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Today, we will start by looking at the outfield mix and any improvements that could be made. Later, we will do the same with the Twins' infield mix.
The Michael A. Taylor Role
Last season, Michael A. Taylor filled a vital role for the Twins as Byron Buxton could not roam center field. Going into the 2024 season, there was always hope that Buxton would return to being the primary center fielder, and thankfully, outside of a quick IL trip, that has been the case.
Injuries and Buxton are always a possibility, and the Twins front office recognizes that. Instead of re-signing Taylor, Manuel Margot was acquired to fill that role. While I, for one, was originally excited about this as a plan B, it has been pretty ugly thus far.
Margot was competing for the worst team fWAR at -0.3 and was tied with fellow veteran Christian Vazquez for that title until this weekend when Margot got “better,” and Vazquez dropped further into the negatives. That fWAR has been accumulated by the veteran outfielder in 52 games, where he has slashed .209/.279/.264. As one can imagine, it only gets worse the further we dig into the numbers, such as a .542 OPS, a 58 OPS+, and a 61 wRC+.
The hope had been for Margot to help the Twins when facing lefties, and while that split is better with a .715 OPS, it doesn’t feel good enough to overshadow the rest of his performance. That includes his normally good fielding. So far this season, Margot has a -2 Outs Above Average. At this point, Willi Castro has been trusted as the primary backup center fielder. Buxton has the clear hold on most action in center for the Twins, with Castro coming in second with 19 games in center field.
Solidify Left Field
Coming into the season, there was a clear path (barring health) to who would play center field (Buxton) and right field (Max Kepler). Left field, on the other hand, wasn’t as clear. Instead of clarity, there was a variety of options. Now, entering June, that clarity isn’t much better.
Matt Wallner had the opportunity to grab hold of the position first, but after struggling, he was demoted to St. Paul and has yet to rebound. While Margot has not been trusted in center, he has seen 30 games in left. From there, the others to get time in left include Alex Kirilloff (19), Austin Martin (16), Castro (15), and Laranch (8).
Currently, if the Twins were to run out their best lineup, it likely includes Castro as the starting left fielder. Maybe we are at a point where we need to trust that Castro deserves to be the everyday starting left fielder with his .775 OPS. Is that truly the mix the Twins want for the outfield going further? Certainly, the team may consider whether a more natural left fielder instead of a utility player would be better for the long haul.
Injury Reinforcements: Often, a team can answer midseason needs by players simply regaining their health. On the major league roster, there aren’t any options like that in the Twins' outfield. Kepler and Buxton have both returned to the lineup after their IL trips. There could be a ripple effect that once Royce Lewis returns, Castro will be that much more available for outfield duties.
Minor League Promotions: There are a few more minor leaguers who could be promoted to help at some point this summer.
Austin Martin
Martin has already seen some action with the Twins this season. His usage seemed strange at best. Outside of the power component, Martin is the player who could be perfect as a fourth outfielder and backup center fielder and fill that Taylor role from last season. The Twins didn’t seem to want to use him that way in his initial run in the majors this season, and Martin’s .224 average and .644 OPS didn’t force their hand to either.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
Keirsey is approaching a point where he may have earned himself a chance to play in the big leagues. Defensively, he is fully capable of playing any of the outfield positions. While he would add another lefty to the Twins lineup, he has also been producing at the plate in 2024. Keirsey has a line of .302/.390/.538 as he has suited up for St. Paul this season.
Emmanuel Rodriguez
This big swing likely has a slim possibility of happening without a stop at Triple-A St. Paul first. Rodriguez has been destroying Double-A with a 1.079 OPS and seems more than ready for a new challenge. As a top-three prospect in the Twins system, the promotion of Rodriguez to the majors would bring the same sort of excitement that promoting Royce Lewis did last season.
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