First In, First Out?
We don’t know if Miranda was upset about the front office’s decision to bring France in. If so, he hasn’t acted like it. He hasn’t been the player he was in his outstanding rookie season of 2022.
Unfortunately, Miranda was limited to just 40 big-league games in 2023, fighting a shoulder injury most of the season.
He had surgery after that season. Last year was mixed with ups and downs.
He had an MLB-record hits in 12 consecutive at-bats but then, like several others, really struggled down the stretch. Not even the sausage’s magic helped them. Frankly, Miranda’s injuries, performance and lack of consistency makes the front office’s concern understandable.
In 2024, he played three positions, most frequently first and third base.
With Santana playing Gold Glove defense, Miranda wasn’t needed at first as much. However, manager Rocco Baldelli continued to get him time there to keep him fresh.
Third base is called the hot corner for a reason; it’s one of the most-challenging positions to play. All six of Miranda’s errors in 2024 came at the hot corner, which is certainly not surprising. Miranda often spelled Royce Lewis at third base.
New Kid At First Base?
It’s not that France is better than Miranda. Comparatively, Miranda had much better appearances at the plate than France did last season.
France isn’t usually a “slumpy” player.
In fact, he enjoyed strong seasons with the Mariners in 2021 and 2022, earning an All-Star nod in ’22 when he was a last-minute addition after Mike Trout opted out due to back problems.
Like Miranda, France struggled last season.
His struggle came during the season after being hit by a pitch during a Royals game in June, fracturing his foot.
Even with the injury, France posted a combined slash line of .234/.305/.365 with 13 home runs, 51 RBIs, and 46 runs scored.
Had he not been injured, it may have been a different story. Or, perhaps, the trade between the Reds and Mariners and the Injury took a toll on him physically and emotionally.
France has always been considered a good clubhouse guy.
When the news of the Mariners DFAd him, and France entered free agency, there was a lot of concern that he was washed up.
However, France bet on himself. He spent more time in free agency than he would have liked, but he was determined to be the player that everyone, including himself, remembered, France spent the offseason getting “back to basics” and not focusing on analytics, which seems to be this season’s theme for many players.
He worked on his swing with Twins legend Denny Hocking (whose uniform number was retired by the Twins a few years ago), plating his back foot and stabilizing more, allowing him to make more barrel connections.
Everyone Loves France
France has been looked at off and on by the Twins front office for a few years. It’s early in camp, but it seems his hard work is paying off, and everyone loves him.
The Twins front office loves to take players who have a chip on their shoulders. Maybe they had injuries or been passed over by other teams.
Mainly a first baseman, France has spent limited time at second and third base in past years. According to Baldelli, he can use the whole field and is a quality defender. But the accolades don’t stop there.
During his introductory press conference earlier in the week, Baldelli mentioned that France would not be spending all his time at first base but that he is a strong stability player, a strong hitter who is not strictly in a platoon but will get plenty of at-bats.
Baldelli and Tingler are familiar with France and sing his praises, leaving the base to believe that maybe Miranda is being left behind and has to fight for a roster spot.
Room for Two?
It’s not a rarity that players have to fight for a position in spring training, but the light seems dimmer and dimmer for Miranda to have a permanent place in the lineup with France at first and Royce Lewis at third.
The Twins don’t want a full-time DH, but Miranda and France are both likely to get at-bats in that role. So will Edouard Julien and any number of the team’s veterans to keep them off of their feet for a day.
It’s early in spring training, and there are many things to iron out, but at this point, the front-runner for first base seems to be Ty France according to the Twins manager. It will be interesting to see how the starting lineup for Opening Day shakes out.
Over the course of a 162-game season, the Twins are likely to need contributions from both players.
