Can The Twins Trust José Miranda? And If So, How Much?

[Cody Pirkl]

He was one of the best hitters on the team for a stretch this summer, but his second half looked more like his 2023 self. How will his steep decline affect his future on the team and how the Twins operate this offseason?

Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

José Miranda hit safely in 12 consecutive at-bats at one point this season. His offensive numbers were exceptional at that moment, and he looked like a core piece of the lineup. Just like a few years ago, an injury soon followed, and Miranda’s production came crashing down. How does another injury-wrecked season affect him, and the Twins?

Through Jul. 10, Miranda had posted an .888 OPS when he was placed on the IL with a back injury. Upon his return at the end of July, it was immediately apparent that Miranda’s back was still not right. In just over 150 plate appearances over the last two months, Miranda posted a .543 OPS. He was placed on the IL for the same back injury just days before the end of the season, and once again, he looks like a question mark heading into 2025.

Miranda’s upside is obvious. He’s flashed it multiple times since he debuted in 2022. Unfortunately, he's matched the Twins' team-wide level of consistency during that period, bouncing between elite offensive production and offering absolutely nothing at the plate. These stretches are concerning, and even if they can be entirely chalked up to injury struggles, Miranda has now had two consecutive seasons ruined by injuries. With a roster now defined by at least three other star offensive players with the same concerns, it’s discouraging to see Miranda falling into the same bucket.

It will be interesting to see how much the Twins trust Miranda. With Carlos Santana likely leaving via free agency, Miranda looked like his successor at first base, at one point this year. It would have been ideal for the Twins, who could have slotted him in cheaply, to deploy their financial or prospect capital in other areas of need. 

Miranda was already a question mark defensively, even at first base. Now, the Twins must be concerned about how much of Miranda’s struggles result from injury and whether he can stay healthy for an entire season.

Even when healthy, Miranda’s offensive profile has some red flags. His plate approach involves a lot of swinging and making contact, sometimes to his detriment. His barrel rate is in the 28th percentile, as he swings too indiscriminately. This plate approach leads to at least some of the extreme streakiness from Miranda in his career. If pitchers live on the edges and do not make mistakes, Miranda will often make poor contact and get himself out. The ups and downs are likely to be more extreme in Miranda’s case, and we’ve seen plenty of this.

With limited funds this offseason, the Twins may have to roll with Miranda at first base, regardless of their thoughts on why Miranda’s performance suffered in the second half. In previous years, they insulated certain positions when the incumbents were questionable. Sadly, those days are probably over in a new age of low payroll for the Twins.

Miranda is still a big question mark, and he’s joined the group of Correa, Buxton, and Lewis as high-upside position players on this roster who seem likely to miss chunks of time throughout any given season. The Twins enter the offseason needing to hold a roster spot for him, but unsure of how much playing time to allot to him as they look toward 2025.

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Do you think Miranda’s second half was solely the result of injury? Has he reached the point where the Twins shouldn’t rely on him to play an entire season? Let us know below!

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[Patzky]

We could trust him to improve along the way if we didn't have the same concerns about Julien, Lewis, Jeffers and even Wallner.

 

One of these guys has to get over the yips don't they?

[Blyleven2011]

He did have a good half season , don't really know what to expect from him yet because of injuries  ...

I guess we'll just have to wait and see next year , won't we ????

[DJL44]

Miranda seems like a perfectly adequate first baseman. I doubt the Twins have the budget to find anyone better to replace him so I expect him to play a lot at 1B next season. He's not a good fielder at 3B and shouldn't play there except when someone else is injured and unavailable.

[thelanges5]

20 minutes ago, Patzky said:

We could trust him to improve along the way if we didn't have the same concerns about Julien, Lewis, Jeffers and even Wallner.

 

One of these guys has to get over the yips don't they?

Feel a little better about Larnach and Wallner than the rest. We will need them all to make adjustments and figure it out if the Twins are going to be successful. 

[stringer bell]

No mention of the beaning? Miranda’s performance suffered after he was hit in the helmet. 
 

It is tough to count on Miranda after his poor second half. As noted, he has always chased too much and he’s not really a power hitter. 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

I think that given the budget constraints, you probably roll with Miranda at first base starting next season.  He plays passable defense there (no, he’s not Santana) and when healthy, can hit.  That said, I think he has a short leash as there are other possible players to fill in at first — each of whom has question marks of his own.  Kiriloff. . . . Julien. . . .AAA guys.  I think it is likely that we see a bit of a revolving door at first base next year.  

[Riverbrian]

Everybody is a question mark. Jose Miranda is no different in that regard. 

I believe he is out of options so 2025 is sink or swim time for Jose.  

I'll bet on him. Give him a roster spot because we don't have stronger alternatives.  

2024 OPS+ 112

Career OPS+ 105

I have no concerns about his defense and I strongly believe that the Twins will not sign a player with significantly higher 2024 OPS... Having Miranda around on the roster is still a good idea. 

When he starts chasing... he falls apart.

I know he can avoid chasing because I've seen him go through stretches of not chasing and he looks great when he doesn't.     

 

[FlyingFinn]

Last year, most everyone complained that our batters strike out too much. Miranda is certainly one who doesn't K much. He puts the bat on the ball. But, for him, that means he is making poor contact on balls that are pitchers pitches. On top of that, he's very slow and it can result in a lot of double plays. 

Very talented though. If he could tighten up that strike zone and swing at good pitches to hit, he's excellent. If he's playing 1B, you really want a few more HR's. But maybe his injury stopped those in the 2nd half.

Defense isn't going to be good and there will be times that we say, "Santana would have made that play."

As others have said, it looks like 1B is his for the taking next year.

[roger]

Don't know what 2025 will bring for this young man.  We have to believe that his disappointing second half was injury related.  Unfortunately, the number of Twins that you can say this about is well, almost everyone.

My preference would be to bring Santana back with Miranda and others sharing time with him.  Don't know if that is the direction they are heading.  If not, is some combination of Miranda, AK, and Julien at first next spring?  Continue to believe that AK can be a special hitter.  If he can ever stay healthy.  Also believe he is a bit better defensively, although average at best.  I guess what I envision is Miranda playing first when a lefty is on the hill, a bit of third when Lewis needs a blow and half the games at DH.  

[JD-TWINS]

51 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Everybody is a question mark. Jose Miranda is no different in that regard. 

I believe he is out of options so 2025 is sink or swim time for Jose.  

I'll bet on him. Give him a roster spot because we don't have stronger alternatives.  

2024 OPS+ 112

Career OPS+ 105

I have no concerns about his defense and I strongly believe that the Twins will not sign a player with significantly higher 2024 OPS... Having Miranda around on the roster is still a good idea. 

When he starts chasing... he falls apart.

I know he can avoid chasing because I've seen him go through stretches of not chasing and he looks great when he doesn't.     

 

He gets “too aggressive” on high fastballs and then can’t hit sliders as eye level is out of whack ……he seems to fluctuate a bunch with his plate discipline……my biggest concern is his health! Gotta be able to play more than a sixty games stretch at MLB level………Tough to make a living getting on top of high fastballs.

‘23 Kirilloff OPS+ 116

‘23 Juilen OPS+ 130

Things change, sometimes good and sometimes not.

LEVINE is gone as of this a.m., so maybe the talent level needle moves upward?

[HelmetTip]

The team seems to have an injury problem, & not in the way everyone talks about, but in "playing through" injuries. Miranda & Kiriloff both had excellent stretches last season before getting hurt & falling into the toilet. Did Rocco know they were hurt? Were they hiding it? Is there a tough guy mentality in the clubhouse? I know they barely had enough guys in September to fill out the lineup, but at some point if a player is hurting & his performance is flat-lining, get them out of the **** lineup. Fast. 

[Patzky]

2 hours ago, thelanges5 said:

Feel a little better about Larnach and Wallner than the rest. We will need them all to make adjustments and figure it out if the Twins are going to be successful. 

2/3 the team is on the same development curve. It can succeed famously or it can tank horribly. We saw both.

[bean5302]

Miranda is fine. He's a wRC+ 115ish hitter who is either going to be a DH or 1B. That's good enough for a 2+ WAR regular player at league minimum. He's a little like Luis Arraez with a lesser hit tool and a little more power. Miranda is also not a good splits/platoon guy. He hits righties and lefties well so he's got that advantage on the roster size as well.

[RpR]

1 hour ago, Patzky said:

2/3 the team is on the same development curve. It can succeed famously or it can tank horribly. We saw both.

We saw the latter, without Chicago becoming a mess, we never saw the former.

EVERY good team humiliated the Twins.

[Patzky]

4 minutes ago, RpR said:

We saw the latter, without Chicago becoming a mess, we never saw the former.

EVERY good team humiliated the Twins.

In 23 we saw quite a different picture.

[RpR]

6 minutes ago, Patzky said:

In 23 we saw quite a different picture.

This wasn't 2023, Cave had a good year in the past, Gordon had a good year in the past; the opposition pitching figured them out and they never got it back.

2023 is the past for many rookie Twins who pitchers have figured out.

Unless the Twins want to become what Chicago was in 2024, for a long time, they cannot be more than a AAA team.

6 minutes ago, Patzky said:

 

 

[HerbieFan]

I don't think it's the best route, but given Joe Pohlad's desire to save money, I'd bet it's a Miranda/Kiriloff platoon at 1B to start 2025.

[USAFChief]

Yet another Twins player who, despite years in the system and several at the big league level, still doesn't have a position. First? Third? Second? None of the above?

 

Questionable way to run a railroad. 

 

[ashbury]

9 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Questionable way to run a railroad.

Are the Twins a baseball team?  A railroad?  A floor wax or a dessert topping?  The Minnesota Twins surely are the Willi Castro of business enterprises.

[CRF]

Seems like he took a nose dive after he got hit in the head back at the end of July. He wasn't the same after that. Maybe it had something to do with his second half woes. Just saying it's a possible reason. 

[Doctor Gast]

6 hours ago, HelmetTip said:

The team seems to have an injury problem, & not in the way everyone talks about, but in "playing through" injuries. Miranda & Kiriloff both had excellent stretches last season before getting hurt & falling into the toilet. Did Rocco know they were hurt? Were they hiding it? Is there a tough guy mentality in the clubhouse? I know they barely had enough guys in September to fill out the lineup, but at some point if a player is hurting & his performance is flat-lining, get them out of the **** lineup. Fast. 

Totally agree. We have a lot of options at 1B W/O Santana. Miranda's inefficiency is injury-related, when injured fix him we have others who can fill in. Don't go long periods of sub-performances. During that period I didn't hear anything about any injury but how bad he was I knew something was wrong, why didn't Baldelli?

[Parfigliano]

It's beginning to look like TC has a team full of young often injured question marks on the offensive side of the ball.

[Whitey333]

Yes indeed.  These so called can't miss prospects and bright young start have a lot to prove.  Injuries and many of them playing part time due to this platoon system has set many of these guys back.  At this point it doesn't seem like most of these guys will make it in MLB.  Especially not with the Twins.  I think this team is at a crossroads in many areas.  Perhaps it's time to tear down and rebuild.  I'd it seems drastic but as of today this team has no direction and plays very boring baseball

[LambchoP]

All depends on the hitter he will be. First half of 24 or the minor league hitter of the year in 22? Or second half 24? Totally different players. Maybe some of the struggles can be attributed to injury so maybe if he's fully healthy he can put together a full productive year. He's out of options so this is his last chance. Either way, with our budget I expect he's our starting first baseman, maybe platoon with Julien if he learns to hit again too. Maybe give the switch hitting, power bat of Severino a look at first at some point?  It'd be nice if we could sign a true hr hitting threat long term to man first base but that's nothing more than a pipe dream. There will be no star type players brought in as long as Correa and Buck are taking up most of the teams payroll.

[RpR]

6 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Yes indeed.  These so called can't miss prospects and bright young start have a lot to prove.  Injuries and many of them playing part time due to this platoon system has set many of these guys back.  At this point it doesn't seem like most of these guys will make it in MLB.  Especially not with the Twins.  I think this team is at a crossroads in many areas.  Perhaps it's time to tear down and rebuild.  I'd it seems drastic but as of today this team has no direction and plays very boring baseball

You want them to imitate Chicago, for years?

[Guest]

I don't trust Miranda between the ears.  We all saw the talent when locked in and focused, during the weeks surrounding the streak.  Thereafter, I just didn't see the focus and drive exhibited by someone wanting to be great.  For example, in St Pete between each inning, he was horsing around and hyper-focused on his group of friends in the stands (only observable in a Tampa-size crowd).  And, I suspect that Correa's comments in the final days were directed towards Jose; they previously had a mentor-mentee relationship, and Jose never found his way into the lineup during the must win games.  I hope I am wrong, but I think Jose is satisfied, not driven.