Should the Twins Stop Benching Alex Kirilloff Versus Left-Handed Pitchers?

[Cody Schoenmann]

2 hours ago, ashbury said:

Everyday players are extremely valuable, and the "sample size" for Kirilloff this year is still pretty small, so I like the idea of giving him a chance to establish himself as a better option against lefties than other alternatives who bat from either side. 

Injuries have made his raw stats pretty chancy to interpret, but back when he was a hot young prospect in the minors his L/R splits weren't alarming at all. Then again the lefties he faced in the minors could have been sprinkled with "prospect" pitchers whose best credential was merely throwing left-handed, and in the majors those types are (mostly) weeded out.

I agree that with a larger sample size Kirilloff's splits should more closely resonate what they were when he was coming up through the minors! 16 plate appearances is a very very small sample size.

[Riverbrian]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

Everyday players are extremely valuable, and the "sample size" for Kirilloff this year is still pretty small, so I like the idea of giving him a chance to establish himself as a better option against lefties than other alternatives who bat from either side. 

Injuries have made his raw stats pretty chancy to interpret, but back when he was a hot young prospect in the minors his L/R splits weren't alarming at all. Then again the lefties he faced in the minors could have been sprinkled with "prospect" pitchers whose best credential was merely throwing left-handed, and in the majors those types are (mostly) weeded out.

We won't know until we know. Let's increase that sample. 

I see he is in the lineup tonight against a left hander. 

Dear Alex,

After all the work I have put in on your behalf. 

You better drill this left hander and drill him hard. 

Sincerely,

 

Riverbrian

[ashbury]

10 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

We won't know until we know. Let's increase that sample. 

I see he is in the lineup tonight against a left hander. 

Dear Alex,

After all the work I have put in on your behalf. 

You better drill this left hander and drill him hard. 

Sincerely,

 

Riverbrian

"Oh, the pressure! Under the microscope every time I face a lefty!"  Have I mentioned I don't care too much about pressure now and then, given how pro sports work?

And I always fall back on the bottom-line: "I don't want right handed batters.  I want batters who can hit lefties."

Yes, let's find out.  I think the results will be good with AK.

[Riverbrian]

10 minutes ago, ashbury said:

"I don't want right handed batters.  I want batters who can hit lefties."

That should be a bumper sticker that is affixed to every back bumper in the employee parking lot of 1 Twins Way. 

[ashbury]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

That should be a bumper sticker that is affixed to every back bumper in the employee parking lot of 1 Twins Way. 

There are 3 corollaries for handedness and which side of the ball you are on, that I would also print up in quantity.

[D.C Twins]

Yes...yes they should

[jorgenswest]

Kirilloff and Solano have pretty similar stat profiles in 2023. 

They both have good OBP but less SLG and ISO than you might expect from a corner player. Both have relatively low launch angles and exit velocities though Kirilloff’s are a couple of percent below Solano. Both have high BABIPs.

Are they perceived as similarly?

[ashbury]

After tonight's game, I fall back on my two philosophies of life:

1. So far, so bad
2. Live and don't learn

Hope AK does better next time he faces a lefthander.  Wonder how long it will be until then.

[Whitey333]

The Twins are doing a great disservice to the development of their young core.  They need to play everyday.  They are doING their best, so it seems, on ruining their development and careers.  If the players they drafted are as good as all the hype they've been given, they should be regular players.  If not, then the people that are managing them, i.e. Rocco and the FO should be fired.  Yes Kiriloff and others should play before the veteran under achievers we have now.  This team us so poorly managed.  Any wonder we have been floundering around 500 this year in a joke of a division.  What they are doing clearly isn't working for the talent level they have.  Something needs to change but most likely won't.  

[wabene]

6 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

The Twins are doing a great disservice to the development of their young core.  They need to play everyday.  They are doING their best, so it seems, on ruining their development and careers.  If the players they drafted are as good as all the hype they've been given, they should be regular players.  If not, then the people that are managing them, i.e. Rocco and the FO should be fired.  Yes Kiriloff and others should play before the veteran under achievers we have now.  This team us so poorly managed.  Any wonder we have been floundering around 500 this year in a joke of a division.  What they are doing clearly isn't working for the talent level they have.  Something needs to change but most likely won't.  

It's strange how two people can observe the same situation and perceive it in a completely different manner. It is like we are watching two different movies. There is one sentiment in there I agree with, wanting to see the young players play, but they have played. Yes Kirilloff has had a couple of days off. Why is that? Poor management? Not my first conclusion.

Anyway after starting off looking like a batting genius he has scuffled lately. There have been some terrible calls by the ump no doubt but that isn't the whole story. Hope this is not health related and just MLB doing it's thing. Seems it is a struggle with the ever changing strike zone. 

[Riverbrian]

8 hours ago, ashbury said:

After tonight's game, I fall back on my two philosophies of life:

1. So far, so bad
2. Live and don't learn

Hope AK does better next time he faces a lefthander.  Wonder how long it will be until then.

The worst thing Rocco could do is leave last night frozen in place. Next left hander... start Kirilloff again. 

I take my advice from Chumbawamba.

I get knocked down but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down. 

I get knocked down but I get up again... You are never gonna keep me down.

You either believe in the guy or you don't. 

. 

[Craig Arko]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

The worst thing Rocco could do is leave last night frozen in place. Next left hander... start Kirilloff again. 

I take my advice from Chumbawamba.

I get knocked down but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down. 

I get knocked down but I get up again... You are never gonna keep me down.

You either believe in the guy or you don't. 

. 

You misspelled Chuck Norris.

[TopGunn#22]

YES!!  Both Kirilloff and Julien should play more against LH pitchers.  These guys get on base!  Lewis should be playing as well regardless of the pitcher.  The only factor that should matter with Lewis and Kirilloff is whether they just need a rest to give them more time to round into everyday lineup shape.  A Julien/Farmer platoon is O.K. with me, but Julien just simply gets on base.  He should see more LH pitching.

On another topic, has anyone else noticed that Lewis does not yet have a walk this season and only had one walk in his time with the Twins last year??  He's at 100 AB's with ONE walk.  The kid is talented and I believe he will be a star.  But he's literally swinging at everything.  He needs to be more selective.   

[Cody Schoenmann]

10 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

The Twins are doing a great disservice to the development of their young core.  They need to play everyday.  They are doING their best, so it seems, on ruining their development and careers.  If the players they drafted are as good as all the hype they've been given, they should be regular players.  If not, then the people that are managing them, i.e. Rocco and the FO should be fired.  Yes Kiriloff and others should play before the veteran under achievers we have now.  This team us so poorly managed.  Any wonder we have been floundering around 500 this year in a joke of a division.  What they are doing clearly isn't working for the talent level they have.  Something needs to change but most likely won't.  

To add on to this, I believe the Twins might be hindering the development of Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner. Larnach and Wallner keep having to live in this state of limbo where they are stuck behind underperforming corner outfielders in the form of Max Kepler and Joey Gallo while they continue to crush Triple-A pitching. Larnach is 26 and Wallner is 25, they aren't young prospects anymore, yet I feel like the Twins continue to treat them as such. I do believe that Larnach and Wallner will supplant Kepler and Gallo on the roster, but I don't think it will happen until next season when Gallo and Kepler are more likely than not gone.  

[DocBauer]

This discussion isn't really that hard.

1] Even really good LH hitters will see their OPS drop 50-80 points, roughly, when facing a LH pitcher. Does that make them a useless player? No. An .800 OPS bat dropping down to a .700 ish OPS bat isn't horrible, or useless in any way. Further, not having to platoon such a player increases lineup versatility game by game by not having to platoon.

2] Are the Twins going to rest AK once in a while to be conservative regarding his surgery and recovery. Yes. OK, then you might as well rest him against LH arms to maximize his production. It's just being smart.

3] Going back to point #1, neither Kirilloff or Julien are probably EVER going to have an OPS in the high .700 range, much less .800 or more, against LH pitchers as that would make them rare and elite. 

But that doesn't mean they can't be valuable with a lower to mid .700 OPS. And again, you now eliminate platoon needs, for the most part.

Everything about Kirilloff and Julien, bat to ball skills, approach, etc, screams great bat with lefty/lefty potential. But you never know, and they never get there if they don't get opportunity. So you give them opportunity to learn and grow and prove themselves.

But it would also be stubbornly foolish to NEVER play the platoon odds or to never do so for a potential day off

 So yeah, let them play against LH arms. But it doesn't have to be all at once, every time. 

[Trov]

The constant platooning of guys is one thing I am greatly against.  I am for it in certain guys and situations, but I hate when you have a kid you want to be a star, and expect will be one, and you never give them a chance to be one.  If you look at AK's career splits at MLB level, could not find minor levels, but he is not terrible, this year has not been great, but how can you expect him to be better if you never let him do it?  

He seems like the type that should be able to hold his own against same side pitchers because he is willing to hit other way, so the breaking pitches away from him will not be something he will roll over or swing through much.  You cannot know who your stars will be if you never give them a chance. 

[TopGunn#22]

Thanks Doc Bauer, for going into greater detail in how I feel about this.  I agree with you 100%.  

[RpR]

Batting .136 against Lefties , yes; unless he can go back to AAA and eliminate that problem, do not bat him against lefties.

Garlick batted .224 against right hand and .243 against left hand last year and he is at AAA. so what makes Kirilloff special.

Although I do believe a revolving door system does more harm than good for those in the Twins org.