I Regret to Inform You That Trevor Larnach Is Still Not a Good Defensive Left Fielder

[Cody Schoenmann]

Eighty-six games into the 2026 MLB regular season, Trevor Larnach has started 58 games in left field for the Minnesota Twins, accounting for roughly 68% of starts at the position. At first glance, this development comes as a moderate surprise. Entering the season, Larnach wasn’t expected to occupy a full-time role at either corner outfield spot, evidenced by him splitting time in left with platoon partner Austin Martin and Matt Wallner being the full-time right fielder early this spring.

 

Yet, given Wallner’s demotion to Triple-A, Martin’s subsequent move to right field (and eventual demotion back to a bench bat), and the organization’s younger, inexperienced corner outfield options Alan Roden, Gabriel Gonzalez, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, and Hendry Mendez not yet receiving extended opportunities in the majors, Larnach has become the club’s full-time left fielder.

 

Circumstance isn’t the only reason for Larnach’s unexpected full-time role. Hitting .288/.381/.437 (good for a 131 wRC+), The 29-year-old’s bat has become a mainstay, often hitting in the upper-third of the club’s lineup. He has become an irreplaceable piece in Minnesota’s ability to succeed this season offensively. That being the case, he has received extended opportunities in the field. Unlike his sustained success at the plate, however, Larnach hasn’t improved defensively, despite how hard those in the Twins.TV broadcast booth try to persuade you otherwise.

 

Over 139 attempts in left field, Larnach has manufactured -4 Outs Above Average (OAA), tying him for the second-lowest rating at the position alongside Isaac Collins and Yohendrick Piñango. Larnach’s downfall, in particular, is that he struggles getting to balls hit both to his left and right. He’s servicable on balls hit in front of and behind him. However, the quality of a corner outfielder comes in their ability to chase down balls in the gaps and corners—Larnach struggles at both.

 

Let’s take a look at some examples.

What do you think the catch probability was of this ball? Close your eyes and think about it for a second before continuing to read this piece. Okay—are you ready? Have you regrouped? Okay, it was 99%. Larnach had 4.1 seconds to travel the 48 feet necessary to catch that ball. Instead, he stood flat-footed for multiple seconds as the bloop off Max Muncy’s bat traveled through the air before landing for a single. That’s not what a plus fielder does, Cory Provus!

Let’s take a look at a more challenging ball put into play.

Let’s play the same game. Close your ey—It had a 95% catch probability. Larnach had 5.4 seconds to travel the 68 feet necessary to catch the ball hit off rookie icon Kevin McGonigle’s bat. Instead, he took a poor route and misplayed, allowing McGonigle to course into second with a double. That's not what an improved left fielder does, Justin Morneau!

Finally, let’s take a look at a play that appears incredible, but should have been much less dramatic.

The ball hit by Sam Antonacci had a 55% catch probability, with Larnach trekking 82 feet in 4.9 seconds to make the catch. Again, this was a nice play by the long-time Twin, and he deserves credit for making the tough catch. That being said, more agile left fielders likely would have gotten under that ball, removing the theatrics entirely. 

Larnach is slightly faster this season, improving from a 26.1 ft/sec sprint speed in 2025 to 26.9 ft/sec this season. It is also true that his arm value and strength have improved mightily in 2026. Still, he’s clunky— often getting poor jumps and failing to reach balls hit to his left and right that average left fielders catch with ease. Again, Larnach has been an incredible surprise at the plate for the Twins this season, but we need to stay measured. He isn’t a good defensive left fielder—In fact, he’s one of the worst in the league.

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[LA Vikes Fan]

Sadly, I think you're right. Larnach probably needs to be a 4th OF/DH playing 5 days a week but 3-4 of them as the DH. Of course then what do you do with Bell now and, if he's traded, Wallner? Bottom line is we need his bat in the lineup so we gotta play him somewhere. LF or maybe RF is the logical and maybe only available spot 

[Dman]

Yeah that's why he fits better in the Bell role than left field.  He can play Left in a pinch but shouldn't be out there everyday IMO.  We'll see where this team is at the end of July, but if they want to improve this teams defense as they have stated, Larnach isn't going to be a part of that.

[Nshore]

Leave Larnach alone and go get some relief pitching.

[Linus]

I give Trevor credit for off season work that has made him quicker. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that watches a lot of ball that he is still a sub par fielder. To me this is an example of the pitfall of constantly worrying about raising the floor as opposed to raising the ceiling. Trevor, along with several other regulars, would have no chance of being a starter on a legit playoff team. 

[Parfigliano]

22 minutes ago, Nshore said:

Leave Larnach alone and go get some relief pitching.

Larnach will never be good defensively.  Be happy he is hitting well above average.

[Nshore]

I guess I don't look at the short term priorities for this team and say "I wish the left fielder could catch the ball better."   That's a concern for another season.

[RpR]

41 minutes ago, Nshore said:

I guess I don't look at the short term priorities for this team and say "I wish the left fielder could catch the ball better."   That's a concern for another season.

The odd thing is , he is much better in Right Field, but they stick him in left fiedl.

[Sjoski]

Well...at least he's an upgrade from Delmon Young....true...not by much!!!

[Chad Freyer]

Manny Ramirez was an atrocious left fielder. BUT, if you can hit, there is a place for you in the MLB, 

[ziggy]

Lenny Green "the best way to play outfield is to swing that bat".

He is better than several former Twins outfielders.

[TheLeviathan]

At this point you can pretty much name a Twin and the answer to "Can they field their position well?" is an emphatic "No."

There are like....3 guys?....Maybe?.....where the answer is yes.

[HerbieFan]

What he is is better.  What is not is good.

[jkcarew]

Someone thought he was a good outfielder?

[DJL44]

3 hours ago, Nshore said:

Leave Larnach alone and go get some relief pitching.

Trade Larnach for some relief pitching 

[Vanimal46]

It's almost like the previous regime's assessment of making Larnach a primary DH vs. RH pitchers was the right call. 

[tony&rodney]

Larnach has to hit to play LF. 

The Twins know that Trevor is not a good outfielder. So many have been given a shot and did not pan out, so it is still Larnach until someone else arrives.

I'm a little surprised by this article. Nobody who watches Larnach play regularly thinks he is an average outfielder. 

[Vanimal46]

.

[TheLeviathan]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

.

How can anyone disagree with such a profound and succinct argument.

/thread.

[Western SD Fan]

I do believe that that Larnach has been taken out for defensive purposes late in games.  The Twins know that he is not a good defender.  No different than Bell, when he was playing 1st, would get taken out for defensive purposes.  I'm willing to live with the offense until someone comes along that is better.

[Maybe Next Year]

Oh my he has a - 4 OAA. And just how many of those OAA’s have scored or led to more runs being scored. Twins Daily is embedded with nothing but negative writers who expect every damn player to be perfect. Larnach is a decent outfielder with a good bat. Too bad this writer could not name any specific game(s) where Larnach’s defense cost us a win. 
Oh, by the way, Buxton’s speed and arm strength is down, Lee shouldn’t be at third base because his throws are only 87 mph where they need to be 88.8 mph, Ober’s velocity has dropped 4 mph, Keaschall isn’t hitting home runs, etc.etc.etc. Enough is enough! Since when has any team played an All Star at every position in even one game. 

[HarmonK03]

12 hours ago, Linus said:

Trevor, along with several other regulars, would have no chance of being a starter on a legit playoff team. 

But there are many on this board who say we should trade.  If he has no chance to be starter on a playoff team what could we expect back, a lottery ticket.  

[TJSweens]

10 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

How can anyone disagree with such a profound and succinct argument.

/thread.

He is a man of few words, but they are well chosen.

[Cody Schoenmann]

8 hours ago, Maybe Next Year said:

Oh my he has a - 4 OAA. And just how many of those OAA’s have scored or led to more runs being scored. Twins Daily is embedded with nothing but negative writers who expect every damn player to be perfect. Larnach is a decent outfielder with a good bat. Too bad this writer could not name any specific game(s) where Larnach’s defense cost us a win. 
Oh, by the way, Buxton’s speed and arm strength is down, Lee shouldn’t be at third base because his throws are only 87 mph where they need to be 88.8 mph, Ober’s velocity has dropped 4 mph, Keaschall isn’t hitting home runs, etc.etc.etc. Enough is enough! Since when has any team played an All Star at every position in even one game. 

zero intellectual curiosity

[bean5302]

Larnach is a good route runner. He's always been slow to react and to accelerate. His slow reactions are what make him so poor in the field. At this point, his sprint speed is fine, but his burst acceleration is limited.

Lefty out of the box to 1st base rank of 431 mlb players
10ft 115
15ft 142
20ft 167
25ft 201
30ft 206
35ft 229
40ft 239
45ft 243

The trend is he gets run down after a jump which comes from starting off in the lefty batters box.

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Larnachs bat has been much improved. The only reason hes not the DH is because Bells defense is somehow even worse. 

This team has too many bat players. But when theyre the only ones hitting, they gotta play somewhere. 

I would be trading Larnach while his bat is this hot to make room for a more athletic and younger player, presumably with better defense and unknown bat.

Maybe Bell, too? But who's gonna hit when they leave. Buck and Clemens cant do it alone. No guarantee the young guys will hit. Lee has been better but still has his droughts. 

Im all for trading the poor defenders on the team. That is my stance. But someone will need to step up and hit. 

[DJL44]

16 minutes ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

Maybe Bell, too? But who's gonna hit when they leave. Buck and Clemens cant do it alone. No guarantee the young guys will hit. Lee has been better but still has his droughts. 

There is no guarantee Larnach and Bell will continue to hit, especially Bell. Bell will go cold for a month at random times.

[Andy MacPhail]

Good job, Cody. I like his bat but his defense still is lacking which costs us runs

[Bodie]

The legit ceiling for him is competence.  Catch balls he can get to and hit the cutoff man.

He isn't ever going to have good range (but he can minimize his missteps) and his arm will never rate better than acceptable (again, minimal mistakes on throws can mitigate a weak arm).  I can handle that if he's hitting a bit.

He doesn't have Wallner's physical gifts.  He also doesn't have Wallner's head.