Minnesota Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Designated Hitter

[Nick Nelson]

With no clearly defined starter, the Minnesota Twins figure to once again rotate a variety of bats through designated hitter this year. For a team with several players who can hit but lack clear defensive fits, there will be no shortage of options.

Image courtesy of Chris Tilley, Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Over the past 13 years, the Twins have used 11 different players at designated hitter on Opening Day. It's an illustrious group that includes names like Ryan Doumit, Chris Colabello, Kennys Vargas, Byung-Ho Park, Robbie Grossman, Logan Morrison and Manuel Margot. 

During this span, only one player has made multiple Opening Day appearances at DH: Nelson Cruz, which is fitting since he's the rare example of a player used by the Twins as a true everyday fixture at the position. 

Get ready for plenty more day-to-day variety at DH from the Twins this year. Here we'll do our best to map out the potential plan. 

TWINS DESIGNATED HITTERS AT A GLANCE

Starter: Edouard Julien
Backup: Jose Miranda
Depth: Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis
Prospects: Kala'i Rosario, Gabriel Gonzalez, Dameury Pena

Twins fWAR Ranking Last Year: 20th out of 30
Twins fWAR Projection This Year: 12th out of 30

THE GOOD
In trying to get a read on how Rocco Baldelli plans to use the designated hitter spot this season, I've been tracking the starters there each day in spring training. In 19 games (including the Feb. 24th contest that was rained out shortly after beginning), here's the usage chart so far:

• Mike Ford: 5 starts
• Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner: 3 starts
• Luke Keaschall: 2 starts
• Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, José Miranda, Ryan Jeffers, Ty France, Mickey Gasper: 1 start

This tells us ... not much at all. Ford and Keaschall are non-roster invites at camp, unlikely to make the team. We already knew that both corner outfield starters, Larnach and Wallner, were likely to see occasional days at DH with Harrison Bader aboard as a defensive specialist. Beyond these four, Baldelli has signaled no clear preference toward using any particular player at the position. We should probably get used to that. 

Last year 15 different players made appearances at DH for the Twins, and the over/under for this year can be set in a similar range. Expect to see defensively limited hitters like Julien and Miranda there on certain days, maybe most days, and starters from other positions giving their legs a break on others. 

 

Notably, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa are not among the players to receive starts at DH this spring, but I would bet on them both rotating through on a semi-regular basis in the name of physical maintenance. Same goes for Lewis, who might see a higher share than both because of his heightened durability concerns and his relative lack of defensive value. 

Having those bats in the lineup is good. The Twins should have little trouble fielding a quality hitter at DH on any given day, with the availability of both righty and lefty bats giving Baldelli ample opportunity to platoon at the position. 

THE BAD
The downside of using players like Larnach or Buxton or Lewis at DH is that it generally requires using a lesser player at their regular position. For this reason, the Twins' A-lineup should feature more of a dedicated fixture (or platoon) at the position, and right now you have to think they're hoping it'll be Julien and Miranda.

These are bat-first players who have shown at least flashes of considerable offensive ability in the majors, but neither really has a position, especially if Brooks Lee is starting at second and Ty France at first. In theory a combination of Julien and Miranda at DH would be a good way to maximize the strengths of both while feeding them at-bats. 

Of course, this idea is predicated on both players hitting. Julien didn't do much of that last year, and neither did Miranda in the second half. Given where these players are at in their careers, the Twins might be compelled to let them sink or swim for a bit, which could lead to substandard production from the position for a stretch of the season if we don't see major rebounds. On the flip side, there is an opportunity for either to claim regular playing time at DH if their performance merits.

THE BOTTOM LINE
I'd be fairly surprised if any single player makes more than 50 starts at designated hitter this year, with the Twins likely to stick to the same plan as last year. If that's the case, expect slightly above-average output from the position, as FanGraphs projects.

If someone ends up taking over as the true primary starter at DH, that could signify a negative (e.g. Buxton's body not allowing him to play the field, like in 2023) or a positive (e.g. Julien regains his offensive groove and takes over against righties). We'll just have to see.

Share your thoughts on the outlook at designated hitter below and check out the rest of our Position Analysis Series:

• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Catcher
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: First Base
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Second Base
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Third Base
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Shortstop
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Left Field
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Center Field
• Twins 2025 Position Analysis: Right Field

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[thelanges5]

Miss him 😭

[rdehring]

Thanks for bringing back memories of how good it was when Cruz was here.  Is he still playing somewhere?  Or has he retired?

Hopefully, either Miranda or Julien will hit beginning opening day and lay claim to about 75% of the starts at DH.  Hopefully?  Expect another option would see Bader playing his way into a starting job in left or right with either Larnach or Wallner getting a lot of games as DH.

Was curious who Dameury Pena was as I didn't recognize his name.  Clicked on his name and see he is a 19 year old Dominican who was in the FCL last year.  Also see he put up good numbers both in the DSL two years ago and last year at Fort Myers.

[Fatbat]

Did you forget Byron Buxton was the primary DH in ‘23? Was he DH on opening day? Im too lazy to go research it. 
Out of all the names mentioned for this year, Luke Keaschall should get a good hard look at being added to the 40 man by opening day. His bat plays @MLB. He needs to be in the show and as his elbow allows, play him at 2B n ‘25. Get him 600 AB’s and move all the other failures out of his way. He will be a fixture in our lineup for a decade+

[tony&rodney]

Good job writing up all of the positions.

Opening the post one expects to see names like Miranda, Julien, and Larnach but we also know that France, Jeffers, Wallner, Gasper, and more are better bets at the DH position than in the field.  We also expect that both Correa and Buxton will have days at DH. There must be some funny/odd discussions among the coaches when it comes time to field the lineup. The Twins have good pitching. The team will need their hitters to score enough runs to overcome the overall weaknesses in the field. 

[djvang]

I was going to say they should burn Julien's glove then I realized stone doesn't burn.

[Karbo]

Unless Julian is lights out for the rest of ST I would start him in St. Paul. Miranda is my choice. Yes, he had a rough 2nd half, but he was hurt, and don't forget about him getting hit in the face with a pitch. He hits righty's better than lefties, so I don't see a logical platoon with Julian to start.

[Doctor Gast]

I think it's time to have a more full-time DH & my candidate isn't even on your list, it's Ty France. He's bad defensively, if he focuses strictly on hitting, he could greatly raise the level at DH to rival that of Cruz. Julien needs to be sent down to AAA, to figure out his hitting, especially getting his power back & not striking out, Miranda needs to be at 1B. Larnach should get plenty of time at DH against RHPs. But IMO if Buxton, Correa or Lewis needs time away from their positions, they should sit out & rest, not DH.

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, rdehring said:

Thanks for bringing back memories of how good it was when Cruz was here.  Is he still playing somewhere?  Or has he retired?

Hopefully, either Miranda or Julien will hit beginning opening day and lay claim to about 75% of the starts at DH.  Hopefully?  Expect another option would see Bader playing his way into a starting job in left or right with either Larnach or Wallner getting a lot of games as DH.

Was curious who Dameury Pena was as I didn't recognize his name.  Clicked on his name and see he is a 19 year old Dominican who was in the FCL last year.  Also see he put up good numbers both in the DSL two years ago and last year at Fort Myers.

Cruz is retired, he loves to manage the DR team & he's hired by LA to do PR work in Latin America & work with some of their players

[Rod Carews Birthday]

If you have a player like Nelson Cruz, it’s pretty easy to declare a full-time DH.  It’s also easy to look at the players available and decry that we have no one who is good enough.  However, rotating guys through with a couple of players (Julien, Miranda) serving as the primaries seems like a reasonable solution and will likely produce pretty good offensive numbers.  Cruz numbers?  No.  League average or better numbers?  I’m willing to roll the dice on that one.  

[LambchoP]

I'd go with Miranda and Larnach most days. Maybe Keaschal if he's really raking. With France playing first and Lewis at 3rd, the only way to get Miranda's bat in the lineup most days is at DH.

[bean5302]

As of right now, I think this is how things will "probably" look. I think Martin will get the nod over Keirsey because Martin can play in the infield, but Baldelli may prefer to have an additional lefty option with his obsession on platooning.

I suspect his is Martin's audition for replacing Castro. It's possible Lee could beat out Julien, but the Twins don't need Lee's switch hitting from the right side of the plate option this year.

C - Jeffers (R)
1B - France (R)
2B - Julien (L) - 1 Option
3B - Lewis (R) - 2 Options
SS - Correa (R)
LF - Larnach (L) - 1 Option
CF - Buxton (R)
RF - Wallner (L) - 1 Option
DH - Miranda (R) - 1 Option
UO - Bader (R)
UI/O - Martin (R) - 2 Options
UI/O - Castro (S) 
BC - Vazquez (R)

I expect guys like Gasper and Keirsey to be injury replacement depth.

[Muppet]

It's put up or shut up time for most of the team. I wouldn't be surprised for a near-MVP season out of the lot (Miranda, Larnach, Lee, Julien, Lewis, Wallner, etc) but I also wouldn't be surprised if any of those (except Lewis) got traded or DFAd by the trade deadline. I'm hoping Borgschulte is made of magic and all of these position conversations sort themselves out because players are playing close to their potential rather than their floor. 

[Road trip]

Kind of related to DH, but I'll be surprised if Bader doesn't start about 140 games in the outfield.  The Twins don't sign free agents to sit them on the bench, and Rocco loves veteran players.   Some of Bader's time will be spot starts in CF and RF for Buxton and Wallner, but the majority of it will probably be LF if Buxton stays healthy.  That means Larnach DH's against rhp more often than not (which makes Julien redundant as a DH - he likely goes to AAA).  I don't love this, but I expect Larnach to DH this year a lot rather than playing LF.

Miranda/France (whomever proves to be less inept in the field plays 1b) will get a lot of DH starts as well.

[Mark G]

Again, it brings to mind the old adage when everyone is in charge of something, no one is.  

DH by committee defeats the entire purpose of the DH.  

Oh, never mind, I can't win this debate, so I will leave it to you all to decide, but if we can't find someone in all of MLB to bring on as a hitter.........just rotate it as Rocco always does, that way we can keep giving everyone their at bats.  After all, that is what matters, right?  Everyone plays?  Everyone gets their at bats?  

Sorry, folks, just my rant for the day.  You can give me the thumbs down now.  😌

[Guest]

If "Baldelli has signaled no clear preference toward using any particular player at the position," then I fail to see a basis for Julien being the starter.  Rotating almost anyone else on the MLB roster through the DH would produce better results than Eddie Julien.  All Julien has done this spring is prove he's as unchanged at plate control as he is a liability in the field.  Send Julien to St. Paul until he's fixed.

[IndianaTwin]

1. OP suggests that Buxton and Correa will regularly run at DH in the name of maintenance. Last year, Correa got one start and Buxton five. If they are in the lineup, they will play defense. I can see Lewis getting a decent number of starts at DH, however, given that his defense isn't as outstanding. 

2. As @Road trip notes, if Bader plays a lot of LF, that sends Larnach to the DH role on a regular basis.

[tony&rodney]

Julien and Miranda are making a case today against some good Pittsburgh pitchers.

[DocBauer]

IMO, Cruz...and players similar...are unique. To be that good of a hitter and able to play any kind of defense, they're going to be in the field somewhere. If they're older and can't really play in the field any longer, they generally aren't that kind of outstanding hitter. 

Generally speaking. 

Unless you have that type of special bat, DH only. I've always liked leaving the spot open. One of your best players can hit but has a sore ankle and it's hard to run? Put him at DH. You're lucky enough to have 3 corner OF who should play daily or a pair of good 1B, then one of them DH, even if it's not exclusively.

I think a healthy Miranda is one of the Twins best hitters. If he's not playing 1B on an every day basis...and that appears to be the plan...then he's probably the guy who DH most often. But if Julien were to begin hitting like he did in 2023 again, it would be hard to keep him out of the lineup. 

I like having as many good players as I can and let the DH spot be another position, not a spot for a specialist. 

[Jeff K]

On 3/13/2025 at 10:55 AM, djvang said:

I was going to say they should burn Julien's glove then I realized stone doesn't burn.

I literally laughed out loud!  Still laughing...your comment was pure perfection!

[William K Johnson]

Where is it written in stone that the DH must be a permanent player?   Rotate someone daily depending on the circumstances.  I like that option better than watching Julien take strike three on a daily basis.