Twins Must Change the Balance Between Luke Keaschall's Bat and His Glove

[gman]

Keaschall hasn't had a lot of game time experience at any position in the minors or majors. He was drafted in '23 and played 24 games at second base. In '24 he played 39 games in the field while he was held out or playing dh until he had arm surgery. In '25 he got 41 games at 2nd and no outfield time. 26 became the first year that he has gotten time as a professional in the field. The team needs to figure out where they want him to play and get him time in that spot(s). I think based on nothing that his best position turns out to be left field. If they can train pitchers why can't they train others to throw better?

[Mike Sixel]

35 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Josh Bell: .735 OPS.  Luke Keaschall: .734 OPS.

Lefty/righty, Bell is .730/.737

Lefty/right, Keaschall is .733/.735.

Neither player can help you win games with the glove and they'll hurt you if you let them try.

One of these players is redundant at DH.  For me it's the guy earning $5.75M, plus the $1.25M buyout to not let him exercise his option for next year.  

One million percent true. 

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

What a brilliant suggestion. Practices. I don’t know why nobody thought of that before.

What do you think the team does every day before the game begins. Do you think they’re sitting in the clubhouse playing PlayStation?

Taking naps...

[rdehring]

2 hours ago, shimrod said:

"In just two months as an outfielder,..."

Says it all. If he's still a bad defender after an offseason of outfield focused work we can revisit this. 

Great comment, shimrod.  After reading that quote, I kept wondering why this post was written/

[LA Vikes Fan]

3 hours ago, PuckettPond said:

This time next year he will be an above average outfielder with a great bat. He needs patience from Twin fans. Buxton's constant injuries forcing him to be in CF when not ready. We need Luke as Buxton will play less than 50% next year because of self induced injuries caused by poor technique & playing out of control.

 

 

This. Geez, the guy has played a total of 43 games in the OF in 2026 after playing all of 16 games there in the Minors. Add to that he's all of 23 years old in this first full season in the Bigs. Yet now we're able to say with certainty that he will always be a defensive liability, and seems "overmatched" at every position? Wow, I'm glad you guys were never my supervisor doing my evaluation. I guess perfection from game 1 is the standard.  We all need to chill and give the guy a chance for Chrissakes. The eye test ells me that he is plenty athletic enough to be an above average corner OF. with LF the best because he's had TJ surgery and now has an average arm at best. We all talk about developing players. This is what developing players looks like, guys. Don't say you want to develop talent and then complain that it actually takes time to develop. Give him time to learn how to play the position.

I completely agree with you on his position in the BA. Keaschall is our best hitter when you factor in his speed and baserunning. Not one of our best, our best. Hitting him 6 or 7 makes no sense to me. I understand Shelton when he says that they put too much on him by hitting him 3 early and he has produced better towards the back of the lineup. All true, but that was then and this is now. He's comfortable now. He has a .400 OBP since May.  Move him up. My preferred spot would be 1 or 2 depending on where you want to put Buxton, with Lewis, Bell, Larnach, and Jeffers in the 3 -6 spots depending on who's hot and who isn't. Lee and Clemens (if we must play him every day, get Ross up and see if he can play) hold down the 7 and 8 spots depending on the handedness of the starter, and Culpepper hits 9. If Martin plays, he hits 9 and everyone moves up one. If Martin's hurt, then Roden and Jenkins hit 8 or 9 with Culpepper unless they break out and show they should move up.    

The season is getting away from us. The offense is in the tank. Shake it up and shake it up TODAY. Move Keaschall up. That's the easy move and it should actually help. Remember, he has a .400 OBP since May, has hit .301/.420/.452 OPS in his last 30 games (who says he has no power), and he had a .909 OPS in July, 1.017 so far in August. Why the heck is he hitting 6 or 7???? There may be other smart moves, like moving Buck down to 5 or 6 or permanently installing Lewis at 4, but let's at least grab the low hanging fruit. Keaschall should hit in the 1 or 2 hole starting NOW.  

[MikeNC]

Step back a second folks.  A complete MLB player has 4 key attributes: 1. Hit (vs both LHP and RHP), 2. Defense 3. Baserunning 4. Durability.  Of the current Twins who checks all 4 boxes?  Brooks Lee, maybe Clemens, maybe Caratini.  All the others are platoon hitters, can't play D, or can't stay on the field.  Why are we clamoring to bring up the young guys?  Because you have 6 holes in the lineup.

[bjorks]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

“There's little value in carrying a full-time DH who is merely a good (as opposed to very good, or great) hitter”

This is why Bell needs to go.

Not exactly learning anew position as he spent plenty of time there at USF and ASU. While it's been rough, it's not like he's not going to be working on the position in the offseason/spring. I think Grady Sizemore has done an amazing job taking some guys not exactly comfortable in the OF and made them "serviceable". 

[LA Vikes Fan]

10 minutes ago, MikeNC said:

Step back a second folks.  A complete MLB player has 4 key attributes: 1. Hit (vs both LHP and RHP), 2. Defense 3. Baserunning 4. Durability.  Of the current Twins who checks all 4 boxes?  Brooks Lee, maybe Clemens, maybe Caratini.  All the others are platoon hitters, can't play D, or can't stay on the field.  Why are we clamoring to bring up the young guys?  Because you have 6 holes in the lineup.

I agree except I wouldn't put those 3 as checking all 4 boxes either. Lee can't hit RH, Clemens is "up" to .230 this year so I wouldn't say he's mastered the hit category, same for Caratini. I would say the one guy who meets the criteria you gave is actually the guy we are going to lose - Jeffers. He's missed part of this year but pretty durable before then at a demanding position. 

Your point is well taken. We do not have any position that couldn't be upgraded. 

[Coach]

Immediately after his wedding (Nov. 14) he and his new bride should pack to start their honeymoon in one of the winter leagues to get real time outfield experience.

[howeda7]

Put him back at 2B. His defensive stats are not nearly as bad there as in the OF, and he won't be competing with Jenkins and E-Rod for playing time in 2027 the way he will if you leave him in the OF.

For 2027, I would play him ~80 games at 2B and 60 at DH. I envision the DH starts as something like:

70 Larnach

60 Keaschall

15 Lewis

15 Buxton

Clemons starts ~70 at 2B and 40 at 1B.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

It doesn’t hurt to hang on to Keaschall, but he’s way down on my pecking order. He doesn’t hit enough to not field well, and doesn’t hit lefties well enough (or field) to beat out Martin as the platoon mate for Larnach.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, EGFTShaw said:

What about Matt Wallner as DH next year.  Eliminates his D liabilities, which could be worked on per my other post, for the near term.

He just hit his 22BHR, a St Paul season Team Record.

I know he stunk this year, but he hadn't stunk so much offensively in the past years.

I expect they will try Wallner at DH to start 2027. He’s out of options and this franchise hates giving players away.

[Cris E]

56 minutes ago, MikeNC said:

Step back a second folks.  A complete MLB player has 4 key attributes: 1. Hit (vs both LHP and RHP), 2. Defense 3. Baserunning 4. Durability.  Of the current Twins who checks all 4 boxes?  Brooks Lee, maybe Clemens, maybe Caratini.  All the others are platoon hitters, can't play D, or can't stay on the field.  Why are we clamoring to bring up the young guys?  Because you have 6 holes in the lineup.

So how many dozen complete MLB players are there? 

[Linus]

Here is the absurd part. When asked why they don’t play Keaschall in LF Shelton said they didn’t want to mess with Larnach. So now we are catering to a 30 year old journeyman OF who isn’t good in the field over a good young hitter struggling to find a home in the field?  This has the old Falvey I’m smarter than anyone else in the room written all over it. Apparently Zoll has the same problem. 

[HarmonK03]

2 minutes ago, Linus said:

Here is the absurd part. When asked why they don’t play Keaschall in LF Shelton said they didn’t want to mess with Larnach. So now we are catering to a 30 year old journeyman OF who isn’t good in the field over a good young hitter struggling to find a home in the field?  This has the old Falvey I’m smarter than anyone else in the room written all over it. Apparently Zoll has the same problem. 

This organization has not changed, Falvey wasn't making all these decisions himself.  He was being advised by people who agree with this nonsense of how to do things. And his top advisor was Zoll for probably the last 5 years, I don't why people thought things would change.  Nothing will change until Tom P. shows real leadership and brings a baseball executive that knows how to run an operation and uses analytics as a tool.  And he can clean house with anybody who doesn't agree.

[LyleCole]

Players who are defensive liabilities but can produce offensively just slide to the left of the defensive spectrum.   

This offseason I would suggest they continue his OF development as best they can and then buy him a first baseman's glove.   

 

Is there enough power for him to be at that end of the spectrum?   I think the really, really slow start impacted him in the power area and he is not a true power hitter.  But there is still a lot of pop in his bat.   Get him 50 games in LF,  60 games at first, 10 games at 2B and 25 as the DH.  As his defense improves then slide him more to left, if not slide him to first.   

But make sure that his defense is a priority in offseason work.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

I expect they will try Wallner at DH to start 2027. He’s out of options and this franchise hates giving players away.

They didn't even call him up now, to replace Martin. Why would they play him next year?

[RpR]

4 hours ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

His only legitimate spot is 2nd base.  His lack of an arm is a bigger detriment in the outfield.    Either that or he better get the 1st base mitt.  

Iron glove, no way should he ever be at 2nd again.

[RpR]

44 minutes ago, Linus said:

So now we are catering to a 30 year old journeyman OF who isn’t good in the field over a good young hitter struggling to find a home in the field? 

Catering to a journeyman, in your opinion, who has a decent glove over a rookie who is abysmal with a glove.

Twins made the right decision.

[Cris E]

47 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

This organization has not changed, Falvey wasn't making all these decisions himself.  He was being advised by people who agree with this nonsense of how to do things. And his top advisor was Zoll for probably the last 5 years, I don't why people thought things would change.  Nothing will change until Tom P. shows real leadership and brings a baseball executive that knows how to run an operation and uses analytics as a tool.  And he can clean house with anybody who doesn't agree.

Well this is a ridiculous strawman.  "Falvey only wanted single-dimensional players. They need to only hire  front office people who think complete hitters who can also field well should be acquired."  

Dude, everyone wants good young hitters who can field their position.  Everyone drafts CF and SS and slowly drifts them down to positions they can handle (unless it happened in college too, where a bunch of the high school SS and CF were moved to 2B and 3b once already.)  If the Twins started signing guys at their appropriate positions you'd be complaining about the 3B from college who was too slow for the MLB game and had to go to 1B or DH. Every level is faster than the one below it, and at each step some of the fringiest fielders have to leave their spot and do something easier.

Zoll and Falvey were not espousing some toxic ideology, they are playing the exact same game everyone plays.  The big difference in MN was not putting a pure glove in the first hole and sliding everyone down a spot to help them out.  That's essentially what the 2026 team has done to improve the fielding, at least in the IF. Injuries have derailed a similar evolution in the OF where Buxton being out and ERod not being available to promote left Keaschall holding some important roles. 

[HarmonK03]

2 minutes ago, Cris E said:

Well this is a ridiculous strawman.  "Falvey only wanted single-dimensional players. They need to only hire  front office people who think complete hitters who can also field well should be acquired."  

Dude, everyone wants good young hitters who can field their position.  Everyone drafts CF and SS and slowly drifts them down to positions they can handle (unless it happened in college too, where a bunch of the high school SS and CF were moved to 2B and 3b once already.)  If the Twins started signing guys at their appropriate positions you'd be complaining about the 3B from college who was too slow for the MLB game and had to go to 1B or DH. Every level is faster than the one below it, and at each step some of the fringiest fielders have to leave their spot and do something easier.

Zoll and Falvey were not espousing some toxic ideology, they are playing the exact same game everyone plays.  The big difference in MN was not putting a pure glove in the first hole and sliding everyone down a spot to help them out.  That's essentially what the 2026 team has done to improve the fielding, at least in the IF. Injuries have derailed a similar evolution in the OF where Buxton being out and ERod not being available to promote left Keaschall holding some important roles. 

This team relies on 1 year fringe guys and can not develop players, that is the culture set up by Falvey and continues with Zoll.  They use analytics as the guiding principal not as a tool.   This organizational structure has produced a .500 record over the last 10 years.  I personally as a fan am not satisfied with that.  Calling up Jackson today is just another example of no plan and no trust in the players they develop.

This is what I am referring to when I talk about the front office and what the thought processes are.  I for one am done with Zoll, this organization needs a top to bottom review of what's working and what's not and that won't happen until you get someone in from the outside.

[LA Vikes Fan]

C'mon guys, this shouldn't be and frankly isn't that hard. Starting with the basics, here are Luke Keaschall's hitting stats since May 1:

Batting Average - .292 - since June 1 - .301

On Base Percentage - .387 - since June 1 - .390

Slugging Percentage - .415 - since June 1 - .436

OPS - .802 - since June 1 - .826

That guy plays and he plays every day, somewhere. Remind me, who are our other OFs or even other players who have hit like that for the last 3.5 or even 2.5 months? Oh, that's right - NOBODY. Closest is maybe Lewis since his June recall - .278/.340/.475 (.815), or Ryan Jeffers since he came off of the IL on July 10 - .268/.365/.425 (.790). No one else is even on the same planet as those 3 and Keaschall is ahead of the other 2. And, he's done it for 3.5 months, not just a few weeks. Conclusion, he has to play. Every Day. Those who say his offense isn't good enough to play him with his defense are smoking something I wish I could buy a pound of, and are smoking too much of it.  

So where can we play the guy and where should he hit in the order? 2B didn't work out very well, that's for sure. Lewis is now the 1B and between he and Clemens, that position is spoken for. RF? So far, not so great but not horrible for a guy who has literally almost never played there professionally until this year. Why not LF which is easier and would be less of a team burden? Oh that's right we have the lumbering Trevor Larnach, pretty good hitter but not as good as Keaschall and can only play against RH pitchers, and Austin Martín, good OBP against LHs, doesn't hit RHs very well, and looks like Keaschall in the field holding down LF. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Keaschall is faster and a better base runner/base stealer than either of them. Wait, what's wrong with this picture? Pretty much everything. 

The answer is relatively simple but probably won't and can't be implemented until next year given the roster we have. Keaschall plays LF for 120-130 games and DHs for 40 games, and hits 1 or 2, every day. Larnach either plays RF, is a primary LH DH/occasional OF or is traded, most likely one of the latter 2. Martin is the 4th or 5th OF behind Buxton, Keaschall and 1 or 2 of Jenkins/Emma/Roden if only so we have a RH bat either for LH starters or on the bench. Bell is playing for somebody else. Part of me frankly wants to call up Jenkins, put him in RF, put Keaschall in LF, and roll with those two plus Buck as the OF every day for the rest of the year. Martin and Roden can spell those 3 with Jenkins sliding over to CF when Buxton sits. Larnach and Bell can alternate at DH and grab some bench as a pinch hitter/bench bat when not starting. If we aren't going to do that then Keaschall plays RF every day. He's got to learn the OF somewhere because he's going to be there for the next few years.  

See, told you this was easy. There it is. Done. What else you got?

[Cris E]

@HarmonK03  Um, here's our roster and top position prospects.  I'd put it up against most other organizations as far as picking guys and getting them to be productive MLB players. (It helps to have been bad for a while and getting a lot of high draft picks.)  If your standard is all-stars or guys wearing WS rings then I can't help you because that's a pretty unreasonable standard, but as far as teams populating the MLB roster without relying on free agents then this team is pretty good. 

Drafted: Jeffers, Lee, Lewis, Culpepper, Keaschall, Larnach, Buxton, Wallner, Jenkins, ERod, Houston, Diaw

Acquired in minors: Martin, Gabby Gonzalez, Mendaz, Tait

Acquired at MLB: Bell, Clemons, Caratini, Kreidler

You can argue that the teaching could be better, but honestly if Lewis came up at 1B and Lee was never a SS and so on you'd likely think the fielding was pretty decent and wonder why the second highest scoring team in the AL couldn't teach anyone to hit. 

The organization is moving guys around to improve the overall glovework. This was a year slated for discovery, development and a bit of Let's See What Happens, and I think that aspect has been a strong positive. (Alas I cannot help you with the Jackson recall. That's beyond explanation.)

 

[Coach Wheels]

4 hours ago, Jacksson said:

Develop the outfield defensive skills of: Keaschall, Martin, Larnach.  Work them EVERY DAY IN PRACTICE. In the offseason give them drills to perform.  In Spring Training, EXTRA work on outfield defense EVERY SINGLE DAY.  If defensive ability proves to just not be there, you have no choice but to trade one or all of them.  There is no room on a low spending team for a litany of players who are unable to contribute both on offense and defense.  A complete review of the organization's minor leagues needs to be undertaken to identify players with defensive/positional shortcomings.  If extra/intensive work fails to develop those skills, the players need to be jettisoned from the organization.  There are only so many organizational resources, time and money that can be invested in players WITHOUT a path to a viable, MLB performance level defensive position.  Further, the scouting and drafting arms of the organization need to be put on notice that players WITHOUT the natural instincts and physical skills to perform, at the very least adequately at a defensive position are to be discouraged from being brought into the organization in the first place.

There's no room for Austin Martin on this roster next year. Culpepper and Jenkins make Martin expendable

[Cris E]

9 minutes ago, Coach Wheels said:

There's no room for Austin Martin on this roster next year. Culpepper and Jenkins make Martin expendable

It depends on what they do with Larnach. If he stays they need a platoon partner for him, and the team needs a pinch hitter against lefties in general. But some of the kids may do these things just fine so it'll be interesting what they choose and how many familiar faces get sent away next winter. 

[LA Vikes Fan]

Cris E - The Jackson recall tells us that the FO either thinks Roden is a better bet than Jenkins or Emma or at least wants to find out. With Martin down for at least a couple of weeks , and probably more with a hamstring, I expect to see Roden starting a lot days. Maybe it will be Roden in RF, Buxton in CF, Keaschall in LF some days and Larnach in LF, Keaschall in RF on some others. Some days Bell will move to 1B and Clemens to the OF to get Jeffers DH ABs or maybe Jeffers will play 1B with Lewis moving to 2B some days.

Bottom line is more ABs for Roden the rest of 2026. This his big shot at showing he belongs in MLB. He either hits now or starts to wander team to team. Hope he makes it. 

[Hunter4848]

1 hour ago, RpR said:

Catering to a journeyman, in your opinion, who has a decent glove over a rookie who is abysmal with a glove.

Twins made the right decision.

Which is exactly why are are well below .500 now...

[Major League Ready]

They are not going to fix the defensive woes overnight, but I can see a scenario where it improves a lot by this time next year.  Lee is average at 3B and Lewis should be just fine at 1B with a little more time.  We are weak up the middle which of course is a real problem.  However, I saw quite a bit at Culpepper at AAA and the eye test says he is above average.  We badly need Houston's offense to continue to improve.  If he could be here by July next year, Culpepper slides to 2B and the INF defense is not stellar but it's above average and strong up the middle.

Now, the OF.  We all expect Jenkins is going to be here soon and that's going to be a significant upgrade.  The other guy we really need is to make the leap to the majors is Rodriguez.  He gives us a strong defensive corner OFer and a backup CFer that can hit same hand pitching and run the bases.  If those two guys join Buxton our OF defense improve vastly.  

The speed these young guys will bring will also improve our base running.  I pray these young guys make it because this team will be a lot more fun to watch.

[Cory Engelhardt]

9 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Keaschall has the same athletic tools as Austin Martin. He should be able to become an adequate left fielder. The Twins need to find a new team for Larnach and let Bell leave as a free agent. That will give them enough room to play their many outfield prospects next season.

I don't know that Bell needs to leave. He's productive as the dh only. But I can see that argument. Moving Larnach this past deadline should have happened, most likely because his value will never ever be that high again as he isn't a great defender by any means. Non-moves (like not finding a deal for Larnach at this deadline) make me question the ability for forward thinking by this front office. My hope for a team that longer term both A) spends payroll space with an focus on improving the on field product and B) prioritizing defense a whole heck of a lot more than it currently does. 

I mean, there are way more moves that people can and should argue about. That's why sports is fun. But Larnach is one of the many players on this roster that their best position defensively is either LF or DH. i HAVE to think that Jenkins and Rodriguez, with Keaschall focusing an offseason on defense, would all be a step up from Larnach in left field. And IF Buxton's hip can be ok in center (I guess there is hope there, but we'll see) then the outfield defense in 2027 (if there is a season) SHOULD be improved over this season. Run prevention would certainly help with getting average to above average defenders at quite a few more spots than the lineup currently has in place.

Anyway, yes, I do think Keaschall's bat will play long term in the majors and I hope they keep him around. I also hope they spend the offseason truly having him focus and work on his defense at a position, either outfield or back at 2B. It's players like Keaschall, I would argue, that you shouldn't be as flexible with in needing to learn multiple positions. Hopefully he can focus on one position and become even average at it. He has the athletic ability and the work ethic, so I think he can. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

34 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

They are not going to fix the defensive woes overnight, but I can see a scenario where it improves a lot by this time next year.  Lee is average at 3B and Lewis should be just fine at 1B with a little more time.  We are weak up the middle which of course is a real problem.  However, I saw quite a bit at Culpepper at AAA and the eye test says he is above average.  We badly need Houston's offense to continue to improve.  If he could be here by July next year, Culpepper slides to 2B and the INF defense is not stellar but it's above average and strong up the middle.

Now, the OF.  We all expect Jenkins is going to be here soon and that's going to be a significant upgrade.  The other guy we really need is to make the leap to the majors is Rodriguez.  He gives us a strong defensive corner OFer and a backup CFer that can hit same hand pitching and run the bases.  If those two guys join Buxton our OF defense improve vastly.  

The speed these young guys will bring will also improve our base running.  I pray these young guys make it because this team will be a lot more fun to watch.

I agree with everything you said.

I also think, IF they don't truly believe in Houston's bat to be mlb ready, that if Tom Pohlad TRULY wants to show he is a legit owner and will try to win, maybe they do attempt to make a good move this offseason for either a really good 2B or a really good SS to pair with Culpepper. Not that this has to be a ton about money or trading all the prospects. More I think even, someone like Michael Massey from the Royals at 2B, or Masyn Winn from the Cardinals at SS; either of them would dramatically help the up the middle defense with Culpepper playing the other position. Not that it HAS to be those guys. Heck, maybe they go back to the Angels and ask about Zach Neto if they truly believe he can be a SS here. 

To me, that is the kind of move that solidifies the up the middle defense that would have such a great affect on run prevention in 2027.

That said, maybe they do love Marek Houston. That could be. But they need upgrades at more than a few spots defensively in the lineup for 2027 compared to now, and getting a truly good defender at one of the 2 up the middle infield spots would be so good for this team.

I also agree with you that defensively Brooks Lee at 3B and Royce Lewis at 1B is pretty much fine. I just want a lot better defense up the middle than what we have currently.