José Miranda couldn’t have been too far down I-94 when the Minnesota Twins called him and asked him to turn around at the next exit. Maybe he hit Cretin-Vandalia or Dale, but there’s no way he made it to Lowertown. When they recalled Royce Lewis, the Twins had sent Miranda down, hoping their former No. 1-overall pick would take over as a super-utility player while Carlos Correa manned shortstop.
Unfortunately, Lewis’ second call-up lasted three innings.
He made an incredible leaping catch, smashed into the center-field wall, and suffered a bone bruise. Lewis missed last season with a torn ACL and joins a long list of Twins prospects who have suffered injuries early in their careers. Ironically, Minnesota put Correa on the COVID-19 list 24 hours later, meaning Lewis could be playing shortstop now. Instead, they’ve turned to Jermaine Palacios, 25, to take over at short.
The Twins need to take a long look at Miranda because he’s a unique prospect. The previous regime took him in the second round of the 2016 draft, and Derek Falvey and Thad Levine did not protect him in the 2019 Rule 5 draft, and he didn’t play in 2020 because of the pandemic. Then, he raked last year, hitting .344/.401/.572 with 30 home runs in Double- and Triple-A. Suddenly, he was one of Minnesota’s top prospects.
Josh Donaldson blocked his path to the big leagues, but they got rid of their Jack Parkman in the offseason. There’s an opportunity for Miranda to establish himself as the future at third base right now. Gio Urshela has played well since arriving in the Donaldson trade. He’s hitting .268/.329/.392 and playing great defense. But he’s 30, on a one-year, $6.55 million deal, and can become a free agent in 2024. If Miranda plays well, he can take over if Ushela leaves in free agency.
Consider that Minnesota has lost seven of their last ten, including four of five against the Detroit Tigers, because of injuries. Lewis, Correa, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Gilberto Celestino, Josh Winder, Danny Coulombe, and Cody Stashak are all on the injured list. Furthermore, Jorge Alcalá, Chris Paddack, Miguel Sanó, and Kenta Maeda are on the 60-day IL. Paddack’s injury makes the Taylor Rogers trade look worse, and Sanó may be on his way out of the organization. Although the Twins knew Maeda would be out for most of the season, they could use him in the rotation. And Alcalá is on a rehab stint right now, and the Twins could use him in the depleted bullpen.
There are also five unvaccinated players who cannot make the trip to Toronto.
Conversely, Minnesota’s depleted pitching staff creates opportunities for other pitchers to cement roles in the rotation or the bullpen. Devin Smeltzer has received from a scary neck injury and has pitched well so far this year. Dylan Bundy, 29, was once a top prospect with the Baltimore Orioles on a prove-it deal. The Twins need Tyler Duffey and Emilio Pagán to be reliable veterans in the bullpen. Griffin Jax, Yennier Canó, and Jovani Moran could solidify their roles in the majors.
Finally, Nick Gordon carried the Twins during their final game in Detroit. Minnesota blew the lead, but Gordon had a single and a run, an RBI double, a stolen base, an outfield assist, and a diving catch. Minnesota drafted Gordon 5th overall in 2014, and he battled severe health issues in the minors. Still, he played 73 games last year and is hitting .245/.272/.345 while playing all over the diamond. He’s not going to be a franchise-changing star, but every team needs a glue-guy utility man. Assuming he can play in Canada, he’ll be able to be an everyday player during a tough stretch against the AL East.
Minnesota may have a lot of players on the injury list, but they need to take a long look at how they play against the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays. They’ve been playing games in the MAC; now they’ll face SEC competition. The Kansas City Royals and Detriot Tigers are rebuilding. The Cleveland Guardians never spend any money, and the Chicago White Sox have been underwhelming. Toronto, New York, and Tampa are playoff-caliber competition.
The Twins can, and should, beat up on the AL Central. But if they want to win a playoff game this year, let alone win a series, they’re going to have to be able to hang with the best teams in the AL East. Do they need a bona fide ace? They’re going to have to give up something to get that. Can their bullpen hold a lead against a powerful lineup? It’s been shaky so far. Are their prospects ready to play big-time competition? We’re about to find out.
The MLB trade deadline is Aug. 2. But these early June games against the AL East should indicate how active they’ll be to try and round out their roster.
Falvey and Levine are trying to accomplish a quixotic task. They’re simultaneously introducing their prospects to the big leagues while trying to win now. Rocco Baldelli and his crew stayed calm through a 4-8 start and built up a cushion for when things go haywire, as they have now. But there’s still a lot we have to learn about this team. It starts with whether they can keep up with the best teams in the league – even if they’re a little banged up.
