What should the Twins do with Jose Miranda?

[Hunter McCall]

Jose Miranda has had a nightmare start to the 2023 season. How could the Twins handle the young third basemen going forward?

Image courtesy of David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

In 2021, Jose Miranda set the world on fire in the minor leagues to the tune of 30 home runs, 94 RBIs, and a .972 OPS across AA and AAA. Miranda was named the Twins' minor league hitter of the year and catapulted himself into the MLB.com top 100 prospect list. In 2022, his performance was rewarded by being called up early in the season to replace an injured Kyle Garlick.

Miranda sputtered out of the gate in his first taste of the big leagues. On May 29th, while hitting .164 with a .472 OPS, the struggling Miranda was sent back to AAA, and the Twins recalled Royce Lewis. As we know, the very next day, Royce Lewis tore his ACL, and Miranda was back with the Twins.

Following his one-day demotion, Miranda quickly turned it on as the calendar flipped to June, posting a .306 BA and a .856 OPS for the month. Miranda put together a solid freshman campaign with a .268 BA, a .737 OPS, and a team-leading 66 RBIs on the season. With Miranda struggling offensively and defensively out of the gate, what do the Twins do with him going forward?

The first option is to let Miranda ride out the slump and hope he comes out of it as he did last year. At the moment, Miranda is hitting .219 with a .588 OPS, which is a better first month than he experienced last year, but it is still tough to stomach. The Twins' lineup has struggled to get consistent production out of some critical bats, and Miranda has provided minimal production out of the middle of the order.

Miranda has also struggled defensively. Through 34 games this season, Miranda has accounted for -4 outs above average (OAA) and -3 runs above average (RAA). This puts Miranda in the bottom 2% of fielders in 2023. If you happened to watch the recent Cleveland series, you got a glimpse at just how frustrating it has been watching Miranda man the hot corner this season. If the Twins continue to let him ride out his struggles, he will not only have to improve offensively, but defensively as well.

The second option is to send Miranda down and let him figure it out in AAA. The Twins just decided to send Trevor Larnach down to AAA to let him figure his struggles out, and Larnach was far more productive over the first month than Miranda, so this option is far from impossible. Miranda ranks dead last amongst Twins hitters in win probability added (WPA) and wins above replacement (WAR). These stats support the eye test that tells us Jose Miranda has been the worst player in the Twins lineup this season.

If the Twins were to demote Jose Miranda, it would likely come when Kyle Farmer is reinstated from the injured list. Matthew Taylor wrote on Saturday about who could be demoted to make room for Farmer when he makes his return. Miranda's struggles are well documented in his article.

If the Twins go this route, they will likely use multiple players at third base, with Kyle Farmer acting as the primary beneficiary. Willi Castro is also likely to see some time over there, and if the Twins want to get really fancy, Joey Gallo also spent a lot of time at third base in the minors and early in his MLB career with the Rangers. Miranda would then be given time to figure out his struggles in Saint Paul.

In my opinion, option two is the best option. In a lineup needing a spark, Jose Miranda has acted as an anchor holding the Twins down over the season's first month. He has been awful in the field and looks lost at the plate. A few weeks in AAA could benefit Miranda and help get him back on track. The Twins will need to have Miranda playing well down the stretch if they want to make a playoff push, but they can't afford to have him continue to hurt the team with his struggles right now. Some time away from the big-league pressure could be necessary to help him in the long run.

What are your thoughts? How should the Twins handle Jose Miranda? Let me know in the comments! Go, Twins!

View full article

[Jocko87]

Another option is an IL stint with rehab.  The shoulder isn't right. It's the thing that makes the most sense to me. He's hurting but still a better option than Solano, Castro, Gordon, Julien etc.

Farmer being out put them in a bind. No way Miranda should still be leading the team in plate appearances. He and Correa have been and will be playing everyday until Farmer gets back because the other options kinda suck.

[GKuehl]

Option 3. Call up Brooks Lee and install him as the everyday 3rd baseman.

He’ll provide good defense and potentially bring a bit of a spark to our listless offense. Even if he shows he’s not quite ready, he’ll learn a lot. Royce Lewis is only than a month or so away, so let’s see what Lee can do for a few weeks — if Lee struggles, we can insert Lewis in at 3B. 

[Squirrel]

6 hours ago, GKuehl said:

Option 3. Call up Brooks Lee and install him as the everyday 3rd baseman.

He’ll provide good defense and potentially bring a bit of a spark to our listless offense. Even if he shows he’s not quite ready, he’ll learn a lot. Royce Lewis is only than a month or so away, so let’s see what Lee can do for a few weeks — if Lee struggles, we can insert Lewis in at 3B. 

While I hope to see Lee sometime this year, I don’t think he’s the answer for right now. For one, as much promise as he shows, he’s still only had about, what, 400 AB in his entire professional career, and none above AA. That’s a big leap and we’ve seen others make that leap and struggle mightily. Two, he’s not on the 40-man, so who do you remove? Then who do you remove when Lewis is set to come off the 60-day in two weeks? Maybe there are obvious choices to you, but for me, I’m a bit more wary about losing two players so easily. I might easily remove one, but two is more iffy for me at this point in the season and I’d rather reserve that move for Lewis.

I think the only solution for Miranda right now, if not injured, is to demote him to AAA when Farmer is reinstated. Farmer can manage 3B starting duties for a couple weeks until Lewis is ready. When Lewis ready, he plugs in there and Farmer goes back to backup/utility for SS, 2B and 3B. At that point I think it’s good-bye to Solano or Gordon, or maybe Castro, to make room on the 40-man.

If Miranda does go down and gets himself reset, I’m not sure of his path back up. Whoever isn’t gone of the trio I mentioned above may be the next on the list. But if Miranda gets sent down, I’m inclined to leave him in AAA for a chunk of time,

[Eris]

Miranda should be sent down and let Farmer play third until Royce Lewis is ready. At least the team and fans could have the expectation of above average defense at third. 
The Twins just have too many right handed bats who aren’t getting the job done. Miranda, Correa, and Solano. It is hard to win when a third of the lineup isn’t getting the job done. 

[Nashvilletwin]

He’s a square peg in a round hole at the moment. Miranda is not playing the position for which he is best suited - not only given his particular talents, but also given his future fit with the Twins.  Lee or Lewis are our future at 3B and that future is rapidly approaching. Although right-handed, Miranda has the glove skills to be an above average fielding first baseman.  That is where he should be getting 2/3s to 3/4s of his ABs (with Kiriloff getting essentially the rest while being primarily one of our starting corner outfielders).

I must admit though that I’m getting worried that Miranda, Kiriloff, Larnach and, yes, both Gordon and Jeffers, are stalling out on their development, particularly as hitters.  That’s a huge blow to this organization for which something quickly needs to be done and someone needs to be held accountable.  Let’s hope we put the right people and systems in place to make sure it doesn’t happen to Lee, Lewis, Julien, Rodriguez, Wallner, Martin and Miller.

 

[mikelink45]

With Gallo, Correa, Castro, Solano, Vasquez all slumping - I do not think Miranda is their biggest problem.  Play the young man and give him a good batting coach. 

[Mark G]

23 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

He’s a square peg in a round hole at the moment. Miranda is not playing the position for which he is best suited - not only given his particular talents, but also given his future fit with the Twins.  Lee or Lewis are our future at 3B and that future is rapidly approaching. Although right-handed, Miranda has the glove skills to be an above average fielding first baseman.  That is where he should be getting 2/3s to 3/4s of his ABs (with Kiriloff getting essentially the rest while being primarily one of our starting corner outfielders).

I must admit though that I’m getting worried that Miranda, Kiriloff, Larnach and, yes, both Gordon and Jeffers, are stalling out on their development, particularly as hitters.  That’s a huge blow to this organization for which something quickly needs to be done and someone needs to be held accountable.  Let’s hope we put the right people and systems in place to make sure it doesn’t happen to Lee, Lewis, Julien, Rodriguez, Wallner, Martin and Miller.

 

Agreed.  And a long time ago I advocated for keeping Urshela (who is hitting .303 at the moment) and letting Miranda get his AB's at 1st base.  They thought better of that, and now Miranda is their proverbial bed, and now they have to lie in it.  Or change the bedding, and put Farmer there until Miranda works things out (or Lewis or Lee are ready).

I like Miranda.  If he and Kirilloff can stay healthy and work out their swings, they have the potential to be a force for years.  I am hoping for the best for both, but we can't wait much longer to decide how best to bring that potential out.  If that means some more time in AAA, so be it.  Even Morneau was sent down early on to work things out.  Don't be afraid to say we may have jumped the gun.  I trust he will be back, just probably not at 3rd base.  

[Karbo]

Miranda has the same problem hitting as so many others on this team. Swing for the fences and hope you square it up. I for one and getting tired of watching these guys swing at so many high and out of zone pitches. And lately they seem so anxious, they jump out at the 1st pitch no matter where its thrown. Hitting coach needs to step up and get these guys to be a little more patient, and a lot more selective IMHO.

[TwinsDr2021]

1 hour ago, Nashvilletwin said:

I must admit though that I’m getting worried that Miranda, Kiriloff, Larnach and, yes, both Gordon and Jeffers, are stalling out on their development, particularly as hitters.  That’s a huge blow to this organization for which something quickly needs to be done and someone needs to be held accountable.  Let’s hope we put the right people and systems in place to make sure it doesn’t happen to Lee, Lewis, Julien, Rodriguez, Wallner, Martin and Miller.

Is there any hitter that has really improved under this FO?

[TwinsDr2021]

3 hours ago, Squirrel said:

Two, he’s not on the 40-man, so who do you remove?

Castro, Garlick, Wallner, Solanco, Gordon, Sands, Rodrguez, any number of players.

[tony&rodney]

The jury is still out on whether Alex Kirilloff will hit like we hope he does in MLB. Thus far this year, he looks really good, taking walks after good at bats and hitting line drives. His glove is good, superior to any other option. If AK hits like we expect he might, then first base is only open 10-20 times per season.

Miranda was brutal at first base: not understanding the footwork, struggling with receiving throws, and not knowing where to go when due to inexperience. If Miranda still has a bum shoulder and it affects his hitting and/or fielding, then it is time for an IL stint to get healed.

[Trov]

I would send him down for Farmer when Farmer is ready.  There is no reason to keep putting him out there to stumble around at 3rd and not hitting any power. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Find the player who gives the best results on offense and on defense and play him at 3B. As of today, it is MIranda. When Farmer is activated, it will probably be Farmer. When Lewis is promoted, it will probably be Lewis. We shall see. 

[Hunter McCall]

10 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

Another option is an IL stint with rehab.  The shoulder isn't right. It's the thing that makes the most sense to me. He's hurting but still a better option than Solano, Castro, Gordon, Julien etc.

Farmer being out put them in a bind. No way Miranda should still be leading the team in plate appearances. He and Correa have been and will be playing everyday until Farmer gets back because the other options kinda suck.

I think taking a step back and seeing some minor league pitching would be very beneficial for Miranda. He tore it up in spring training, but just hasn't gotten going yet. Some time apart would do both parties well.

[Hunter McCall]

10 hours ago, GKuehl said:

Option 3. Call up Brooks Lee and install him as the everyday 3rd baseman.

He’ll provide good defense and potentially bring a bit of a spark to our listless offense. Even if he shows he’s not quite ready, he’ll learn a lot. Royce Lewis is only than a month or so away, so let’s see what Lee can do for a few weeks — if Lee struggles, we can insert Lewis in at 3B. 

I personally believe it's too early for Lee. They have to allow him time to develop. Rushing him to the majors could hinder his development. There are other options that will provide an increase in production at third base without having to bring up Lee.

[John Belinski]

He certainly should not be the starting 3rd baseman and since he is not hitting should probably not be on the current team at this time.  Bring up another player who is having a good year in St. Paul. I think his shoulder may still be a problem. If he has a future with the Twins it would be at 1st base and he would need to become a better hitter. Maybe the manager in St Paul can work with him so he can become a better hitter.  He needs to stop swinging at so many bad pitches, but the same could apply to several other Twins hitters.  

[Hunter McCall]

4 hours ago, Squirrel said:

While I hope to see Lee sometime this year, I don’t think he’s the answer for right now. For one, as much promise as he shows, he’s still only had about, what, 400 AB in his entire professional career, and none above AA. That’s a big leap and we’ve seen others make that leap and struggle mightily. Two, he’s not on the 40-man, so who do you remove? Then who do you remove when Lewis is set to come off the 60-day in two weeks? Maybe there are obvious choices to you, but for me, I’m a bit more wary about losing two players so easily. I might easily remove one, but two is more iffy for me at this point in the season and I’d rather reserve that move for Lewis.

I think the only solution for Miranda right now, if not injured, is to demote him to AAA when Farmer is reinstated. Farmer can manage 3B starting duties for a couple weeks until Lewis is ready. When Lewis ready, he plugs in there and Farmer goes back to backup/utility for SS, 2B and 3B. At that point I think it’s good-bye to Solano or Gordon, or maybe Castro, to make room on the 40-man.

If Miranda does go down and gets himself reset, I’m not sure of his path back up. Whoever isn’t gone of the trio I mentioned above may be the next on the list. But if Miranda gets sent down, I’m inclined to leave him in AAA for a chunk of time,

I think if they send him down, it will be until he shows that he is coming out of his rut. If he goes on a tear in AAA, the Twins should happily add him back. He could also be brought back in the event of an injury like we saw last year during his one-day demotion. There are a few different factors, but I don't believe this will be a permanent thing.

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Castro, Garlick, Wallner, Solanco, Gordon, Sands, Rodrguez, any number of players.

I’ll grant Garlick or Rodriguez, but I’m not easily removing the others as they will get picked up by another team for nothing. But space still needs to be made on the 26-man, and Gordon and Solano can’t be sent down without being lost. Doing that now is one thing but they will also have to do that again when Lewis comes off the 40-man. 

[Hunter McCall]

2 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

He’s a square peg in a round hole at the moment. Miranda is not playing the position for which he is best suited - not only given his particular talents, but also given his future fit with the Twins.  Lee or Lewis are our future at 3B and that future is rapidly approaching. Although right-handed, Miranda has the glove skills to be an above average fielding first baseman.  That is where he should be getting 2/3s to 3/4s of his ABs (with Kiriloff getting essentially the rest while being primarily one of our starting corner outfielders).

I must admit though that I’m getting worried that Miranda, Kiriloff, Larnach and, yes, both Gordon and Jeffers, are stalling out on their development, particularly as hitters.  That’s a huge blow to this organization for which something quickly needs to be done and someone needs to be held accountable.  Let’s hope we put the right people and systems in place to make sure it doesn’t happen to Lee, Lewis, Julien, Rodriguez, Wallner, Martin and Miller.

 

It's worth noting that Miranda spent most of his time at first base last year and was really bad defensively. I agree that the future third baseman will be either Lee or Lewis (and eventually Correa), but I don't think first base is the best landing spot either. We may be looking at a guy who will end up as a DH only if he can't figure out how to play some defense.

[Squirrel]

2 minutes ago, Hunter McCall said:

I think if they send him down, it will be until he shows that he is coming out of his rut. If he goes on a tear in AAA, the Twins should happily add him back. He could also be brought back in the event of an injury like we saw last year during his one-day demotion. There are a few different factors, but I don't believe this will be a permanent thing.

I wasn’t suggesting it would be permanent. It’s a reset. ‘His path back’ was referencing when and how he will return. If/when he’s raking they will find a way. Injury, too, is a way. I don’t know the path back, but there will be one when he pushes it.

[Hunter McCall]

1 hour ago, mikelink45 said:

With Gallo, Correa, Castro, Solano, Vasquez all slumping - I do not think Miranda is their biggest problem.  Play the young man and give him a good batting coach. 

As I noted, Miranda is really really hurting the team. The other guys have brought positives to the table that Miranda has not. Every metric agrees that Miranda is the biggest problem on the team at the moment. Ranks 18th on the team in Win Probability Added and dead last in Wins Above Replacement at -0.5. I know there are other people slumping, but I think Miranda needs to see inferior minor league pitching in order to get going and return to the Twins.

[Hunter McCall]

1 hour ago, Karbo said:

Miranda has the same problem hitting as so many others on this team. Swing for the fences and hope you square it up. I for one and getting tired of watching these guys swing at so many high and out of zone pitches. And lately they seem so anxious, they jump out at the 1st pitch no matter where its thrown. Hitting coach needs to step up and get these guys to be a little more patient, and a lot more selective IMHO.

The approach desperately needs to improve. There was a stretch there during that home stand when the whole lineup came to the plate with excellent approaches and looked really locked in. That's not the case at the moment. Teams go on slumps like this, it's frustrating, but it's the name of the game. The important part is coming out of it and going on a hot streak.

[Hunter McCall]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

The jury is still out on whether Alex Kirilloff will hit like we hope he does in MLB. Thus far this year, he looks really good, taking walks after good at bats and hitting line drives. His glove is good, superior to any other option. If AK hits like we expect he might, then first base is only open 10-20 times per season.

Miranda was brutal at first base: not understanding the footwork, struggling with receiving throws, and not knowing where to go when due to inexperience. If Miranda still has a bum shoulder and it affects his hitting and/or fielding, then it is time for an IL stint to get healed.

This is exactly right. Miranda was awful at first base. That is not the ideal landing spot for him. I'm starting to wonder if he's not destined to be a DH only. He still has time to improve, but he's got a lot of work to do at both corner spots if they want him to play defensively.

[Hunter McCall]

44 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

I wasn’t suggesting it would be permanent. It’s a reset. ‘His path back’ was referencing when and how he will return. If/when he’s raking they will find a way. Injury, too, is a way. I don’t know the path back, but there will be one when he pushes it.

Absolutely! Great point!

[Nashvilletwin]

2 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Is there any hitter that has really improved under this FO?

Great, valid question worth asking.  One could argue Polanco; and Garver had one good season (but, hell, everyone was good that year). But Kepler and Sano - supposedly two of the fixtures of a long-term core - both stalled out too (one right out of the majors). The track record is not good.  It’s hard to claim that the Nephew should trust Rocco to be in charge of our young, fast approaching talent.

[Jocko87]

2 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Is there any hitter that has really improved under this FO?

They have been very good at getting them to the AAAA level hitting well.  Getting over the hump in the bigs is a different story and probably has less to do with the FO than the player. Keep that in mind when we talk about CES and Steer, they aren't established yet either.

[Hunter McCall]

UPDATE: Twins optioned Miranda and reinstated Farmer. Hope he gets going down there.

[Hunter McCall]

1 hour ago, John Belinski said:

He certainly should not be the starting 3rd baseman and since he is not hitting should probably not be on the current team at this time.  Bring up another player who is having a good year in St. Paul. I think his shoulder may still be a problem. If he has a future with the Twins it would be at 1st base and he would need to become a better hitter. Maybe the manager in St Paul can work with him so he can become a better hitter.  He needs to stop swinging at so many bad pitches, but the same could apply to several other Twins hitters.  

See, I think the hitting is the part that will be good. His hitting profile suggests that he'll hit in the MLB if he makes the proper adjustments. He's had success in the past. The defense I can't guarantee. He was awful at first last year which is a problem because he's equally awful at third. He needs to improve defensively in order to avoid being a lifetime DH.

[gman]

Miranda and Larnach both had options so were easy to send down. Let them work at 3A for a few weeks. As far as the overall team goes, when any of our expected future players find and prove the right skills, management  can easily replace someone on the 26 man squad. No difficult search or head scratching needed.

We may spend the year incorporating future players into the lineup. They may have their ups and downs and spend the year riding the shuttle back and forth to St Paul. Work on weaknesses so that next year we don't have the big questions of who we can rely on to field a daily lineup.