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The Twins played back-to-back home spring training games this wee, which gave manager Rocco Baldelli a chance to showcase his everyday players two days in a row. So Matt Wallner, Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Trevor Larnach, and Royce Lewis batted first through fifth both days. Christian Vazquez and Ryan Jeffers, the veteran catchers, alternated starts, as is likely the plan for the season.
But the other spots in the bottom half of the lineup all switched. Wednesday’s featured the veterans: Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, and Ty France. They’re all nearly guaranteed spots on the roster, though how significant their roles will be will likely depend on their performance.
Thursday’s theme was “youth hoping to establish themselves as regulars.” Jose Miranda (26yo), Edouard Julien (25yo), and Brooks Lee (24yo) have all shown incredibe upside. Each also struggled at the end of last year as the Twins plummeted from a 90+% chance to make the postseason to watching October baseball from their couch. If they want to avoid that fate this year, those three players’ performances will be key to the team’s revival.
At this time last year, Edouard Julien’s MLB career seemed assured. 2023 was his breakthrough season. Julien was called up on May 20th, and from that point on, he hit .267 with a 389 OBP and a 460 Slugging percentage in 378 plate appearances as a 24-year-old. There were some warts: he struck out 119 times, and his defense at second base was a little rough. But his combination of patience and power would play anywhere in the field if the latter didn’t improve.
His 2024 was a disaster. Julien’s patience turned to passivity. He was sent down to St. Paul in early June when he was batting just .207 with a 676 OPS. He was recalled in late July when the Twins needed reinforcements, but he was even worse in the second half, hitting .186 with a 509 OPS.
Julien attributes his sophomore slump to changes he made to his swing before the 2024 season that left him especially vulnerable to offspeed pitches. “I was uphill, and everything that was thrown, like sliders, curveball, everything going down in the zone, I wasn't able to connect with them,” said Julien when asked about last year. “I knew that was a problem, and I had to address it. And during the season, it was hard, because you don't really want to make some big changes.”
Jose Miranda, on the other hand, had the bounceback season he was hoping for last year, up until he was sidelined by lower back stiffness in the middle of July. On July 8th, he looked like a middle-of-the-order bat for the next five years, posting a 908 OPS while batting .332. He returned from his trip to the Injured List before then end of July, but after that point, his production plunged, posting a 528 OPS with a .208 batting average.
His struggles led the Twins to not only sign the free agent France last in the offseason, but to almost immediately name him the starting first baseman while simultaneously discussing how MIranda would need to earn his at-bats at first base, designated hitter, and third base.
Finally, Brooks Lee, the 8th overall pick in the 2022 draft, raced through the minors, posting an 841 OPS while showcasing strong defensive infield work. He made his MLB debut and immediately showed fans glimpses of what they had heard about in the minors: he went 11-24 in his first week with the team.
But his dream week turned to a nightmare. He hit just .182 after that point, posting a 503 OPS, while also missing time with a sore shoulder in August. ”So, yeah, it sucked,” said Lee about the experience. “It was not as enjoyable as I would have thought it would have been.”
His challenge is to show what the Twins saw in the minors and what fans saw in his first week is what he can do every day. “I would like to do that again, sustain it for a season, a whole career,” says Lee about the upcoming season. “So that's what I'm trying to do.”
And that’s the case for all three of the players. Julien has shown the patience and power to be an outstanding leadoff hitter. Miranda’s first half would look great batting third. Lee’s .362 OBP throughout the minors could be an asset as a #2.
But yesterday, they were batting 7-8-9, trying to show that they belong on the Opening Day Roster. They each singled in the second inning to score the Twins first run. Julien and Lee each had another hit, and Miranda had a sacrifice fly that scored the Twins' fifth run. The team lost 13-10 to the Orioles, but those three provided exactly the kind of production the Twins hope to see in 2025.
Last year the Twins saw how good their team could be, when they were 17 games above .500 in mid-August. They also saw just how easily that can fall apart when they finished the season 12-27 in their last 39 games.
Similarly, these three have already shown that they can be major league regulars or even MLB All-Stars. If they each take a couple of steps forward, they could lead the Twins lineup to a postseason run. But if they cannot turn those flashes into sustained success, they may do the same, but atop the St. Paul Saints' lineup.
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