Will Kody Clemens Transition into Minnesota Twins' Primary Starting First Baseman Post All-Star Break?

[twinfan]

Since neither Clemens nor France are the "ideal" of what you want at first, platoon them until we can get a legitimate player there. I'd play whichever can save the most runs defensively since their offense is essentially the same.

[jmlease1]

12 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I've seen all I need to from France.  He's cooked.....I wouldn't be shocked if he got DFA'd when Keaschall comes back.

I'd be stunned. There's almost nothing to suggest that the Twins will drop a veteran from the roster when there's any other semi-reasonable choice. While it might be the best option, when Keaschall comes back Kiersey is going to be the one who gets dropped, because he can get sent to AAA and the Twins won't lose an asset. Is this the most optimal move? Maybe (probably) not, but there's almost zero chance the Twins drop France from the roster when Keaschall comes back. Having been burned badly on not having enough depth before (a lost season when the OF depth got annihilated) and getting dinged on infield depth even this season, they're just not going to do it.

Now, I'd argue the ability to grab someone like Clemens and make it work suggests that they need to be more aggressive about dropping non-performing veterans, but there's nothing that suggests the Twins staff sees it that way.

[TheLeviathan]

Just now, jmlease1 said:

I'd be stunned. There's almost nothing to suggest that the Twins will drop a veteran from the roster when there's any other semi-reasonable choice. While it might be the best option, when Keaschall comes back Kiersey is going to be the one who gets dropped, because he can get sent to AAA and the Twins won't lose an asset. Is this the most optimal move? Maybe (probably) not, but there's almost zero chance the Twins drop France from the roster when Keaschall comes back. Having been burned badly on not having enough depth before (a lost season when the OF depth got annihilated) and getting dinged on infield depth even this season, they're just not going to do it.

Now, I'd argue the ability to grab someone like Clemens and make it work suggests that they need to be more aggressive about dropping non-performing veterans, but there's nothing that suggests the Twins staff sees it that way.

I don't disagree, it was probably 90% me hoping and not an actual prediction.

But seriously....send Kiersey down, DFA France, and call up someone that might actually be useful like Austin Martin.

[Fatbat]

8 hours ago, KBJ1 said:

 They continue to draft 12 SS every year, none if who can play 1B or become a power hitting LF. To all those (and there are many) who say "draft the best athelete", I say BS! Draft Aaron Judge or Juan Soto, neither of who played SS.

Rd 7 2025 Jacob McCombs OF destined for the HOF…. Or maybe walker Jenkins 🤷🏼‍♂️

[jjswol]

21 hours ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

What’s the point of this post? There was a whole article written about why Clemens should get more playing time at the expense of France.

The point is that even blind squirrels find an acorn now and then and Clemens has proven over the years he is not good enough to merit being a starter. France is not a star but is good enough to start albeit probably not on a playoff caliber team.

[Major League Ready]

IDK what to believe of Clemens but I doubt he is a long-term solution at 1B.  However, I do like his versatility.  He is a decent defender at a number of positions which at minimum would make him a good bench player.  Why not give him a chance and see if he can gain some consistency which is what they seem to be doing.  

Keaschall will be back very soon.  He might end up getting some time at 1B.  If that's their plan, they should DFA France and bring up either Julien / Sabato or Martin.  That would give them plenty of depth at 1B and Keashall could get plenty of playing time by rotating between the INF and OF.

 

[RpR]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

IDK what to believe of Clemens but I doubt he is a long-term solution at 1B.  However, I do like his versatility.  He is a decent defender at a number of positions which at minimum would make him a good bench player.  Why not give him a chance and see if he can gain some consistency which is what they seem to be doing.  

Keaschall will be back very soon.  He might end up getting some time at 1B.  If that's their plan, they should DFA France and bring up either Julien / Sabato or Martin.  That would give them plenty of depth at 1B and Keashall could get plenty of playing time by rotating between the INF and OF.

 

Ah the TD curse is being foisted on Keashall; now he will become the next Keirsey Jr.☠️

[DJL44]

All you need to know about the Twins offense is that they're trying to paper over both 2B and 1B with Kody Clemens.

[jorgenswest]

Keaschall’s best fit positionally might be first base. Hopefully they will get him back in the outfield next spring. He could fit at a corner there also. He will need to hit well for any of those spots.

[David Maro]

With an offense as bad as this team is they can't have Clemens and Wallner in the lineup together. They both strike out 2 and 3 times a game. The biggest problem is other than Buxton they don't do the little things needed to win. And praising Rocco for calling for a contact play or bunt once every 10 games is silly. 

[RpR]

51 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Keaschall’s best fit positionally might be first base. Hopefully they will get him back in the outfield next spring. He could fit at a corner there also. He will need to hit well for any of those spots.

He will have to show he is not a defense detriment. 

[jorgenswest]

6 minutes ago, RpR said:

He will have to show he is not a defense detriment. 

I think he will be a plus on a corner. I am not sure about second base. He moved off shortstop in college to second base and most college second basemen that make it to the majors have moved to a corner. His DP rates relative to the rest of the second basemen was underwhelming in Wichita. That rate was below Julien’s in AAA this year. Both small samples. The combination of his injuries and his earlier move off shortstop lead me to wonder if his best spot is on a corner. First base for this year and hopefully left field next year where his athleticism will be an asset.

[S Bart]

13 hours ago, NYCTK said:

He had a great stretch when he first came over and has now resumed being Kody Clemens. This team has no depth so I don't care if he's playing but you'll excuse me if I'm not excited about someone that has a 0.260 OBP in his last hundred trips to the plate, to match his career rate. 

Yes, he has some power but he still sucks. I'm happy to see him on the team next season...if they do what's smart and do a bit of a rebuild for '27.

Well, they could probably get rid of Wallner (.299 OBP) and a few others including Lewis (,299 OBP) Lee (,290) who are doing worse than Clemens (,302 OBP) if that is the case. If he performs well the rest of the season, he deserves to be on the roster for 2026 in my view. The team has won several games due to Clemens' home runs while playing in just over half the total games this half season. Let's hope they all do well the remainder of the season ... Let's start with the ROCKIES on Friday night ⚾