Now Is the Time for Minnesota's Lefty Bats to Shine

The Twins offense was revitalized in the second half of the season, improving from 24th in runs and 21st in wOBA before the All-Star break to fifth and third thereafter.

It's no secret that a group of left-handed hitters led the charge in this turnaround. The additions of rookies Edouard Julien and Matt Wallner, along with the return of Alex Kirilloff and the awakening of veteran cleanup hitter Max Kepler, played primary roles in Minnesota's rise from ineffectual to elite over the course of the season.

Of course, the flip side to having several left-handed batters powering your lineup is that you become susceptible to lefty pitching. We certainly saw that this year with the Twins, who finished fifth in wRC+ against RHP and 15th against LHP.

Opposing managers often sought to exploit this weakness, turning to left-handed relievers early in games and trying to force Rocco Baldelli's hand into removing some of his best bats from the lineup for late-game scenarios. We saw this play out as recently as Game 2 of the ALWC, although swapping out Jose Berrios for Yusei Kikuchi in the fourth didn't work out so well for John Schneider and the Jays.

Alas, the Astros will be unable to even attempt such a strategy, because they have not one single left-handed reliever in their ALDS bullpen. Julien, Wallner, Kirilloff and Kepler will be at no risk of being pulled out of a game based purely on match-up reasons. And while the presence of stellar southpaw starter Framber Valdez looms large, Houston's all-RHP bullpen will be ripe for pinch-hitting opportunities from the likes of Julien and Wallner.

Now, it bears noting that Houston's righty relievers tend to be quite effective against left-handers, but still, I'll take these 2023 platoon splits against a right-handed hurler any day:

• Edouard Julien: .274/.401/.497
• Matt Wallner: .281/.409/.561
• Alex Kirilloff: .300/.373/.485
• Max Kepler: .263/.335 /.497

The Twins got to this point, in large part, on the shoulders of their outstanding core of left-handed bats. Now those bats will have every chance to push Minnesota to the next stage. The offensive support will likely be needed against a Houston lineup full of premier hitters who are imposing in any match-up.