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    Trevor Larnach is Quietly Having Another Good Season, but Platoon Splits Hide It

    Trevor Larnach has been playing more against lefties this season, but his struggles against southpaws are hiding the fact that he’s been excellent against righties.
    Greggory Masterson

    By Greggory Masterson

    Image courtesy of © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

    Twins Video

    I’m going to be honest: a few weeks ago, I had a thought. Why are people down on Trevor Larnach? It felt like he was having a productive year. He had just hit his 10th home run, on pace to crack 20 homers for the first time in his career, and he was driving the ball well, sitting at 10 doubles just 69 games into the year, as well. But I looked up his OPS, and it was just a bit over league average, at .736 (105 OPS+).

    At that point, I shrugged and just assumed I was overrating him in my head. That’s fine, acceptable production from a mediocre glove in the corner outfield. It’s not good, by any means, but it keeps the line moving.

    In the weeks since, he’s continued producing (by the eye test), hitting for power and a decent average, and taking a few walks. But still, the numbers on the season weren’t there. He’s sitting at a 103 OPS+, in line with his career averages—but markedly lower than the 116 OPS+ he had last season, when he was one of the more quietly productive bats in the Twins lineup.

    So I went poking around, and figured it out. It’s his performance against lefties.

    Larnach is actually hitting better against righties this season than he did last year. Against righties, he was 20% above average last season and is 24% above average thus far this season. Against lefties, he was bad last year—37% below average—but this season he’s been unplayable at 63% below average.

    It’s not only that his performance has slipped; it’s that he’s also getting considerably more run against lefties. Last season, 5.7% of his total plate appearances were against lefties, but this season he’s at 19.4%, meaning nearly one in every five plate appearances has come against southpaws.

    Personally, I take performance against lefties as noise, for a left-handed batter. I just assume any left-on-left plate appearance is an out, and any hit is a fun bonus. That’s probably why I didn’t understand the slippage in his performance. I didn’t realize how many more of his plate appearances were against lefties. I’d say it’s not even slippage, but more like overexposure.

    To put it into perspective, if instead of only 81% of his plate appearance coming against righties this season he hit against them 94% of the time, like last season, his OPS would raise from .744 to about .791, which would put him around the same level as Willi Castro, about 20% above league average. He’s got one of the worst slash lines against lefties on the team, being trailed only by Christian Vázquez among semi-regulars. And yet, he has the seventh-most plate appearances against lefties this season, leading all other lefties, too. 

     

    At the beginning of the season, manager Rocco Baldelli commented that Larnach had requested seeing more lefties, staying in against lefty relievers, and the chance to be a true everyday player. The organization also didn’t field many consistent lefty platoon bats. Much of the season has featured both Jonah Bride and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. as roster pieces, neither of whom the manager seems eager to play against lefties (even though Bride bats righty), leaving Larnach with the opportunity to hit them and stay in the game when a lefty comes up.

    This is a departure from previous seasons, as players like Manuel Margot, Donovan Solano, Kyle Farmer, Jordan Luplow, and Kyle Garlick have been rostered specifically to hit lefties—with varying degrees of success. This season, there has been no reason not to let Larnach—or other lefties like Matt Wallner and switch-hitters who struggle from the right side of the plate, like Brooks Lee—get opportunities to hit lefties.

    But it hasn’t worked for Larnach. Wallner, Lee, Castro, and Kody Clemens have all had more success.

    Admittedly, Larnach has gotten less run against southpaws in recent weeks. He’s started fewer games, ceding time to other lefty hitters (or Bride) in starting lineups against lefties, and he's been pulled in three straight games (for Lee, Lee, and Harrison Bader) over the weekend after a lefty reliever entered.

    It’s just not working out now, and the Twins don’t have a clean swap to keep him out of the lineup when they roster Larnach, Wallner, Clemens, and Keirsey, unless they start both catchers—which isn’t the end of the world, but man, would it be nice if they had someone to consistently fill that spot. As it is, Larnach has become the de facto Max Kepler: the lefty batter who gets to face some lefties, but probably shouldn't, in the interest of both his own numbers and the team's success.

    You can follow Greggory at @GreggTMasterson on Twitter for some even more disorganized thoughts.
    Follow Greggory Masterson on Twitter: GreggTMasterson

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    Featured Comments

    Linus

    Linus 9,151

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Larnach is the definition of an average hitter even when getting protected against lefties. He’s a sub par outfielder who is also slow. The Twins desperately need an infusion of speed and defense in the outfield. Larnachs spot is a great place to start. Unfortunately this would be an off season transition. 

    NYCTK

    NYCTK 3,204

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    I agree he shouldn't be hitting against LHP but that doesn't suddenly make him a good player. There's also the unfortunate fact that he's a bad athlete that plays a poor outfield and is a poor baserunner. 

    He's a perennial 1.5 WAR ceiling player making him a good bench player, not a core player. 

    Road trip

    Road trip 1,564

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    15 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

    I agree he shouldn't be hitting against LHP but that doesn't suddenly make him a good player. There's also the unfortunate fact that he's a bad athlete that plays a poor outfield and is a poor baserunner. 

    He's a perennial 1.5 WAR ceiling player making him a good bench player, not a core player. 

    Pretty good summary, unfortunately.  It's increasingly looking like Larnach is best suited to be a platoon DH, emergency outfielder.

    Back in the days of 10 man pitching staffs, you could carry a guy like that on the roster for a long time and derive some value (Randy Bush would be an example).  With the advent of big bullpens and short benches it gets tough to fit Larnach in to any kind of long term plan.

    If/when the Twins decide to sell, Larnach could potentially be a candidate.  Some contender might need a decent left handed bat.  He's not without value, but if this is his ceiling he is also replaceable.

    DocBauer

    DocBauer 22,263

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    I still don't have a problem with some LH bats facing LHP. Not only is the roster not big enough to offer a series of platoon options, but a LH bat never develops against LHP unless an opportunity is given. That doesn't mean Larnach should necessarily be that guy. 

    But I don't understand some of the apathy towards him. While not a star player, he's a quality 450PA appearance above average hitter against RHP. I prefer him as a #6-7 hitter in a deeper, more productive lineup, but until someone better is ready to replace him, he's a perfectly solid bat/player. 

    He's not even close to Bader defensively, but we're talking g comparison to a GG CF playing LF.  Larnach takes decent routes, catches all he gets to, and has a good arm. And I'd still like him as a part time OF and DH, and not necessarily a daily OF starter. But I've seen a lot worse OF employed by the Twins and other teams through the years. 

    Now, when Rodriguez and Jenkins are ready, I think this conversation changes somewhat, but for now, I'm more than OK with Larnach as part of the mostly daily lineup.

    jmlease1

    jmlease1 15,285

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    When Keaschall gets back it'll be a lot easier to only have 1 of Larnach/Wallner/Clemens in the lineup I think against LH starters. Hopefully that helps a bit.

    Larnach is doing a very nice job against RHP and since that's the more common sight, he can certainly add to the lineup. No, he's not a great defender, but he's also not a butcher. But unfortunately he looks like a guy who really needs to stay in a platoon role. I wouldn't yank him all the time against the first LH reliever you see in the 5th or 6th inning, but he also shouldn't expect to bat against a LH reliever in a close and late situation, or start often against a LHP unless they're trying an opener.

    Larnach has been decent. Right now we need a little more than that, though.

    LA Vikes Fan

    LA Vikes Fan 8,116

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Well put. Maybe Rocco isn't such an idiot after all to essentially platoon Larnach by sitting him against lefties. I hear the argument that this is somehow the organization's fault for not playing him enough against LH pitching, but the stats are pretty grim. His OPS from the left side over the last 3 years is .475 this year in 67 PAs, .579 in 2024 in 22 PAs, and .412 in 2023 in 33 PAs.  Overall, his numbers for those 2.5 seasons come out to 18 hits in 107 ABs (112 PAs) with 1 HR, 5 doubles, 9 RBIs, a walk rate of 4.5% (5) and a SO rate of  33% (37), all for robust slash line of .168/.215/.243 (.448). Obviously a very small sample size but really shows how unplayable he's been against LH pitching. I think you really have to question if its going to get that much better with more ABs against LH pitching. Even if all the numbers go up 25-30% you still have an unplayable slash line unless you're elite defensively, and he's not.  

    Conversely, against RH pitching for the same three years, Larnach has 193 hits in 836 PAs, 744 ABs, with 34 doubles, 33 HRs and 111 RBIs. for a slash line of .259/.340/.438 (.778), with an 11% walk rate and 28.8% SO rate. The numbers get even better if we just look at 2024 and year to date in 2025 -   648 PAs, 582 ABs, with 27 doubles, 26 HRs, 84 RBIs, a 10.2% walk rate and 21.8% SO rate, all for a .268/.350/.448 (.798) slash line. That's a guy who plays every day against RH pitching regardless of his defense.  

    Bottom line is that Larnach is probably being used the way he should be used. Always play him against RH starters, sit him against LH starters, leave him in when LH relievers come in if the game isn't close so he can hopefully improve but sub him out if it is, and have him as a dangerous pinch hitter when a team goes from a LH starter to a RH reliever. I don't think you can play him every day if you're trying to be competitive but you can if you fall out of the race to get him more ABs against LH pitching. Still, he is 28 so hoping for more than a marginal improvement against LH pitching may be a pipe dream. I would be curious on how Wallner rates in these same stats but I've wasted enough time at work so I have to get back to it. 

    mickster

    mickster 707

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    28 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

    I still don't have a problem with some LH bats facing LHP. Not only is the roster not big enough to offer a series of platoon options, but a LH bat never develops against LHP unless an opportunity is given. That doesn't mean Larnach should necessarily be that guy. 

    But I don't understand some of the apathy towards him. While not a star player, he's a quality 450PA appearance above average hitter against RHP. I prefer him as a #6-7 hitter in a deeper, more productive lineup, but until someone better is ready to replace him, he's a perfectly solid bat/player. 

    He's not even close to Bader defensively, but we're talking g comparison to a GG CF playing LF.  Larnach takes decent routes, catches all he gets to, and has a good arm. And I'd still like him as a part time OF and DH, and not necessarily a daily OF starter. But I've seen a lot worse OF employed by the Twins and other teams through the years. 

    Now, when Rodriguez and Jenkins are ready, I think this conversation changes somewhat, but for now, I'm more than OK with Larnach as part of the mostly daily lineup.

    I doubt we ever see Rodriguez in a Twins uniform.    I believe he will be traded before Spring Training next year.   Most value over anyone that is tradeable on the current roster, other than Lewis maybe.

    tony&rodney

    tony&rodney 16,949

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    15 minutes ago, mickster said:

    I doubt we ever see Rodriguez in a Twins uniform.    I believe he will be traded before Spring Training next year.   Most value over anyone that is tradeable on the current roster, other than Lewis maybe.

    Emmanuel is an interesting prospect, one who gathers widely divergent views and expected outcomes from various people. Value is strictly according to another team's viewpoint. EmRod probably has 3 times the value of Royce Lewis right now but those evaluations change continually. 

    The bottom line is always the return for any player.

    I would think that Trevor Larnach has quite a bit of value, both to the Twins and to many other teams. Wallner is cold at the moment, but he is pretty much a similar player with more potential power. Seems like the Twins should find a team that offers a useful player for one of the two big left-handed hitters.

    NYCTK

    NYCTK 3,204

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    46 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

    But I don't understand some of the apathy towards him. While not a star player, he's a quality 450PA appearance above average hitter against RHP.

    If you have an athletic, flexible roster this sort of player is pretty useful. But if half of your roster are similarly immobile, bat only players his value really is minimized.  

    48 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

    Larnach takes decent routes, catches all he gets to, and has a good arm.

    He's in the 10th percentile of range and 6th percentile in arm strength. 

    50 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

    Now, when Rodriguez and Jenkins are ready, I think this conversation changes somewhat, but for now, I'm more than OK with Larnach as part of the mostly daily lineup.

    2025 is done, and I have zero faith in this roster, wanting to see the Twins aim for 2027, ie, when Jenkins and/or Jenkins are ready to be contributors. So I really see no value in Larnach on this team. He can be a mediocre player on a mediocre team, or he can be traded away for a middling prospect. Neither is a great option but I'd still take the latter. 

     

    2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

    I would think that Trevor Larnach has quite a bit of value, both to the Twins and to many other teams.

    A bit, not a lot. I can see him traded for a single prospect in the organizational #10-15 range. 

    TheLeviathan

    TheLeviathan 20,987

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    I know there is a vocal contingent here that really wants to defy a hundred years of data about lefties facing lefties....but I've never understood it.  Now...does that mean I want pinch-hitting appearances in the 4th?  Hell no.

    But on the flip side....Do I want our lineup against a lefty starter to have as many righties in it as possible?  Yes.  Yes I do.  Forcing lefty-on-lefty matchups never made any sense.

    mnfireman

    mnfireman 4,070

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    He's under team control the for '26 and '27, give him a 1B glove and put him there. There are no 1B in the system ready or close (if any at all) and the team has an abundance of OF prospects on the way. 

    chpettit19

    chpettit19 23,687

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    12 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

    I know there is a vocal contingent here that really wants to defy a hundred years of data about lefties facing lefties....but I've never understood it.  Now...does that mean I want pinch-hitting appearances in the 4th?  Hell no.

    But on the flip side....Do I want our lineup against a lefty starter to have as many righties in it as possible?  Yes.  Yes I do.  Forcing lefty-on-lefty matchups never made any sense.

    I think that very much depends on the hitter.  Kyle Schwarber has a 203 wRC+ left on left in 144 PAs this year. You taking him out of the leadoff spot to go all righties in the lineup? Shohei is at 150 wRC+ in 135 PAs. James wood 146 in 133 PAs. Kyle Tucker 144 in 129. Juan Soto 144 in 119. CJ Abrams 136 in 102. Rafael Devers 136 in 147. Matt Olson 127 in 101. Corbin Carroll 113 in 101. Bryce Harper 110 in 106. Brandon Nimmo 108 in 105. Sal Frelick 106 in 113. JP Crawford 105 in 107. 

    Going all righty, as the Twins love to do, also allows the pitcher to get more comfortable. It is different throwing to a lefty than a righty. You use different pitches and focus on different parts of the zone more. If you have to adjust back and forth between your pitches more and bounce between different parts of the zone with all your pitches more, it's harder to get into a groove. 

    I've never pushed strongly for Larnach to get lots of ABs against lefties because he was never all that successful against them in the minors. Wallner was, though. He was super successful against them in the minors. So, I've been one of the vocal contingent around here about defying the years of data. Because it shouldn't be about macro analytics, it should be about micro. It should be about that specific hitter. Gunnar Henderson is my go to example. The Orioles wanted him to be a star. When he came up he played everyday. No matter who was on the mound. He was awful against lefties his first year. A little less awful his 2nd. And an absolute star against them his 3rd. 

    I just listed 13 guys with over 100 PAs left on left this year with above average production. They shouldn't be sat against lefties simply because of a hundred years of data. Because it should be about the specific player. The question is whether or not the Twins have had any lefties worth giving a shot to. My argument has always been that Wallner's minor league production and early major league success meant he should play everyday to me. Even if/when he struggled against lefties early. If you think he can be a star let him try to develop into a star.

    Should the Twins platoon Jenkins from the jump because of the data? Or let him try to be a star?

    TheLeviathan

    TheLeviathan 20,987

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    5 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

    I think that very much depends on the hitter.  Kyle Schwarber has a 203 wRC+ left on left in 144 PAs this year. You taking him out of the leadoff spot to go all righties in the lineup? Shohei is at 150 wRC+ in 135 PAs. James wood 146 in 133 PAs. Kyle Tucker 144 in 129. Juan Soto 144 in 119. CJ Abrams 136 in 102. Rafael Devers 136 in 147. Matt Olson 127 in 101. Corbin Carroll 113 in 101. Bryce Harper 110 in 106. Brandon Nimmo 108 in 105. Sal Frelick 106 in 113. JP Crawford 105 in 107. 

    Going all righty, as the Twins love to do, also allows the pitcher to get more comfortable. It is different throwing to a lefty than a righty. You use different pitches and focus on different parts of the zone more. If you have to adjust back and forth between your pitches more and bounce between different parts of the zone with all your pitches more, it's harder to get into a groove. 

    I've never pushed strongly for Larnach to get lots of ABs against lefties because he was never all that successful against them in the minors. Wallner was, though. He was super successful against them in the minors. So, I've been one of the vocal contingent around here about defying the years of data. Because it shouldn't be about macro analytics, it should be about micro. It should be about that specific hitter. Gunnar Henderson is my go to example. The Orioles wanted him to be a star. When he came up he played everyday. No matter who was on the mound. He was awful against lefties his first year. A little less awful his 2nd. And an absolute star against them his 3rd. 

    I just listed 13 guys with over 100 PAs left on left this year with above average production. They shouldn't be sat against lefties simply because of a hundred years of data. Because it should be about the specific player. The question is whether or not the Twins have had any lefties worth giving a shot to. My argument has always been that Wallner's minor league production and early major league success meant he should play everyday to me. Even if/when he struggled against lefties early. If you think he can be a star let him try to develop into a star.

    Should the Twins platoon Jenkins from the jump because of the data? Or let him try to be a star?

    The Twins should let Jenkins hit against lefties in the minors and see what trends pop up.  Having 28 year old Larnach do it doesn't make any sense.

    And yes, if you think they're a star, then you should treat their playing time and development differently than guys you think are roleplayers.  

    LA Vikes Fan

    LA Vikes Fan 8,116

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, mnfireman said:

    He's under team control the for '26 and '27, give him a 1B glove and put him there. There are no 1B in the system ready or close (if any at all) and the team has an abundance of OF prospects on the way. 

    I'm with you here. I think we missed a bet in the offseason/spring training not trying to teach either Wallner or Larnach to play 1B. Instead, we wound up with France who is playing at even a slightly lesser level than the one that got him released by Seattle, a team with whom we are supposedly contending for a wild card spot. Larnach would be a lot more valuable to the team as the stronger half of a 1B platoon who could also play in the OF. We did not do this last off-season, let's be sure to do it this off-season. 

    NYCTK

    NYCTK 3,204

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

    Sounds like there's a bigger role for Austin Martin on this team than there is for Dashawn Keirsey.

    Here's hoping he miraculously learned how to play a competent OF. 

    Sorry to Austin, but I am such a hater. He's older than Julien yet for some reason a lot of people here are hopeful he can learn a new trick while happily giving up on Julien (which I'm also ok with). He's also somehow older than Aaron Sabato. Go figure. 

    LA Vikes Fan

    LA Vikes Fan 8,116

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    2 hours ago, mnfireman said:

    He's under team control the for '26 and '27, give him a 1B glove and put him there. There are no 1B in the system ready or close (if any at all) and the team has an abundance of OF prospects on the way. 

    I'm with you here. I think we missed a bet in the offseason/spring training not trying to teach either Wallner or Larnach to play 1B. Instead, we wound up with France who is playing at even a slightly lesser level than the one that got him released by Seattle, a team with whom we are supposedly contending for a wild card spot. Larnach would be a lot more valuable to the team as the stronger half of a 1B platoon who could also play in the OF. We did not do this last off-season, let's be sure to do it this off-season. 

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,604

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    3 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

    Here's hoping he miraculously learned how to play a competent OF. 

    Sorry to Austin, but I am such a hater. He's older than Julien yet for some reason a lot of people here are hopeful he can learn a new trick while happily giving up on Julien (which I'm also ok with). He's also somehow older than Aaron Sabato. Go figure. 

    Keirsey can't hit a lick. A corner OF gets a difficult fielding chance once every 18-20 innings (which means Keirsey does something useful less than once a month) but gets 4 at-bats every 9 innings. Austin Martin should be able to play outfield as well as Larnach and hit lefties better than Larnach.

    LA Vikes Fan

    LA Vikes Fan 8,116

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    45 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

    Here's hoping he miraculously learned how to play a competent OF. 

    Sorry to Austin, but I am such a hater. He's older than Julien yet for some reason a lot of people here are hopeful he can learn a new trick while happily giving up on Julien (which I'm also ok with). He's also somehow older than Aaron Sabato. Go figure. 

    Why such a hater? Martin isn't a competent CF, that's for sure, but he can clear the "decent OF, not a defensive liability" hurdle in LF or RF. He's also hitting .377/.487/.475 in AAA this year after .305/.461/.431 last year in AAA, and hit .253/.318/.352 last year with the Twins in 233 ABs. Not great, but not a bad first crack at the majors and he just turned 26. Certainly better than Keirsey. Who knows, there may be something there. Of course, I think there may be something there with Julien too so I'm probably just the eternal optimist.

    I think there's still a chance for one for both of those guys to become solid MLB players. Also, both might make for value add throw-ins with a guy like Paddack to get a better return at the deadline. 

    Riverbrian

    Riverbrian 42,821

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    My wife wouldn't let me in the kitchen for decades. I spent 9 months on my own in Grand Rapids Michigan where I suddenly had to learn to cook for myself. I wasn't Wolfgang Puck on day one. I wasn't Wolfgang Puck by month one either. Eventually got to the point where I could make delicious scrambled eggs (using an entire stick of butter was the secret to make them light, fluffy and flavorful). I came back home after the job was done and my wife still won't let me in the Kitchen. But I'd like to get better at it. Nope... I got it. 

    He's been starved from left handers for two years. But... that's OK... Here's your chance... Perform NOW.... RIGHT NOW... DAMN IT.

    It's universally agreed that left handed hitters have the hardest time against left hander pitchers so you hide your left handed hitters for two years and say... OK...Now. Go Ahead... Blow my socks off against the hardest of all split advantages.

    Hey this isn't working. We will stop. Someone get me a Jonah Bride. Hopefully you can get a Joc Pederson type one year deal when you reach free agency.    

    I ask the question of all of you... I question the front office. 

    Have the Twins just plain failed to produce a left handed hitter who can hit left handed pitching adequately.

    Other teams are developing players who face left handed pitching to varying degrees of success. 

    Are the Twins simply the worst team in baseball at this specific area of baseball development? Serious question because we have to deploy Christian Vazquez against every left hander so Ryan Jeffers can DH against every left hander just so EVERY LEFT HANDED hitter doesn't.

    Is this a philosophy that the Twins have adopted or do we absolutely suck at training our left handed hitters so they can be as good as... I don't know... how about...  Sal Frelick. 

    In the end... Who cares... We will keep compromising our left handed hitters so we can just sign another Manual Margot to cover for 4 million. 

     

        

     

    NYCTK

    NYCTK 3,204

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    44 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

    but he can clear the "decent OF, not a defensive liability" hurdle in LF or RF.

    He didn't last season, so I don't know why we'd expect him to this season. There's a reason he was below replacement level last year. 

    But I do wish to see him playing because I think this season is lost and next should be a punt (maybe something good happens!). But I have zero faith in Austin Martin being a competent outfielder and thus a decent big leaguer. 

     

    47 minutes ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

    Also, both might make for value add throw-ins

    I highly doubt any contender wants to roster either of these guys. 

    thelanges5

    thelanges5 4,563

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    3 hours ago, mnfireman said:

    He's under team control the for '26 and '27, give him a 1B glove and put him there. There are no 1B in the system ready or close (if any at all) and the team has an abundance of OF prospects on the way. 

    He can play 1B in 2026 and then hand it over to Billy Amick in 2027. 

    NYCTK

    NYCTK 3,204

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    32 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

    My wife wouldn't let me in the kitchen for decades. I spent 9 months on my own in Grand Rapids Michigan where I suddenly had to learn to cook for myself. I wasn't Wolfgang Puck on day one. I wasn't Wolfgang Puck by month one either. Eventually got to the point where I could make delicious scrambled eggs (using an entire stick of butter was the secret to make them light, fluffy and flavorful). I came back home after the job was done and my wife still won't let me in the Kitchen. But I'd like to get better at it. Nope... I got it. 

    He's been starved from left handers for two years. But... that's OK... Here's your chance... Perform NOW.... RIGHT NOW... DAMN IT.

    It's universally agreed that left handed hitters have the hardest time against left hander pitchers so you hide your left handed hitters for two years and say... OK...Now. Go Ahead... Blow my socks off against the hardest of all split advantages.

    Hey this isn't working. We will stop. Someone get me a Jonah Bride. Hopefully you can get a Joc Pederson type one year deal when you reach free agency.    

    I ask the question of all of you... I question the front office. 

    Have the Twins just plain failed to produce a left handed hitter who can hit left handed pitching adequately.

    Other teams are developing players who face left handed pitching to varying degrees of success. 

    Are the Twins simply the worst team in baseball at this specific area of baseball development? Serious question because we have to deploy Christian Vazquez against every left hander so Ryan Jeffers can DH against every left hander just so EVERY LEFT HANDED hitter doesn't.

    Is this a philosophy that the Twins have adopted or do we absolutely suck at training our left handed hitters so they can be as good as... I don't know... how about...  Sal Frelick. 

    In the end... Who cares... We will keep compromising our left handed hitters so we can just sign another Manual Margot to cover for 4 million. 

     

        

     

    This is more like someone's been a pretty decent cook, but shown in 254 attempts to be a pretty lousy baker. Keep throwing him out there, I don't care because this season is lost, but let's not pretend as if Larnach isn't also to blame. 

    TheLeviathan

    TheLeviathan 20,987

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    It's true that the Twins are particularly bad at this.   But it's also true this is driven overwhelmingly by the choice to do this with Larnach:

    image.png.ffcd7c960df50dfedc997bfc0e5f0546.png 

    It's also worth nothing, that the majority of the league is sub .700 in these matchups, which speaks to be being mostly a bad idea to enact.  Is it smart for the Cubs to try and help PCA work through his struggles?  Hell yeah.  Andres Giminez in Toronto (though his career split is actually ok) or Larnach here?  That seems silly and counterproductive.

    Mike Sixel

    Mike Sixel 55,013

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    4 minutes ago, TheLeviathan said:

    It's true that the Twins are particularly bad at this.   But it's also true this is driven overwhelmingly by the choice to do this with Larnach:

    image.png.ffcd7c960df50dfedc997bfc0e5f0546.png 

    It's also worth nothing, that the majority of the league is sub .700 in these matchups, which speaks to be being mostly a bad idea to enact.  Is it smart for the Cubs to try and help PCA work through his struggles?  Hell yeah.  Andres Giminez in Toronto or Larnach here?  That seems silly and counterproductive.

    But then, they didn't think Larnach and Wallner were role players when they came up, but they still platooned them.....so I'm not sure the argument holds that this team even tries....Wallner was decent to good against them in the minors, platooned. 

    I'm hoping there isn't enough data for Jenkins for the team to know what to do, frankly. Because if there is, it means he's not in MN until 27 or 28.

    TheLeviathan

    TheLeviathan 20,987

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    Here's another example...I understand why Pittsburgh has continued to try and help O'Neil Cruz be an everyday player.   But at some point you accept that the guy is just best not to have out there if you can prevent it.  Pitt is last in the league in this category because he's sub .500 OPS against lefties and his career split is now fairly robust (300+ ABs at .588) that it might be time to pull that plug more often.

    TheLeviathan

    TheLeviathan 20,987

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    6 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

    But then, they didn't think Larnach and Wallner were role players when they came up, but they still platooned them.....so I'm not sure the argument holds that this team even tries....Wallner was decent to good against them in the minors, platooned. 

    I'm hoping there isn't enough data for Jenkins for the team to know what to do, frankly. Because if there is, it means he's not in MN until 27 or 28.

    Well, I think Wallner and Larnach represent different cases.  Wallner deserves more chances, but I think how lost he's looked in general has not helped his cause.  (Though last year that shouldn't have been the case when he was raking)

    Larnach was never good at it and I feel like his pedigree/luster had really worn off by the time he was even a regular player.  

    Jenkins?  Splits aren't good so far.  But he's an elite prospect, he needs to work through it.  Even if that means at the major league level.

    E-Rod's splits are a bit more erratic but much more positive.  He's a dude who should get a chance.

    Greggory Masterson

    Greggory Masterson 1,734

  • Twins Daily Contributor

    • Posted

    6 hours ago, NYCTK said:

    I agree he shouldn't be hitting against LHP but that doesn't suddenly make him a good player. There's also the unfortunate fact that he's a bad athlete that plays a poor outfield and is a poor baserunner. 

    He's a perennial 1.5 WAR ceiling player making him a good bench player, not a core player. 

     

    6 hours ago, Linus said:

    Larnach is the definition of an average hitter even when getting protected against lefties. He’s a sub par outfielder who is also slow. The Twins desperately need an infusion of speed and defense in the outfield. Larnachs spot is a great place to start. Unfortunately this would be an off season transition. 

    I'm gonna push back against this a little. Larnach against righties is first on the team in batting average, second in OBP, and third in slugging. His wRC+ against righties is 127 per FanGraphs. That's good performance at the plate. Yes, he's not good defensively, but he's still a fine player. I think it's possible to see him as an average player and a good, valuable bat simultaneously. He's not someone they should be actively looking to replace. He's more of a solid player for now, hopefully someone takes his place at some point, but they're not in any danger starting him 70% of games in a corner or at DH. He doesn't need to be a core player to be valuable.



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