What the Heck Happened to José Miranda?

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of © William Purnell-Imagn Images

 

For a brief moment, José Miranda looked like one of the Twins’ best success stories. A late-blooming prospect who surged through the upper minors, he burst into the majors with a promising rookie campaign. He even delivered one of the most memorable hitting streaks in recent team history. He was supposed to be part of the next wave of Twins hitters. Instead, just a few years later, he looks more like a cautionary tale than a cornerstone.

Miranda was never supposed to be a superstar prospect. But in 2021, he put himself on the map in emphatic fashion, exploding at Double-A and Triple-A with a .973 OPS. That season forced the Twins’ hand, and he earned his big-league call-up in 2022. As a rookie, he delivered. Miranda posted a 114 OPS+ and looked the part of a long-term middle-of-the-order bat. Minnesota had seemingly found another young hitter to slot into their growing core.

Then came 2023, a year derailed before it ever really started. A right shoulder injury nagged Miranda from spring training onward, sapping his swing speed and his confidence. He never got on track, finishing the season as an offensive liability. But in 2024, there was reason for optimism. Healthy again, Miranda put together a respectable bounce-back campaign with a 112 OPS+. He even delivered one of the most memorable stretches of the Twins’ season: a scorching July that included a remarkable run of 12 consecutive hits in 12 at-bats. At that point, it felt like he was ready to turn the corner for good.

When Royce Lewis went down in spring training this year, Miranda had a golden opportunity: the starting third base job was his. But instead of seizing the moment, he cratered. In 12 games, he hit .167 with a .417 OPS, numbers so poor the Twins had little choice but to send him down. The hope, of course, was that he’d reset in St. Paul, find his swing, and work his way back. But that’s where things have gone from bad to worse. Across 83 games and 343 plate appearances with the Saints, Miranda has managed just a .574 OPS, with 52 strikeouts against 28 walks and only 7 home runs. Instead of working back into the conversation, he’s drifted entirely out of it. Barely a year after being the center of the conversation with the Twins during his hit streak, he's now out of their plans altogether.

The Twins’ trade deadline fire sale this year saw a wave of call-ups. Ryan Fitzgerald. Carson McCusker. Edouard Julien. Names kept coming, but not Miranda’s. Despite Minnesota’s revolving door of opportunities, Miranda wasn’t even considered—and there was nobody arguing that he should have been. That silence says it all. If the Twins believed in him as a rebound candidate, he’d have been back in Minneapolis by now. The front office’s unwillingness to move him at the deadline only underscores how little value he has left; there were simply no takers.

Miranda’s story feels almost cruel. From a breakout in the minors to a solid rookie campaign, from a shoulder-induced collapse to a brief resurgence, it looked like he might still carve out a long-term role. Instead, he’s now staring at an uncertain future. At just 26 years old, his career isn’t technically over. But in the eyes of the Twins, it might be. They’ve had ample opportunity to bring him back into the fold, and they’ve passed every time. This offseason, it’s likely they’ll simply cut ties and move on.

So, what on Earth happened to José Miranda? Did the shoulder injury permanently alter his swing? Was it an attitude issue after being demoted? Or did he just lose his approach at the plate? Whatever the answer, the fall from “future fixture” to “organizational afterthought” has been staggering.

---

What do you think? Was Miranda doomed by injuries, or did he simply fail to adjust at the highest level? How disappointed are you in his collapse—and is there any chance he salvages his career elsewhere?

 

View full article

[Cory Engelhardt]

No idea what happened. Injuries, or just baseball is really hard.

Wouldnt be shocked if he signs a minor league deal next offseason with someone and he has a good year again. Wouldnt bet on it, but it wouldn’t shock me

[DJL44]

He has looked obviously unhappy with the Saints when I have watched him play. When he makes an out or a bad fielding play, everyone in the ballpark gets to watch him throw a fit.

[MikeNC]

Is he hard to find?  What does Jose say???

[Reptevia]

He peaked. It happens. Julien is in the same boat. 

[Whitey333]

Yes it's very strange.  But Miranda isn't the only one.  This organization has a history of not developing their prospects.  Many that are ok wind up regressing in their mid to upper twenties.  The current batch of can't miss prospects in the minors leagues have a lot to prove.  Twins organization needs a thorough house cleaning.

[wornsmooth]

Wasn't he hit in the face/head by a pitch?

Is anyone able to look at his hitting stats from pre-beaning and post beaning?

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

Miranda is more focused on building his social media brand than he is baseball. 

[stringer bell]

12 minutes ago, wornsmooth said:

Wasn't he hit in the face/head by a pitch?

Is anyone able to look at his hitting stats from pre-beaning and post beaning?

He’s been hit in the helmet a couple of times, including during or just after his consecutive hit streak. That may well be a factor in his decline.

The window is quite small for a bat-first slow-footed, medium power corner infielder. He hasn’t been up to the task since his historic streak. 

[old nurse]

14 minutes ago, wornsmooth said:

Wasn't he hit in the face/head by a pitch?

Is anyone able to look at his hitting stats from pre-beaning and post beaning?

https://www.mlb.com/video/jose-miranda-hbp-exits-the-game

 

https://www.mlb.com/twins/video/jose-miranda-hit-by-pitch-willi-castro-to-2nd

 

after the. Second time is when his batting tanked   Went from the 800s to the 500s for the rest of the season. Good catch on your part 

[Ctwink]

He was beaned on July 28, 2024.  Here are his stats in 2024 in 139 AB's after the beaning.  They do not support the beaning as the issue for his decline since he continued to play well.  It was a good thought though - more likely its his shoulder (or just simple regression).

 

Batting Average (AVG)	.288
On-Base Percentage (OBP)	.318
Slugging Percentage (SLG)	.424

[farmerguychris]

I look at someone like Miranda, and I really wonder if the Twins have any psychologists on the team to help players work thru any mental blocks they are having.  I doubt any of his physical skills have diminished so quickly as a young man that he can't make things work, so I believe it must be something mental that could hopefully be worked thru if he had access to the proper resources to get him back on track?

[Riverbrian]

The Twins sure invested a lot of development time into Miranda. Over 1,000 AB's.

IMO... They tend to invest in one stock instead of a more diversified portfolio. If that one stock craters... Ouch.    

Good Season, Bad Season, Good Season, Bad Season and now the clock is ticking and running out of ticks with CBA limitations about to make it really hard to invest anymore in Miranda. The Twins will have some interesting 40 man decisions to make this off-season. I'm not sure Miranda can survive it. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

The front offices of all 30 teams often get it wrong and in light of how often they get it wrong, the cockiness to place all chips on one player blows my mind.  

We still need the farm to produce a decent MLB 1B. I'm assuming it won't be Miranda.  

 

[mikelink45]

Reminds me of Oswaldo Arcia. 

[Peter]

Hope twins dump him off season 

[Patzky]

59 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

Miranda is more focused on building his social media brand than he is baseball. 

I wonder if C4 still invites him over for dinner.

[chpettit19]

47 minutes ago, Ctwink said:

He was beaned on July 28, 2024.  Here are his stats in 2024 in 139 AB's after the beaning.  They do not support the beaning as the issue for his decline since he continued to play well.  It was a good thought though - more likely its his shoulder (or just simple regression).

 

Batting Average (AVG)	.288
On-Base Percentage (OBP)	.318
Slugging Percentage (SLG)	.424

I'm not sure where you got those stats from, but they are not accurate. From July 30 (the next game he played) to 9/24 (the last game he played) of the 2024 season Jose Miranda had 148 plate appearances with a .211/.236/.303/.539 quad slash. 

[David Maro]

How about he wants out of the clown show that this organization has become.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, Reptevia said:

He peaked. It happens. Julien is in the same boat. 

Julien still gets chances in MLB to steady the boat.  Miranda doesn't even get off the dock on to the boat.

[Mahoning]

Baseball is a cruel game. It must be very hard on the ego to shine and then fail. Miranda needs a change of scenery.

[Parfigliano]

43 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

The Twins sure invested a lot of development time into Miranda. Over 1,000 AB's.

IMO... They tend to invest in one stock instead of a more diversified portfolio. If that one stock craters... Ouch.    

Good Season, Bad Season, Good Season, Bad Season and now the clock is ticking and running out of ticks with CBA limitations about to make it really hard to invest anymore in Miranda. The Twins will have some interesting 40 man decisions to make this off-season. I'm not sure Miranda can survive it. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

The front offices of all 30 teams often get it wrong and in light of how often they get it wrong, the cockiness to place all chips on one player blows my mind.  

We still need the farm to produce a decent MLB 1B. I'm assuming it won't be Miranda.  

 

I'm positive it won't be Miranda.  I'm pretty sure a different organization will take a flyer on him.

[Parfigliano]

32 minutes ago, Peter said:

Hope twins dump him off season 

They will.

[Doctor Gast]

 What the Heck Happened to José Miranda?  

Good question. What the heck happened to Sano, Julien & a few others? In these cases & especially Sano, they were over-tweaked with Twins' faulty hitting philosophy. What the heck happened to Polanco, Miranda, Kiriloff & others? They were forced to play at positions that would keep aggravating their injuries, which greatly affected their performance & reinjuries. After Keaschall hurt his arm, he has been kept at DH/1B/2B to preserve his arm. Shortly after Miranda & Kiriloff returned from shoulder injuries, they were placed at 3B & OF in both positions, you really put a lot of stress on your arms. They both had great starts but due to readjusting their throws they both injured their backs. The point of their injuries shows the drop in their performance. Why weren't they given the same opportunity to play at DH/1B to preserve their bodies as Keaschall? 

I think we have to ask why did Kiriloff retired? I expect it's very demanding physically & emotionally to play at the MLB level, so you need a lot of heart. Was physically demanding rehabilitation the sole reason Kiriloff retired? IMO, it was that plus also knowing that he wasn't going to get a fair shake to compete at 1B/DH (which was easier on his body & more opportunity), so it wasn't worth it. So IMO, the Miranda's biggest problem, like Kiriloff, is that he lost heart. 

IMO, every promising player in the system should be given every opportunity to prove themselves & develop into the best player they can be. IMO, the Twins aren't doing this which results in players losing heart. So in one way or another we answer all these questions with mismanagement, 

[Parfigliano]

44 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Reminds me of Oswaldo Arcia. 

Oswaldo Arcia and Jose Miranda are basically mirror images.  Both 4 years with TC. Early in both look like above average hitters.  Both have right around 1000 MLB ABs.  Both just fall off a cliff.  Arcia career 720 OPS.  Miranda career 719 OPS.

[Parfigliano]

14 minutes ago, Mahoning said:

Baseball is a cruel game. It must be very hard on the ego to shine and then fail. Miranda needs a change of scenery.

He will get it.

[RpR]

1 hour ago, farmerguychris said:

I look at someone like Miranda, and I really wonder if the Twins have any psychologists on the team to help players work thru any mental blocks they are having.  I doubt any of his physical skills have diminished so quickly as a young man that he can't make things work, so I believe it must be something mental that could hopefully be worked thru if he had access to the proper resources to get him back on track?

Major league and AAA are not therapy sessions for dudes whose attitude towards their job is one of their main problems.

AAA gets the ready for the Bigs, and once up they either adapt to a more difficult set of opponents or they fail; either by bouncing back and forth or still making a good pay check in AAA. (or a foreign league.)

[Riverbrian]

20 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I'm positive it won't be Miranda.  I'm pretty sure a different organization will take a flyer on him.

Minor league deal for sure.

This off-season will be interesting. 

[chpettit19]

29 minutes ago, David Maro said:

How about he wants out of the clown show that this organization has become.

Tanking your career is not the best way to do that. Going into your age 28 season as a guy who can't hit AAA pitching is a really poor career strategy no matter what the Twins organization is like.

[terrydactyls]

I think this off-season he will be working on becoming a choreographer so he can join his cousin on Broadway.

[NYCTK]

Nothing "happened". He's just another in a long line of decent but ultimately mediocre baseball players that fans raised their expectations too high for. 

Even last year, as a bat only player, he was a completely unremarkable hitter. A wOBA of 0.328 and an xwOBA of 0.306?

His collapse is not at all unexpected.