What Do You Do With a Problem Like Miranda?

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins included Jose Miranda on their Opening Day roster this year after he posted somewhat of a breakout rookie season. He entered Spring Training as a more trim and disciplined version of himself, but just months into the season he was sent to St. Paul and his path back looks like a tricky one. What do you do with a problem like Miranda?

 

Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not that the Minnesota Twins would prefer to have less depth as opposed to more, and Jose Miranda has shown an exciting ability to be a difference maker. Unfortunately, that ability never showed up in 2023 at the Major League level, and it landed him a ticket across town.

The biggest bugaboo for Miranda this season was that he could make contact with anything. That’s a great skill, but it’s only valuable if you know what you should want to make contact with. His swing rates were roughly in line with where he was a season ago, but the quality of his contact fell off a cliff. Posting a hard hit rate at just 29.4% and a paltry 4.6% barrel rate, the results were underwhelming to say the least. For a guy that doesn’t walk much, he needs to produce when the bat hits the ball.

Sent down to St. Paul with a goal of refocusing his approach, things did not start well. Through his first 19 games he posted just a .518 OPS with a 15/6 K/BB. He had only a single extra-base hit, a homer, and that is not going to cut it for a guy playing a corner spot.

On a bit of a hot streak over his last seven games, results have been much better. Miranda owns a 1.022 OPS with four doubles in his last 27 at bats. He’s honed in the discipline as well posting an impressive 3/3 K/BB. Obviously batting .407 isn’t sustainable for him, he’s not Luis Arraez. Finding a middle ground is what the Twins need to see from him. If and when he does that though, where does he play?

At this point Carlos Correa is the current and future answer for the Twins at shortstop. Miranda doesn’t factor in there, but it does directly impact his opportunities. With Royce Lewis excelling in the big leagues, he has as long of a leash as anyone to stick. Not playing shortstop means he’s owning the hot corner, and given it’s the position he predominantly played in high school, there is no reason to think he can’t hold it down.

With Lewis as a cornerstone player for the Twins franchise into the future, Rocco Baldelli dreaming on a left side featuring Correa and Lewis is something to be excited about. That does take away the position Miranda is better at defensively.

Looking across the diamond at first base, there is an argument to be made that Donovan Solano is someone to be replaced by Miranda, but he’s not the fixture there. Joey Gallo is on just a one-year deal for Minnesota, but has manned the position plenty. The future at first though, is Alex Kirilloff, and all early indications suggest his wrist is feeling better than ever. He's been productive with the bat, and is a solid fielder at first base. The role could be even murkier if that’s where Edouard Julien ultimately is pushed to due to a lacking defensively ability.

That is where parallels come in for Miranda. He’s not a good first baseman and that’s putting it lightly. Last year, in just shy of 600 innings, Miranda owned a -6 DRS (defensive runs saved) and -4 OAA (outs above average) at the position. He played there because Gio Urshela was at third, but it was ugly on a nightly basis. Minnesota addressed that by opening third base for him this offseason, but his bat took away the opportunity.

In 12 games since Lewis made his Major League debut this season, the St. Paul Saints have played Miranda at third eight times. It’s still his best position, and Chris Williams has had a nice year at Triple-A being somewhat positionless while stuck at first. Sprinkling Miranda in across the diamond, it’s clear that Minnesota knows he may need a new home if he’s going to come back up.

The Twins allowed Miranda to play just two innings at first while he was in the majors this year, indicating it’s not something they want to do. If Lewis is going to hold down the hot corner though, then Miranda could be the short side of a platoon with Kirilloff. Making either playing a rotational talent this early in their careers is suboptimal, but that could be the lone way to make his roster inclusion work. He’d be a massive downgrade defensively, but that is where opportunity lies.

Minnesota’s front office is going to have some decisions to make at the trade deadline, and some of their young redundancies could be dangled to entice an engaging organization to swing something of substantial value back towards the Twins. At any rate, Miranda must show his approach at the plate is overhauled for much more than a week, and then he’ll need to keep finding a way to hide his glove.

Although the door was open for him to make things stick, Miranda is now looking at an uphill battle for him to regain the same type of favor.

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[jorgenswest]

Why is it a problem? Is it unexpected that a young player will run into struggles? I would expect that Lewis will run into a similar tough stretch.

Miranda will get an opportunity. Kirilloff may be needed in RF. In fact I think the OF is where he helps most in 2024. Lewis may be needed at 2B and probably helps most in CF next year. Both have injury histories.

Depth and young talent is never a problem.

 

[Nine of twelve]

Many very good baseball players bounced between the majors and AAA early in their careers. Torii Hunter is a good example. Very often these things just take time.

[chpettit19]

I don't see them trading Miranda this year. It'd be an awfully quick turn to go from clearing out an opening day spot for him to shipping him out. There's a lot of moving pieces in this puzzle. Buxton (DH vs CF), Julien (2B vs 1B vs DH vs cOF maybe?), Lewis (how long is he locked at 3B vs moving to 2B vs OF), Lee (how long til he's ready, and where does he play in the majors), Kirilloff (do they want to lock him in at 1B), Larnach (is he going to claim a cOF spot or leave it open for a Kirilloff move), Wallner (same as Larnach), Kepler (will they ever move on), Polanco (can he stay healthy and will they trade him). A lot of factors here.

The "next wave" of prospects is arriving now. They've already moved Steer and CES. Are they really going to move Miranda, too? You can only move so many members of a wave before you deplete your wave so much that it can't provide you sustainable winning. I think they let things settle a bit, and see who really claims a big league role, and then they see how those pieces fit.

[Tibs]

We have almost literally 1000 left handed batters. In what way would a young right handed bat with impact potential be a problem?

[wornsmooth]

13 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Why is it a problem? Is it unexpected that a young player will run into struggles? I would expect that Lewis will run into a similar tough stretch.

Miranda will get an opportunity. Kirilloff may be needed in RF. In fact I think the OF is where he helps most in 2024. Lewis may be needed at 2B and probably helps most in CF next year. Both have injury histories.

Depth and young talent is never a problem.

 

Personal opinion.

Bouncing guys from one fielding position to another hurts most guys hitting. Some do well at it, but are exceptions.

If need to move them during the season due to injury etc, so be it. But moving them around like board game pieces will have a negative impact on their hitting.

[DJL44]

The article mentions replacing Donovan Solano. Ultimately I think that's Miranda's role on a major league team. He's not a starter but he could be a good matchup reserve.

On the downside, Solano didn't stick in the big leagues until age 31 with his 5th organization.

[Riverbrian]

The Rays wouldn't think Miranda was a problem. 

I honestly don't understand why others can only see Lewis plays 3B and nothing beyond that.

When beyond that constantly comes into play every single month of every single year. 

The Rays would incorporate Miranda into the mix if everyone is healthy. The Rays do not feel like they have to reduce to 9 when they have 13. They would utilize all 13 and win a few baseball games along the way.    

Miranda can also play 1B, Lewis can also play SS and OF, Kirilloff can also play OF.

If you have 13 players getting the job done... nobody has to rust. There is plenty of playing time for everyone. 

Actually... if you have 13 players getting the job done. You have 13 players with increased value and therefore 13 players who you could trade for improvements if you are weak somewhere. 

Miranda is not a problem unless you are only looking for 9. And if you are only looking for 9 that is how you end up suffering through Max Kepler. Because he is one of those 9. 

[stringer bell]

20 minutes ago, Tibs said:

We have almost literally 1000 left handed batters. In what way would a young right handed bat with impact potential be a problem?

The problem is that aside from Kirilloff, the outfield is where the left handed hitters play, particularly if Buxton is considered a DH. In the infield, we have Correa, Lewis, Farmer and Solano covering all four spots and with Famer and Solano able to play multiple positions. Miranda currently isn't outhitting Donnie Barrels, so there is no real place to play him except DH.

[TwinsDr2021]

16 minutes ago, Nine of twelve said:

Many very good baseball players bounced between the majors and AAA early in their careers. Torii Hunter is a good example. Very often these things just take time.

Not aimed at just you, but he turns 25 in two weeks and is in the minors. When Hunter was 25 he was 21st in MVP voting, so I wouldn't consider that a comparison at all.

Yes, young players do go up and down all the time and become solid major league players, generally when they are 21, 22, 23 (Buxton for example)

Miranda was basically 24 when he came up so he isn't going to be afforded the opportunities that (Hunter, Buxton, Polanco, Kepler, Rosario) and a host of others that came up much younger. The FO understands that you are super talented and will give more chances, the older you get the less chances you will be given because some other super talented young guy needs looks as well.

When you are 24/25/26 years old you are getting competition from both sides (vets and prospects) it just makes it all that much harder because you have so much less room for error. For example if he didn't play well he was going against Farmer and Lewis.

[Dman]

First of all I think Miranda is in AAA until the FO is satisfied that his approach is sound again. There were always questions about whether 3rd would be his ultimate home it seems unlikely he will ever be elite defensively there the idea was to just be adequate and let the bat play.

I like Lewis at third but he is literally a Swiss army knife super utility player that can play good to excellent defense pretty much everywhere except catcher.  He doesn't have to be entrenched at 3rd if Miranda can hold his own there they can move Lewis anywhere. 

Lee doesn't look close to ready to me.  He still lacks power and while he is solid as a hitter he hasn't looked elite to me.  At least not yet.  I think he needs more time.

I agree Miranda doesn't look great at 1st and DH looks better if he can't make it at third but with Buxton there and maybe needing at bats for Jullien that is a hard spot to crack open.

In Summary I think there is still room for him at third until Lee, Severino, maybe Hellman arrive as then things get crowded again.  The Twins have some really good hitters at AA and AAA Miranda needs to establish himself soon or he will be passed by.

[tony&rodney]

Miranda still has a bright future. He got into a rut this year swinging for extra bases and biting on every high fastball. If he returns to just hitting line drives the potential for 40 doubles and 12-15 home runs is there. The walks need to exceed the strike outs for guys who are not true sluggers. The whiffs on pitches well out of the zone and pop ups don't help.

Miranda could also be a decent front talent paired with another (or two) in a trade, although I don't have any fresh ideas myself on who to target.

[ToddlerHarmon]

I know you want to heighten the suspense, Mr. Schwerzler, but your litany of movable parts ignored the two elephants in the room: Max Kepler is replaceable in right, and Byron Buxton should be the everyday center fielder, not the everyday DH.

There, now Lewis at 3B and Kirilloff in the outfield and Julien and Miranda at DH and 1B can all find a home in the lineup most of the time.

Heck, next year, we might even have room for Martin at 2B and Wallner in the outfield

[TwinsDr2021]

7 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

The Rays wouldn't think Miranda was a problem.

Actually... if you have 13 players getting the job done. You have 13 players with increased value and therefore 13 players who you could trade for improvements if you are weak somewhere. 

 

I believe the Rays would think he is a problem (this year), since Vidal Brujan is the only guy on the Rays with a lower OPS than Miranda.

But you are correct if AK, Lewis, Miranda, Julien, and even Lee were all hitting really well, it wouldn't be a problem (or it would be awesome problem to have) to figure out a how to get all those guys 130 plus games or more, you just have to deal with a bit of defensive limitation occasionally.

[Riverbrian]

2 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I believe the Rays would think he is a problem (this year), since Vidal Brujan is the only guy on the Rays with a lower OPS than Miranda.

But you are correct if AK, Lewis, Miranda, Julien, and even Lee were all hitting really well, it wouldn't be a problem (or it would be awesome problem to have) to figure out a how to get all those guys 130 plus games or more, you just have to deal with a bit of defensive limitation occasionally.

Miranda would be in Durham right now. 

If Miranda gets called up and started hitting the ball... they would make room. 

[Nashvilletwin]

How do you solve a problem like Miranda? By playing him. He needs experience and confidence. The only way to get those things is thru major league ABs and innings in the field (mostly at 1B).

Funny, these are the same things Lewis, Julien, Kiriloff, Larnach, Wallner and Jeffers also need. The sooner we invest, the sooner and, most likely, the bigger the return will be. 

[TopGunn#22]

I gave a thumbs up to chpettit19 because he makes a good point, but I'll offer this counterpoint about the "wave" of talent and possibly "depleting" that wave.  You deplete your wave if you get a promising pitcher (Mahle) but arm problems negates any contributions he could have made last year and this year.  We still don't know what the future is for Mahle with the Twins, but in this case I'd firmly agree with chpettit19 that the "wave" was depleted.  

However, let's remember that Miranda had one giant season at St. Paul and a good 2nd half of the season for the Twins last year.  And he's still a player without a defensive position for the Twins due to the caliber of players that would be playing 3B or 1B.  His BBTV is 18.0 right now.  That's not insignificant.  At this point he's a clear "sell high" candidate.  It all comes down to what you would get for him.  If the Twins packaged him with Jorge Polanco to the Brewers for Corbin Burnes with the intent of signing Burnes to a contract extension to anchor our rotation for the 5-6 years I'd be on board with that.  With Mahle, Maeda and even Sonny Gray quite possibly NOT being part of our rotation next year having Burnes anchor a staff with Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Louie Varland with Paddock for depth is attractive.  Would the Brewers do it?  Would some team like the Dodgers just out bid the Twins for a pitcher the caliber of Burnes?  Maybe so.  The trade is acceptable for BBTV's and Polanco would slot in at 2B and Miranda at 3B/DH for the Brewers.  Burnes wouldn't "deplete" the wave, he would boost it.

You could also flip Polanco for Woodruff in a straight one for one.  It's been speculated for the last couple years that the Brewers won't and probably can't keep both Burnes and Woodruff (and maybe not either).  Suitors for each of them will be lining up.  The Twins have enough value to make serious, competitive bids for either of them without touching Lewis, Lee, Ober, etc...  It all depends what you get back.  Does it deplete the wave or boost it?  The Twins will be reloading with 3 high picks later this month.  The draft will take place well before the trade deadline.   

[Tibs]

31 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

The problem is that aside from Kirilloff, the outfield is where the left handed hitters play, particularly if Buxton is considered a DH. In the infield, we have Correa, Lewis, Farmer and Solano covering all four spots and with Famer and Solano able to play multiple positions. Miranda currently isn't outhitting Donnie Barrels, so there is no real place to play him except DH.

I mean, let's be real. If we're not talking about Miranda hitting at a level where he needs to be on the Twins, then this article is pointless.

If he is hitting at a level where he needs to be on the Twins, it wouldn't be difficult to find him a spot and playing time.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Not rushing to judgement here, but Miranda may be that type of guy that could benefit from a change in organizations.

Physical skill is only part of the equation.  If Miranda (and/or the Twins) believe that the window is closing fast on Miranda, the mental aspects of the game may not be best for him here.

With other guys in front of him stepping up right now, It would not surprise me in the least if Miranda is part of a deadline deal.

[Riverbrian]

43 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

The problem is that aside from Kirilloff, the outfield is where the left handed hitters play, particularly if Buxton is considered a DH. In the infield, we have Correa, Lewis, Farmer and Solano covering all four spots and with Famer and Solano able to play multiple positions. Miranda currently isn't outhitting Donnie Barrels, so there is no real place to play him except DH.

And therefore Miranda is in AAA and not a problem. 

Being too left handed in the OF is only a problem if it means that Kepler plays against them without consideration of how he plays against them.  

Buxton at DH... that's a problem. I agree. 

[Nashvilletwin]

12 minutes ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Not rushing to judgement here, but Miranda may be that type of guy that could benefit from a change in organizations.

Physical skill is only part of the equation.  If Miranda (and/or the Twins) believe that the window is closing fast on Miranda, the mental aspects of the game may not be best for him here.

With other guys in front of him stepping up right now, It would not surprise me in the least if Miranda is part of a deadline deal.

Quite possibly. And quite possibly you could insert several other young players names into the first part of your comment as well.  These kids look like they are playing with constant fear - one mistake and they could get shipped out (again).  The Twins need to make a commitment to these prospects - both in terms of playing time and coaching - at the major league level.  If they won’t do that, then, yes, these prospects would likely benefit from a change of scenery and would probably welcome the opportunity elsewhere. 

[jmlease1]

It's not like Miranda is out of options after this season, so we're probably getting a little ahead of ourselves. yes, he's not just a kid any longer, but the window isn't closed for him to be a successful MLB player. The problem (as much as there is one) is really more one for Miranda to solve than the Twins. He was given a big opportunity at the start of the year and couldn't handle it. He needed to go back down to the minors to get a re-set on his approach, and the jury's still out on whether he's made it, though the last week or so has been encouraging. now Royce Lewis is healthy and has passed him on the depth chart and maybe Ed Julien has as well. For Miranda to get back up to MLB, he has to force his way there again. he needs to hit, he needs to improve his defense, and he needs to show that he's a better option for the team than a player like Donovan Solano going forward and can push players like Lewis and Julien, rather than be pushed down by them.

I think there are options, especially if Miranda finds his hitting stroke and again and shows that ability to not just make a lot of contact but also to punish the ball when he swings. maybe it's more of a platoon role with Julien (especially if the twins move on from Polanco), maybe he can seize the 3B job again and Royce slides over to 2B. Maybe Royce goes out to CF if Buxton's knee just doesn't make him viable in the OF for more than occasional jaunts. He could be a trade chip in the future, but right now it'd be a sell-low job that I don't think anyone wants.

The real problem with Miranda is we don't know for sure if his massive 2021 was a fluke year or who he really is as a hitter. His only other really strong minor league season was in 2017 back in rookie ball; while he didn't spend much time in Saint Paul in 2022 he wasn't lighting it up either (nor was he bad). His time in MLB in 2022 was up and down: horrific start in May, excellent June & July, bit of a fade in Aug & Sept. 

It's on Jose Miranda to show how good he is and can be and seize a job; it's not going to be given to him on scholarship.

[Mike Sixel]

I mean, he should be playing 1B every day. Kiriloff can move to LF or RF (when Miranda is ready). They didn't play him at first this year because he was the starting 3B......

I'm hopeful, still, but was never as high on him as the rest of the site seemed to be. Leewis, IMO, should be the starting CF next year. I'm not holding my breath on that.

I agree Lee and Severino are a year away.....

[Chris Spencer]

ToddlerHarmon hit the nail on the head. Buxton is taking up the spot in the order that is best suited to several of the young guys. Buxton is not a very good DH and adds a ton of value defensively. If Buxton is no longer capable of playing in the field trade him. 

[PatPfund]

As a few have pointed out (and the team's batting stats would confirm), if Miranda keeps hitting, you can easily find space for him at 1b (with some rotation through third and DH). Kepler's presence on the roster (and I say this as a long time Max fan) is beginning to border on malpractice of the sort that gets people fired. He shouldn't have been here to start (especially after signing Gallo), but any hopes of a resurgence are now gone. Kirilloff can play RF/1B/DH. Lewis can spell Correa while getting at-bats mostly at 3B and some at DH. Solano (whose long-season stats shows he can wear down if played too much) keeps his current role. The logjam clears a bit after this season with Kepler and Gallo gone.

The real elephant in the room is actually Byron Buxton. Not that he can play CF right now, because he clearly cannot or he would be (you don't sit down the most dynamic OF in baseball if he is healthy). Every game (and there have been a few) where Byron runs wild on the bases, he either sits multiple games afterward, or runs off an 0-20, or both. He's clearly hurt. The Twins should be honest about his condition, and do what it takes to get him healthy enough to play in the field again (somewhere even if it isn't CF), because he isn't good enough as a hobbled batter to be blocking the DH spot full time. I was fine with him there when there were no bats clamoring to push him aside, but fortunately (with the arrival of Lewis, Julien, and Kirilloff with Miranda and Wallner pending) that isn't the case any more.

[Mike Sixel]

18 minutes ago, Chris Spencer said:

ToddlerHarmon hit the nail on the head. Buxton is taking up the spot in the order that is best suited to several of the young guys. Buxton is not a very good DH and adds a ton of value defensively. If Buxton is no longer capable of playing in the field trade him. 

He has a full no trade clause. Who is trading for him if he's "not good" as you say? 

[gman]

1. I am glad that we have enough young talented prospects that the issue's of where to  play them is worth arguing about.

2. I wish we had enough talented, healthy veterans that the issue's of where to play the prospects was a problem. The problems with our veterans seems to be where and when to move them.

3. Every year I hope we have issue's of too much talent trying to force their way unto the roster.

 

[Brett]

Maybe he’s just not better than anyone currently on the roster. If he continues to hit at AAA, then he’ll be an injury replacement at some point this summer. Use his option year and make a decision in ‘24 based on the roster then. No reason to rush.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Chris Spencer said:

ToddlerHarmon hit the nail on the head. Buxton is taking up the spot in the order that is best suited to several of the young guys. Buxton is not a very good DH and adds a ton of value defensively. If Buxton is no longer capable of playing in the field trade him. 

Buxton is an excellent DH when healthy; his production collapsed when his knee started barking at him again. he had the 2nd highest OPS+ on the team last season; even this season (when he's been struggling recently) he's still tied for 3rd highest OPS+ among players with at least 150 PAs for the Twins.

As always, the only issue with Byron Buxton is health: when he's healthy, he's great at any position he plays. We'd be better off if he were healthy enough to play in CF, because it frees up DH for other players with less ability, but his bat plays at DH just fine.

[Jocko87]

3 hours ago, DJL44 said:

The article mentions replacing Donovan Solano. Ultimately I think that's Miranda's role on a major league team. He's not a starter but he could be a good matchup reserve.

On the downside, Solano didn't stick in the big leagues until age 31 with his 5th organization.

I think is it with the addition of an outfielders glove.  If he hits, he will have a spot but the org needs maximum flexibility to hide the glove based on matchups.  I don't expect him to be any better with the glove in the outfield but being able to put him in left with a ground ball pitcher on the mound is almost like DH'ing.  Ball will still find him but you're taking that chance wherever he plays.  He can still mix in at 1B/3B.  Key is that he hits.  If he does they can find a place.

Minimal chance of trading him this year in a down spot.  Maybe they can find someone to pay full price and I would let him go if they get that value.  Guys that hit but can't catch are the prime targets for this FO to send out. 

I don't move Lewis or Kirilloff for him in any circumstance.  He has to hit like prime Thome to displace someone that can field and hit at his level or better.  I can see Lewis moving to center field but don't think it has much to do with Miranda anymore.  Much of that talk started due to mentally inserting Miranda at 3B as a fixture.  He's now at least 3rd in the long term depth chart at 3B.