Get ready for a shock to the system.
I don’t think many would describe the Twins as a good defensive team last year — they ranked 25th in Defensive Runs Saved, per the Fielding Bible — but things would have been a whole lot uglier without Santana making spectacular diving grabs and run-saving scoops at first base.
He put forth one of the best defensive performances we’ve ever seen from a Minnesota first baseman.
France signed with the Twins last week on a one-year, $1 million contract that appears to be non-guaranteed in name only. Manager Rocco Baldelli has made it clear that the 30-year-old is in line for plenty of action at first base.
In an infield that already could feature plenty of Royce Lewis at third base and Edouard Julien at second, this is an ominous proposition from a defensive perspective.
To be fair, France is (hopefully) not as bad as the metrics from last year portray.
Per Twins Daily’s John Bonnes, who is on-site in Ft. Myers for spring training, France told reporters he doesn’t much trust defensive stats regarding first basemen, which is probably fair to an extent. There’s also reason to believe a heel fracture suffered last June took a toll on his performance in the field.
But, the great defensive metrics from Santana last year sure matched the eye test. And while France’s 2024 was especially bad, he has consistently rated as an awful defender in the past.
It’s not hard to see why. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11 and he’s extremely slow-footed. He’s also now into his 30s, putting him on the downslope of the defensive aging curve.
The Twins have one clearly very good infielder: Carlos Correa. If healthy, he should make life fairly easy for France on balls hit to short. Elsewhere, it could be an adventure.
Lewis is apparently set to return as a regular at third base despite struggling with errant throws repeatedly last year.
José Miranda has also been rough defensively at the hot corner. Julien could see significant time at second base, where he’s been somewhere between below-average and a butcher.
The Twins reportedly flirted with signing a backup shortstop who might have boosted their defensive depth in the infield, but didn’t.
This dynamic is one of the biggest reasons I think Brooks Lee has a major leg up for a roster spot, even if he doesn’t win the full-time starting second base job.
He can get plenty of playing time all around the infield, as probably the best defensive 2B/3B on the roster and maybe the only player they trust to play shortstop aside from Correa. But when you’re counting on a 24-year-old rookie, whose signature strength has always been hitting, to be your defensive savior in the infield … probably not a great sign.
Watching infielders kick the ball around and fail to convert makeable plays is extremely vexing as a fan. But I’m sorry to say we are likely in for a fair amount of it from the Twins this year, unless Lewis can rebound, Correa can stay healthy, and Lee can entrench himself.
Barring those types of favorable twists, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on France, who — for all his faults — is the only first baseman the Twins have with any kind of major-league experience at the position.
If he can’t prove to be significantly better in the field than last year’s numbers showed, this defensive infield has the potential makings of an all-out disaster class.
