Twins Prospect Spotlight: OF DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. (Video)

The Minnesota Twins selected outfielder DaShawn Keirsey out of the University of Utah in the 2018 MLB draft. The path to the big leagues was complete with peaks and valleys, winding left and right. After missing time early in his career with injuries, Keirsey has been healthy the last few seasons and with that, he has really elevated his play. 

He put together a terrific season in St. Paul. In 111 games, he hit .300/.368/.476 (.845) with 22 doubles, seven triples, 14 home runs, and 81 RBI. He also stole 36 bases. The triples and RBI were single-season Saints records, while his 133 hits also set the new mark for the Twins Triple-A affiliate.   

In early September, the Twins placed Max Kepler on the Injured List and called up Keirsey. He played in five games in center field before Byron Buxton returned, and Keirsey was optioned. On the final day of the season, Keirsey was called back up to play in that game. He recorded the first home run of his career. 

Recently, I chatted with the athletic 27 year old from southern California about his whole season. Here are some of the highlights. 

1:20: Excited for Michael Helman. Assumed that he wasn't going to get called up. Two days later, he unexpectedly received The Call. Find out how he found out. 

4:00: What kind of support did he get from the guys in the Saints clubhouse, from his Twins teammates, the coaching staffs, and from past teammates? 

6:40: Keirsey was an official non-roster invite to Twins spring training in 2024. What was the experience like, anything stand out from the veterans or others? 

8:15: He started the season fast, offensively. He was hitting anywhere in the Top 5 of the lineup, providing on-base skills and enough power. Was there something that just clicked technically with his swing or with his approach? 

9:44: What mechanical change did he observe from Royce Lewis and the two worked on together that he also thinks helped his overall offensive game? 

13:25: We watched one of Keirsey's at-bats and discussed his thought process on the AB. He spoke of committing himself to have an approach going into every single plate appearance. 

16:00: Like Max Kepler in his last couple of minor-league seasons, Keirsey filled up the stat sheet. He is an all-around player, something he has always wanted to be. Keirsey considers himself an athlete who can play baseball. 

20:00: He can play a great center field, but he has also spent a lot of time playing in the corners. When he was younger, he didn't like playing the corners, but now he is really glad that he has had plenty of time at both corners. 

23:10: Who were the first phone calls when you got The Call? 

26:10: Calling his dad was a huge, emotional deal. When he didn't get called up right away in September, they weren't expecting the call three days later, which might have made it even more special.

27:20: MLB debut in Tampa. He came in as a defensive replacement in center field late in the game. Immediately the ball found him. He had to run a LONG ways to try to catch the ball. He almost made the catch, a back-hand attempt in which the ball hit his glove and his glove hit the wall simultaneously. He later found out that the odds of that ball being caught was 0% 

29:30: We look at a diving catch that he made in support of Pablo Lopez at Target Field. We discussed reaction and getting a good jump and the mentality to do what's needed.   

32:00: With so many young players and the team's philosophy on platooning, did he know his role coming to the club? 

34:05: Do you know who Keirsey got his first MLB hit off of? Does he?  (also, here Keirsey mention the comedy of Matt Wallner for the second time.)   

36:25: Do you remember who Keirsey hit his first home run off of? Do you think he did? His memory of that moment are pretty special too. Just as important, the support and the love that he got from his teammates meant the world.   

39:30: We dig deeper into the timing mechanism that he worked with Royce Lewis on during spring training. "I'm not doing it for the looks. I'm doing it for the functionality." 

41:03: Have you had a chance to reflect on the season? Did he have a moment when it all just sunk in?

44:30: Any fun offseason plans? Travel? "I live in a place that most people come to vacation." 

I hope you enjoyed the back-and-forth conversation. It was a lot of fun to live vicariously through Keirsey's memories from his 2024 season. 

Keirsey has previously done interviews for Twins Daily: 
March 3, 2021: Twins Spotlight (Get to Know 'Em)
June 27, 2023: DaShawn Keirsey: Twins Most Underrated Prospect