Kody Clemens Can Hold Down First Base

It’s easy to set a target on first base as a prime position at which the Twins might upgrade this winter. Royce Lewis was poor there down the stretch. It’s worth a reminder, though, that Kody Clemens spent a good chunk of the season there with much better results. The Twins can certainly explore their options in the first-base market, but if they choose not to invest heavily in a non-premium position, Clemens is a better fallback option than he gets credit for.

Clemens was more of a second baseman by the end of 2026, which, ironically, was perhaps his worst defensive fit among the positions he could play. His athleticism makes him a much better fit for a corner infield or outfield spot, and his lack of range showed up in his -3 Outs Above Average at second base. By season’s end, it was easy to forget that he was a good defensive first baseman.

Clemens’s Outs Above Average of 1 at first base was acceptable, and certainly better than the -1 posted by Royce Lewis. He did all he could at the beginning of the year, when he was receiving throws from an entire infield that had to be completely overhauled midseason. Lewis rated better as a receiver of throws, but he was getting better ones than Clemens had been, and Clemens had better range on ground balls to the right side than Lewis did.

Of course, defense is the secondary bar to clear at first base. At a position so far down the defensive spectrum, offense is the main driver of value. Clemens may not be one of the top-tier bats in the Twins’ lineup, but he’s proven capable of meeting the standards for first base.

The league's first basemen posted a .765 aggregate OPS last season, just ahead of Clemens’ .758 over 583 plate appearances. That figure jumps to .789 against right-handed pitching, so if Clemens is deployed as a platoon-protected first baseman, he's above-average. Finding a capable right-handed option to operate as his short-side platoon partner would be pretty easy, and much cheaper than signing a full-time first baseman with that level of expected production.

By making Clemens the strong side of a first-base platoon, the Twins would have a plus defender at first base most of the time, and their options for filling the rest remain wide open. They could take a low-risk flier on someone like Paul Goldschmidt or Ryan Mountcastle, each of whom has destroyed left-handed pitching in their career and who could also occasionally DH. Perhaps if they sign a right-handed hitting outfielder, they could shift Luke Keaschall back to first base against southpaws to maximize their platoon advantage.

The main luxury Clemens should provide is preventing the team from taking too risky a swing at first base. Perhaps Jake Bauers’s breakout in his 30s is real, but are the Twins the team that wants to gamble on it? The first-base free-agent market is fairly light, but do the Twins really want to explore other options that could cost significant trade capital? They might be better served taking risks and investing elsewhere in the roster.

There is one tougher question to answer: If Clemens is the 'who' on first, what's on second? Keaschall certainly can't move back there. With an offseason of prep, Lewis might be a plus defender there, and his bat is more viable at second than at first, but the upside of plugging him in there is low. If and when Marek Houston arrives, one of Houston, Kaelen Culpepper or Brooks Lee will have to find their playing time at second, but that's not guaranteed to happen at all, and even if it does, it probably won't happen right away. If Clemens is being asked to play first, then, the team has to find another bridge to their future at second. Free agency has some interesting names at that position, and again, maybe it's better to take risks there than at first, but installing Clemens at first would force the front office to do so.

Clemens has become more than just a fun story—the son of a former big leaguer claimed off waivers. He has value to offer the Twins, and he’s shown strong signs of being a capable first baseman on a competitive team. He's shown to be an above-average hitter at the position with the right matchups, and is a plus defender, to boot.

Can the Twins trust Clemens in a platoon? Should they invest in first base and push him back into a bench role, or keep him at second? Let us know below!

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