Alex Kirilloff

[William Malone]

Alexander David Kirilloff was born on November 9, 1997 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Minnesota Twins selected him in round one of the 2016 MLB Draft. He missed the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. A fully healthy Kirilloff hit .348 with 101 RBI during the 2018 minor league season, splitting the year between the Class-A and High-A levels. His 44 doubles that season led all minor league players. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the ninth best prospect in baseball entering 2019.

Kirilloff slashed .283/.343/.414 in 94 games at the Double-A level in 2019. The 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he spent the entire regular season at the Twins alternate training site in St. Paul.

Minnesota made the bold decision to include him on their postseason roster that fall. He started game two of the Wild Card Round, going 1-for-4. Kirilloff was one of three players to make his Major League debut during the 2020 postseason, joining Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays and Ryan Weathers of the San Diego Padres. Before 2020, only two other players in the modern-era (since 1901) had made their big league debut during the playoffs. As of 2024, nobody has done it since.

He opened 2021 in an 0-for-15 slump, but eventually got his first career regular season hit on April 26th. This began a seven game hitting streak, which included four home runs and 11 RBI. Minnesota placed him on the injured list with a right wrist strain before the hitting streak could end. Kirilloff retired in late May. He hit fairly well during his first few weeks off the injured list, but eventually cooled off. Kirilloff opted to have season ending wrist surgery in late July, finishing his rookie year slashing .251/.299/.423 with eight home runs and 34 RBI across 59 games.

The wrist never seemed to fully heal after surgery. Kirilloff was 1-for-17 to begin 2022, and was placed back on the injured list due to reoccurring wrist pain. He made a brief return in early-May, but was eventually optioned to Triple-A with his struggles continuing. Kirilloff hit .359 with 32 RBI over 35 games for the St. Paul Saints, and returned to the bigs, and his offense temporally turned around. This was short-lived, and the promising outfielder began to struggle again. He underwent a second season ending wrist surgery in August.

Minnesota signed veteran Joey Gallo in the off-season, giving them a left handed bat who could play corner outfield and first base. Kirilloff began the season on the injured list, but was optioned to Triple-A when cleared for game action. The Twins eventually called him up in early-May, and he finally began to hit up to his prospect pedigree. Kirilloff had a .906 OPS though his first 30 games, and eventually played his way into the everyday lineup. A late season shoulder injury saw him struggle a bit down the stretch. He was 0-for-9 in the playoffs while trying to play through the pain, but was eventually removed from the postseason roster. Kirilloff slashed .270/.348/.455 in a career high 88 games. He hit 11 home runs, and drove in 41.

Injuries kept piling up in 2024. Kirilloff slashed .201/.270/.384 in 57 games, while dealing with back issues. He announced his retirement on October 31, 2024 at the age of 26. As of 2025, Kirilloff is working in real estate.

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