LA Vikes Fan

You're right about how hard it is to move from AAA to MLB. Maybe even harder when you're 27 and just now coming into your own in the Minors. Still we need a good fielding back up CF and there seems to be an opening given the struggles of both Margot and Kirilloff. Might now be a good time to give Keirsey his probably one and only shot at the MMLB level?

Probably is. We need another CF by Sunday and Keirsey is tearing up AAA. Maybe Keirsey up for Margot or Kirilloff over the weekend?

Alcala up, Boushley back down. No word yet that I saw on any one replacing Jackson on the 40 man.

I don't agree and maybe my post lacked clarity. For the Twins to be successful we need to blend established players with up and comers while developing those up and comers. I'd love to be a team that filled in holes with established veteran FAs but this ownership won't pay for that. I actually think we have the established vets supplemented by close to no doubt youngsters that could be the core of a championship team with Correa, Lewis, Buxton, Kepler, and Jeffers in the field, Castro as a UTL, Lopez, Ryan, and Ober in the rotation (with Paddack and SWR close), and Duran, Jax, plus Stewart when healthy as late inning relievers (with Staumont an intriguing possibility). That core can compete in the playoffs IF supplemented by solid to a little above average guys. In our case, that supplement needs to play 1B, LF, 2B, and DH, be another late inning reliever, and another mid-rotation starter. You can see the possible late innings guys in Stewart, Alcala, and maybe Staumont, with Paddack and/or SWR as the mid-rotation starter(s). The field regulars are the hole and Santana, Farmer, and Margot are not the answer. I don't think we can trade to fix this hole given the prospect cost or this FO's track record on trades. I think Julien and Miranda can help fill two the lineup holes, and I am cautiously optimistic that Larnach may actually be learning to hit breaking stuff to be a third fit. I also think that Santana and Margot are NOT part of the answer and in fact are in the way of us finding out if the young guys can be part of that answer. This is the season to find out because the competition is getting better and the core vets are getting older. My idea is to (1) play Julien, Miranda, and Larnach basically every day, (2) Send Kirilloff to AAA for Keirsey (gotta have a backup CF and Castro and Margot aren't good enough), with Kirilloff hopefully finding it so he is available to replace one of the first 3 if and when they falter, (3) bring up Alcala (they did today) and make him a late inning guy only with Sands back in long man role he's actually kind of good at, (4) sit Santana and Margot as bench guys, defensive replacements, and/or 2 days a week guys against LH pitching (I would actually lose Margot). The key to me is to play Miranda, Julien, and Larnach 5 days a week for the next month at least or even better through the ASB to see if they can be the solid to above average regulars we need. Lee and hopefully Kirilloff or Wallner will then be available and hopefully hitting at AAA if those 3 can't hack it. Do that now and we have the best chance of a team that is competitive with the big dogs in the second half. The current lineup is not.

Preach! Totally agree on Keirsey. I think we have an open 40 man slot after the DFA of Jay Jackson. No one has been added to my knowledge. Am I wrong? We can also put Topa on the 60 man Il - he won't be back until July at the earliest. I think we can call up Keirsey today for the Texas series. The Rangers are starting RHs today and tomorrow, with a TBD for Sunday. We can all up Keirsey for Kirilloff, put him in LF tonight or Saturday and in CF Sunday with Buxton as the DH (day game after night game). Let's do it!

I'm more bullish on Miranda than you, but I think this is a very fair take on where he is and what he needs to show. My view is that given regular playing time, he would develop into what I would call a solid MLB regular - a BA of .260-.290, with a SLG in the .420-.450 range, a SO percentage below 15%, and 15 – 20 homers a year with 20+ doubles, but a lower OPS since he doesn't talk a lot of walks, maybe in the .325 range. That would give him an OPS in the .740 – .770 range, an OPS+ in the 110-120 range. in other words, a solidly above average to good but not elite hitter with the downside of not giving you any speed on the base paths. You're right that he's not a great fielder, but he has improved to average and I think with work could be a little better than that. To me at least, that's a solid to above average MLB regular. This is the kind of guy that hits number 6 in the order, gets 500+ AB's year, and really provides the necessary kind of player you need around a core of three or four very good to excellent hitters. When you add in that he's only 25 but has had 750 at-bats to give us an inkling of what he is and could become, I actually think a .700 – .725 OPS is his floor at the MLB level and that there is at least a possibility he could develop into a high .700s to low .800s OPS guy for the next 5 to 7 years. I think this is exactly the kind of guy we should be playing regularly and developing rather than hiring a veteran stopgap like Carlos Santana. You bring in the veteran stopgap in two circumstances, where you have a championship caliber team with a hole to fill or where you have a lousy team and a position with no younger guy coming up or one that's still pretty far away and you just want someone to hold down the position for a couple years and give you a semblance of competence. I think we can all agree we're not the second team. I don't think we're the first team either. I don't think the Twins have a championship caliber roster with just a couple of holes to fill in 1B and LF; I think we're a step behind that. We have about 75 to 80% of a championship roster but we need 2-3 more solid bats, 3 if were not going to keep Kepler after this season, 1 more mid-rotation or better starting pitcher, and 1 more strong late inning reliever preferably from the left side. I'm beginning to get optimistic that SWR and/or Paddack might be that starter. Who are going to be the 2 bats we need? I am still hopeful that Julien can be one of them, and I think the current player with the best chance of being the second one is José Miranda. I think Wallner is at this point a complete question mark and while I have more confidence in Kirilloff, he is really struggling and may also need a reset at AAA. With all that said, I think this is why we need to keep Miranda at the MLB and play him almost every day even after Lewis comes back. To me, the injuries gave Miranda, Kirilloff, Margot, and Larnach a shot at a regular job that they otherwise would not have had. Miranda has grabbed the opportunity, Larnach has sort of done so, and Kirilloff and Margot have fumbled the ball. Easy call for me when Lewis is ready - either send down Kirilloff or DFA/trade for an A ball lottery ticket Margot. Miranda stays and gets 450+ plus ABs this year.

I agree with the posters underlying analysis but disagree with the conclusions. The conclusion seems to be that Miranda doesn’t fit with the Twins and should be used as a trade chip. I agree that third base will not be his position once Lewis is back, but how long will Lewis stay healthy, how many more trips to the IL will he need, and what makes us think Lewis is going to play third base more than three or four times a week given his history? I think this team needs Miranda’s bat and needs it in a big way. As stated above, I can easily see him as a 115+ OPS+ guy with average to maybe slightly above average defense at first base. That’s a valuable player and part of the real backbone of any major league team. Even more importantly, we don’t have anyone else. Carlos Santana is 39 years old and gone after this year. Kirilloff has not shown that he can consistently stay healthy or that he can hit major league pitching. There is no one at AAA that is anywhere near ready to play first base at the major league level. What little free agent money ownership is willing to spend should be spent on pitching. We have a solid MLB hitter in Miranda, who is only 25 years old. He may become a better than a solid MLB hitter over the next couple of years, with really no one challenging him for a spot in the batting order. This is a guy you keep and find a place to play, not a guy You trade unless you’re going to get a better hitter back and why would anyone make that deal unless you put in a significant prospect? Miranda is a guy we need and need to keep. I am frustrated because I know he won’t play 1B regularly as long as Santana is around and I think that’s a mistake. Still, you keep him even if we have to wait until next year to see him play every day.

Not too far off, but seems just a tad too negative. The Starting pitching is good enough to be an 75-80 win team with a bad bullpen; this bullpen is good enough to get them to an 80 plus win team. The offense? Who the heck knows at this point. Lewis will help but he can't do it alone. Jeffers and Julien are the key guys that have to step up. I also don't see much other help on the horizon and anyone who can hit will be expensive at the trade deadline with the lack of offense around baseball. I still predict 85ish wins.

Agreed. I'd actually like to see Miranda become the every day 1B at some point in June, assuming Kirilloff goes down to AAA for a 4-6 week re-set. I think we need to find out if he can competently handle the position defensively, since his hitting gives hope of an above average bat going forward. I really would like to see the Twins trot out an infield of Miranda, Julien, Correa, and Lewis 4-5 days a week when Lewis comes back. Unfortunately, I think it's going to take an injury to Santana for that to happen.

With the recent good news that Royce Lewis it's just about ready to start an assumedly short rehab assignment, one's mind turns to what happens when he's ready to rejoin the Twins. You have to think that he'll be playing 3B at least three or four times a week and probably more, and we have Castro as a potential 3B backup. What happens to José Miranda in that scenario? First, the facts. Miranda is hitting .276/.315/.457 (.772) with 4 HRs, 7 Doubles, and 12 RBIs in 105 ABs. He has 16 SOs and 4 walks, (14.5% SO rate, 3.7% walk rate). He's better against LH pitching – .807 OPS – but still respectable against RH pitching with a .722 OPS. His defense at 3B, once a weakness, has improved to a little below average average, with a -2 OAA at 3B and a 0 OAA at 1B. His Statcast chart is not particularly impressive, above average in some things but very little red other than being on the 74th percentile in whiff rate in the 89th percentile in strikeout rate. In other words, the stats so far indicate a little better-than-average player at age 25 with about 750 at bats in MLB so far. Those latter two facts suggest that there is room for improvement to a solidly above average hitter who is an average or slightly above fielder, but those results are far from assured. I think the Twins have to keep Miranda on the roster and I think he needs to play. His team needs quality RH hitters in the worst way, and Miranda is really the only reinforcement option. Lewis can obviously hit, Correa is a quality hitter, and both Buxton and Jeffers are streaky. The rest of them? Not much there. Margot and Vasquez are well below average hitters even if you only count Margot hitting from the right side. Santana can hit right-handed but is a black hole left-handed, and from a hitting standpoint should only start against left-handed pitching. Farmer can hit left-handed pitching or at least could in the past but he's nearing the end of his career and it's unlikely he's going to have a big pop during this season. he's also somewhere else next year. I think you have to keep Miranda around for his bat and hope his defense improves. So where do you play him once Lewis is back to play 3B? I think the answer is pretty simple. Miranda plays 4 to 5 days a week, 3 to 4 of them as the 1B against right-handed pitching, a day or two at 3B for Lewis when he is the DH, and he can be the DH once a week, maybe twice. I would also look at him at 2B as the RH alternative to Edward Julien unless Rocco comes to his senses and starts playing Julien every day. Miranda was a 2B in the minors, he's here for the long term, and he's a better hitter than Farmer. I would suggest trying him in LF, but I know they did that in the minors and I hear it was an unmitigated disaster. So my view is Miranda needs to stay, play regularly, and do it in a combination of 1B and 3B. This decision is coming in is coming within the next couple weeks hopefully. What he is everybody think?

I generally agree with this except for Varland. He needs to stay stretched out as a starter because the current 5 will have at least 1 or 2 injuries, dead arms, etc. that will require an IL stint and we don't have anyone else at AAA. Keirsey for Kirilloff or, better yet, for a DFA of Margot, is a great idea. We need a real CF for those 2-3 games a week Buxton needs to sit or DH Castro can't handle the position. Can Keirsey hit MLB pitching? I don't know, he's never had that opportunity. One thing I do know is Margot cannot hit MLB pitching any more, doesn't run particularly well, and is an average corner OF on defense. Hard to imagine that Keirsey could be worse overall, and he'll be better in the OF and on the base paths. The only question is whether he can ever get on the base paths.

Just tuned in. Patrick Corbin looks awful. Has he been this bad all night? I know he's been one of the worst starters in baseball since he signed the big contract, but this is worse than I realized.

Maybe one day made a huge difference, but where are you seeing that either Farmer or Margot is hitting? Farmer's last 7 days are 3-15. equating to .200/.200/.333 slash line with 5 SOs and NO walks. His last 30 are .200/,278/.308 and he has a .472 OPS against LH pitching this year. He is absolutely a big part of the problem - he was supposed to be a .280ish hitter against LH pitching with some power. He's not. He also has lost a step and can't play SS. At age 33, Father time may have decided it's his time. Margot has a better BA over the last 7 days - .313/..353/.313, but his OPS is all of .666 over that time, His OPS is .513 for the year. with a lofty .660 OPS against LH pitching. Again, he's a guy who was supposed to punish LH pitching and provide good D off the bench, even in CF. He has done neither. Another guy who appears to have lost a step. Margot is an old, slow singles hitter without any defensive value so far this year. I'd be more sympathetic if we were 20-30 games in and this was a slow start with lots of good contact but bad luck. We're now almost 50 games in and this is looking like a true reflection of who these guys are at this stage of their careers. Let's not kid ourselves that these two aren't part of the problem. They are a big part of the problem along with Santana - guys who were supposed to help balance the lineup against LH pitching. They haven't done that job. Let's be honest, it feels like any team that has a LH starter of any quality has a 65% chance of winning that start against the Twins. That has to be fixed if we want to make the playoffs. Getting Lewis back will help. I have to think giving Kepler, Julien, Larnach, and Miranda more ABs against LH pitching is really the only other option. Will it be better than playing Farmer, Margot, and Santana? It's hard to know until we try. One thing is for sure - they'd have to be pretty bad to be worse. It's a low bar from those 3.

I'm also sympathetic to Miranda, who has improved and is now an average 3B. We need to find a place for him to play since he appears to be one of the only RH hitters we have that can actually hit a little, and maybe a lot if he would get a little more regular playing time. I think we now know that Casto can't be the backup CF and Margot also isn't the answer. It's an important call since Buxton is unlikely to play more than 80-100 games in CF and it's a key defensive position. At the risk of stating the obvious, there is a simple solution in just a few steps. 1 - Call up Keirsey to be the backup CF. Add him to the 40 man in place of the DFA'd Jackson. 2- Castro becomes your RH hitting part of a LF platoon (,436 BA/1/104 OPS vs. LH pitching. .213 BA/ .632 OPS as a LH hitter vs. RH pitching), and has the UTL role, particularly as the backup SS. 3 - Larnach is the LH hitting part of the LF platoon and even DHs some against LH pitching. I know the D isn't great, but we need the bat. 4 -Choose between sending Kiriloff to AAA for a reset or a DFA of Margot to make room for Keirsey. Neither is adding anything and both are providing negative value. Decide which one has the best chance of improving at the MLB level. Whichever stays goes when Lewis is ready if they haven't shown significant improvement, or Farmer goes to make room. 5 - Get Miranda time at 1B AND 2B as well as at 3B. He needs to stay when Lewis comes back either as the IB, RH bat in the 2B platoon, or as a DH. 6 - Most importantly, play Kepler, Julien, and Miranda every day until Lewis is ready. SIT Farmer and Margot (assuming Kirilloff goes to AAA, likely result) and use them only as the typical 25th and 26th men on the roster - occasional PH duties, defensive replacements, start maaaaybe once a week. They only stay now because there isn't anyone at AAA worth giving a shot until Helman, Wallner or Kirilloff start to hit.

Wallner needs to show 4-6 weeks of consistent hitting before he gets called back up. While he was decent in July and August and very good last year in September 2023, he was brutally bad in the playoffs, lousy in Spring training, and just horrendous in all of 2024 in the bigs. His MLB slash line in 2024 is .080/.273/.240(.513) with 17 SOs in 25 ABs, 28 PAs, for a SO rate of 60.7%! That's beyond just bad. HIs AAA slash line so far is .214/.278/.429 (.707), That's not recall worthy. Add to that the fact that he's not much of an OF, albeit with a good arm, and he goes only so far as his bat takes him. Right now his bat is taking him to AAA and leaving him there. Something's off and he needs to show that he can consistently it AAA pitching before he can be recalled. The Twins do need OF help, particularly defensively. Keirsey is the much more deserving candidate if a recall is in play. I'd like to see them put Topa on the 60 day DL and elevate Keirsey to the 40 man. Buxton replaces Martin, I'd call Keirsey up to replace Kirilloff, who also has lost his plate Mojo and has become a liability in the field.

I think you have the right swap set except I think Keirsey maybe the better person to bring up since he could play centerfield. Margot apparently can’t and we have to have someone who can for all the days Buxton is off. Also, Keirsey is hitting better, plays better defense, and has shown more speed. He can get on the 40 man when the twins DFA Jackson, something that’s likely to be happening soon. I think Wallner’s fate is tied to Larnach and Miranda. If those two continue to hit well at the MLB level, there really is no place for Wallner unless he completely tears up AAA. Wallner Just doesn’t provide you much defensive versatility. Also, he was so bad at the MLB level this year that I think the Twins will need to see a consistent 4 to 6 weeks from him in AAA before he gets a chance back at the MLB level. A good week or two just isn’t enough for him given how inconsistent he was last year and how bad he was the first few weeks of this year.

It’s early, but Margot is the one most likely do not succeed. A lot depends on whether Buxton is out for a period. If he is, that actually may work against Margot‘s interest in staying on the team. Martin will be brought up if Buxton goes on the IL, and will assumedly play at least 50 to 60% of the time in centerfield, probably more. If he handles the position well defensively and even gets his OPS up to 700, he would be the person to keep when Buxton comes back. The person to lose would, obviously , be Margot. Same issues going to arise in the infield when Lewis is ready to come back. You would think Miranda could go, but he actually is the best hitter on the team right now, or maybe second behind Jeffers. It is a small sample size but if he continues to hit like this, I don’t see how you can send him down. That’s when guys like Farmer and Castro get at risk. If Buck is out for a longer period and Lewis comes back, Margot is traded or released, and Castro becomes more an outfielder than an infielder. Bottom line, as I hope we actually act rationally this time. We have a chance to transition two more young, cost controlled hitters onto the team this year in Martin and Miranda. Let’s not lose that opportunity to keep a used up veteran like Margot and a marginal at best performer like Farmer on the roster, guys who will definitely not be on the team next year.

This. I subscribe to the Athletic but don’t read the comments on the Twins articles because every thread becomes a “Polhads are cheap” narrative, followed by the commentators calling each other names. Pretty brutal and pretty pathetic. The commentary is much better and more knowledgeable here. I know we live in a polarized society but let’s keep it out of our sports talk. Let’s stay positive. There’s a lot to be excited about this year.

Agreed, but let's not forget this is his first time up in the bigs. He may improve his hard hit rate next time up when he has a better idea of how teams will pitch to him. You're right though, the big problem is he turns a mistake pitch into a single or a double, not a home run. That makes it hard to draw walks since pitcher can go right at you without worrying about being hurt too bad. Hard problem to solve if yo don't hit the ball harder more often.

We probably have to give Farmer ABs because the roster crunch is coming, maybe as early as later this week when Correa is ready. The Twins have to decide if they will keep him and, if not, showcase him for a trade later in the year. My prediction is that Julien plays against the LHs, Santana instead of Kirilloff, Farmer at 3B instead of Miranda, Martin instead of Larnach in LF, Margot instead of Kepler in RF or if Kepler plays Margot as DH, and the open question is who is the 9th man - Kepler, Miranda, or Larnach. My guess is Miranda as the DH with Kepler, Laranach, and Kirilloff on the bench. I'd like to see them play Larnach every day, including against LH pitching but not at the expense of Martin. Those two need to play so we can figure out what we have. I'd also like them to showcase Farmer as a SS - that's the only way anyone will take his contract in trade, if they become desperate for a SS. Tonight - Margot in RF, Larnach as DH, Martin in LF, Miranda at 3B, Famer at SS, and sit Castro, Kieilloff and Kepler with Jeffers catching. Regular lineup Sunday meaning Santana, Margot, backup C and eotjher Miranda r Frame r on the bench. On Sunday, DH Buxton, move Martin to CF and Larnach to LF, play Kepler in RF, and play Castro in the IF at 3B instead of Miranda or at SS instead of Farmer.

I think the choice is going to be Farmer or Miranda when Correa comes back. Julien is hitting .333/.375/.600 against LH pitching in a very small sample size. That won't last but it shows that he can and probably should be an everyday player for now, not a platoon player. Julien's defense has improved such that he is at least as good as Farner if not better. We also have Castro and Martin who can play 2B and both are much better hitters than Farmer. No reason to keep Farmer to be a 2B option. It also looks like the Twins have decided we don't need him as a backup SS. Castro has apparently own that job since he's playing there every day. The only thing left for Farmer is to be the backup 3B for Lewis, starter until he comes back. That's an important role since Lewis is an injury risk and will probably see some significant time as a DH. Either Farmer or Miranda will get that job and Miranda starts in the lead since he offers much more as a DH/PH when Lewis is on the field. Farmer may be a better 3B, but he isn't a gold glove type and 3B is an offensive position especially next to a gold glove type SS like Correa. Hard to see a fit for Farmer on this roster if Miranda hits and Santana stays. Frankly, might be smarter to pull up an OF from AAA like Wallner or Kiersy even if Miranda doesn't hit too much to improve the offense by improving the DH options, send Miranda down and trade or DFA Farmer.

Who goes when Duran comes back? Funderburk due to his option? Who then for Topa? Okert and Jackson look like the weak links but neither has remaining options iirc. I don't think Bowman has any options either. I think Alcala may stay in AAA until there is an injury.

Thanks for the updates. Question - is Keirsey not in the top 20 prospects? It would be great to be able to follow his daily performances since he appears to be the most likely next one up to the MLB team when we need an OF.

Agree except I think Okert will get it together and Jackson is what we're seeing now. Henriquez goes when Duran is ready to come back next week. Topa probably ready the week after. Who goes than, Bowman, Funderburk or Jackson? Tough choice. Probably will be determined by an injury or the fact that one has options and the others don't. Still, on merit, Jackson is the one to go.

The White Sox may have lefties in their bullpen but I'm sure they will be scared to death to use them for fear some of our left-handed hitters will be replaced by the mighty Manuel Margot, Jose Miranda, or the right hand hitting versions of Castro and Santana. I guess we can put Jeffers in for Kirilloff, but that's basically it on the right hand side. My apology, but I have a dumb rules question. If we wanted to bring Jeffers into the game, could we put him at the DH spot and move Kirilloff to 1B, thereby benching Santana? Or is Kirilloff effectively out of the game as long as he is not the DH once he starts in that role? I guess we can put Jeffers behind the plate and move Vasquez to IB or put Jeffers at 1B if the goal is to get Jeffers in and Santana out. Just curious if we can do it the easier way.