He was tremendous defensively and earned his first career Gold Glove Award for his work around first base.
Santana was a godsend when Alex Kirilloff again struggled to stay on the field and ultimately was forced to retire after the season at age 27, due to extreme back pain.
Last month, Santana signed a one-year, $12 million deal with the Cleveland Guardians, where he spent a dozen professional seasons.
With Kirilloff’s November retirement, many Twins fans have pointed out that the Twins have a void at first base.
“We’re going to have to lean on some of the internal guys to take on some of those at-bats for sure, at least in terms of backup consideration,” said Derek Falvey, shortly after the end of last season. “And then we’ll just have to see how the offseason plays out there.”
In other words, on the Twins’ list of offseason priorities, first base (rightfully) didn’t rank highly. The Twins have acted accordingly.
After DFAing Yunior Severino, he returned on a minor-league contract. They brought in 32-year-old Mike Ford on a minor-league contract. He hasn’t done much in the big leagues after hitting 12 homers in 50 games for the 2019 New York Yankees.
He did hit 16 home runs for the Mariners in 2023, but then he split the 2024 season between the Reds, their Triple-A affiliate, and Japan.
Armando Alvarez was also signed to a minor-league deal.
The 30-year-old made his MLB debut in 2024 with the Oakland A’s. He had 39 plate appearances. He has played all over the infield defensively.
They did acquire infielder Mickey Gasper in a Christmas Eve trade with the Red Sox. He made his big-league debut in 2024, but he went 0-for-18 with four walks and eight strikeouts in 23 plate appearances. Before his promotion, he played 44 games at Double-A Portland and 48 at Triple-A Worcester.
You can put him into the same category as Ford and Alvarez, but he does have a 40-man roster spot and will be competing for a utility role and to keep said place on the roster.
Raise your hand if you thought the Twins would be a player for free agents such as Christian Walker, Pete Alonso, or even Paul Goldschmidt. Now, put them down and go to the corner.
Here is a list of remaining free agents who could play first base: Ty France, Justin Turner, Rowdy Tellez, Anthony Rizzo, Jose Abreu, Yuli Gurriel, and Jared Walsh. They could bring back Miguel Sanó. Joey Gallo would play well defensively at first base.
You could go with a 40-year-old Turner, or you could try a veteran like Rizzo, who has posted injury-marred OPSes of .706 and .637 despite being a left-handed hitter in Yankee Stadium. Does a 38-year-old José Abreu appeal to you, coming off a disastrous stint in Houston?
Alternatively, you could use two offensive-minded internal options, both of which have had strong stretches and fought significant struggles. José Miranda is still just 26 years old. He has played 286 MLB games over the past three seasons. In two of those seasons, he posted OPSes over .750. In 2024, Santana posted a .749 OPS, which made him a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award.
Offensively, there is little doubt in my mind that Miranda can meet or exceed Santana’s performance (with the necessary caveat of assuming health).
In 2023, Edouard Julien came up to the Twins early in the season and became one of their most reliable, consistent hitters.
He showed the skill set that made him an intriguing prospect over his 2021 and 2022 minor-league seasons. First and foremost, his eye at the plate was impeccable.
He posted an OPS of .839 due to a superb walk rate, 16 doubles, and 16 home runs. Many of his extra-base hits were driven to the opposite field. Everything about Julien’s 2023 led us to believe he could be a fixture at the top of the Twins lineup for years to come.
Then came 2024, and he was again really consistent. Unfortunately, it was a consistent struggle. He hit just .199. His strikeout rate increased from 31.4% to 33.9%, while his walk rate fell from 15.7% to 11.0%. Julien often toes the line between patience and passivity.
In 2024, he appeared more passive. It feels like we have seen the two extremes for Julien. Combined, he’s got a .742 OPS over those two MLB seasons.
The Twins need to get Miranda and Julien a ton of work at first base this spring. Bring in Justin Morneau. Bring in Joe Mauer. Bring back Doug Mie…
OK, maybe not that one. Get them a ton of innings at first base in spring training, then go with it into the season. Show confidence. Tell them their job is to catch the ball at first base. Keep it simple. Keep it positive. Fans will have to understand this, as well. Gallo is still available, if you want plus-plus defense at first base.
Julien has played in five big-league games at first base. He has made just two starts there. Last year in St. Paul, the Quebecois made six starts at first base and had two errors in 57 innings. He only played second base in the minor leagues in 2022 and 2023. In 2021, he made 20 starts at first base.
Miranda has played significantly more first base in his career. In St. Paul, he played six games in 2024, eight in 2023, five in 2022, and 28 in 2021. In 2024, the stocky boricua played about 100 innings over 13 games for the Twins.
In 2023, he played just two innings over two games, but in 2022, he played 77 games at first base for the Twins. He had just three errors.
And yes, I know that errors are not the best way to judge the work of a first baseman. Saving infielders from errors is the more significant factor, meaning the ability to scoop balls in the dirt or knowing when to leave the base to catch the ball. Bunt plays and how far to move from the bag to field grounders can also be learned.
I assume both players have been getting some work at first base throughout the offseason. We know they also have been working out and working in the cage. Good hitters make adjustments to the adjustments that were made to them. Add in a new voice.
The three Twins hitting coaches in 2024 were let go after the season, replaced by Matt Borgschulte, Trevor Amicone, and Rayden Sierra. Sierra worked with Julien in Fort Myers in 2021.
Borgschulte played a significant role in Miranda’s jump from “the talent is there” to a legitimate prospect with massive numbers in St. Paul in 2021.
Willi Castro can purchase a first baseman’s mitt if he wants to, and add it to his collection of gloves to bring to the ballpark every day.
The Royals have Cole Ragans. The Tigers have Tarik Skubal.
The White Sox have Martin Perez. There is a chance that those three are the only left-handed starting pitchers in the AL Central, at least early in the season.
In my opinion, and assuming health, Miranda should start at first base in two out of every three games, playing matchups.
Julien should take the rest of those starts.
The other can spend time as the DH, which should be split between many players.
Miranda would make about 108 starts at first base in that situation, with Julien starting around 54.
It’s a situation where both should get 400 to 450 plate appearances when considering DH time, pinch-hitting opportunities, and such.
Sure, you can try to collect lightning in a bottle on a one-year contract with an aging veteran again.
Or, you can provide an opportunity for two mid-20s players who have shown their potential. Miranda has four seasons of team control remaining, and Julien has five.
They should just try to get one of those guys over the hump and into a full-time, potentially long-term job.
Oh, and be sure to get Luke Keaschall and his Trout-like swing plenty of starts at first base in Wichita and St. Paul this season.
