off.  That scenario also makes it easier to carry Julien who is not strong at any defensive position.  

[FlyingFinn]

14 hours ago, Sean.h said:

DH Julien

1B Alex Kirilloff

2B Lewis

3B Miranda

SS Carlos Correa

LF Trevor Larnarch

CF Byron Buxton

RF Matt Wallner

C Jeffers/Vazquez

The problem comes if Buxton has to play DH a lot. If we still want to play both Julien and Miranda, we are much weaker on defense in several spots unless we still are hanging on to Taylor.

[Nashvilletwin]

‘24 will still be a transition year (i.e. Farmer will still be a utility infielder, Polanco may still be around,  and Lee will probably get to the bigs early in the season and Rodriguez later in the season).
 

So let’s start in ‘25 with our starting 9 hitters:

DH: Buxton (he’s no longer a CFer - he just isn’t)

1B: Miranda (can’t play OF, better alternative at 3B)

2B: Julien (no way we can keep his bat out of the lineup)

SS: Correa (we paid big time for this)

3B: Lee (a superstar right in our midst)

RF: Rodriguez (also a superstar coming right down the pike)

CF: Lewis (has to play somewhere and has more positional flexibility)

LF: Kiriloff (if healthy, otherwise Larnach)

C: Vasquez

Bench: Larnach, Miller (stud fielder and emerging bat), Jeffers, plus one super utility player ala Gordon

That’s a very strong lineup of 13 players with 2-3 (Correa, Buxton and Vasquez) getting paid and the other 10 cheap and controllable (i.e. plenty of money left over for pitching). There is a lot of positional flexibility as well.

D is a little iffy on the right side of the infield, but otherwise pretty solid (if Lewis adapts well to CF).  Of course, if Buxton could still play CF, the D would be much stronger with Julien at DH and Lewis/Lee at 2B/3B. That would be the ideal lineup, but Buxton in CF is not likely.

 

 

 

 

[Rik19753]

I think the only way Polanco will get traded is if both Lewis and Julien really break out this season. We need some level of consistency and that lineup looks far too young and inexperienced IMO.

 

Here is how I would approach each position:

C - Jeffers and Vazquez are a fine duo, no changes to be made here.

1B - Kirilloff, Miranda, Julien rotate. Unless Kirilloff comes back and puts up middle of the order numbers I don't see him being handed a full-time job next season.

2B - Polanco and Julien. Polanco mainly plays with Julien covering for him sometimes.

3B - Miranda and Lewis. Against lefties, Lewis plays 3B, Miranda plays 1B, and Kirilloff goes to the bench.

SS - Correa and Farmer.

CF - Lewis, Gordon and Buxton. If Buxton is healthy enough, he plays CF against lefties, allowing Lewis to play 3B.

LF, RF - Some combination of Larnach, Wallner, Gordon and Farmer. With the first 3 being left-handed and with the abundance of infield depth, you have Farmer play the outfield more in order to get his bat in the lineup against lefties.

DH - Mainly Buxton if he can't play the field. Julien when Buxton needs to sit.

 

By my count, this is 13 players. The defense would be around league-average and the offense is probably barely in the top 10, with upside to be a top 5 lineup in MLB.

One of the best things about this lineup is how cheap it is. Besides Buxton and Correa, everybody is homegrown. On the other hand, the downside is that it lacks top-end talent besides Buxton and Correa. 2 or 3 of these players need to step up and become middle-of-the-order bats if we want to have an elite lineup.

[stringer bell]

Back to the OP, I don't foresee Miranda being the regular at third base in 2024. Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis should be surrounding Correa IMHO. That would push Miranda to the DH/1B along with Edouard Julien and Alex Kirilloff. There would be a ton of positional flexibility with Miranda's ability to play third, Lee and Lewis as minor league shortstops, Julien as an option at second and first and Kirilloff's ability to play the outfield corners. 

[Sean.h]

On 4/29/2023 at 8:37 AM, FlyingFinn said:

The problem comes if Buxton has to play DH a lot. If we still want to play both Julien and Miranda, we are much weaker on defense in several spots unless we still are hanging on to Taylor.

I guess if Buxton is DH, then julien at 2b and Lewis in CF could also work.