Prove It: Two Former Top Twins Prospects Fighting for 2025 Roster Openings

Organizations must balance present and future value when making roster decisions. Currently, the Twins have Max Kepler and Carlos Santana on contracts that expire at the end of this season, and it seems likely that the team will part ways with both players at that point. Kepler will head to free agency for the first time, after spending 15 years in the Twins system, and Santana’s age is usually associated with declining performance. The Twins could go outside the organization to fill those roles, but there are internal options with something to prove. 

The St. Paul Saints open their season this weekend, with multiple current and former top prospects populating their roster. Many fans will turn their attention to some of the most prominent names in the Twins system, like Brooks Lee and David Festa. However, others on the roster have a chance to push themselves back into the team’s long-term plans. Trevor Larnach and José Miranda have lost their prospect shine, and now it’s time to prove they have long-term value to the Twins. 

Trevor Larnach, OF
The Twins selected Larnach with the 20th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, after a tremendous collegiate career at Oregon State University. He was a consensus top-100 prospect entering the 2020 and 2021 seasons, looking like he might be a middle-of-the-order slugger for multiple seasons. Larnach hasn’t translated his success in the upper minors to the big-league level. In nearly 700 PA, he has hit .222/.315/.385, with a 98 OPS+ and a 33.6 K%. His 2023 season will also be delayed, as he will start the year on the Triple-A IL with turf toe. 

What Must He Prove?
Larnach is getting dangerously close to being categorized as a Quadruple-A player--one who can succeed at Triple-A but not in the big leagues. For his career, he has an .822 OPS in 96 Triple-A games, including an .888 OPS last season for the Saints. His biggest issue at the big-league level has been making consistent contact or doing any damage on non-fastballs. In 2024, he posted a .489 SLG against fastballs, but his SLG dropped to .290 versus breaking pitches. At Triple-A, it’s hard for him to improve against these types of pitches, because he sees pitchers with inferior stuff by MLB standards. Can he escape being categorized as a Quad-A guy and learn to either hunt heat better or leave more for the curveball?

José Miranda, 1B/DH
Miranda was set to take over the full-time third base role in 2023, with the team trading Gio Urshela to clear a path at the hot corner. He had posted a 114 OPS+ during his rookie season, which included 25 doubles and 15 home runs. Last season, he battled a shoulder injury during spring training, and the problem lingered during the regular season. In 40 games, he hit .211/.263/.303, with seven extra-base hits and a 56 OPS+. His season ended with shoulder surgery, and he watched other players surpass him on the team’s depth chart. Now relegated to first base, he has multiple things to prove.

What Must He Prove?
Miranda was supposed to be the team’s third baseman of the future, but other players seem better suited for that role. The Twins are having him focus on first base, a position where he started fewer than 40 games in the minors. The cold corner has some defensive nuances to learn (footwork and scooping low throws, for instance) that come with more experience at the position. He must also cobble together an offensive performance that matches that of a first baseman or designated hitter. Both positions have high expectations for hitters, so he needs to return to where he was in 2022. Can he adjust to first base and reemerge as an offensive threat? 

Kepler and Santana aren’t going anywhere this season, but Larnach and Miranda can make things uncomfortable for the front office (in a good way) if they perform well. The two veterans aren’t part of the team’s long-term plan, but there is hope that the former top prospects will respond this season and prove they belong.

Can either player become part of the team’s long-term plans again? Which player will have the best 2024 campaign? Leave a comment and start the discussion.