The Twins Dark Horse Designated Hitter

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins don’t appear to have a set designated hitter this year, and that is probably a good thing. If they wanted to add punch to the lineup from a somewhat unexpected source, there is a guy who may be ready to leap Double-A.

Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into spring training, it seemed that Trevor Larnach might serve as the Twins most regular designated hitter. With Joey Gallo looking to handle left field, Alex Kirilloff slated for first base, and Max Kepler still on the team, that was a fair thought. Things got murky when Donovan Solano was added to the mix. Kyle Farmer may take the first crack, but there will still be at-bats to go around.

Is it crazy to give some of them to Canadian prospect Edouard Julien?

Coming off an excellent season for Double-A Wichita, Julien went to the Arizona Fall League and continued to rake. He posted a .931 OPS across 113 games in the Texas League, and his 1.248 OPS during 21 Fall League games went on to beat it. Since being lured away from Auburn, and the Twins had to entice him plenty, all he has done is hit.

That is a good thing for Julien because he leaves plenty to be desired in the field. Mainly playing second base, he’d need an injury to starter Jorge Polanco for an opportunity to open. Even then, Solano, Farmer, or the now-injured Nick Gordon could stand between him and that chance. If his bat is going to carry, though, then maybe that is all Minnesota needs to play.

Rocco Baldelli’s bench should consist of backup catcher Ryan Jeffers, Farmer, Solano, and a healthy Gordon. That group gives the manager plenty of flexibility. Should Gordon miss Opening Day due to his high ankle sprain, the spot may need to be taken by an outfielder. Neither Solano nor Farmer is an ideal fit on the grass, and Gordon has all but transitioned to being one. If there is a way for the final spot to be somewhat position-less (or multi-positional), then Julien’s spring isn’t slowing his chances.

Prospects aren’t expected to skip Triple-A entirely, and it usually happens with top-tier types such as Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, or Jose Berrios. Still, with Julien’s game being somewhat one-sided, he may need less refinement than those in a traditional scenario.

The power has already played this spring with the Twins, and Julien can further substantiate his results by showing well for Team Canada during the World Baseball Classic. As a high on-base guy, his 8/1 K/BB this spring seems abnormal, but we’re also dealing with a tiny sample size. When the dust settles, it’s probably too insignificant to extrapolate much from the results, but that won’t discourage Julien from putting his best foot forward.

It remains unlikely that there is an avenue for Julien to break camp with the Twins and head to Kansas City for Opening Day, but plenty of crazier additions to the 26-man roster have worked their way out. Julien has already been added to the 40-man roster and wouldn't need any back-of-the-napkin gymnastics to find his way into a big-league clubhouse.

Even if it doesn’t happen to start the year, betting against Julien in 2023 seems unwise. He’ll be right down the street in St. Paul, and you’d probably be best served to get your tickets early if you want to see him there. A strong start at Triple-A could force Minnesota’s decision-making process in a hurry.

At some point, the Twins will need to decide how much the hit tool can carry Julien, and if it’s enough to let him do nothing more than that in their lineup, then he’ll find a great position as a consistent designated hitter this year.

View full article

[Cory Engelhardt]

DH against righties, and where does he play against lefties when the DH spot is PROBABLY (at least my guess) going to Buxton?

That could work though, I like the thinking. Julien's bat certainly looks ready, even if there are questions for where he can help the team defensively.

[Major League Ready]

Who's spot does he take?  Farmer and Solano are not going anywhere.  Buxton / Kepler / Gallo and Taylor are locks.  Miranda / Correa and Polanco are locks as is Kirilloff if he is healthy.  Vazquez and Jeffers are locks.  The only spot left is Nick Gordon.  The only way I see him getting a shot early is if Kirilloff can't go.

[FlyingFinn]

Julien making the team to start the year - only if Polanco is on the IL.

[tony&rodney]

Sure could happen but Julien will need to show well for Canada.

[Althebum82]

Not seeing it.  Yes, his development has been exciting, but the timing is not yet right.  Having said that, if Farmer was attractive enough for the Dodgers to trade us an upgrade to our pitching and catching depth, then the timing could become right.

[MGM4706]

Stop mentioning Larnach. He is a clone of Sano. He can't hit a breaking ball and the league has figured it out!! He needs a full year in St. Paul to figure it out. Plus he can learn how to play the outfield MN wall!

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Julien needs to at least begin the year in the minors.  It will be better for his long term development.  Playing well in spring training is great and useful but let him go down and rake for at least a half year.  That will force the issue and be a wonderful problem to have on our hands.  THEN, we can figure out who to trade/release (or who is hurt!) to make that happen.  I want him to come up and stay up, not be doing the St. Paul shuffle because he can't figure out how to handle major league pitching. 

[DocBauer]

The kinda funny thing about Julien is, even if he has a long and great career, he's always going to be the 18th rounder who "turned out and surprised". But that's not close to accurate. He took a scholarship offer to a very good Auburn program while still learning English, coming from Quebec. NOTE: Canada isn't exactly a HOTBED for MLB talent, even though they've produced some very good players. He had a very good 2018 at Auburn. His 2019 was good, but not as much. And I don't know who his scout was, but the Twins offered him way above slot $ to sign. And he did. But he also signed too late to get even a token appearance in 2019, and then missed all of 2020.

So everything he's done, all that he has produced, has been 2 milb seasons, and and AFL award as newcomer when he should have been crowned MVP. 

While different decades, he's an amalgam of Knoblach and Arraez. He's the hitter of Chuck, but not Luis. But he has similar bat control and OB ability. He's not as fast as Knoblauch, but much faster than Arraez. And he probably matches Knoblach for power, if not, maybe, more. But he's such a natural at everything he does with the bat, he's also probably ready, or near ready, to hit at the ML level. Unfortunately, his defense is not at the Knoblach level at 2B. Which puts his defensive comparison closer to Arraez at this point.

Auburn played him everywhere while there. The Twins did the same in 2021. In 2022, they concentrated on 2B solely with time at DH. And I understand why. Trying to maximize his ability, his bat, and get him comfortable. I believe, with 2 healthy knees and athletic ability, he should/could be at least OK at 2B. There should be no reason he couldn't be a solid 1B with the same athleticism. But man, with his talent, I would just love him to be OK as an occasional LF to increase his versatility.

Is he ready to be a long shot opening day part of the lineup? I think not. I think he's actually part of a projected 15 player roster, health provided, and will begin 2023 in St Paul because there isn't enough room. And while I applaud him playing in the Classic for his home country...and hope he performs well and uses that as a springboard...it might diminish his chances of making the final roster. But I believe he's ready, or damn near close, to being ML ready. I predict he's an early call up who will replace Arraez as a top of the order hitter who will help stabilize the lineup and produce, and only get better offensively and defensively come 2024.

[IndianaTwin]

To clarify, we should ignore the 8 K/ 1 BB ratio because of the small sample size, but we should pay attention to the power in the same small sample size?

[stringer bell]

I think he will be sent to Triple A and I think that is the right call, as well. If he does well, the Twins possibly could promote him before midseason. It will probably help Julien to face AAA pitching and also work on his defense. 

[specialiststeve]

You will get tired of me saying this but the DH ..NEEDS to be Polanco. Switch hitter that the DH'ing will keep him healthy. 150 games played ... That IS a difference vs the 90 or 100 if he plays 2B and gets dinged. 

As far as Julian... Let's all take a deep breath!!

Let him start at 2B in AAA and see if they can make it work defensively. If not put him at 1B as those are the two spots other than the DH. We shall see how his bat responds to AAA pitching .. one more step up the ladder. There will be opportunity if he continues to rake. 

[mikelink45]

What a fun fantasy - this is what spring training is all about - dreams and hopes  

[miracleb]

Three guys would need to get hurt for him to have a shot this Spring......praying that won't happen!  

[TwinsDr2021]

12 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Who's spot does he take?  Farmer and Solano are not going anywhere.  Buxton / Kepler / Gallo and Taylor are locks.  Miranda / Correa and Polanco are locks as is Kirilloff if he is healthy.  Vazquez and Jeffers are locks.  The only spot left is Nick Gordon.  The only way I see him getting a shot early is if Kirilloff can't go.

I agree with this take, I don't see a spot for him. If somebody is hurt I think he should be given the first chance (he is already on the 40 man)

I will add he turns 24 next month so the talk about him needing to be in the minors is strange to me, by 24 you either can play (I believe he can) or you can't or you do need more time and end up just being a average player that bounces around, except in the case where you don't have a position, you have a real short career.

[Doctor Gast]

Julien had a great start with bat to begin ST but IMO it has cooled off a bit to think of him at DH and he's behind position players at 2B & 1B. Send him to AAA to perfect his 1B. He's on the 40 man so he'll be up when he mashes AAA and when there's an opening.

[Karbo]

AAA is the right place to start this spring. Make sure he is the real deal before moving others to make space.

[NotAboutWinning]

I am somewhat confused by all the talk of slotting our young players with promising hit skills into the DH role. If you're going to employ a dedicated DH, it should be a spot for experienced ML hitters whose defensive side is in decline. There is something wrong with our farm system if it continues to develop so many young players who can hit but have no defensive skill.

[Trov]

Very few teams want to slot a guy of his age into just DH roll.  Twins even more since trading Cruz away have used DH as a way to give a normal starter a break in the field for the day while keeping bat in line up.  I doubt Julien breaks camp to be a regular DH.  Also, teams are unlikely to call up top prospects to ride bench.  Unless they will be using Julien almost every day he will not break camp with Twins.  As health continues to impact team he could break camp for that reason, but I find it very unlikely he breaks to DH.  I know he is not a major defender, but I would bet if they wanted Julien to break camp, he would start at 2nd over Polanco and Polanco would DH more often. 

[nicksaviking]

14 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Who's spot does he take?  Farmer and Solano are not going anywhere.  Buxton / Kepler / Gallo and Taylor are locks.  Miranda / Correa and Polanco are locks as is Kirilloff if he is healthy.  Vazquez and Jeffers are locks.  The only spot left is Nick Gordon.  The only way I see him getting a shot early is if Kirilloff can't go.

I don't think Kirilloff will be ready.

And last year's team OBP of .317 tells me they shouldn't automatically defer to Nick Gordon who struggles to draw walks when there's a rookie who seems to do it at will.

[nicksaviking]

54 minutes ago, NotAboutWinning said:

I am somewhat confused by all the talk of slotting our young players with promising hit skills into the DH role. If you're going to employ a dedicated DH, it should be a spot for experienced ML hitters whose defensive side is in decline. There is something wrong with our farm system if it continues to develop so many young players who can hit but have no defensive skill.

Agreed. Though people can fault the current front office and coaching staff for plenty of things, it is hard to deny that they have made a really flexible roster; just about everyone can play multiple positions. I don't think anyone will be a full time DH. 

[terrydactyls]

10 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

To clarify, we should ignore the 8 K/ 1 BB ratio because of the small sample size, but we should pay attention to the power in the same small sample size?

Maybe that is because Julien has shown power the last couple years and the K/BB ratio this spring is the opposite of his past performance?

 

[saviking]

14 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

Who's spot does he take?  Farmer and Solano are not going anywhere.  Buxton / Kepler / Gallo and Taylor are locks.  Miranda / Correa and Polanco are locks as is Kirilloff if he is healthy.  Vazquez and Jeffers are locks.  The only spot left is Nick Gordon.  The only way I see him getting a shot early is if Kirilloff can't go.

That's what I don't like about the Solano signing. He deprives Larnach, Julian, Wallner to compete for the main DH hitter. They all have way more power than Solano and I'm a big believer in having a power bat in the DH slot. 

[JD-TWINS]

Lee & Julien need a couple months at AAA to get acclimated to another level before considering for Big Club. Need to at least start year in St. Paul so we don’t burn a year of control going forward.

13 minutes ago, saviking said:

That's what I don't like about the Solano signing. He deprives Larnach, Julian, Wallner to compete for the main DH hitter. They all have way more power than Solano and I'm a big believer in having a power bat in the DH slot. 

Larnach needs to prove health over some time period more than a couple weeks……..same with Kirilof…….Solano signing is another smart depth move. The 2 young guys are more appealing but they have to be available! Walner needs to work on D, other than arm, and strike out about 10% less than historically. Julian, while showing great upside, needs to spend a couple months in AAA to be sure he’s good to go at next level. Same with Lee.

As stated above, Julian & Lee lose year of control if on Opening Day roster. Let’s wait at least a few weeks.

[stringer bell]

Regarding bat-first guys, Julien probably fits that description and maybe Miranda, as well. Lewis, Lee and Martin all would profile to be decent defenders higher on the spectrum than Julien and maybe Miranda. 

[twinstalker]

You're suggesting a guy who's never played above AA, who has a K rate of 47% in spring training where pitchers are at the point of just trying to get the ball over the plate, should maybe be in the Twins lineup?

 

[jmlease1]

1B/DH might be his eventual landing spot somewhat by default: even if he plays a passable 2B or 3B (and it's a little questionable whether he will get there), with Jorge Polanco, Jose Miranda, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, and Austin Martin (even with injuries putting the last two behind) Julien would really really have to hit to jump past those guys who are all better defensively (yes, even the oft-maligned Polanco & Miranda) at those spots.

His eye at the plate is really pretty awesome, though and he's shown real ability to make contact and do damage when he decides to swing. he's not likely to be a batting title guy competitor like Arraez, but he's also not going to be a 200 Ks a season guy either. I think some time at AAA will probably help him refine his approach against pitchers with better control and better stuff; in the lower minors a player with a great eye can wait out the wildness that you see all the time in the pitchers. the higher you ascend, the more those pitchers have ironed things out and can clip the corners on breaking stuff and ride the edge with a high velocity fastball. there's fewer mistakes and meatballs to annihilate.

I'm looking forward to seeing how his power potential develops; can he be a guy that slugs around .500 consistently? If he keeps showing and building that ability to punish the ball when he does take his hacks, it's going to help him keep that OBP up too, because pitchers will be more afraid to challenge him. As great a hitter as Arraez was, a good pitcher isn't going to be as afraid to challenge him with a pitch when there's 2 out and the bases empty or even with a runner on 1st, not in the same way. The great eye sets Julien's floor for me, but the power will determine how high the ceiling is.

I expect we'll see him at Target Field sometime this season, and I'm looking forward to it.

[Ted Schwerzler]

3 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

You're suggesting a guy who's never played above AA, who has a K rate of 47% in spring training where pitchers are at the point of just trying to get the ball over the plate, should maybe be in the Twins lineup?

 

I'm not suggesting...I'm wondering if it's a possibility.

You're also probably putting entirely too much stock into 16 ABs...

[Ted Schwerzler]

14 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

To clarify, we should ignore the 8 K/ 1 BB ratio because of the small sample size, but we should pay attention to the power in the same small sample size?

Neither of the sample sizes are small when looking at his career numbers. Not exactly about ST. Though I think he should still be ticketed for Triple-A.

[Mike Sixel]

5 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I agree with this take, I don't see a spot for him. If somebody is hurt I think he should be given the first chance (he is already on the 40 man)

I will add he turns 24 next month so the talk about him needing to be in the minors is strange to me, by 24 you either can play (I believe he can) or you can't or you do need more time and end up just being a average player that bounces around, except in the case where you don't have a position, you have a real short career.

Nothing about that last paragraph is backed up by data.