What Harrison Bader Means to Matt Wallner: Anti-Platooners, Rejoice!

[Greggory Masterson]

If you’re among the crowd who prefers that the Twins let their young lefty hitters see lefty pitching, one Rocco Baldelli comment might be cause for optimism.

Image courtesy of © Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

It’s no secret the Twins have liked to employ platoons. At times over the past handful of seasons, the Twins have run out full lineups of right-handed hitters against southpaw starters. It’s a strategy that’s given playing time to righties like Kyle Farmer, Manuel Margot, Donovan Solano, Kyle Garlick, and Jordan Luplow, often at the expense of younger lefty hitters (who aren't all that young anymore) whom many Twins fans have wished to see have a chance at some left-on-left action, like Matt Wallner or Trevor Larnach.

Well, if that fan is you, then you’re in luck. You know, maybe. On Saturday, manager Rocco Baldelli commented on how he intends to use newly signed outfielder Harrison Bader.

“He's going to play. We're going to get him a lot of work in left field to reintegrate him out there to left where he hasn't played a ton since college," Baldelli said. "But he has experience out there, so I think we're going to get him out there. At our ballpark, when you're talking about the corners, [that's] a much bigger playing surface than right field.

"So I think putting one of the best outfielders in the game in left field as opposed to right makes some sense, and there will be times this year where he's going to play some center field, too. But Buck is going to remain our primary center fielder, and Harrison is going to fill that role.”

Now, this may be reading a bit too deeply into a single quote, but there seems to be something notable here. Bader is going to be working on adapting to playing left field. He has not played outside of center field since 2018, so it might take some time for him to adjust to the different angles, and the Twins intend to first work him out in left, in addition to his work in center—a necessary step as he assumes the role of the team’s fourth outfielder.

However, the team's choice of left field for him is peculiar. There is validity to preferring a rangy outfielder in left at Target Field, given its dimensions, but focusing on left field limits the Twins’ options a bit.
Bader will play in one of the corners against lefties, assuming Buxton is also in the lineup. He’s not a prototypical lefty masher, but he’s held his own enough (121 OPS+) to feel fine if he’s giving Wallner or Larnach the day off against a left-handed starter.

However, if Bader isn’t going to play much right field, the Twins don’t have many other options to start over the lefties.

There are some questions about which of Brooks Lee, Edouard Julien, Ty France, and Austin Martin will make the team out of camp, but that doesn’t change the calculus. Outside of Bader, Wallner, and Larnach, the only other player on the team who has played an MLB inning in right field is Willi Castro. Castro made 40 appearances in right field in 2022 for the Tigers, four in 2023 for the Twins, and none last season. He’s got twice that number of appearances in center and three times as many in left.

And let’s talk about Castro. Despite technically hitting right-handed as a switch-hitter, Castro has been a below-average hitter against lefties and has not had a season in which he’s been at least average from the right side of the plate since 2020. If the pitcher is left-handed, Bader is in left field, and Castro is in right, then the Twins are playing a below-average bat in a position where they’ve clearly been apprehensive about playing him. 

Beyond Castro, the only other right-handed outfielder on the 40-man roster is Martin, who has played left and center field in the majors and has only one appearance in right at any level (2022 at Double-A). His arm troubles have rendered his throwing somewhere around “poor,” and he’s not a leading candidate for a right-field platoon role, if he even gets a roster spot.

Every other outfielder on the 40-man roster (e.g., Emmanuel Rodriguez, DaShawn Keirsey Jr.) is left-handed. So what does this mean?

I suppose, if Baldelli’s comments are meaningful and informative (which is a big if), then we might see Wallner or Larnach get the nod against lefties. Maybe it’s an every-other-game thing, but someone has to patrol right field.

Neither has had much success at all against lefties in their careers. Wallner has a career OPS of .510 (19 OPS+) against lefties, and Larnach isn’t much higher, at .570 (58 OPS+). They both stepped it up a bit last season, with Wallner reaching a .611 OPS (74 OPS+), and Larnach sitting at .579 (63 OPS+). Neither is exciting, and it would be nice to have a real platoon partner for them, but they’re not catastrophically far below Castro’s performance last season (.674 OPS; 89 OPS+).

We saw Max Kepler get plenty of opportunities against lefties, and although he never mastered it, he eventually reached the point where he was average-ish (102 OPS+ in 2023 and 2024, across 179 plate appearances). He also had a valuable glove no matter whom he was facing, a luxury that Wallner and Larnach don’t have, but beggars can’t be choosers if you’re pining for them to get more opportunities.

Playing one of the two of them in right field also reduces a little roster bloat. Margot and Farmer were primarily rostered to hit lefties last season. Farmer was a bit above average (112 OPS+) and Margot sat right at league average (101 OPS+). Of course, Twins fans would be ecstatic to see those numbers from Wallner or Larnach against lefties, but those numbers aren’t so high that they justify a platoon role, especially when neither Margot nor Farmer were plus defenders.

If the Twins do indeed play Bader in left against southpaws and let Wallner and Larnach split time in right, that leaves a little more flexibility on the bench. It also allows the two lefties to acclimate to big-league left-handed pitchers more consistently. Everyone’s happy.

This is all yarn being spun from a single quote, though. Don’t get your hopes too high. I’m just Greggory.

---

John Bonnes contributed to this report.

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[Parfigliano]

Rocco says Bader is " one of the best outfielders in the game".  A recent head injury or he's delusional would explain this statement.

[NYCTK]

8 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

Rocco says Bader is " one of the best outfielders in the game".  A recent head injury or he's delusional would explain this statement.

He's clearly talking defensively. 

[DocBauer]

I have ZERO issues with Bader covering LF against LHP. He's a quality defender with good range and a good arm. And there is more territory to cover in LF. Conversely, Wallner and Larnach are a better fit in those scenarios as there is less total ground to cover...at least at home...and while Larnach doesn't have Wallner's cannon, he's got a solid arm. 

Whoever doesn't start is available to come off the bench later in the game. Meanwhile, as stated in the OP, both Larnach and Wallner did raise their performance somewhat against LHP in 2024. With little doubt, maturity/experience has something to do with that, but also they just received more opportunity in 2024 to do so. Neither of them...or any other LH hitter...will ever grow to an acceptable level unless actually given the opportunity to improve. So this is a potential win-win.

I think the objection I, and others, have had is to build the entire roster to be platoon heavy. You end up with a roster of "specialists" that completely messes you up later in games when pitcher handedness swaps. This scenario doesn't do this. It's the smart way to do SOME platooning.

There's also a thought that having a LH bat, or two even, in a lineup against a LHSP might play a little against said SP simply because he has to re-think and change his approach just a little a time or two through the lineup when a LH bat comes up. And let's face it, Larnach and Wallner both have the ability to make major damage on a mistake pitch against a LHP.  So again, this works.

Martin is out of the equation, IMO, assuming he makes the roster, unless he's in LF and Bader is in CF to give Buxton a day off. But the same theory applies.

[HerbieFan]

I'll believe it when I see it.....we all know the ridiculous lengths Rocco will go to play matchups and platoon.

[bean5302]

3 hours ago, HerbieFan said:

I'll believe it when I see it.....we all know the ridiculous lengths Rocco will go to play matchups and platoon.

Christian Vazquez, your new right fielder when a lefty gets up in the opposing bullpen, LOL

[dxpavelka]

MIGHT be overthinking just bit.  Pretty sure my grandma could play RF.  If she were alive.

[twinsfansd]

So, what would be wromg about putting Martin in left and Bader in right on those occasions? Or Martin in left, Bader in center and Buxton in RF. Or maybe in Target Field play Buxton in LF, Martin in CF, and Bader in RF. Might be your best defense. 

 

[Doctor Gast]

Baldelli says a lot of things during ST & sometimes he'll make a weak attempt. Normally, if it makes sense, he'll return to his original philosophy if it doesn't make sense, he'll stick to his statement & try to make it work but fails.

[CRF]

Pretty easy to say all this stuff now. Let's see what happens. 

[Riverbrian]

I appreciate the attempt to raise my spirits. I fear that I won't be rejoicing.

According to roster resource - The current projected 26 man roster has:

2 switch hitters

3 left handed hitters

8 right handed hitters

There is no way... the left handers don't sit against left handed pitching. 

We had 8 right handed hitters on the roster and the front office said they were looking for right handed hitters and they signed right handed hitters and we already had 8 right handed hitters on the roster when they said that and when they signed that.  

If Rocco surprises me... I will then rejoice... but then I will be wondering what the purpose of purposely targeting right handed hitters was all about. 

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

6 hours ago, twinsfansd said:

So, what would be wromg about putting Martin in left and Bader in right on those occasions? Or Martin in left, Bader in center and Buxton in RF. Or maybe in Target Field play Buxton in LF, Martin in CF, and Bader in RF. Might be your best defense. 

 

And lose 25% of your games 2 to 0

[jmlease1]

I guess the thing that makes me nervous is Rocco talking a lot this spring about how these recent veteran signings are going to "play a lot". I'd rather they play if they deserve it? Bader getting more PT in LF rather than just being a backup CF is fine, especially if he's getting starts against LHP over Larnach. But if he's getting a bunch of starts in LF against RHP over Larnach, he'd better be hitting the @&$*! out of the ball, and I'm afraid we'll get a bunch of Bee Ess about how much more valuable his defense is out there than it actually is.

Last season Larnach had a higher OPS+ than Bader has ever had in his entire career (admittedly, only by a pt). Bader's OPS+ last season was lower than anything Larnach has ever had in any of his seasons in MLB (again, only by 2 pts, but that was also Larnach's rookie season). Bader will produce better defense, but Larnach will produce better offense. If Bader is getting more PT than Larnach, it had better be because of an injury, or the Twins will not be putting out their best lineups.

I have no patience for the team burying hitting talent behind these veterans this season. None. And frankly, this will be how Baldelli loses the locker room: sitting someone like Larnach if he's hitting like last season for Bader (if he's also hitting like last season) too often is going to cost the team runs and wins and will cause unrest and deserved dissatisfaction. For now, things are probably fine. But there's real danger here.

[chpettit19]

I'm in the "I'll believe it when I see it" crowd. The Twins have 2 lefties who, assuming health, we all know will make the roster. That's Larnach and Wallner. Julien is often named as a 3rd lefty, but I think that's far from a sure thing (although I saw some video of him swinging yesterday and he does look to have flattened that swing out a little). But there's no other lefty even really mentioned as possible for the opening day roster. You can platoon 3 lefties with no problem. Can really platoon 2 lefties. 

I don't see how those statements from Rocco are a good thing for Wallner. Castro in right. Martin in the OF. Just because Rocco mentioned LF being bigger at Target Field doesn't mean he's going to put the lefties out there and sit righties when they face a lefty starter. They're going to play everyone. They always do. But those comments don't make me think "oh, he said left so obviously Wallner and Larnach are playing right against lefties." 

What those statements make me think is that Larnach is going to DH and Bader will get real playing time in left against righties. Castro at 2B and Miranda and France fighting it out at 1B. Bader was on Hot Stove on MLB Network last week and when they asked him about signing with the Twins he mentioned that a big part of the decision was playing time. "The biggest thing is I want to play." He also talks about how in order to keep his career going and get paid he needs the opportunity to play. I think these statements are about far more than platooning in LF. I think Bader is the starting LFer more often than not.

[DJL44]

8 hours ago, twinsfansd said:

So, what would be wromg about putting Martin in left and Bader in right on those occasions? Or Martin in left, Bader in center and Buxton in RF. Or maybe in Target Field play Buxton in LF, Martin in CF, and Bader in RF. Might be your best defense. 

There is no scenario where having Austin Martin in the outfield produces your best defense. Putting your 5th best CF in CF while putting your #1 CF in LF and #2 CF in RF is a really bad decision.

[Major League Ready]

7 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I'm in the "I'll believe it when I see it" crowd. The Twins have 2 lefties who, assuming health, we all know will make the roster. That's Larnach and Wallner. Julien is often named as a 3rd lefty, but I think that's far from a sure thing (although I saw some video of him swinging yesterday and he does look to have flattened that swing out a little). But there's no other lefty even really mentioned as possible for the opening day roster. You can platoon 3 lefties with no problem. Can really platoon 2 lefties. 

I don't see how those statements from Rocco are a good thing for Wallner. Castro in right. Martin in the OF. Just because Rocco mentioned LF being bigger at Target Field doesn't mean he's going to put the lefties out there and sit righties when they face a lefty starter. They're going to play everyone. They always do. But those comments don't make me think "oh, he said left so obviously Wallner and Larnach are playing right against lefties." 

What those statements make me think is that Larnach is going to DH and Bader will get real playing time in left against righties. Castro at 2B and Miranda and France fighting it out at 1B. Bader was on Hot Stove on MLB Network last week and when they asked him about signing with the Twins he mentioned that a big part of the decision was playing time. "The biggest thing is I want to play." He also talks about how in order to keep his career going and get paid he needs the opportunity to play. I think these statements are about far more than platooning in LF. I think Bader is the starting LFer more often than not.

I think you're right.  One of Larnach / Wallner will play the OF and the other will DH.  However, what happens when ERod arrives?  If they are all healthy, I would hope that Bader only starts against LHP.  Buxton, Rodriguez, and Bader would be one hell of a defensive OF.

[LambchoP]

As long as Rocco isn't so RH obsessed that we get more lineups with Vasquez or Martin as our DH JUST because they hit RH....

[DJL44]

31 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

What those statements make me think is that Larnach is going to DH and Bader will get real playing time in left against righties. Castro at 2B and Miranda and France fighting it out at 1B.

That's not a bad decision. If Bader is in the lineup, he'd better be in the outfield. There's no reason to have him as the DH. With Bader in LF and Buxton in CF, they can cover a lot of ground and make RF even smaller for Wallner.

[USAFChief]

8 hours ago, twinsfansd said:

So, what would be wromg about putting Martin in left and Bader in right on those occasions? Or Martin in left, Bader in center and Buxton in RF. Or maybe in Target Field play Buxton in LF, Martin in CF, and Bader in RF. Might be your best defense. 

 

Now we know. 

Rocco posts at TD.

[saviking]

It’s a strategy that’s given playing time to righties like Kyle Farmer, Manuel Margot, Donovan Solano, Kyle Garlick, and Jordan Luplow, often at the expense of younger lefty hitters

Now there's a lineup that will strike fear in the hearts of teams. 

[nicksaviking]

Agree with most. Between Bader, Castro and Martin, Baldelli can find a no-bat righty to plug in two OF spots when he feels like it.

Also, while I don't like the Bader signing, I do like that they're putting him in LF. With all the accolades Max Kepler got for his glove, I always thought it was either a poor decision by the club or a stubborn decision by Kepler to plug him into RF all that time. Yeah, a good arm is best in RF, but RF in Target Field is one of the smallest in baseball. It requires next to no range, particularly if there is a rangy CF next to you. 

38-year-old Torri Hunter had a -8.0 UZR with a -7.8 range factor in Comerica park and then as a 39-year-old somehow found his gold glove again improving those marks to 3.5 and 3.4? Right. Another example of why defensive stats are too flawed to rely on, but also another example of how RF in Target Field might be the easiest position in the game to play.

 

[chpettit19]

13 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

That's not a bad decision. If Bader is in the lineup, he'd better be in the outfield. There's no reason to have him as the DH. With Bader in LF and Buxton in CF, they can cover a lot of ground and make RF even smaller for Wallner.

Oh, you'd definitely put Bader in LF over Larnach if they're your 2 options. But is Bader in LF and France at 1B with Miranda on the bench better than Larnach in left and Miranda DH? Or is Bader in LF, Miranda at 1B, and Larnach at DH the best setup? 

It's a whole lineup question to me. If Bader is your everyday LFer and France is your everyday 1B then either Larnach or Miranda are sitting. That's my fear with the comments Rocco has made early in camp. It's entirely possible they both hit and field better than Larnach and Miranda, but I wouldn't bet on it as of this moment. Injuries will take care of much of this throughout the year, but my fear is that poor play won't take care of it. I don't like Bader and France as the default starters. And that's my current read on Rocco's statements. A lot can change between now and March 27th, though.

[chpettit19]

3 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Agree with most. Between Bader, Castro and Martin, Baldelli can find a no-bat righty to plug in two OF spots when he feels like it.

Also, while I don't like the Bader signing, I do like that they're putting him in LF. With all the accolades Max Kepler got for his glove, I always thought it was either a poor decision by the club or a stubborn decision by Kepler to plug him into RF all that time. Yeah, a good arm is best in RF, but RF in Target Field is one of the smallest in baseball. It requires next to no range, particularly if there is a rangy CF next to you. 

38-year-old Torri Hunter had a -8.0 UZR with a -7.8 range factor in Comerica park and then as a 39-year-old somehow found his gold glove again improving those marks to 3.5 and 3.4? Right. Another example of why defensive stats are too flawed to rely on, but also another example of how RF in Target Field might be the easiest position in the game to play.

 

Left field in Boston is pretty easy, but I agree with the general idea here. Will be interesting to see what Kepler's glove is like in LF in Philly. 

[TwinsDr2021]

IMO, against lefties (and everybody healthy) Bader (LF), Buxton(CF), Wallner (RF, taking turns with Larnach), France (DH), against righties, Castro (LF), Buxton(CF), Wallner RF, Larnach DH.

Bader will also get time in CF when Buxton needs time off against righties. My guess is that Bader plays the most games in the outfield.

[Whitey333]

Interesting article.  I'm of the ill believe it when I see it crowd.  Baldelli is too entrenched in his analytics and platooning.  The platooning is understandable but he takes it way too far.  And it's just possible he has ruined any chances for extended careers with Larnach and Wallner by only playing them part time.  How do you expect them to get better against lefties if they aren't given any opportunities?  I would think many of our young core players are not happy with playing part time.

[stringer bell]

Baldelli used the same term for both France and Bader--"he will play a lot". For France this is interpreted that he will be the starting first baseman, while for Bader it is interpreted here to mean one of the Twins' two left handed bats will play against lefties. Maybe so, maybe not. 

Rocco has shown he is much less inclined to strictly platoon right handed hitters, meaning the so-called short side of platoons get plenty of PAs against right handers. At $6.5M and without significant platoon splits, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bader get quite a few starts against right handed pitching. 

Finding a third outfielder to go with Buxton and Bader against lefties is the tougher fit. I don't think Austin Martin makes the Twins out of Spring Training this year, but I do think Willi Castro will get lots of starts against left handed pitching. The primary reason Castro didn't play right last year was that Kepler, Larnach and Wallner were all preferred to Willi as right fielders and with Kepler out of the way, I can see Baldelli using Castro in right against left handed pitching, or else Bader in right and Willi in left. I really don't mind that much if both Larnach and Wallner are platooned as long as they get more swings when a lefty reliever enters the game. 

[Riverbrian]

24 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I guess the thing that makes me nervous is Rocco talking a lot this spring about how these recent veteran signings are going to "play a lot". I'd rather they play if they deserve it? Bader getting more PT in LF rather than just being a backup CF is fine, especially if he's getting starts against LHP over Larnach. But if he's getting a bunch of starts in LF against RHP over Larnach, he'd better be hitting the @&$*! out of the ball, and I'm afraid we'll get a bunch of Bee Ess about how much more valuable his defense is out there than it actually is.

Last season Larnach had a higher OPS+ than Bader has ever had in his entire career (admittedly, only by a pt). Bader's OPS+ last season was lower than anything Larnach has ever had in any of his seasons in MLB (again, only by 2 pts, but that was also Larnach's rookie season). Bader will produce better defense, but Larnach will produce better offense. If Bader is getting more PT than Larnach, it had better be because of an injury, or the Twins will not be putting out their best lineups.

I have no patience for the team burying hitting talent behind these veterans this season. None. And frankly, this will be how Baldelli loses the locker room: sitting someone like Larnach if he's hitting like last season for Bader (if he's also hitting like last season) too often is going to cost the team runs and wins and will cause unrest and deserved dissatisfaction. For now, things are probably fine. But there's real danger here.

Great Post

I'll be cheering for everyone on our squad but the bottom line is this. I'm not a fan of pre-determination. I want fair competition for the playing time that's available and that will ultimately make the team the best it can be. 

I don't hate Harrison Bader. I don't hate Ty France. It's the system that has made me blue. No matter how many times a certain poster comes at me trolling along saying that I need to admit that I hate. I don't. I don't want to hate anyone. 

Harrison Bader is fighting for a career... it's important to him. Ty France is fighting for a career... it's important to him. Trevor Larnach is fighting for a career... it's important to him. Willi Castro is fighting for a career... it's important to him. Brent Rooker is fighting for a career. And all of those guys in AAA, AA, A+, A and rookie ball are fighting for careers. I assume these players are putting the work in to compete against the best in the world and the opportunity provided to them matters. Pre-determination kills the hard work. 

However... you can't roster everyone fighting for a career. They all are. After Family... it's the most important thing in the world to all of them... if it's not... good riddance. 

Hard decisions have to be made because of 26 and 40 man roster limitations. There is only one way to make these hard decisions. Let them compete for it! Pre-determination of who is going to get that limited opportunity only works if you the front office nailed it without error. The front offices of every club are not capable of nailing it before the season started.  If Vazquez is going to OPS .575... He should be leaving the door wide open for someone else who is fighting for a career to take his playing time. If the front office knew that Vazquez was going to OPS .575 would they have offered him 30 million dollars? If Margot is going to OPS .646 then he should be leaving the door wide open for someone else who is fighting for a career to see if they can do better.. even if it just a little bit better. If Julien is going to OPS .615 he should understand that he is going to the minors to work on it.

It's about fairness... that's how you should manage an organization full of players that are fighting for careers in the major leagues. Provide opportunity to those deserving of the most opportunity... not some pre-determined, see it through to the end long game strategy that is blown apart by injuries in April and eventually collapses in September.  

This cry for fairness also extends to our young left handed hitters. Wallner and Larnach deserve the same opportunities being offered to young left handed hitters with other organizations. I believe in Larnach... I believe he can help us win games... will we help or hinder him in his pursuit of a major league career? Does he really need to regret playing for Minnesota because of an organizational philosophy that doesn't exist in the other 29 clubs? 

Then follow the arbitration compensation progression. Trevor is making 2.1 million this year Arb 1. And he requires a 6.25 million handcuff. If he thrives in the role we are carving for him he will be due a raise in Arb 2. Now he is 4 to 6 million and still requires that 6.25 million handcuff. Let's say he thrives in the same role we are carving for him. Now he gets bumped to... Maybe over 10 million in Arb 3. Plus he requires that same handcuff. 

At what point does the platoon pair price itself out?   

 

[Possumlad]

42 minutes ago, saviking said:

It’s a strategy that’s given playing time to righties like Kyle Farmer, Manuel Margot, Donovan Solano, Kyle Garlick, and Jordan Luplow, often at the expense of younger lefty hitters

Now there's a lineup that will strike fear in the hearts of teams. 

Amen. Amazing how cumulative at-bats Rocco gives every year to true-blue scrubs. It's a problem of planning, wisdom, and perspective. He makes a lot of small platoon & playing time decisions that may be justifiable at the margin. But the net effect is that once we're 3-4 weeks in to the season, the Twins ALMOST NEVER run their best line-up out on any given night.

You could solve a lot by making an explicit goal (not suggesting you message this externally) of playing your top line-up ~65-75% of all games. Tinker with the other 25-35%. Match-ups matters, but so do consistency, trust, predictability, and playing your best players. On any given night, there should be at least a 65% chance the Twins are starting their best 9 healthy players... In reality, it's probably 20-30%.

[bean5302]

44 minutes ago, saviking said:

It’s a strategy that’s given playing time to righties like Kyle Farmer, Manuel Margot, Donovan Solano, Kyle Garlick, and Jordan Luplow, often at the expense of younger lefty hitters

Now there's a lineup that will strike fear in the hearts of teams. 

Still BURNS me the Twins gave more opportunities to Kyle Garlick than they did Brent Rooker.

[bean5302]

5 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Baldelli used the same term for both France and Bader--"he will play a lot". For France this is interpreted that he will be the starting first baseman, while for Bader it is interpreted here to mean one of the Twins' two left handed bats will play against lefties. Maybe so, maybe not...

Like 5 days ago Miranda was "going to get a lot of work over there" shifting to now where it feels like Baldelli has practically endorsed France as the every day guy.