Edouard Julien is Set to Make an Impact for the 2023 Season

[Theo Tollefson]

FT. MYERS – One Twins prospect that has gained significant attention this offseason is infielder Edouard Julien, who spent the 2022 season at Double-A Wichita. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Edouard Julien spent his entire 2022 season with the Wind Surge and posted some great statistics. He hit .300/.441/.490 (.931) in 113 games. 

With these numbers and an even more impressive stint at the Arizona Fall League where he hit .400/.563/.686 (1.248) in 96 plate appearances. His performance in the AFL earned him the league's Breakout Player of the Year Award. 

The growing talent of Julien has been ranked higher on early team prospect rankings, including fifth in the Twins system per Twins Daily. His 2022 season and stint in the AFL has also earned Julien national recognition cracking the number 75 spot on FanGraphs 2023 Top 100 prospects list. While FanGraphs authors Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin listed Julien as a left fielder on the list, it is very unlikely he will play the position this year. 

“Last year, my goal was to be aggressive early in the count,” Julien said to Twins beat reporters Tuesday morning. “And this year is gonna be the same thing. I tried to drive a pitch early in counts and get ahead of the pitcher. If I get a couple of balls on me, I feel like I'm in the driver's seat because he's behind, he's got to throw strikes. And then that's when the OPS number goes up and I get better as a hitter.”

Julien has wasted no time in making more improvements as he arrived in Florida a month ago from Quebec to get to the Lee County Sports Complex as early as possible.

Not only did Julien need a break from the snow to get into his baseball routine, but he will be on Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic. Julien wanted to be as ready as possible to represent his home country on one of baseball’s biggest stages. 

“You get a chance to wear your country in front of your chest, across your chest. It's always a great experience to see old teammates and some guys that you've never played with,” Julien said. 

The one player that Julien is looking forward to playing with for the first time on Team Canada above all others, is Dodgers first baseman, Freddie Freeman. 

“It's gonna be a cool experience to learn from him and see his daily routines and what he does before games every day,” Julien said. 

While Julien has become more aggressive in counts, he still has shown he is willing to work an at-bat into his favor and draw a walk if need be. He drew 98 walks in 508 plate appearances for the Wind Surge and 23 more free passes in 96 plate appearances in the AFL. 

His natural ability to get on base has drawn many comparisons to former Twin Luis Arraez. There have been many fans speculating if he’ll be the guy to replace Arraez’s role in the Twins lineup as the 2023 season progresses. 

In Julien’s own words, there are some similarities that can be seen to Arraez without any direct mention of the former Twin.

“I think my approach was better last year just to be aggressive in counts and when they see that you're aggressive in counts I feel like the pitchers are trying to put you a little bit more because they're scared that you're gonna swing the bat early,” Julien said. 

Where Julien will start his 2023 season in the Twins organization is still uncertain. though it is likely you will see him in a Saints uniform in April. If he performs as well as he did at the AFL in the WBC and spring training, there’s a chance Julien could be on the Twins roster before the month of April is over, although that will be more dependent upon an opportunity opening up in the big leagues. 

What would you like to see from Edouard Julien in the 2023 season? What are realistic expectations for the Canadian who speaks three languages - French, English and Spanish - fluently? 

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[miracleb]

I don't care how great of a Spring training he has, he will end up in St Paul (at best.)   Two Cinci cast-offs have assured this.  Plus, they will need to wait until (April 15th-ish?) to get that extra year of service time.

[miracleb]

Of course, we still need a lead-off hitter.....

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'm really curious to see where he plays position wise. And it FEELS like he will need an injury to get an opening too.

[mikelink45]

He is the type of player that the twins need to allow for when they construct their roster. I don't like filling it up with marginal big leaguers.  I'm afraid it will take more than one injury to create room for him on this roster

[RJA]

Like others on this site, I have been a fan of Julien's potential for a couple of years.  I know it will be difficult for him to crack the lineup absent an injury, but if he tears up St. Paul like he did AA, he will be here this year.  I think with Correa, Polanco, and Miranda, and hopefully a healthy Kirilloff, plus Julien, Lee, Lewis, and Martin if the Twins let him be himself, all on the horizon, I would not be surprised if the Twins spring a trade, at least by the deadline.  I do wish they would stick Juien at one position and let him get comfortable.  Correa was right, the young talent on this team is much better than many believe.  This will be a fun year both at the major league and minor league level.

[chpettit19]

18 minutes ago, RJA said:

Like others on this site, I have been a fan of Julien's potential for a couple of years.  I know it will be difficult for him to crack the lineup absent an injury, but if he tears up St. Paul like he did AA, he will be here this year.  I think with Correa, Polanco, and Miranda, and hopefully a healthy Kirilloff, plus Julien, Lee, Lewis, and Martin if the Twins let him be himself, all on the horizon, I would not be surprised if the Twins spring a trade, at least by the deadline.  I do wish they would stick Juien at one position and let him get comfortable.  Correa was right, the young talent on this team is much better than many believe.  This will be a fun year both at the major league and minor league level.

FYI, Julien only played 2B (and DH) last year.

[terrydactyls]

Young talent could be starting at 9 of 10 offensive positions in 2024.

1B; Kirilloff

2B: Lee 

SS: Correa 

3B: Miranda

LF: Lewis

CF: Buxton 

RF: Martin 

DH: Larnach

 

That leaves one position where a prospect is badly needed - catcher.  At the trade deadline, the Twins should offer Polanco, Gallo, Kepler, etc for a talented AA/AAA catcher.

 

[Dave The Dastardly]

10 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

Young talent could be starting at 9 of 10 offensive positions in 2024.

1B; Kirilloff

2B: Lee 

SS: Correa 

3B: Miranda

LF: Lewis

CF: Buxton 

RF: Martin 

DH: Larnach

 

That leaves one position where a prospect is badly needed - catcher.  At the trade deadline, the Twins should offer Polanco, Gallo, Kepler, etc for a talented AA/AAA catcher.

 

I'd offer all the Twins "O"s; Polanco, Gallo, Celestino and Solano. for a talented catcher. A trade like that would also open up a few spots for deserving rookies.

[Doctor Gast]

Julien is great, an Arraez with more speed & power. Yet 1B is his best position. 

[Dman]

I just hope the bat and eye at the plate translate well at the MLB level.  He still K's a fare bit so I still have minor contact concerns.  If he keeps up his current pace for yet another year he looks like an elite bat to me.  His current level of patience\eye at the plate\power is pretty unique and valuable IMO.  Defense is another story as I don't know if he can be average anywhere on the field but if he can again that makes him very valuable if everything translates to MLB.  Hoping for a great year from him and that he gets some chances with the big league club.

[roger]

Where will he play in the field?  That seems to be the $64,000 question. (Remember when that was a lot of money?)

What will be his best position?  Where will a spot open up on the field?  Going to be a fun summer, hopefully we will get a few answers for Julien and a couple of the other young prospects.

[LA VIkes Fan]

Julien looks good but let's pump the brakes a little here, guys. He performed well in AA and the AFL last year. That's a long way from performing in MLB or even AAA. Farmer and Solano have performed competently or better for multiple years in MLB. Both Farmer and Solano are much more likely to help the 2023 Twins; Julien may help the 2024 Twins and is much more likely to help the 2025 Twins. Julien should spend most of this year in AAA and continue to progress, and he might get a shot this year if we have injury issues and/or guys aren't effective. He also needs to find a defensive position he can play at an MLB level. He needs to show us that he can be more than just a bat first 1B/DH. We are exactly where we want to be with him. 

This Twins team is better and the players and FO think they have the horses to contend for the division title and maybe even a solid playoff run. A team like that should have solid veteran backup players like Farmer and Solano because they can help get those marginal 4-8 wins that will make a huge difference. A young guy like Julien might help, he might not, and you have to give him ABs that might help win or lose a game to find out. Contending teams can't give those ABs away.  If you think you can contend to put the Farmers and Solanos of the world on the bench. If you think is a rebuilding or developmental year (think KC or Detroit) you give those ABs to the Juliens of the world. This team thinks it can contend. I'm cautiously optimistic that's right. I think signing Farmer and Solano was the right move and will help us contend. If we can't, we'll know by July and we can trade those guys for A ball lottery tickets and then give Julien, Lee, Martin, SWR, Varland, etc. their shot. No need to force anything now for any of those guys and I think all of them except for Lewis are for the 2024 or 2025 MLB club. .    

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I'm really curious to see where he plays position wise. And it FEELS like he will need an injury to get an opening too.

It says he won’t play LF……didn’t see where he will play on defense?

With Kepler & Gallo gone in ‘24, is it RF?

Curious.

[MN_ExPat]

27 minutes ago, Dman said:

I just hope the bat and eye at the plate translate well at the MLB level.  He still K's a fare bit so I still have minor contact concerns.  If he keeps up his current pace for yet another year he looks like an elite bat to me.  His current level of patience\eye at the plate\power is pretty unique and valuable IMO.  Defense is another story as I don't know if he can be average anywhere on the field but if he can again that makes him very valuable if everything translates to MLB.  Hoping for a great year from him and that he gets some chances with the big league club.

I can see where your coming from, but I also feel that he will be fine defensively at 2B in the majors.  From what little I've seen, he a total baseball dude and can at a minimum be an average MLB 2B.

[awmonahan]

I'd love to see what he can do in the majors, but he really needs a position. Please put him in AAA with a ton of time at both 2B and LF.

[Cory Engelhardt]

I'll throw this out, to me he is kind of a guy who will hopefully CRUSH at St. Paul, make his debut and hit well for a month, and then after that be part of a package for really good starter this July.

I very well could be wrong, but this team is prioritizing defense more than it sounds like he will be able to provide. But you have to give something to get something, and if you are trading players, it's a lot easier to trade a non-up the middle defender than otherwise.

[4twinsJA]

Julien is on 40 man roster so increases his chances of playing at MLB level this year, especially compared to Martin. But, still has to prove himself at AAA level. Hopefully, Julien makes it hard for Twins to keep him at AAA.

[chpettit19]

38 minutes ago, MN_ExPat said:

I can see where your coming from, but I also feel that he will be fine defensively at 2B in the majors.  From what little I've seen, he a total baseball dude and can at a minimum be an average MLB 2B.

I watched him in the AFL some, and he didn't look anywhere near MLB average at 2B. That doesn't mean he can't get there, but he's got a long ways to go. His defense is a real question mark.

[Rosterman]

The Twins have no depth at first base, unless Kirilloff shines and will be controlled for 3 more seasons, or if Miranda would move there and be controlled for 5.

Both players could also DH with the option to play in the field.

Could 1B be the home for Julien? Right now, the Twins will be fielding a couple of minor league free agents at St. Paul. Al depends on where they ultimately see Martin, Lewis and Lee playing and those decisions should be made sooner, rather than later.

[MN_ExPat]

39 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I watched him in the AFL some, and he didn't look anywhere near MLB average at 2B. That doesn't mean he can't get there, but he's got a long ways to go. His defense is a real question mark.

Fair enough Good Sir, I will defer to your judgement in this matter

[RJA]

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

FYI, Julien only played 2B (and DH) last year.

Agree, but that was not the case in 2021 as he played 1B, 2B, 3B and LF across two levels.  Hopefully, they stick with the 2022 plan.

[Fatbat]

If his bat is .300/.400/.500 in MLB, you can play him anywhere but SS and CF no matter who is pitching or the day of the week. 

[weitz41]

Like another posting, after Kirilloff we have very little to no depth in prospects at 1b.

I know it's no ideal prospect list wise. (Not that that should really matter) But other than that we have lots of left side and center infield prospects and tons of outfielder prospects. Seems like a logical place for him to make it to the show.

.270-.300 BA/.325-.375 OBP/.450-.550 SLUG makes for a pretty decent 1st baseman.

Also like another posting. Where he plays in ST would be interesting to know. His AAA position/positions may tell what the FO and coaches see.

[tony&rodney]

45 minutes ago, Fatbat said:

If his bat is .300/.400/.500 in MLB, you can play him anywhere but SS and CF no matter who is pitching or the day of the week. 

This is what Julien will need to show, and he sure could too. He will undoubtedly begin in St. Paul, but a guy who crushes right handed pitchers will get opportunities sooner rather than later. He is an option as the strong side of a platoon at DH. Julien will continue to work on his fielding but it is his bat that will be watched for a decision on when he comes to the Twins.

[Doctor Gast]

25 minutes ago, weitz41 said:

Like another posting, after Kirilloff we have very little to no depth in prospects at 1b.

I know it's no ideal prospect list wise. (Not that that should really matter) But other than that we have lots of left side and center infield prospects and tons of outfielder prospects. Seems like a logical place for him to make it to the show.

.270-.300 BA/.325-.375 OBP/.450-.550 SLUG makes for a pretty decent 1st baseman.

Also like another posting. Where he plays in ST would be interesting to know. His AAA position/positions may tell what the FO and coaches see.

I've always said that Julien's best position is 1B. He has the glove, quickness & range to excel there. He could be our best 1B glove. Any where else IMO is sub par.

[weitz41]

9 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I've always said that Julien's best position is 1B. He has the glove, quickness & range to excel there. He could be our best 1B glove. Any where else IMO is sub par.

I agree. Plus if Kirilloff is healthy and hitting 2024 could see him in LF or RF again.

I have to admit though that I'm a Polanco fan and am likely to be against any other player at 2nd base. 😁

[Doctor Gast]

10 minutes ago, weitz41 said:

I agree. Plus if Kirilloff is healthy and hitting 2024 could see him in LF or RF again.

I have to admit though that I'm a Polanco fan and am likely to be against any other player at 2nd base. 😁

I'm a Polanco fan also and as of right now we don't have anyone that can really replace him. But when Lewis arrives I'll have to succumb to the idea that the hand writing is on the wall.  

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, weitz41 said:

Like another posting, after Kirilloff we have very little to no depth in prospects at 1b.

I know it's no ideal prospect list wise. (Not that that should really matter) But other than that we have lots of left side and center infield prospects and tons of outfielder prospects. Seems like a logical place for him to make it to the show.

.270-.300 BA/.325-.375 OBP/.450-.550 SLUG makes for a pretty decent 1st baseman.

Also like another posting. Where he plays in ST would be interesting to know. His AAA position/positions may tell what the FO and coaches see.

Larnach, Wallner, and any other hitter can play first.

For the OP, where is he playing in Minnesota? They are filled with infielders at this point, not even counting Gordon.....

[miracleb]

Totally agree with Mike above!  Everyone can be a DH and "MOST" everyone can play 1st base.  Heck,  Arraez played 1st base a good chunk of last season and I am guessing he never played there in the minors(?)  Those two positions are the easiest to fill.  1st base has historically been a spot for a taller fielder with good power (closer to a "plodder" than a "speed" guy.  The reason for this is that it is one of the easier positions to play (if there is such a thing as an easy position.)  Even the less graceful Hrbek played it effectively.  Being taller is also a defensive bonus at that position.