Twins Daily Hitter of the Month - April 2024

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Twins experienced both ends of the pendulum this month in that they got off to an ugly start, and then ripped off a winning streak complete with a sausage party. The offense coming alive was a big part of the turnaround. Who was the Twins hitter of the month for April though?

 

Rocco Baldelli was going to have a different look for his team this season after starting pitching departures in the form of Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda. While the bullpen has withstood injuries to start out as one of the best in baseball, the lineup needed to carry the load. It took a bit, but a few guys helped to stir the drink.

Honorable Mention #2: Trevor Larnach 10 G .394/.447/.636 (1.083) 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI
A former first round pick for the Twins, Larnach was optioned before spring training even concluded, and he was left off the roster in favor of 2023 rookie Matt Wallner. Despite the Forest Lake native struggling through Grapefruit League action, he showed signs of life late that earned him the trip north.

When it was determined Wallner needed a reset at Triple-A, Larnach went from a short rehab assignment with Low-A Fort Myers right to the big leagues. His shortcomings have been well-documented previously, and there were some things that the Twins needed to see him do. Beyond staying healthy, a focus on loud contact and driving the baseball were a must.

His sample size isn’t large enough to contend with the top spot this month, but this sort of a start to the season is something that could keep him among the better hitters in the lineup this year.

Honorable Mention #1: Carlos Correa 13 G .267/.377/.378 (.755), 2 2B, HR, 5 RBI
After dealing with plantar fasciitis for the duration of last season, it wasn’t going to be a shock if Correa came out strong when 2024 kicked off for real. Despite the lineup slumping as a whole out of the gate, it was the All-Star shortstop that was keeping the group afloat. Losing his left-side partner in Royce Lewis before a full game had been completed was a blow, but he stayed consistent.

Quite the opposite of Larnach, Correa missed 16 games during the middle of the month after an intercostal injury kept him on the shelf. Returning for the final two games of the month against the Chicago White Sox, Correa appears to again be all systems go and will remain a key cog in a lineup that needs his production. Getting back to the 138 OPS+ he put up during 2022 with Minnesota would be a welcomed reality.

Fourth Place: Jose Miranda 17 G .280/.308/.480 (.788), 4 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Another player that didn’t make the Twins roster out of spring training, and one that was passed over at the first opportunity in favor of Austin Martin, Miranda kept working. When Correa went down and the Twins needed another infielder, it was Miranda that stepped up.

Clear of a shoulder injury that plagued him all of 2023, and settling back in after offseason surgery, Miranda has shown flashes of the player that excited during his rookie campaign. Blasting 15 home runs in 125 contests, Miranda’s .280 average, .788 OPS, and 125 OPS+ are all better than they were during his debut season.

With Martin optioned after Correa’s return, and Willi Castro set to play plenty of outfield, there’s a chance for Miranda to earn some serious favor by keeping up his hot start.

Third Place: Alex Kirilloff 26 G .256/315/.439 (.754), 6 2B, 3 3B, HR, 9 RBI
Similarly to Byron Buxton and Larnach, Minnesota’s 2016 first round pick has been a mainstay on the injured list. Plagued by wrist issues that have sapped his effectiveness in both the field and at the plate, there hasn’t ever been a long period of time in which we’ve seen it all come together.

Not known as a speed guy, Kirilloff has recorded a career-high three triples in the first month of the season. He’s also picked up six doubles and done well to command the strike zone. While power potential plays into his game, he should be capable of being a solid average hitter and he has shown that as well.

Baldelli has been able to play Kirilloff plenty in the corner outfield spots, and with such a talented glove in the form of Carlos Santana capable at first base, the limitations have hardly been highlighted there.

Second Place: Edouard Julien 29 G .223/.330/.500 (.830) 5 2B, 7 HR, 12 RBI
Bursting onto the scene after being a late-round pick, Julien has all but picked up where he left off during his rookie campaign. There may be some concerns are to whether or not he’s selling out too much for power, but right now the total package appears to be working.

Having already taken steps forward defensively last season, the second base position has seen a sizable uptick in reliability over the days of Luis Arraez. Commanding the strike zone and being able to take walks as he has, Julien gives Minnesota a total package type of player.

Through the first month of the season Julien has already racked up seven home runs and five doubles all while drawing a team-high 13 walks.

Hitter of the Month: Ryan Jeffers 26 G .295/.390/.545 (.935), 7 2B, 5 HR, 17 RBI
When the Twins moved on from Mitch Garver it was in large part because they believed Jeffers was capable of stepping up. They have been rigid in how often he plays behind the plate, and before Christian Vazquez’s bat showed signs of life, that may have been costing them. Even when he doesn’t have the gear on though, his bat has been in the lineup and he has seen action in 26 of 29 games thus far.

Leading the team with 17 RBI, Jeffers also has career-best totals littered throughout his slash line. His five home runs put him on pace to easily surpass the 14 he launched last season for the Twins, and despite it applying for most players in the lineup, Baldelli has opted against sitting him in platoon situations.

Jeffers is quickly emerging as one of the best offensive catchers in the league, and for a guy that was replacing a player like Garver with similar qualities, it’s hard not to be excited about that reality.

Who do you think was the best hitter for the Minnesota Twins in April? Leave a comment below and start the conversation.

 

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[mikelink45]

The number one is good, but I would have Larnach #2.  He has really risen to this opportunity.  

[ashbury]

3 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

The number one is good, but I would have Larnach #2.  He has really risen to this opportunity.  

Probably comes down to opportunity, and thus the number of games he's been allowed to impact.

[Parfigliano]

Jeffers #1.  Larnach #2.  Julien #3.

[arby58]

15 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

The number one is good, but I would have Larnach #2.  He has really risen to this opportunity.  

Recency bias. Larnach only played 10 games in the month. Player of the week, sure, but Julien played 29 games, hit 7 HR, and also played solid defense. No way Larnach's 10 game performance outweighs Julien's for the entire month.

[Karbo]

Jeffers has by far been the most reliable hitter in the lineup. As far as "clutch" hitters go again it has to be Jeffers, followed by Kepler and Larnach.

[stringer bell]

The combination of Miranda and Larnach have about the same number of plate appearances a full-time player would have gotten. Their stats combined are very good, but neither has approached full-time status.

Jeffers was #1 (IMHO) by a considerable margin. Julien's snags were a bit deeper and he strikes out at a higher rate. He's produced fewer runs with his seven homers than Jeffers has with five.homers. Julien has been fine, Jeffers has been better.

[Ted Schwerzler]

19 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

The number one is good, but I would have Larnach #2.  He has really risen to this opportunity.  

He's been incredible. The sample size was cause for pause.

[Ted Schwerzler]

3 hours ago, Karbo said:

Jeffers has by far been the most reliable hitter in the lineup. As far as "clutch" hitters go again it has to be Jeffers, followed by Kepler and Larnach.

It's been great to see Kepler producing (even if against bad teams) since coming back from the IL. He was off to such a horrid start, you so badly want to just see it be a byproduct of injury.

[JD-TWINS]

Jeffers is obviously deserving! …….about 5-6 different guys behind him that could be considered #2.

Miranda & Larnach have been up for 10-11 games so they really don’t qualify for me. Kepler has been on fire since returning but he only has maybe 14-15 total games. Correa same deal with lots of missed time.

Kirilloff carried Team through some games early and if he keeps the same level through the year with a 127 OPS+ he’ll be the guy everyone wants to see. Could use to get his BA & thus his OBP up 15-20 points and he’d be ideal. Not a lot of pop yet but warmth and long fly balls are coming.

Julien has been all over the place…….he too needs to get his average up to .250 or better to get his OBP to .380 or better. He’s shown lots of pop in bursts. He’s projecting to hit 35 or more HR on the season. His OPS+ is very respectable at 132.

For me …….Kirilloff and Julien tie for #2 spot since they have been line-up fixtures most of the year! Both have faded a bit over last week so I hope to see them turn it up during home stand!

 

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, Karbo said:

Jeffers has by far been the most reliable hitter in the lineup. As far as "clutch" hitters go again it has to be Jeffers, followed by Kepler and Larnach.

Concur.  He leads the team in RBIs and is tied for the lead in Runs, his rate stats like OPS lead the team too, and in looking through his 2024 "splits" on b-r.com his lefty/righty numbers match up very closely as do the runners on versus bases empty stats. 

The simple analytics I rely on don't shed much additional light when he's just been, you know, good.

[h2oface]

A .223 hitter is not a top hitter. Batting average will always matter.