What is the Biggest Question at the Second Base Position for 2024?

In recent years, the Twins have seen quite a bit of turnover at the second base position. After Brian Dozier was dealt away in mid-2018, the Twins have seen Jonathan Schoop, Luis Arráez, and now Jorge Polanco all come and go as the teams’ regular starter. With 2023 rookie standout Edouard Julien set to take over as the team’s primary second baseman surrounded by depth pieces like Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro, the second base position is in good hands heading into 2024.

With second base being so tightly held down, it leads to the biggest question surrounding the position. Where will Brooks Lee find playing time? The former Cal Poly shortstop and first-round draft pick will start the season in St. Paul, but will almost certainly make his major-league debut in 2024. However, if the Twins are healthy, his path to regular playing time is muddied.

The Twins like position flexibility, and have built a roster full of guys who can play multiple positions. It would be within the realm of possibility for the team to utilize this to rotate their nine starters daily to maximize playing time for all their guys, but it would involve many moving parts. For example, Julien could play second one day, while Lee acts as the DH. The next day, Julien plays first, Alex Kirilloff moves to left field, Matt Wallner serves as DH, and Lee plays second. 

This rotation strategy would allow the Twins to schedule routine days off for all their guys, but it’s far from a flawless plan. First and foremost, it’s a tall order to expect young players to develop defensively when bouncing all over the diamond. This plan would also assume that Byron Buxton is healthy enough to play in the field daily, and won’t need days as the team’s DH. The team could also just bite the bullet and move Julien to first base full-time, but this would come at the expense of Kirilloff and newly signed Carlos Santana. With limited experience at first, it's not a guarantee that Julien would be any good defensively.

No matter how you try to piece all the playing time together, it’s hard to envision a way to make it all work consistently for the following years. While it’s a good problem to have too many good, young players, if not properly managed, it could hinder player development. For this reason, I still think the best course of action would be to pursue a trade.

The easiest way to answer the question of how all the pieces will fall together is to turn Lee into a starting pitcher at the deadline. Using him to headline a trade package could gain them a starting pitcher you want to take the ball in a playoff game. Trading top prospects is never easy, but it could turn the Twins from contenders to win the AL Central to contenders to win the World Series. Is it the price that needs to be paid?

With a surplus of talent at the second base position, the biggest question heading into the season will be how they make it all come together. We know Julien and Farmer are set to hold down the position in a likely platoon, but if Brooks Lee is to make the team, how will they find him playing time? Or will he be traded? Seeing how this all develops is one of the things I’m most looking forward to in the coming season!

How do you think the Twins will balance all their pieces? Will they trade Brooks Lee? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Go, Twins!