Reevaluating Minnesota’s First Base Depth

[Cody Christie]

Miguel Sanó and Alex Kirilloff’s injuries have forced the Twins to be creative when it comes to first base. Should fans be concerned with Minnesota’s first base depth?

Depth is critical when building a big-league roster, especially if a team is in contention. Minnesota planned on two players getting the bulk of the time at first base, but that plan has already needed to shift. Let’s examine what the Twins can do at first base if injuries continue to impact the roster. 

Injuries: Miguel Sanó, Alex Kirilloff
Minnesota’s plan entering the season was to rotate through Sanó and Kirilloff at first base. Sanó was one of the AL’s worst defenders at first base last season, but his height helps him pull in errant throws. Sanó isn’t in the line-up for his defensive ability, as he has posted an OPS+ of 105 or higher in six of his seven big-league seasons. His recent knee injury pushed him to the IL, and this might be a good time for him to reset as he has a .379 OPS in 2022. If surgery is required, he may miss a significant chunk of the season. 

Kirilloff is currently rehabbing a wrist injury in St. Paul, but there is no timeline on when he will return to the team. It was clear that he wasn’t 100% healthy at the season’s start, as he went 1-for-17 before being put on the IL. Even with his rehab starts, Kirilloff has yet to collect an extra-base hit this season. Last season, he ranked very well on the defensive side of the ball at first base, but he needs to prove he is healthy before taking over a starting role. 

Plan B: Luis Arraez
Minnesota shifted to Plan B, with Sano and Kirilloff out of the picture. Luis Arraez has taken over the everyday starting first base role even though he doesn’t fit the prototypical first baseman mold. Entering the 2022 season, Arraez had minimal professional experience at first base, but injuries have allowed him to shift from a utility role to a starter. He is below average at other defensive positions, so moving to first may help hide some of his defensive flaws. Plus, the Twins want his bat in the line-up as much as possible because he has posted his highest OPS+ since his rookie season. Arraez has dealt with knee issues in the past, so where would the team turn if he gets hurt?

Other Options: Gio Urshela, Gary Sanchez, Jose Miranda
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli mentioned that other first base options include Urshela and Sanchez. Both players have combined for 10.0 defensive innings at first base during their big-league careers. It seems unlikely for Sanchez to make regular appearances at first since rosters dropped to 26-men, and the team is only carrying two catchers. Miranda might be the most likely player to see time at first as he has played 270 innings at first base throughout his minor league career. He’s one of the team’s best prospects, and this might be a way for him to play every day at the big-league level. 

Another name to watch at St. Paul is Curtis Terry, who the team signed to a minor league deal this winter. Terry made his big-league debut last season with the Rangers and went 4-for-45 with two doubles and 15 strikeouts. So far this season, he is hitting .261/.378/.464 (.842) with five doubles and three home runs. He is not on the 40-man roster, so it would likely take a long-term injury for him to get an opportunity. 

Do you feel the Twins need to worry about their first base depth? Can Arraez handle the position? Should Miranda take over at first? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[Aichiman]

Miranda is good, or seems good based on last year's AAA stats.  But he's completely untested.  I don't know much about Terry.  If we still had Brent Rooker, I wonder if he could have filled in?  Maybe a trade?  Or maybe we can sign a castoff from the May 2nd roster contraction?  How far along is Sabato?

[rwilfong86]

Sano's injury may be a blessing in disguise, I think with Sano's struggles it was unlikely he would be part of the Twins future after this season, him being out allows the Twins to evaluate other younger players, like Miranda, who fit better into their long term plans. 

[Riverbrian]

There are roster space limitations for how much depth that you can commit to any position. 

With that said:

Sano, Kirilloff, Miranda, Arraez, Urshela, Sanchez and Kepler are all on the 40 man roster.

SS, CF and C is miles from that kind of depth, 

[ToddlerHarmon]

10 minutes ago, rwilfong86 said:

Sano's injury may be a blessing in disguise, I think with Sano's struggles it was unlikely he would be part of the Twins future after this season, him being out allows the Twins to evaluate other younger players, like Miranda, who fit better into their long term plans. 

Definitely looks like an opportunity for both Miranda and Arraez to play every day.

[Stew]

I said in the off season we should have looked at a couple of 1st baseman on the market. We went other directions. Sano was not a great option. He was the worst fielding in the league at his position. Now we should split time between arraez and Miranda. At least till we bring back kirilloff back.

[HrbieFan]

What an opportunity for Miranda. Kid has a shot to get his feet wet and cement himself on the big club for a long time. We were getting zero production from Sano, so Rocko can have some patience with Miranda. 

[umterp23]

Kirilloff hand/wrist injury is a long term concern for me.  Hasn't been the same for almost closing in on a year (counting off-season) and has lost power in his swing.  So he may be in AAA for weeks to come until fully healthy.  How will we describe full healthy when you need your wrists/hands for a swing?  Bright future for him when last year but what is the future now going to look like.  Here is hoping he can be back to pre injury but not sure that will happen

[arby58]

Give Miranda a chance - he has nothing left to prove at the minor league level. I worry a lot more about Minnesota's catching depth (quality-wise) than I do about first base.

[Dantes929]

Miranda at first allows for promotion of Lewis to third and also giving Lewis a chance to spell Correa occasionally.  

[TruthInDuluth]

Twins have been hesitant to dump Sano because of the bad luck they had with dumping “big poppy” and him becoming a star in Boston 

they gave given Sano every opportunity to improve, but face it, he can’t hit the curveball. Flails in his big over swing

time to move on

[Nashvilletwin]

We all saw Moneyball, right? I mean, how hard is it to play 1B? (that’s a joke).

Actually, though, not losing sleep over 1B depth at the moment (although feeling bad for Kiriloff and Sano).

Now if Buxton, Correa, or Jeffers go down………

 

[Blyleven2011]

No concerns at firstbase ,

Arreaz and miranda for now ,,, see how it goes ...

Like most , catcher is not  a strength  ... keep the ball in front of you boys , block it , smother it , whatever you have to do 

Last year's catching even wasn't that good as there was alot of wild pitches and passed balls  ,,, alot of those wild pitches should have been call passed balls In my opinion but with a runner moving up a base they called it a wild pitch ...

Catching is a problem for most teams in the league as to many wild pitches or passed balls probably led to a record of runners scoring from third base ....

[Major League Ready]

I am not sure how long the recovery is for a torn meniscus.  However, I would assume he would be out a couple months and I would bet they send him to AAA for the full 20 days.  Between the surgery recovery time and the rehab stint, he likely won't be back until after the trade deadline.  I expect Miranda to get a shot to fill that spot.  The best case scenario IMO is that we get a healthy / productive Kirilloff back at 1B  in a month.  Urshela is traded at the deadline making room permanently for Miranda at 3B.

[MGM4706]

Start playing Royce lewis at 1B today in St. Paul!! He is athletic enough to pick it up quickly and then get him up to the bigs Would cover a lot of ground at 1st.. Time for him to live up to #1 prospect name!! Would give us another outfielder too.

[Major League Ready]

1 minute ago, MGM4706 said:

Start playing Royce lewis at 1B today in St. Paul!! He is athletic enough to pick it up quickly and then get him up to the bigs Would cover a lot of ground at 1st.. Time for him to live up to #1 prospect name!! Would give us another outfielder too.

That's a horrible idea.  His value is by far the highest at SS and Miranda is better equipped for that position.  Let's also not forget Lewis has been out for 2 seasons and finally showing the great promise at a premier position that we all hoped for.  Let's also recognize the odds of Correa being here next year are probably 10%.  Royce Lewis is exactly where he should be doing exactly what he should be doing.

[roger]

Jason Kubel was a super star in the making, until that short fly in the AFL changed his career.  Is a nagging wrist injury doing the same to AK?  I certainly hope not, but we won't know for a couple years.

Am I concerned with Arraez and Miranda manning first, not really.  Expect Arraez defense will improve with every game played and hoping that Miranda's 2021 bat comes around over the coming days/weeks.

[Dman]

What I like about Miranda is no strikeouts so far in 9 at bats.  Putting the ball in play should help him find hits or at least have productive at bats moving runners over etc.  He doesn't look over matched at the plate to me.  He has swung at stuff outside the zone and gotten himself out on bad pitches but every player does that.  I think he is a long term answer for the infield and a good option for first base.

If he can find a way to hit the nasty stuff thrown at the MLB level he should be a good one.

[terrydactyls]

This situation has all the earmarks of a Broadway musical!  The musical begins with a flashback to the day a young Lou Gehrig replace an injured Wally Pip at first base and history is made.  Now flash forward to Jose Miranda stepping in at first to replace an injured Miguel Sano.  Will history repeat?  Will any songs win a Tony?  If only there was a famous Broadway personality to write, direct, and star in this musical....????

[Mike Sixel]

Not even the tiniest but worried.

They have plenty of good options, none of which are Terry. 

Moving Lewis there has to be one of the worst ideas ever. He's ridiculously fast, you don't put him at first.

[TheLeviathan]

Seems like having Miranda/Urshela/Arraez cover 1B and 3B is working quite splendidly.  I like Sano, but this situation is peachy.

[MTV]

I think as of right now, the Twins should just manage at first with Arraez and Miranda, and wait for Kirilloff to come back. Sano should do what is best, and the Twins should hold off from trades for now. Things will hopefully be clear at the deadline for what the Twins do and don’t need.

[USNMCPO]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

I am not sure how long the recovery is for a torn meniscus.  However, I would assume he would be out a couple months and I would bet they send him to AAA for the full 20 days.  Between the surgery recovery time and the rehab stint, he likely won't be back until after the trade deadline.  I expect Miranda to get a shot to fill that spot.  The best case scenario IMO is that we get a healthy / productive Kirilloff back at 1B  in a month.  Urshela is traded at the deadline making room permanently for Miranda at 3B.

Meniscus tears have two different surgeries depending on how severe the tear is. One is relatively minor with a recovery of 3-6 weeks normally. The other is a full repair and recovery is 3-6 months. I haven't seen any word on which will be done but that often isn't known until the surgeon opens the knee and determines how bad it is. 

[tony&rodney]

First base is not a concern for the Twins.

[PDX Twin]

Surgery for Sano is convenient because we don't have an automatic out in the lineup for a month or two. And Rocco doesn't have to deal with a grumpy giant in the dugout, as he would if he simply benched him.

[LA VIkes Fan]

2 hours ago, umterp23 said:

Kirilloff hand/wrist injury is a long term concern for me.  Hasn't been the same for almost closing in on a year (counting off-season) and has lost power in his swing.  So he may be in AAA for weeks to come until fully healthy.  How will we describe full healthy when you need your wrists/hands for a swing?  Bright future for him when last year but what is the future now going to look like.  Here is hoping he can be back to pre injury but not sure that will happen

Yes, I think it is far from certain that Kirilloff will be of much help in MLB this year. Something is still not right with him and his wrist, whether it's a continuing physical issue or more of a mental adjustment to playing through pain. I'd be very surprised to see him before June 15. I think it's possible that he will be up for the second half but wouldn't be surprised if it takes him a season to work through these issues, including possibly a further procedure. I think we have to plan on 1B being manned by someone else.

On the bright side, that someone else could be Miranda. Between Sano's injury and Kiriloff's rehab issues, there's a huge hole at the 1B/DH spot. Here's his big break, hope he can take advantage of it.    

[TwinsAce]

1 hour ago, Nashvilletwin said:

We all saw Moneyball, right? I mean, how hard is it to play 1B? (that’s a joke).

Actually, though, not losing sleep over 1B depth at the moment (although feeling bad for Kiriloff and Sano).

Now if Buxton, Correa, or Jeffers go down………

 

I will say, with how nice Lewis is doing at AAA, I'm feeling better if we lost Buxton or Correa for a time since there is a good chance he'd be called up to fill the gap.  Not ideal since we are talking about superstars down to potential superstar, but not horrible.  I think C is the biggest worry, but at the same time, those AAA catchers can all fill the spot okay.

I'm excited for Miranda to get hopefully a decent run in the majors.  I'm hopeful but nervous about AK's wrist though...

[Eicemann]

2 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

We all saw Moneyball, right? I mean, how hard is it to play 1B? (that’s a joke).

Actually, though, not losing sleep over 1B depth at the moment (although feeling bad for Kiriloff and Sano).

Now if Buxton, Correa, or Jeffers go down………

 

I LOVED the portrayal of Ron Washington in that movie.  And he got to deliver some killer lines. Agree that depth issues are more concerning at the other positions you cited here.

[Karbo]

Let miranda play for a while. he looks good. let him have a couple of weeks of adjustment and I think every thing will work out fine between 1B, DH & 3B.

[Doctor Gast]

I think many people have their priorities all backwards. Many believe at CF we can throw any bat out there and that's ok, we don't have to go outside the organization for help. But at 1B many believe we are missing some primary players we have to trade for someone to fill that position. CF is a key position that is super important and hard to find anyone who can man that position and in the past we have suffered tremendously there in depth. 1B is not an important position, we don't need a spectaclar glove or someone that has a lot of range to play there. Here any bat can play there and not cause a lot of damage.

Everybody wants Arraez's bat in the line-up, 1B is the best place for him even if he's a little short. 1B we a lot of depth, there is no problem what's so ever. IMO this an area where we can trade from not vise versa