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The Twins’ endless pursuit of left-handed corner outfielders has been well covered. The many poor-fitting pieces of the lineup have, as well. They're seeing the results of their lopsided roster construction to begin the season, and turning the corner feels unlikely.
The Twins have mustered very little fight against left-handed pitchers, scoring two runs in 16 2/3 innings against them. In looking at the lineup they throw out in these matchups, you might feel like they should be able to at least hold their own. They're able to fill out most of the batting order with right-handed hitters. That may not be enough to save them, though.
To be fair, we have yet to see several expected contributors pitch in much in this small sample to begin the season. Byron Buxton has yet to pick up a hit against left-handed pitching, and we're waiting for Luke Keaschall and Ryan Jeffers to take off. The Twins are surely counting on these players to carry the lineup. So far, Austin Martin has held his own in the leadoff spot when called upon, but the lineup has missed some expected production that's sure to show up at some point.
Unfortunately, even as those names come around, it's hard to expect this lineup to perform against lefties. They're simply lacking in players to counter those matchups. Not only do they have too many left-handed hitters on the roster, but too many of the right-handed bats they have to rely on also aren't a big help.
Brooks Lee has been better against left-handed pitching so far in his career, but that consists of just a .647 OPS. Josh Bell hasn't produced at an above-average clip against lefties since 2023, and posted a .552 OPS against them last season. Victor Caratini was slightly above average against them in 2025, but has a .672 mark against southpaws in his career. These three are going to be regulars on days with a left-handed starter on the mound, along with at least one left-handed hitter. This is the best the Twins have to offer. Their bench doesn’t have any other right-handed hitters to shuffle into the mix if these players continue to struggle, as we would expect them to.
In short, there's no reason to expect this lineup to right the ship against left-handed pitching. They won’t be as bad as they’ve been in this small sample, but they’ll continue to struggle significantly. The falloff in the lineup is quick and precipitous, and will likely kill many of the rallies the top of the lineup doesn't finish. Even among the few bats the Twins chose to bring in this offseason who can hit right-handed, they did a poor job of adding impact from that side of the plate.
It's yet another strike against the way the Twins chose to build their roster in 2026. Their emphasis on acquiring and retaining as many left-handed bats as possible left them with few roster spots to allocate to countering left-handed pitching. They filled those spots with bats that are technically capable of hitting right-handed, but are highly unlikely to be the impact contributors this lineup needs against lefties.
From ace starting pitchers to marginal relievers, it's safe to expect the Twins to struggle mightily for all of the 2026 season against southpaws, and teams will continue to turn to them as often as they possibly can. If that's the case, it won't be because of underperformance or unexpected struggles. It will be because that's exactly what you'd expect from the roster they put together.
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- glunn, Mia Bednar, nclahammer and 1 other
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