Twins First Baseman Alex Kirilloff Retires from Professional Baseball

[Matthew Trueblood]

The Minnesota Twins’ 2016 first-round pick is stepping away from the game a week shy of his 27th birthday, after a pro career frequently disrupted and ultimately derailed by a series of injuries.

Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Although his MLB tenure got an auspicious start when he was included as part of the Twins’ playoff roster in 2020 and debuted in postseason play, Alex Kirilloff goes down as one in a string of Twins first-round picks that all went sour, From 2013 to 2016, Minnesota made Kohl Stewart, Nick Gordon, Tyler Jay. and Kirilloff top selections. None of the quartet found their way to big-league success. As a group, they have -0.1 career wins above replacement (WAR), according to Baseball Reference.

As has become some mixture of running joke and hard-earned commiseration, Kirilloff joins Gordon, Miguel Sanó, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis and Trevor Larnach among a seemingly endless list of players who entered the organization as top prospects, only to immediately suffer major, development-damaging injuries that sidelined them for long periods. A few of those players survived and eventually established themselves in the big leagues, but for Kirilloff, the damage never stopped piling up, and his talent couldn’t compensate.

 

During a career in which he lost significant time with injuries to his elbow, wrist, shoulder, and back (among other maladies), Kirilloff did climb to the majors and flash the potential to hit for both average and power there. Slumps and new injuries repeatedly threw him out of rhythm, though, and the team wasn’t able to rely on him enough to commit to him unreservedly at any point. In parts of four regular seasons, he had just 884 career plate appearances, with a career line of .248/.309/.412—far from impressive or sufficient, for a player who was billed first as a fine defender in the outfield corners, then as a potential whiz at first base, but who was never able to demonstrate above-average defense or baserunning anywhere. In 15 postseason plate appearances, he went 1-for-13, leaving no mark other than by failing to come up with a key ground ball in the 2023 ALDS against the Astros.

We’ll never know how good Kirilloff could have been, but he did hit the ball hard when he was right physically. A product of his father’s passion as a coach, Kirilloff took great pride in his swing, but struggled to adjust and create the consistent lift to tap into his natural power. He played well for a long stretch in 2023 and started scorching-hot in 2024, only to collapse brilliantly and unmistakably. He went so cold from mid-April through mid-June that the Twins tried to option him to Triple-A St. Paul, whereupon Kirilloff informed them about a nagging back discomfort that contributed to that catastrophic stretch. Fairly or not, the perception thereafter was that the team and the player were at odds, and because Kirilloff never got back to full health or showed any sign of being able to help the big-league team thereafter, he fell off the radar in the second half.

The baseball gods can be cruel, and they were unremitting with Kirilloff. He might have been able to do more to make the most of his brief career, but he had impressive talent and worked hard to translate it to production. His body defied and betrayed him so many times that he’s now decided to let his dream go. The Twins, who seemed certain to move on anyway, are left to wish things had panned out better, and to plan a permanent replacement for Kirilloff’s left-handed upside at first base and/or DH.

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[LambchoP]

Well, there's the answer to the question whether or not we should render him a contract this year. Hopefully the almost 2 million he was going to get can be used elsewhere to improve the team, like a good lefty for our pen. Wishing AK all the best, thanks for your time in the organization:)

[1985Fan]

Very sad to see a promising career derailed by injuries. Good luck to you AK. 

[bean5302]

Hopefully, exiting the intense physical demands of professional sports will allow him to be able to enjoy his life pain free. He accomplished the dream of millions of people by making it all the way to the big show, and life has a lot to offer a guy still in his 20s.

[sweetmusicviola16]

This is a wow out of nowhere. No more debate on being in the 1B mix or if he is tendered. 

Wish Alex the best in his next leg of life.

[umterp23]

Players grind to get the bigs, stay there and be successful.  Hard work can be rewarded but it also can take a toll.  Good luck to AK in the next phase of his life/career.

 

[Craig Arko]

Good luck, kid.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

6 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Hopefully, exiting the intense physical demands of professional sports will allow him to be able to enjoy his life pain free. He accomplished the dream of millions of people by making it all the way to the big show, and life has a lot to offer a guy still in his 20s.

This is indeed the right answer.  Most of us could only hope to have Kiriloff's baseball career, and even though it didn't live up to MLB All-Star standards, he should be commended for it.  It seems to be apparent that his back issues (or some other injury) are a driving factor in this, because if he were healthy, he would certainly be able to play next year somewhere, whether it were with the Twins or not. Hopefully, his back can recover enough to give him a normal life. 

Good luck and thanks, Alex! 

[gunnarthor]

Best of luck to him, going forward. Real bummer.

[UK Twin]

Well that plain sucks. Injuries have ruined a hugely talented baseball player. I really hope he finds something, whether related to baseball or not, that makes him happy. All the best AK!

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Fans many times forget that our players are human.  How many comments have been made destroying AK's on-field performance...  We now know that the injuries and mental health were a much bigger issue than was assumed.

Disappointing to see another potential career derailed.  Thanks for giving us what you could AK!

[Parfigliano]

Didn't see this coming.

[Doc Lenz]

Article a bit harsh on Alex. Praise for trying to play through injuries but rip him for statistics while playing hurt.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Best of luck to AK. Didn't see this one coming. Also, props to him. IYAM, the Twins would've tendered him a contract this winter and he could have sat on the 60-day IL while collecting a paycheck. Showed a lot of integrity with this decision.

[mluebker]

Well, here's hoping he managed to put away some of the $3.35 million he earned over the past four years and is able to figure out what he's going to do with the rest of his life. I haven't seen many guys make this kind of tough decision, but besides being a good one for him, it's also a good one for the team. He gets a lot of credit for that.

[stringer bell]

Sorry and sad for this guy. I wish him well. 

[Fatbat]

A very sad day. 

[William K Johnson]

Attended a series in Cleveland in 2020 where he hit everything on the screws.   Contact sounded like a gun going off.   I recall thinking how much fun it was going to be to watch him over the years.   Beginning to think that this team is just jinxed.

[ashbury]

Sad news.

 

[jmlease1]

Ooof, that's a tough one. Having to retire at 27 I'm sure is not what he wanted to do, but the grind of constant rehab from injury I'm sure took a lot of the fun and enjoyment out of playing baseball for him. 

I'm bummed. I loved his swing, and he seemed like a decent guy. Having seen what was possible the rare times he was truly healthy...I couldn't quit on him. I'm guessing this last season where things got derailed again with now a back injury made him ready to walk away.

Wonder if the Twins communicated that they didn't intend to tender him and he chose this rather than try and start over somewhere else? Doesn't seem crazy.

Good luck, AK. Sometimes injuries win.

[Blyleven2011]

It's a sad day when another first round prospect  isn't going to be part of the plan ...

When healthy his bat was worth being in the lineup  every day ...

The issues with injuries throughout the minors and MLB  , I guess a player can only take so much and it saps the passion for baseball out of a person  ...

He can be proud that he made it and performed well in MLB baseball when healthy  ...

Will he miss it , it's possible he comes out of retirement if 100 percent healthy and considers a comeback in his late 20's , it has happened before ...

[CRF]

Wow! This one came out of left field...pardon the pun. I honestly didn't think he fit into the mix going forward, but I sure didn't expect him to abruptly retire. Best of luck to him, in whatever direction his life path happens to go. 

[LyleCole]

Disappointing that injuries curtailed his career.  I think his 2023 season, with a OPS+ of 116, was a very encouraging season for Kirilloff.    Double digit home runs and .270 batting average and .348 OBP as a 25 year old player looked like a season he could build off of.  I thought his walk rate and power would increase as he was more experienced.

But the injuries were just devastating to his career.  Even as a minor leaguer he missed an entire season (2017) and he only played 100 or more games in a single season of his professional baseball career.  

The injury issue has been a major problem for the Twins.  Don;'t forget the devastating injury Jason Kubel had when he was tearing up the minor leagues, and the concussions that derailed MVP players like Joe Mauer and Justin Mourneau's career.  (The 2010 season Mourneau was having before his concussion he was hitting .345 with a .437 OBP and .618 slugging.....  ).   In the modern world, I would love to see a season in which Buxton and Lewis were healthy the entire season...   just once.  

[Doctor Gast]

I am so shocked and sad. I believed in Kiriloff; I just wrote a text about him before I heard the news. Some players are praised for playing hurt, but Kiriloff was ripped by coaches and fans. I hope that the bashing had nothing to do with his decision to retire. The injury to his back must have been a lot more severe than expected. I'm so pissed about how he was managed that I could lash out, but I won't. 

Kiriloff has my prayers & sympathy because it's very difficult to see the death of a dream that was so possible. Wish him the very best & I'm very very sorry. I really didn't want this to happen.

[Rhyno006]

2 hours ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Wish Alex the best in his next leg of life.

Guy who was constantly injured... I see what you did there lol

[cheeseheadgophfan]

I, for one, thought the back thing was minor, probably an excuse for poor performance at the plate.  I apologize.  I was never so sure of a prospect in my 40 years of fandom as I was with AK.  Kept telling my sons Ihe would eventually be a .300 hitter with 25 HR power on a consistent basis.  Such a pure, smooth left-handed swing.  Injuries suck.   

[DocBauer]

From a Twins perspective, our questions about arbitration and a potential roster spot are now answered. His retirement at this point offers some clarity in these matters.

But regarding Kirilloff directly, while he achieve his dream of playing MLB, it's got to be bittersweet for him as well as for us as fans. Even with time missed due to injuries, he absolutely raked as a hitter and flashed some real power potential as well. His swing was sweet, and I always saw him as a high AVG hitter who might even hit .300 with a lot of doubles and potential 20HR power.

I feel for him and hope for as close to 100% recovery for the rest of his days. He's got the rest of his life with family to be healthy for. And it's the rest of his life that is of much greater importance than baseball. I wish him the very best. Have a good life AK. We'll always remember you fondly.

 

 

[Schmoeman5]

AK is a really humble young man. He took time to reach out to several of his teammates before it became official. It is sad day when someone that young has to walk away from something they love so much. All the best to Alex and his family. 

[TheLeviathan]

A lot of sports fans think injuries come down to luck or training (and those factor in), but at the end of the day so much of it is out of the hands of the athlete at all and comes down to genetic lottery.  

It's unfortunate injuries happen.  Some people, despite all the other gifts that could lead them to such an exciting career, simply have other factors holding them back from achieving that dream.  Kid came a long way and I'm happy he's made a choice that will help him live comfortably the rest of his days.  Sad he couldn't see it through.

[LeatherAntenna]

What pathogen is in the Twins water over the last 10 years?