Nick Gordon and Kyle Farmer Give Twins' Bench a 1-2 Punch

[Adam Friedman]

The Twins sport a relatively unknown 1-2 platoon punch on their bench. Can it provide a small but critical difference in the AL Central?

Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The AL Central is expected to be very tight and, according to projections and betting lines, the Twins are projected to finish second or third. For the Twins to make up the ground on Cleveland and Chicago, they'll need to get production on the margins, whether on defense, in the bullpen, or off the bench. 

Kyle Farmer and Nick Gordon's platoon pairing as utility players could be an excellent way for the Twins to score crucial extra runs. Left-handed hitting Gordon will play most days when righties are pitching, and right-handed hitting Farmer will play most days when lefties are pitching, which will give the Twins lineup added length in either platoon situation. 

Kyle Farmer
When the Twins brought in Kyle Farmer from the Reds via trade, Twins fans hoped he would serve as a platoon bat in a utility role. Farmer can fill in all around the infield and corner outfield and, if necessary, at catcher. Farmer playing a utility role hinged on the Twins bringing in a big-name shortstop, and for a while, it appeared the Reds 2022 starting shortstop would be the Twins' Opening Day shortstop in 2023.

When Carlos Correa signed with the Twins for at least six years, Farmer was thrust back into that utility role for which he is well-suited. Being able to target lefty pitchers for him to match up with could be a massive advantage for the Twins. In 2022, he obliterated left-handed pitchers with a 157 wRC+, which indicates he was a 57% above-average hitter, fueled by a .568 SLG.

Farmer will move around the diamond for the Twins to hunt lefty matchups. Considering that two righties, a switch-hitter, and just one lefty make up the Twins' Opening Day infield, they may shuffle things around when lefties are on the bump. Farmer could slot in at left field, as the Twins have suggested, although he's only played four innings in the outfield in his major league career. Alternatively, they could move Jose Miranda to first base and slot Farmer, the superior defensive third baseman, at third. 

Wherever he slots in, the Twins hope that he will continue his dominance in those platoon matchups and provide much more versatility than their 2022 right-handed platoon bat, Kyle Garlick.

Nick Gordon
Nick Gordon put together his first full season at the major-league level in 2022. To the surprise of many, the 2014 first round pick was excellent. 

Gordon showed a surprising bit of power at the plate, especially against right-handed pitching. He put up a 111 wRC+ overall, and a 125 wRC+ against righties. He also showed that there might even be another level when he had a phenomenal 141 wRC+ against righties from July 1st to the end of the season. 

Due to his health, Gordon has a minimal track record of success at the upper minors or major-league level, so it's reasonable to question whether his production is sustainable. However, the batted ball data indicates that it was not just a flash in the pan. Gordon graded out in the 86th percentile for xSLG based on the quality of his contact. That could improve if he faces fewer left-handed pitchers, against whom he had a horrible 58 wRC+ against. 

Beyond roughing up righties, Gordon provided tremendous defensive flexibility. He played at least 17 games at left field, second base, shortstop and center field. He wasn't good at any position and was below average in the infield, but he was about average at both left field and center field. His ability to be somewhat competent at many positions will enable the Twins to get his bat into the lineup against righties as they get regulars off their feet. 

If you ask the average fan in any market outside of Cincinnati or Minnesota, they probably don't know Nick Gordon or Kyle Farmer. But these can be the type of bench players that make the difference between winning the division and coming up just short, especially when injuries pop up. Depending on the matchup, having one of Farmer or Gordon in the lineup just about every day will be a tremendous asset for the Twins in 2023.

 

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[CRF]

Both of these guys will be extremely valuable. 

[Doctor Gast]

Indeed both will be very valuable. But with a logjam of corner OFers, Farmer should be limited to the INF where we are hurting at the moment. And Gordon should be limited in the OF.

[Adam Friedman]

28 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Indeed both will be very valuable. But with a logjam of corner OFers, Farmer should be limited to the INF where we are hurting at the moment. And Gordon should be limited in the OF.

Agree on Gordon. I think we should expect to see Farmer in the outfield some against lefties. I agree he’s best suited to play the infield though. 

[theBOMisthebomb]

Those are two decent bench, depth pieces. Almost the type of bench players on a winning playoff team. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Why assume Gordon won’t be the everyday left fielder? Gallo and Kepler need to earn their spot in the lineup just like Gordon and Larnach

[Adam Friedman]

9 minutes ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Why assume Gordon won’t be the everyday left fielder? Gallo and Kepler need to earn their spot in the lineup just like Gordon and Larnach

I've thought about that some for a long time. I think the lack of a real track record of sustained success makes it hard to plan on, although Kepler and Gallo aren't reliable, either. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gordon end up in that role at some point (against righties), but he won't start the season in that role. 

[sun]

My main concerns about Farmer are that his "double plays grounded into" seems high & he gets hit by a lot of pitches.  Rocco needs to find the best spot in the batting order for him to not hit as many GIDP's, and hope that getting hit by pitches doesn't cause him serious enough injury to miss time when we need him.

Double Plays Grounded Into

2021 NL  16 (6th)

2022 NL  20 (3rd)

 

Hit By Pitch

2021 NL  18 (2nd)

2022 NL  16 (4th)

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/farmeky01.shtml

[Beast]

I like both of these guys in a bench role.  Not in a starting role.

Many want Gordon to start.  I need to see more.  One half season on his entire pro career isn’t enough for me to hand him the stating spot a premium offensive position (left field).  If he continues his second half of 2022 a month or two into 2023, I’ll start to buy in.

[wsnydes]

I think both of these guys are great bench players.  I wouldn't be opposed to Gordon starting, but he's got to earn that.  And I think they can probably do better, but if he earned it I can't argue with that.

[Parfigliano]

22 minutes ago, Beast said:

I like both of these guys in a bench role.  Not in a starting role.

Many want Gordon to start.  I need to see more.  One half season on his entire pro career isn’t enough for me to hand him the stating spot a premium offensive position (left field).  If he continues his second half of 2022 a month or two into 2023, I’ll start to buy in.

I think something has gone horribly wrong in spring training if they come north with Gordon slotted to start anywhere.

[Linus]

I don’t get why Nick has to “earn” his starts but Gallo and Kepler don’t. Play the best players. 
 

[Cris E]

First the dry: Gordon's performance  was all over the place (OPS+ from 79-150) when his babip was quite high from April thru August, but he was quite average (97 OPS+) when his babip was closer to normal from September thru the end of the year. He really only had one hot month in August and the rest were meh even as he was getting pretty lucky in balls in play (season babip .340 vs AL .290).   If he starts hitting into bad luck he might slide back towards his 2021 numbers where he only managed a 79 OPS+ while his babip was merely .310 vs the AL .291.

Second the meat: I like Nick Gordon: he plays an energetic, fun, fast style of baseball, he's a good interview, he seems to really be enjoying himself out there and the world needs more guys like him. But in his career he's had injury problems, he's been over-matched defensively, he doesn't steal bases well despite his speed, his other base-running numbers aren't great and he doesn't walk.  He's got value, but no one should pretend we don't have better options in the outfield corners.

Splitting them IF and OF except in unusual circumstances sounds great. Farmer can PH against lefties and can catch when Vazquez is DH, and Nick can step in against righties and maybe pinch run. Lots of fun, but both bench players.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

42 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I think something has gone horribly wrong in spring training if they come north with Gordon slotted to start anywhere.

In 2022 Kepler had 95 wRC+, Gallo had 85 wRC+, and Gordon had 111. Gallo’s overall OAA last year was 0, Keplers was 11(!) Gordon’s was -2. Gordon’s OAA in the outfield was 0, compared to Gallo’s 0 to -3.

 

Maybe something went horribly right if Gordon is slotted to start in Left.

[DocBauer]

I need to see Gordon perform over time before I label him a starter, even though I'm a fan and have been supporter of his. But I like him in the OF and believe he will get better. He's OK at 2B and passable at SS. He's barely played 3B but I want to see him there in ST to see if he can play there once in a while. And his speed on the bases is outstanding. He just needs to be a little refined there.

Farmer is a passable, decent starting SS, but an excellent reserve option. He can, and has, played across the entire infield and brings a pretty decent bat. He's even an emergency catcher! I don't know that I'm crazy about seeing him in LF, but I'd give it a try in ST.

I think these two bring a lot to the table in regard to their versatility and solid offense

 But I like the whole bench.

Taylor is an outstanding defensive OF who can hit a little, provide occasional pop, and still runs well even if he's not a big base stealer.

Larnch as a backup OF and DH who plays almost every day with solid defense and a great arm? Yes please! (Still believe he's a full time starter sooner than later).

Whether you like Jeffers and believe in his potential at a still young age, and only a little over 600 PA, or not, you have to love someone like him as the 2nd catcher, especially considering untapped potential.

The Twins have, I believe, a very, very nice bench.

 

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Why assume Gordon won’t be the everyday left fielder? Gallo and Kepler need to earn their spot in the lineup just like Gordon and Larnach

Agreed!!

Gordon in LF 80 games - CF 50 games.

Larnach in LF 50 games - DH 80 games

Buxton in CF 80 games - DH 50 games

Kepler in RF 110 games

Gallo in RF - 50 games - LF 30 games - 1B 20 games - Gallo DH 20 games

Farmer at 3B to rest Miranda 25 games…..at 3B against LH pitching, another 30 games while Miranda starts at 1B - 2B to rest Polanco for 25 games - SS to rest Correa. That’s 105 starts without any injuries.

Miranda at 3B 100 games  - at 1B 30 games

Farmer v. LH pitching is very solid!

Gordon v. RH pitching is also solid!

As stated above, Gordon is now an outfielder & Farmer an infielder.

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Indeed both will be very valuable. But with a logjam of corner OFers, Farmer should be limited to the INF where we are hurting at the moment. And Gordon should be limited in the OF.

Who should start in the OF against left-handed pitching, though?

[Nashvilletwin]

3 hours ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Why assume Gordon won’t be the everyday left fielder? Gallo and Kepler need to earn their spot in the lineup just like Gordon and Larnach

Couldn’t agree more. Gordon is currently our second best overall (hitting, fielding and running) outfielder behind Buxton. 

[mikelink45]

This just further creates questions about our redundancy of lefty OFs on the team.  Please - there has to be a trade.

[Adam Friedman]

9 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

This just further creates questions about our redundancy of lefty OFs on the team.  Please - there has to be a trade.

Personally, holding out hope for a Kepler trade. I think there are question marks about all of the lefty OFs so maybe holding onto them and seeing who sticks isn’t a bad plan. 

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Who should start in the OF against left-handed pitching, though?

There are not that many left handed starting pitchers. Taylor can get some starts early, in addition to spelling Buxton in other cases. The last position player looks like Trevor Larnach. I would suggest that the Twins ignore salary or veteran status for Kepler or Gallo and go with whomever is swinging a better bat. A Taylor-Buxton-Kepler outfield versus lefties is fine. Perhaps Gordon, Larnach, or Gallo get some starts too. Maybe even Farmer in left field. It might be that Royce Lewis or Austin Martin fill an outfield spot by June. The outfield lineup will be in flux when the Twins face a left handed starter.

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

There are not that many left handed starting pitchers. Taylor can get some starts early, in addition to spelling Buxton in other cases. The last position player looks like Trevor Larnach. I would suggest that the Twins ignore salary or veteran status for Kepler or Gallo and go with whomever is swinging a better bat. A Taylor-Buxton-Kepler outfield versus lefties is fine. Perhaps Gordon, Larnach, or Gallo get some starts too. Maybe even Farmer in left field. It might be that Royce Lewis or Austin Martin fill an outfield spot by June. The outfield lineup will be in flux when the Twins face a left handed starter.

There aren't many left-handed starters but the Twins will still face a lefty starter ~40 times in 2023.

Do we really want Kepler and Gallo starting those games? I sure don't, give me Kyle Farmer every time.

[DocBauer]

1 hour ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Who should start in the OF against left-handed pitching, though?

Yep. Good arguement. But we all know with a 13 man player roster, you simply can't, obviously, swap out and platoon at every spot. 

The good news is that, if healthy and just being their "normal" selves, Gallo, Larnach, and AK all hold strong against LH pitching...milb and SSS ML results. Taylor helps. One of Vazquez or Jeffers can also DH. And while I'm not crazy about the idea of Farmer in the OF, I think it's worth a shot to see how he looks in LF as an option.

But maybe he's better at 3B and Miranda playing 1B? But then again, if Kirilloff is RIGHT does that make sense? On paper, Kepler is the LH bat you just don't want to see in the lineup, yes?

[Brock Beauchamp]

2 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Yep. Good arguement. But we all know with a 13 man player roster, you simply can't, obviously, swap out and platoon at every spot. 

The good news is that, if healthy and just being their "normal" selves, Gallo, Larnach, and AK all hold strong against LH pitching...milb and SSS ML results. Taylor helps. One of Vazquez or Jeffers can also DH. And while I'm not crazy about the idea of Farmer in the OF, I think it's worth a shot to see how he looks in LF as an option.

But maybe he's better at 3B and Miranda playing 1B? But then again, if Kirilloff is RIGHT does that make sense? On paper, Kepler is the LH bat you just don't want to see in the lineup, yes?

In general, optimally I want to see zero left-handed bats in the lineup against a lefty starter unless they're Mauer-level.

And with Taylor and Farmer on the same roster, I'll be very disappointed to see Farmer on the bench and Gallo/Kepler in the outfield against a lefty.

[eric grundmeier]

Add Taylor to make a bench trio = the best defense and position flexibility the Twins have had in many years.  This bench trio's offense is likely to be average at best, but I'm hoping Larnach/Wallner will step up to add valuable bench offense.  The trio's offense may be above average if Baldelli can minimize their at-bats vs same-handed pitching.

[DocBauer]

5 minutes ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

In general, optimally I want to see zero left-handed bats in the lineup against a lefty starter unless they're Mauer-level.

And with Taylor and Farmer on the same roster, I'll be very disappointed to see Farmer on the bench and Gallo/Kepler in the outfield against a lefty.

Agreed. The bench was built the way it was for a reason, defense and flexibility. No reason Farmer and Taylor shouldn't be in the lineup, optimally against a southpaw. But at least Gallo, potentially, provides almost equal splits. 

How much better is the entire lineup if we actually have a healthy AK and Larnach starting to reach their potential? Almost scary as a fan to hope, great against RH and solid vs LH. I dare to dream.

[gman]

Farmer is a free agent in 2025 and Gordon a free agent in 2028. So for multiple years the two could provide solid backups at a near starting level all around the field. For a team that stresses the ability to play multiple positions, I  think they can cover everywhere on the field but the mound. As far as Kepler and Gallo go, I don't think either will be here beyond this year and the team needs to develop players in their position going forward.

[Doctor Gast]

2 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Who should start in the OF against left-handed pitching, though?

 Farmer is better in the INF than OF, right now we don't have enough RH bats to cover both INF & OF when facing LHPs. If you're desperate to fill the OF with RH bats you can always call up Garlic & or Celestino. 

It'd be nice if we had a LH bat to platoon at SS & 3B, Gordon isn't the answer & Lee isn't ready.

After Lewis is called up then I can see putting Farmer in the OF.

[tony&rodney]

Makes one wonder if Kyle Garlick might get a chance.

[wsnydes]

2 hours ago, Linus said:

I don’t get why Nick has to “earn” his starts but Gallo and Kepler don’t. Play the best players. 
 

In my view, that's part of the conversation.  If Gordon earns a spot over either of those two, they didn't earn it.  Gordon did.  The same is true in reverse.