Twins Prospect Hendry Mendez to Get Time at First

Matthew Lenz · February 5

With an excess amount of depth from the outfield at both the major league and minor league levels, the Minnesota Twins are exploring the possibility of a recently acquired prospect trying their hand at a new position in 2026.

In a recent episode of Inside Twins, general manager Jeremy Zoll said that Hendry Mendez would get an opportunity to play first base in 2026. Though it's not a position that Mendez has experienced, it is surely a position of need within the organization, and he's shown that outfield defense is not a strength of his.

At the major league level, the Twins will likely use a combination of Josh Bell, Kody Clemens, and Victor Caratini at first. Behind those three, Aaron Sabato is the only real option, and it's pretty clear he's a long shot to contribute to the Twins, if there's a shot at all.

Mendez, 21, was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Harrison Bader trade. He was added to the 40-man roster in November after a successful season at Double-A and in the Arizona Fall League. Though he didn't crack Twins Daily's top 20 prospect list in the last update, he was ranked as the Twins' 25th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline at the end of last season. After such a successful 2025, it's almost a guarantee he will move up in both lists.

Do you think he can establish himself as a candidate for the Twins' first baseman in the future? Let us know in the comments!

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4twinsJA · February 5

1B is harder than people give it credit for. Easier for infielder to move to 1B, already can field in infield. Then, there is also catching rising fastballs, sliders, changeups and throws in the dirt from infielders. Mendez has a lot of work to do to be a MLB firstbaseman.

Cris E · February 5

"It's easy. Tell 'em Wash."

"It's incredibly hard."

Cris E · February 5

I am confused about one thing: this article doesn't have "pipeline" in the title and yet it speaks of moving around who might play a position in the future.

IndyTwinsFan · February 5

Could he eventually become at least a somewhat competent first baseman and be able to somewhat hit like one? Sure, he could.

What is the likelihood it'll play out that way? I wouldn't bet that it's very high.

That being said, it's certainly worth a try, given that his outfield defense is supposedly nothing special. As long as we exhibit enough patience with the experiment, then there's probably nothing significant to lose in trying.

Linus · February 5

I like it. It’s been a black hole for a while so let’s try something different.

Cris E · February 5

18 minutes ago, IndyTwinsFan said:

Could he eventually become at least a somewhat competent first baseman and be able to somewhat hit like one? Sure, he could.

What is the likelihood it'll play out that way? I wouldn't bet that it's very high.

That being said, it's certainly worth a try, given that his outfield defense is supposedly nothing special. As long as we exhibit enough patience with the experiment, then there's probably nothing significant to lose in trying.

Completely agree, especially given the number of better OF in AA and AAA banging on the door already. The line behind Bell, Clemens and the ghost of Ty France indicate a much easier path to the 26 man.

Danchat · February 5

I'm all for it, may as well try out some prospects at 1B so we might not need to keep signing FA 1Bs to one year deals every season.

IndianaTwin · February 5

2 hours ago, Cris E said:

"It's easy. Tell 'em Wash."

"It's incredibly hard."

You beat me to the punch.

Mike Sixel · February 5

I see zero downside of this at all.

Cris E · February 5

If I were a prospect I'd be pushing to add a new position every spring. I can maybe see not wanting to change course mid-season, but in the offseason, why not? If all you want to do is play then give yourself as many paths to the lineup as possible.

nicksaviking · February 5

I completely endorse it. Of all the players brought back last year, Mendez was one of the least talked about, yet he was also one of the only prospects who played better after joining the organization. I'm not sure about the analytically inclined stats, but outside of hoping for more power, the back of his baseball card stats are pretty exciting. The hit tool showed up last year, the on base skills were great, he doesn't strike out and he even stole 10 bases. And the guy is listed as 6'3" 175lbs, so sure seems like there's room for a 22-year-old to add power.

And a hitter trying a new position isn't like a starter moving to the bullpen. If he can't cut it at 1B, you can put him back in the OF anytime they'd like.

rdehring · February 5

Absolutely great news. Zoll has been in control for less than a week and we already have one very good decision.

Major League Ready · February 5

18 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Absolutely great news. Zoll has been in control for less than a week and we already have one very good decision.

I sure hope that decision was made at the end of last season and that he was working on it over the break.

Steve J · February 5

Hrbek was a converted hockey goalie. He didn't end up too bad.

bunsen82 · February 5

1st off Mendez has the size. 6ft 3 but 175lb soaking wet - 22 years old. He was an average defender in the outfield. The contact rates are absolutely off the charts. The hit tool is excellent. I have much more confidence in him hitting than Tait. The value for Bader was crazy good. he had a 54% groundball rate though coming to the Twins.

He was hitting 54% groundballs. He has to get more balls in the air which will result in a higher average, higher OBP and OPS. .324/.461/.439. He made improvement. There was a couple games in Wichita when you had Jenkins, Gonzalez, Culpepper and Mendez - they put up 16 runs in back to back games. You had 4 hitters hitting over .300. If you can continue that as you move up you will do really well.

He has 90% exit velocity, his contact % was 86.1% which is considered elite, and he increased his line drive % increased by 6.4% to 23.8% and did this all while decreasing his K % to 12.8%. If he is going to be a 1st baseman, we have to see 15-20 home runs. You just need that power, and if he can pair that with a .300+ BA and a .350+ OBP, you have something that will obviously work.

Now he has to get comfortable on the defensive side. However, from my viewpoint this is a slamdunk as I didn't see where he would get the opportunity in the future. We have Buxton, Jenkins, Rodriguez and Gonzalez ahead of him. I am really really excited about him as a prospect. I think Gonzalez has the best bat, followed by Mendez, Jenkins, Culpepper and Rodriguez thrown in there somewhere. The Twins future will be highly dependent on the success of those 5 prospects along with Keaschall and Lee.

https://www.theskippersview.com/p/hendry-mendez-has-the-potential-to?utm_source=publication-search

FYI though, his move to 1st has been talked about for months.

Put me down as the guy who has been touting Mendez since he came over LOL.

jorgenswest · February 6

There is a huge difference between moving from catcher to first base than from outfield. In order to play catcher you have to have good hands and feet. The same is true at first base. A player who has never played on the dirt is going to have to develop those hands and feet to see if they became adequate as well as learning the position. I am sure Washington knew the transition would be hard for Hatteberg but he also must have know that it was easier than trying to convert a guy who had never played on the dirt.

It is worthy of a try. We might never see him in a game at 1B hopefully working him out there will be remembered.

twinsfansd · February 6

I would guess that any baseball player that has played his whole life and gotten this far probably has some experience at fielding ground balls and taking throws. The footwork will probably be the challenge.

It will take some time for him to learn his new position. The biggest challenge is that he now only has 3 option years to learn a new position and break into the major leagues. We've all seen how many players run out of options before they make the grade.

One more thing. Didn't I hear he was playing some winter ball at first base.

saviking · February 6

NOW THAT’S EXCITING NEWS!!!

Doctor Wu · February 6

17 hours ago, Danchat said:

I'm all for it, may as well try out some prospects at 1B so we might not need to keep signing FA 1Bs to one year deals every season.

Exactly, The one-year contract routine for signing first basemen is getting stale. Will be nice if a youngster like Mendez shows an aptitude for the position. Go for it.

Bodie · February 6

Scouring the Twins' rosters trying to find all that "excess depth" holding him up.

At any position...

dxpavelka · February 6

Dude, stop selling hope. If guys acquired at the deadline start being part of the solution I might have to think positive. That can be very dangerous on this site. Just tell us the sky is falling so we can all get back to going on with our lives.

chpettit19 · February 6

16 hours ago, rdehring said:

Absolutely great news. Zoll has been in control for less than a week and we already have one very good decision.

16 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I sure hope that decision was made at the end of last season and that he was working on it over the break.

FYI he moved there before the AFL, just didn't really get to play much in the AFL because he left for personal reasons. But this isn't a new decision. He's not a fast runner and not a good outfielder so they made this move at the end of the season. Hopefully he's been working on it for a few months and there's something to work with here.

miracleb · February 6

A week of playing first base in the minors (prior to the first game) will show/determine if he can be a success there. This is baseball (high level for sure,) but it isn't rocket science......

Heck........Joey Gallo is trying to become a pitcher now........

rdehring · February 6

17 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

I sure hope that decision was made at the end of last season and that he was working on it over the break.

I didn't know how to attach one of those funny looking things, as my comment was made "tongue in cheek," if that's the right comment.

bunsen82 · February 6

1 hour ago, miracleb said:

A week of playing first base in the minors (prior to the first game) will show/determine if he can be a success there. This is baseball (high level for sure,) but it isn't rocket science......

Heck........Joey Gallo is trying to become a pitcher now........

He had started practicing prior to the end of the season. After the season they stated their intent was to move him to 1st base. They sent him to fall ball to work on 1st base and get some games in, he played in the outfield 5 times before leaving for family reasons.

He has had all offseason to work at it and will have this season to work on it. I'm not saying there is nothing to the transition, look at players bumble their defense all the time, Julien in particular. However he is 22 years old, and it may take a year or two to get a pretty good feeling at 1st base. Look how much we have moved around Lewis, Lee, Martin.

Jim H · February 6

Yes, moving Mendez to first was talked about last fall. Yes, it is a good idea. Filling the lineup with good hitters is always a good idea. It is likely he adds power as he matures. I also think that having big power isn't absolutely necessary for a first baseman if there is gap power and a high average and good defense. Good defense at first includes reducing infielders errors.

DocBauer · February 7

On 2/5/2026 at 4:27 PM, Steve J said:

Hrbek was a converted hockey goalie. He didn't end up too bad.

I don't know about Hrbek ever playing hockey. Maybe he did. But I wonder if you might be confusing him with Morneau, who also played hockey, and was drafted as a catcher before being moved to 1B.

Regardless, I applaud this move. It's a shame he didn't get a chance to play the whole AFL season and get some time at 1B.

I LOVE and appreciate good defense EVERYWHERE in the field. But the truth is LF and 1B ARE the 2 positions where you can "hide" mediocre defense in favor of a good bat. Or maybe temporarily hide said mediocre defense while a player grows in to the position to become better.

But I don't believe the Twins should stop with Mendez. St Paul currently has Jenkins, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, depth piece Fedko, AND Rosario and Olivar ready to advance along with Mendez. You AREN'T moving Jenkins or Rodriguez, of course. Fedko has played some 1B. For that matter, Roden has as well. Both Gonzalez and Rosario have strong arms, but might only be mediocre OF defensively. Why not move one of them to 1B as well? Most players have spent at least a little time in their youth playing in the dirt. But there is an obvious difference from that and being primarily an OF most of their career. But even an OF has to scoop some balls. And is tracking a ball so much different than a throw that's a little off target?

I am NOT minimizing the differences of INF vs OF, but even if you're a bit slow, if you have decent "foot athleticism" might you not be a decent 1B in time? A poor analogy, but an OF has to sprint. A 1B has to have the ability to "dance". If either Gonzalez or Rosario has decent feet, they should have the ability to learn 1B, even if it takes a while to become GOOD at the position.

It's just AMAZING to me the previous Twins seasons have been about "shoving" someone to 1B instead of trying to develop one. Other than DH, it's the ONE position where you can vastly improve your offense with a solid BAT, even if you have an average defender. Plus defense is just that, a plus.

But where has been the internal imagination to actually CREATE a 1B?

gil4 · February 7

On 2/5/2026 at 10:48 AM, Cris E said:

I am confused about one thing: this article doesn't have "pipeline" in the title and yet it speaks of moving around who might play a position in the future.

That article is coming ... <copy> <paste> ... now.

Cris E · February 8

On 2/5/2026 at 6:19 PM, jorgenswest said:

There is a huge difference between moving from catcher to first base than from outfield. In order to play catcher you have to have good hands and feet. The same is true at first base. A player who has never played on the dirt is going to have to develop those hands and feet to see if they became adequate as well as learning the position. I am sure Washington knew the transition would be hard for Hatteberg but he also must have know that it was easier than trying to convert a guy who had never played on the dirt.

It is worthy of a try. We might never see him in a game at 1B hopefully working him out there will be remembered.

There is a difference, but if you're a bad catcher that infield experience may not be an advantage if bad hands is skill set that is getting you moved off catcher. OTOH there are plenty of OF that failed moving to 1B, famously including outstanding fielder Joe DiMaggio.

In any event, "It's incredibly hard" may be an over-statement in general, but the move is not trivial.

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