Is Jose Miranda…Underrated?

People started to take notice of Jose Miranda last season after he combined to post a .973 OPS between Double and Triple-A. The 127 were played between the ages of 22 and 23, and while he was a former 2nd round pick, Miranda had never received top 100 prospect consideration.

Coming into 2022, Miranda made both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline’s top 100 lists. He was snubbed by Baseball Prospectus, and still largely looked at as a fringe contributor to those lists. Miranda didn’t do himself a ton of favors early this year. He posted just a .737 OPS in his first 21 games with the Saints, but then opportunity presented itself.

Called up on April 2, Miranda made his big league debut. 19 games in with the Twins, he was optioned back to Triple-A after compiling a .484 OPS and 14/2 K/BB. Once Royce Lewis went down with a season-ending injury though, Miranda never set foot at CHS Field. Back in the lineup for Minnesota on May 30, he has undergone what may be the most impressive rookie season in franchise history.

Over a period of 69 games, Miranda has routinely seen time at first base, third base, and designated hitter. He has batted anywhere from the top of the lineup to the bottom, and he’s tallied a ridiculous .838 OPS. He’s carried a .302 average and .346 on-base percentage while swatting 12 home runs and leading the club in runs batted in. Despite a terrible first month, he’s still managed to pull off a 120 OPS+ to date.

Maybe it’s because teammate Jhoan Duran has a triple-digit fastball and has carried the Twins bullpen, or maybe it’s because Minnesota remains flyover country, but it seems the performance has continued to go unnoticed nationally. Miranda turned 24 years old earlier this season and is still figuring things out as a Major League ballplayer. He has had to face pitchers multiple times, and work as the league, or more specifically the division, has adjusted to him.

It’s fair to note that Miranda is thwarted in overall value by analytical metrics such as fWAR. His total this season is 1.1, That puts him in a tie for 14th and well off the league-leading 3.6 pace set by Baltimore Orioles, Adley Rutschman. Much of this is derived from his defensive acumen. At first base, it’s been easy to see Miranda is stretched. He’s been worth -3 defensive runs saved in just over 380 innings, and only worth one defensive run saved in 216 innings at the hot corner. The Statcast metric, outs above average, doesn’t like him either. Throw in the double-digit starts at designated hitter and you now have a clearer picture.

None of this is to downplay what has taken place. Miranda spent the first month of the season playing at Triple-A. He spent the next month being unproductive, and frankly, terrible. From there, he’s been among the better players in the Major Leagues, rookie or otherwise. Duran has helped to steal some of the spotlight, but Minnesota hasn’t experienced this level of play from a hitter in their debut season for a long time.

If you’re watching Twins games on a daily basis and enjoying Miranda’s heroics, then you’ve appreciated the greater body of work. If you’re watching him play defense and catching an at-bat at a time, you’ve probably missed it. I don’t think it’s sugarcoating it though, to call this one of the best rookie seasons Twins fans have ever seen.