Will José Miranda Make the Twins' Opening Day Roster?

[Nash Walker]

José Miranda bullied minor league pitchers in 2021 to the tune of a .973 OPS and 30 homers in 127 games. Will he make the Opening Day roster for the Twins in 2022?

To say Miranda’s breakout was a surprise is an understatement. The Twins left him off the 40-man roster last winter, and he went unpicked in the Rule 5 Draft. A solid but unspectacular hitter before 2021, Miranda adjusted his approach at the plate and unlocked tremendous power. 

Among 302 upper-minors hitters in 2021, Miranda led in average (.344) and hits (184). Miranda finished in the top 10 in homers (30), OPS (.973), wRC+ (158), and strikeout rate (12.5%). It was an impeccable season for the 23-year-old from Puerto Rico. 

Steamer by FanGraphs projects Miranda to hit .282/.329/.460 with 15 homers and 2.0 Wins Above Replacement for the Twins in 2022. That’s quite a statement for a player whom the Twins didn’t see fit to keep on the 40-man just 12 months ago. 

Similar to Alex Kirilloff last year, the Twins have a decision to make on Miranda. But unlike Kirilloff, who hadn’t appeared in a regular season game in over a year before struggling mightily in spring training, Miranda has checked every conceivable box to this point. He has nothing left to prove. 

The last-place Twins could’ve given Miranda a look last September but opted to keep Andrelton Simmons at short, blocking any path for Miranda to make his debut. The situation is the same this winter. Unless Jorge Polanco is moved back to shortstop (he won’t), there simply isn’t a starting spot for Miranda, who projects as a first, second, and third baseman in the majors.

Luis Arraez and Josh Donaldson will likely split time at third base and DH, with Miguel Sanó spending time at first and presumably DH as well. With both Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers needing at-bats against lefties, both should DH throughout the season in their own right. 

The Twins’ 2021 MVP is entrenched at second (Polanco), with their $92 million man at third (Donaldson) and a former top-20 global prospect at first (Kirilloff), with Sanó also pushing for starts. 

Without an injury or trade, there aren’t any easy paths for Miranda to start on Opening Day against Lucas Giolito in Chicago. 

Miranda damaged right-handed pitching plenty in 2021, but his work against lefties points toward a potential platoon role to start his MLB career. He hit a remarkable .397/.450/.713 with 11 homers in 151 plate appearances versus left-handed pitching. 

It’s naive to think the Twins will be completely healthy come March 31st, especially when you’re talking about a group of players who have extensive injury histories. As it stands, though, almost every role is accounted for. Miranda could DH against lefties, but is that really the best thing for his development?

If the Twins are set on limping through this offseason without any frontline additions, there’s no excuse to block Miranda. If the goal is to provide innings for their slew of pitching prospects, the same should be true with at-bats for Miranda. 

The Twins had a solid-ish argument to hold Kirilloff down last spring. They were competing for a division title and were willing to give Luis Arraez a look in left field. The former is no longer true, and shuttling Miranda back to St.Paul sends the wrong message and will once again raise questions about service-time manipulation. 

What do you think? Should José Miranda make the Opening Day roster? Will he?

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[beckmt]

without a trade, I don't see an easy path here.  There are still 3 months, so we will have to wait.

[Doctor Gast]

I like to trade Arraez this off season to make room for Miranda to rotate w/ Donaldson at 3B. If he takes off we could trade Donaldson at the deadline or play Donaldson more often at DH start Miranda at 3B.

[wsnydes]

I don't know where he'd play without someone getting dealt.  I definitely don't want him just sitting on the bench, he needs to be playing every day.  It'll be interesting to see what happens if he has a massive spring though.

[rv78]

It's hard to imagine that they cannot find a place to play Miranda when 6 of the 9 guys in the lineup couldn't hit above .250 last season. It looks like the FO isn't going to give this team a major upgrade in the rotation and if they are willing to play the same lineup again in 2022 minus Simmons and Cruz then where, as fans, are we expected to see an improvement come from? Unless I am missing something, resigning Buxton was done to prevent a fan mutiny and every other move so far has been, well, laughable. Evidently their vision to be competitive in 2022 will rely on the youngsters like Miranda, Kirilloff and a stable of minor league pitchers making a giant leap forward.

[miller761]

If the Twins start 2022 with the same roster they have now let Miranda go back to AAA to start the season. Let him hopefully get off to a good start and see what happens. Pretty sure an injury with happen and then he can have his chance. He is a prospect with 1 great year in the system. Up until then he has been average. Don't see how that makes him a sure fire bet to contribute in majors. 

[TopGunn#22]

I agree with Doc Gast.  I'm not happy about trading Arraez but Miranda can do everything he can and Arraez is one of our most valuable trade chips to acquire good, veteran, starting pitching.  To me, (maybe not to the current Twins FO) it's painfully obvious that Arraez needs to be packaged to acquire that SP'ing as well as open a spot for Miranda.  Honestly, you can't have a guy put up numbers like THAT in AAA, finish in last place in a typically weak division, and NOT have a place for Miranda on the big league roster with a clearly defined role and spot in the lineup.   

[mikelink45]

If our rebuild (sorry I know we are retooling) is going to have an impact on the future we need to start playing the future now and let them grow into their potential.  I expect a trade and will be disappointed if the trade is just prospects and not players currently starting. 

[TwinsDr2021]

As is I don't see a way for him to make the team out of spring training, unless he has been working on Left Field all off season.

[Linus]

I did not realize how few strikeouts he had. That is a complete batting line!

[stringer bell]

Miranda certainly looks like someone who should be looked on as having a very solid chance to be a productive hitter as well as someone capable of playing several positions adequately. If the FO is confident he can perform at that level, I would advocate using Arraez as a trade piece for a shortstop. There is redundancy between Miranda and Arraez in the positions they play while there might be some redundancy with Arraez and Martin (who would figure to break in sometime this year, as well) in their ability to lead off, reach base and play multiple positions. 

Failing to trade Arraez, it could work out that he would be a platoon left fielder, with Miranda getting the at-bats at third, second and DH. 

[Karbo]

That is the kind of hitter a lineup needs. Power AND avg. As I see things now, there is a wide open left field. Can Miranda play there? If not then if Arraez is still here put him there.

[DocBauer]

He deserves to make the club right out of the gate unless he just struggles. He's a dynamite prospect! 

But the problem is he doesn't pitch and the roster is solid and complete as is. He makes the club opening day if there is a trade or injury, and both are possible. His best chance to make the club otherwise is AK in LF instead of Larnach initially, (again, without trades), then he may open as the primary 1B and still move around. Of course, he could also play LF initially himself.

Otherwise, he begins at St Paul to be be able to play and hit daily and be the first guy brought up when there is an opening. It's just math and numbers.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

The Twins, a last place team, are not good enough to be struggling to find a place for Miranda to play in 2022. The Twins should put Miranda at 3B or LF and find another place for Donaldson or whoever was supposed to start in LF, to play. 

[terrydactyls]

6 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

He deserves to make the club right out of the gate unless he just struggles. He's a dynamite prospect! 

But the problem is he doesn't pitch and the roster is solid and complete as is. He makes the club opening day if there is a trade or injury, and both are possible. His best chance to make the club otherwise is AK in LF instead of Larnach initially, (again, without trades), then he may open as the primary 1B and still move around. Of course, he could also play LF initially himself.

Otherwise, he begins at St Paul to be be able to play and hit daily and be the first guy brought up when there is an opening. It's just math and numbers.

Once again, Doc Bauer stole my thoughts.  I've been seeing a lot of comments about LF still being a need.  If so, Kirilloff to the outfield and Miranda to the infield solves the dilemma.

[Squirrel]

4 hours ago, Nash Walker said:

To say Miranda’s breakout was a surprise is an understatement. The Twins left him off the 40-man roster last winter, and he went unpicked in the Rule 5 Draft. A solid but unspectacular hitter before 2021, Miranda adjusted his approach at the plate and unlocked tremendous power. 

I think this is a very important statement to keep in mind. Was his breakout legit, and this is who he is going forward? Or will there be some regression back to what he has always been? Unless you are absolutely confident that the former is true, he will start the year in AAA and will be the first called up due to injury. Arraez could be traded and should be used as a trade chip, but Miranda could be, too, if everyone sees his year last year as legit. But if everyone is healthy, not sure I see Miranda on the roster to start the season, We won’t and shouldn’t move on from Donaldson until we know for certain of who we have with Miranda as a 3rd baseman

[MN_ExPat]

30 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

Once again, Doc Bauer stole my thoughts.  I've been seeing a lot of comments about LF still being a need.  If so, Kirilloff to the outfield and Miranda to the infield solves the dilemma.

AK to LF may not be ideal, but he's a good enough athlete that he at least wouldn't be a liability out there.  Although I don't remember off the top of my head how much 1B Miranda has played before this year.

[tony&rodney]

The hitting talent displayed last year across the board, especially the low K numbers, provide an answer. Miranda should get every chance to play five times per week next year. I'm a big fan of outstanding defensive players and wondered if there was any possibility to add Starling Marte to the team, but understand why he was not feasible. The Twins have put some pretty stiff defenders on the field and Miranda should be equal to the task in the field. A bat that equals Steamer projections would be solid. Miranda should be on the roster Opening Day and see significant at bats (20+ per week) during the season.

 

[MileHighTwinsFan]

I think a big variable will be the new CBA and the way it addresses service time.  If it is status quo and the Twins can save a year of service time by keeping him in St. Paul for the first 2 months of the season, then it is highly likely he starts in St. Paul. If by the end of May he has replicated his 2021 results, the Twins will have little choice but to bring him up at that point.   

I don't believe that making a trade to specifically make room for Miranda makes sense - there are more important reasons to make trades, like getting controllable arms.  If a trade for an arm makes room for Jose, so be it.

These types of things tend to work themselves out one way or another.  I am confident that we will see plenty of Jose Miranda at Target Field next summer.  The rest are just details.

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, MN_ExPat said:

AK to LF may not be ideal, but he's a good enough athlete that he at least wouldn't be a liability out there.  Although I don't remember off the top of my head how much 1B Miranda has played before this year.

I think he’s played more 1st base than LF. And he’s played quite a bit at 2nd, which he has said is the position he likes best of all those he’s played. He has even played SS, but rarely.

[Trov]

The article asks if he will start the season at MLB level.  Unless there is a trade or injury, I would say no.  I would not move someone just to make room for him.  Yes, he had a great year last year in minors, but do we know he will replicate it, let alone at the majors?  Many times players have a break out year then regress, not saying he will, but it is not like he was a number 1 prospect and we were just waiting for it to all click.  At some point there will be injury to one of our infielders and then he will get his shot.  If there is a trade to be had that makes room, cool, but you should not just ship someone away because you have some depth.  Remember when we dealt J.J. Hardy because we thought we had someone to replace him?  We got crap in return and his replacement was terrible. 

[DJL44]

He's certainly ready. He was ready for a September callup and didn't get it.

[Dave The Dastardly]

There's only one way to accurately determine if a player is ready for the Bigs; play him in the Bigs. Expecting some mystical sign to occur in the minors; a burning bush, the appearance of a comet, or Obi Wan materializing to say with a wave of his hand "This is the player you are looking for", it's all guesswork. 

Donaldson isn't the future; Arraez and Miranda are. Dump Donaldson and use the savings to sign a pitcher that doesn't come with a "salvaged" tag hanging from his jersey and put the kids in the field. By July we'll all know if Miranda is the real thing or not.

[Seansy]

I would guess they start him at AAA and (barring an injury) he would get called up after the trade deadline when they trade JD. I'm assuming they won't be competitive this year which is why JD gets traded to make room for him once the FO knows the season is lost.

Barring a trade or injury (or change to service time rules in new CBA) I view the trade deadline as the most likely time he gets called up.

[jorgenswest]

He has shown that he can hit AAA pitching. Assuming he has a good spring training (not measured by spring training staff but in the eyes of the staff) he should be on the roster.

He can find playing time on the four corners and 2B. His right handed bat should start against every lefty and he should be starting enough against right handed pitching to be on target for over 400 PAs.

He is a much better fit than Larnach who may need to start in AAA.

 

[rv78]

Miranda to LF might make the most sense if Kirolloff stays at 1B and Sano Is the main DH guy. I mean what have you got to lose. Trying Miranda in LF isn't like moving Sano to RF.............. is it? 

[Major League Ready]

5 hours ago, Squirrel said:

I think this is a very important statement to keep in mind. Was his breakout legit, and this is who he is going forward? Or will there be some regression back to what he has always been? Unless you are absolutely confident that the former is true, he will start the year in AAA and will be the first called up due to injury. Arraez could be traded and should be used as a trade chip, but Miranda could be, too, if everyone sees his year last year as legit. But if everyone is healthy, not sure I see Miranda on the roster to start the season, We won’t and shouldn’t move on from Donaldson until we know for certain of who we have with Miranda as a 3rd baseman

Have to agree, what's the rush and why get ahead of ourselves?  2022 is going to be the year to figure these things out.  The best case scenario is Donaldson plays well enough to be attractive in trade after Miranda has shown he is for real.

[MN_ExPat]

4 hours ago, Squirrel said:

I think he’s played more 1st base than LF. And he’s played quite a bit at 2nd, which he has said is the position he likes best of all those he’s played. He has even played SS, but rarely.

Sorry, meant Kirilloff in LF not Miranda.

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, rv78 said:

Miranda to LF might make the most sense if Kirolloff stays at 1B and Sano Is the main DH guy. I mean what have you got to lose. Trying Miranda in LF isn't like moving Sano to RF.............. is it? 

I think that makes no sense, when you have Kirilloff, Larnach and Rooker (as of now), and even Gordon, and Arraez in a pinch. Sano is not going to be a full time DH, even though he will spend a chunk of time there, but so will Donaldson, Garver, Arraez and a few others. In his whole minor league career, Miranda has played LF a total of 3 times for a total of 25 innings. While I get that LF seems to be the place to play just about anyone, if that is where you are going to put Miranda, he is going to start the year in AAA to learn the position. And I think I read here somewhere on here, there was a good reason to not play Miranda out there more than that, so it is likely not going to be a regular place for him. 

[stringer bell]

7 hours ago, DocBauer said:

He deserves to make the club right out of the gate unless he just struggles. He's a dynamite prospect! 

But the problem is he doesn't pitch and the roster is solid and complete as is. He makes the club opening day if there is a trade or injury, and both are possible. His best chance to make the club otherwise is AK in LF instead of Larnach initially, (again, without trades), then he may open as the primary 1B and still move around. Of course, he could also play LF initially himself.

Otherwise, he begins at St Paul to be be able to play and hit daily and be the first guy brought up when there is an opening. It's just math and numbers.

I’d disagree that the position player roster is “solid and complete as is”. There is a gaping hole at SS and left field is unsettled. I think that the assumptions that Miranda and Kirilloff are ready to be big-league regulars are valid. If that is so, then there are extra players at second and third base.  One of them could fill left field, at least on a platoon basis, and Kirilloff is passable in left as another option. I’m pretty sure the Twins will rotate several players through the DH role.