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Many teams, like the Twins, try to focus on improving baserunning early in the season. However, the Twins have built a lineup that includes many players for whom baserunning isn’t a strong suit. It would be great if coaching and strategy could help a team improve on the base paths, but a team can't make giant strides without the appropriate personnel. Slow baserunners will continue to be slow baserunners, which held true for Minnesota throughout this season.
One way to measure baserunning is through a metric called Base Running (BsR) that includes stolen bases, caught stealing, and other baserunning plays (taking extra bases on hits, being thrown out on the bases, etc.) into runs above and below average. Minnesota had the fewest steals of any team last season, and had the fifth-worst BsR total. The Twins have multiple players who rate poorly on the base paths, including some who may be surprising. Here are the team's five worst base runners.
5. Royce Lewis
BsR: -1.1, Sprint Speed: 28th percentile
Lewis is the most surprising name on this list, because of the type of player he was early in his professional career. After the Twins drafted him, his sprint speed was one of the best in the minor leagues. He’s had two major knee surgeries, significantly impacting his speed and baserunning. In 2024, he also dealt with a quadricep strain and an adductor strain that might have hampered him. In 2022 and 2023, he had a sprint speed in the 74th percentile or higher. Lewis will likely not return to his pre-surgery speed, but he can be a smarter and better baserunner in 2025.
4. Trevor Larnach
BsR: -1.7, Sprint Speed: 22nd percentile
Larnach fits the mold of a burly corner outfielder, so the Twins aren’t looking for him to be a threat on the bases. However, there is room for him to improve his overall baserunning. His sprint speed was the lowest since his rookie campaign. He also dealt with a hamstring injury that limited him during the stretch run. Realistically, the Twins want Larnach to smack the ball into the gap or over the fence, so his base running doesn’t need to come into play often. Larnach and Matt Wallner are expected to get regular reps in the corner outfield next season, so the Twins can work with both players on their baserunning approach, even if it leads to small gains.
3. Kyle Farmer
BsR: -3.2, Sprint Speed: 16th percentile
Some fans likely view Farmer as a solid baserunner, since he plays up-the-middle defensive positions. However, he has never been a speedy runner, and those concerns came to the forefront in 2024. He posted a career-low success rate in advancing on balls in play (90%). His sprint speed was also below 26.0 ft/sec for the first time in his career. Other players on this list had lower-body injuries that impacted their sprint speed, but Farmer’s issues seem tied to his age. He will head to free agency, and the Twins might be able to replace him on the roster with a younger, more athletic option from inside the organization.
2. Christian Vázquez
BsR: -2.5, Sprint Speed: 4th percentile
Vázquez is a terrible baserunner, but that's generally expected of catchers. According to StatCast, he has provided a negative value with his legs in every season since 2017. He’s also significantly below average in attempting to advance and being successful when he does try. He’s a station-to-station runner who clogs up the bases for hitters at the top of the lineup. His sprint speed was below 25.0 ft/sec for the first time in his career, and he’s ranked near the bottom of the league in this category over the last two seasons. Vázquez is under contract for one more season, and it seems likely that Father Time will hinder his running even more.
1. José Miranda
BsR: -3.5, Sprint Speed: 16th percentile
An argument can be made for Miranda or Vázquez to be at the top of this list. Vázquez has a worse sprint speed, but Miranda provided more negative BsR value. His sprint speed dropped from 26.6 ft/sec to 25.9 ft/sec. Among MLB third basemen, he ranked 79th in sprint speed. His sprint speed drop also resulted in his being less successful when trying to advance, with a 10% drop compared to 2023. Over the last two seasons, his up-and-down offensive performance makes it challenging for the team to know what role Miranda can fill in the future. He will never be an above-average runner, but he can be smarter on the bases and not cost the team runs.
Farmer is the only name from the above list who isn’t expected to be part of the Twins’ roster next season, so the team might be poor on the bases again. However, there is room for improvement. Willi Castro saw a steep drop in steals last season as he fought through injury. The Twins can also use some younger, more athletic players on the bench, who might allow the team to be more aggressive on the bases. Even an incremental improvement would be welcome.
What was most surprising from the names on the list? Who else should rank in the top five? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.
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