Twins Video
Coming out of the 2025 season, first base looked like one of the weaker positions on the Twins’ roster. The front office added veteran bats in Victor Caratini and Josh Bell to provide depth and offensive production, while also hoping to solidify the designated hitter role. Despite that, the position has become another question mark for a team searching for consistency early in the season. While the free agent additions have largely underperformed, a bright spot has emerged in Kody Clemens, whose strong two-way play has given the Twins stability both offensively and defensively. With prospects beginning to heat up in St. Paul and pressure mounting to improve the lineup, the Twins now face important decisions about how to handle first base moving forward.
Clemens leads the way for this first base group. In 128 plate appearances, he's batting .245/.345/.441, with 14 extra-base hits. He's been worth 3 runs above average at the plate and a whopping 5 in the field, according to Baseball Reference. Advanced metrics back up Clemens’s raw numbers, too. He hits the ball hard in the air at a solidly above-average rate; that's a sustainable way to generate above-average offense. He's continued (and even improved upon) his performance from last season. He should be the starter moving forward, as he has been most of the season.
The main issue with that, at the moment, is the two free-agent signings the Twins made who have made starts at first base this season. Victor Caratini was signed as the backup catcher this offseason and has played first base 13 times so far. Caratini has been around a league-average bat the past few seasons, but so far this year, the same can’t be said. He’s currently slashing .192/.294/.231 in 126 plate appearances. A little bit of that is bad luck—he has the same .329 xwOBA he had last season, but last year, his actual wOBA was .318, and this year, it's .249. However, we're also seeing the risks of signing a switch-hitter away from Houston, one of the best parks in the league for finding extra-base hits down the lines. Here are Caratini's batted balls so far this year, mapped onto his new home park in Minnesota.
Now, here are the same batted balls overlaid onto the dimensions of Daikin Park in Houston, which Caratini called home for the last two years.
Four balls that have been flyouts this season would clearly have been extra-base hits of some kind had he hit them in Houston. Factor in weather, and another three or four might have been, too. That's the difference between Caratini's more productive recent past and his current dreadfulness, right there. He's still controlling the strike zone reasonably well, and the weather will be more conducive to hitting as the weather warms, so Caratini also belongs in the mix. In all likelihood, though, he'll spend a good chunk of that time at catcher.
Josh Bell is another story. The 33-year-old slugger has been 11 runs below average so far in 2026, according to Baseball Reference, and his advanced numbers back that up. He’s slashing .210/.275/.315, with 3 home runs in 178 plate appearances. Signed in December, Bell hasn’t been great defensively and hasn’t been the past few seasons either, but it appears the Twins know that and are using him there sparingly: he only has 8 appearances at the position so far, compared to 34 at DH. Given that his deal is a one-year contract worth $7 million (with a mutual option for 2027), Bell is the most likely candidate to be moved on from at some point this season.
There are two prospects in St. Paul who’ve been spending time at first base, though neither is knocking very loudly on the door to the majors. Aaron Sabato has been especially hot of late, slashing .319/.396/.830 so far in May, bringing his slash line this year to .281/.343/.652 with 8 homers. Sabato was the Twins’ first-round pick back in 2020 out of the University of North Carolina, and the 26-year-old could see some time with the big-league club this year if he continues hitting (though it's a long shot). Gabriel Gonzalez hasn’t been nearly as good at the plate, slashing .207/.280/.396 in 182 plate appearances. First base is a new experience for the 22-year-old, who didn’t appear in a game at the position before this season. Acquired in the Jorge Polanco trade with the Mariners, Gonzalez will look to get back to his offensive numbers from last year to factor into the first base conversation this year.
Although the Twins entered the season expecting their veteran additions to strengthen the lineup, the results at first base have largely fallen short of expectations. Clemens has certainly earned the opportunity to remain the everyday starter, thanks to his strong defense, improving offensive profile, and encouraging underlying metrics. Caratini’s struggles may not be permanent, but his new home park will never permit him to put up the numbers he managed in Houston. Bell’s continued decline makes him the most likely candidate to lose playing time or eventually be moved. Ultimately, the Twins’ best path forward may be trusting Clemens at first base, while remaining flexible with the rest of the position as the summer months rapidly approach.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now