Will the Twins Ever Invest in Size at First Base?

All things considered, height at first base most definitely makes a difference. Naturally, those taller players do need to be proficient at the foot work, reading throws, scooping balls, and knowing where to go on every play. The Twins have struggled to find their full time guy who plugs into the lineup on an every day basis. I have wondered whether Carson McCusker has ever taken ground balls or throws at the bag. Clearly the Twins do not believe either of Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner would work successfully at that corner. So the team has to continue with their experimentations. France is about as rough as it gets with a glove at first base and one wonders what the Twins think about Miranda's work there. Maybe later this year Baldelli will call on Payton Eeles to hold down first base. At least we know that Carlos Correa will continue to put his throws right to the fielder's chest, whether on a line or on one easy hop.

Evidently, height doesn't figure into the Twins equation of choosing a 1B. If they did our inhouse Miranda would make the most sense & not only height. Who knows what he plugs into his computer to come up with his choices. I would think 6'8 McClusker would be a good candidate to groom for 1B. Baldelli says he values 1B but who does he really groom at 1B? Sabato? It seems that he tries players at 2B, 3B or RF & if they can't play there, he'd throw them at 1B & let them figure it out.

That clear plan for the future SHOULD be Royce Lewis. Would LOVE to see the IF settle in on Lewis at 1B, Keaschall at 2B, Lee at 3B & Correa at SS for the next 2-4 years.  There should be a fairly large bubble of guys knocking at the doorstep in about two years.  Expect to hear a lot about names like Kaelen Culpepper, Kyle DeBarge, Danny DeAndrade & Santiago Leon. 

11 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Evidently, height doesn't figure into the Twins equation of choosing a 1B. If they did our inhouse Miranda would make the most sense & not only height. Who knows what he plugs into his computer to come up with his choices. I would think 6'8 McClusker would be a good candidate to groom for 1B. Baldelli says he values 1B but who does he really groom at 1B? Sabato? It seems that he tries players at 2B, 3B or RF & if they can't play there, he'd throw them at 1B & let them figure it out.

Throwing guys who don't work out elsewhere in at 1B has been a common practice for about a hundred and fifty years.

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

All things considered, height at first base most definitely makes a difference. Maybe later this year Baldelli will call on Payton Eeles to hold down first base. At least we know that Carlos Correa will continue to put his throws right to the fielder's chest, whether on a line or on one easy hop. 
 

Eeles is 5’6” 🤣

AK was the investment and he retired so they will find another guy to invest in. Meanwhile its a platoon of anyone with a pulse…

Height is more of a "nice to have but not terribly essential" thing at 1B.  I'd be more concerned with having a guy who can hit the cover off the ball and hopefully play a little defense as well.  If he's tall that's cool.

Larnach or Wallner (both 6’4”) could move to 1B to make room for Emma or Jenkins. We have Amick (6’1”) in the farm system who could be ready in 2026. 

21 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

Throwing guys who don't work out elsewhere in at 1B has been a common practice for about a hundred and fifty years.

Although that is very true. My point is many of these players should be evaluated much sooner that they don't have the ability to play those more demanding positions & given time to better perfect their play at 1B.  They come up to MLB & can't adequately play those positions but still aren't groomed at 1B. Because they aren't groomed at 1B, it's their excuse to keep playing them at the positions they're not able to excel. Thus seriously compromises our defense.

5 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Although that is very true. My point is many of these players should be evaluated much sooner that they don't have the ability to play those more demanding positions & given time to better perfect their play at 1B.  They come up to MLB & can't adequately play those positions but still aren't groomed at 1B. Because they aren't groomed at 1B, it's their excuse to keep playing them at the positions they're not able to excel. Thus seriously compromises our defense.

IF they had any defensive chops they wouldn't have been moved to 1B in the first place.  Moving them isn't going to magically make them Keith Hernandez.

1B is a mess and the revolving door will only muddy things further. One thing I can add with certainty, Vlad Guerrero will not be a Twin anytime soon. 

1 hour ago, Jocko87 said:

Correa and other infielders can throw it much harder with less risk and height isn't a limiting factor.

Yes, this is possible, but thus far Correa is the only guy on the roster capable of making that play. The Twins will need to play the guys they have but a few extra inches of stretch at first base would be huge for all Twins infielders except for Correa.

So where is the statistical analysis of size mattering for 1b play? It would take a fairly large sample size. 

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Although that is very true. My point is many of these players should be evaluated much sooner that they don't have the ability to play those more demanding positions & given time to better perfect their play at 1B.  They come up to MLB & can't adequately play those positions but still aren't groomed at 1B. Because they aren't groomed at 1B, it's their excuse to keep playing them at the positions they're not able to excel. Thus seriously compromises our defense.

It is because you don't need to groom first basemen, it is the easiest position on the field to play. Nobody groomed Harper or Vlad, they just gave them a glove and said go do what you do (Be athletic and catch the ball) There is some foot work that needs to be taught but again shouldn't be that difficult to grasp the concept.  For guys that aren't that athletic(Wallner) it might be a bit harder, but you keep them close to the bag until they become more comfortable. As a former college first basemen the idea that first is a defensive position seems utterly ridiculous

3 hours ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

1B is a mess and the revolving door will only muddy things further. One thing I can add with certainty, Vlad Guerrero will not be a Twin anytime soon. 

I know.  Where was that coming from.  Half a billion dollars.  Doesn't matter WHO owns this team.  That ain't happening

4 hours ago, Fatbat said:

 

AK was the investment and he retired so they will find another guy to invest in. Meanwhile its a platoon of anyone with a pulse…

AK wasn't really an "investment" he was more of a "hope" who didn't make it anywhere else so we throw him in at 1B.  If your "investment" retires with a career .1 WAR, you might want to reevaluate your portfolio.  His biggest career achievement was that he team had enough confidence in him as a 1B that they felt they could trade a batting champion for the closest thing they've had to an ace in a generation.

1 hour ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

It is because you don't need to groom first basemen, it is the easiest position on the field to play. Nobody groomed Harper or Vlad, they just gave them a glove and said go do what you do (Be athletic and catch the ball) There is some foot work that needs to be taught but again shouldn't be that difficult to grasp the concept.  For guys that aren't that athletic(Wallner) it might be a bit harder, but you keep them close to the bag until they become more comfortable. As a former college first basemen the idea that first is a defensive position seems utterly ridiculous

I agree with you, I don't think that 1B is that difficult. I've played some 1B too, the footwork came naturally for me. But I'm not the manager for Twins & it seems that the reason that they have to bring in veterans is because our inhouse players aren't proficient enough.

2 hours ago, gman said:

Brandon Winokur is big enough to play 1st base. It'll be interesting to see if he play significant games at Witchita this year, of course he has to get through Cedar Rapids first.

Winokur at first would be a waste of athleticism and a great arm.  Playing him at 1B would devalue him.

There are a few internal options I could see happening...

Walner or Larnach when one of Rodriguez and Jenkins arrive or both,

Lewis when Culpepper arrives.

Julien when Keaschall gets here if Julien can learn to pick a throw.  He has terrible hands for an infielder.

Miranda steps up this year and earns the job going forward.

They could trade Larnach for a 1B or Catcher if Rodriquez works out.

Better question might be whether they will invest in 1B AT ALL.