Offseason Options: Candidates to start in LF for 2021 Twins

For the past five seasons, Eddie Rosario has been the Minnesota Twins’ opening day starter in left field. However, Minnesota declined to offer him a deal for 2021. That means manager Rocco Baldelli will be penciling in a different name than “Rosie” in left this season.

The question is — who will it be?

With less than a month before spring training is scheduled to begin, the question remains.

In last year’s shortened 60-game sprint, Minnesota had four different players earn a start in left field. Rosario occupied left field in 51 of those games. The other nine were split up among three players still under contract with the Twins.

Below we’ll take a look at some potential ideas of how the Twins’ situation in left could unfold, starting with those on the 40-man roster, delving into free agents still available and then others who are in the system or who will be camp:

40-MAN ROSTER

Jake Cave

Cave has served as the Twins’ fourth outfielder for the last three seasons, registering a .254/.321/.451 slash line with 25 homers in 205 contests (21 starts in left). If he makes the team, he’ll likely play a similar role in 2021, although he could see more action in left field than previous years.

Gilberto Celestino

Celestino doesn’t come with the big name like the other Twins prospects on this list, although he’s not far behind — ranked as the team’s No. 14 prospect by MLB.com. In 2019, Celestino logged a .277/.349/.410 slash line with 10 homers and 54 RBI in 125 contests for Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. However, he’s primarily a center fielder and has only started six games in left field over four minor-league seasons.

Alex Kirilloff

Here’s the name you were hoping to see. Ranked as Minnesota’s No. 2 prospect by MLB.com, Kirilloff made league history becoming the first player to make his debut starting in a postseason contest — and in an elimination game nonetheless. Kirilloff went 1 for 4 with a bat-breaking single in his debut. The former first-round pick was the Twins’ 2018 Minor League Player of the Year after batting .362/.393/.550 in 130 games at Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. He also logged a .283 batting average with 29 extra-base hits in 94 games with Double-A Pensacola in 2019. Yep, the kid’s ready. But we already knew that.

First player in MLB history to record his first big league hit in the postseason: @Twins‘ Alex Kirilloff.

And no cheapy: 105.9 mph exit velo pic.twitter.com/VCvqSBdEY7

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 30, 2020

Brent Rooker

The 35th overall pick in the 2017 draft never struggled to mash in the minors. He clubbed 54 homers in 259 minor-league contests before making his MLB debut for the Twins last season. Rooker started one game in left field and four in right for Minnesota, going 6 for 19 (.316 average) with one homer, two doubles and five RBI. His bat would be a plus in either corner outfield position.

LaMonte Wade Jr.

In 42 career big-league games, Wade has made 13 starts in center field, seven in left and four at first base. His .211 career batting average isn’t anything to brag about, but Wade makes up for it by getting on base (.336 OBP) with 15 walks compared to just 18 strikeouts. Entering the season at age 27, Wade can’t be considered a promising, young prospect anymore and likely won’t be the workhorse in left field, but he’ll provide depth for sure.

FREE AGENTS

Ryan Braun

If the Twins don’t re-sign designated hitter Nelson Cruz, they’d likely want to acquire a veteran left fielder on a short-term deal who could platoon in left and at DH. Could the longtime Milwaukee slugger cross the St. Croix River and wrap up his career with the Twins? Hey, Paul Molitor did it. While most of Braun’s offensive numbers have declined over the last few years, his power hasn’t gone anywhere. Braun mashed eight homers last season and logged an ISO (SLG-AVG) of .256, his best mark since 2012.

Shin-Soo Choo

Choo struggled in 2020, as he was limited to 33 contests last season due to injuries and posted a career-low 96 OPS+. If the Twins spend money elsewhere, they could land Choo for cheap. He’s only two seasons removed from an All-Star campaign in 2018 when he clobbered 21 homers and slashed .264/.377/.434.

Adam Duvall

Another veteran with solid power, Duvall slashed .237/.301/.532 in 57 games for Atlanta in 2020 with 16 dingers and 33 RBI. Duvall has posted his two best OPS+ seasons over the last two years — 117 in 2019 and 113 in ’20.

Adam Duvall goes big fly and the Braves lead it 5-0 💪

(via @Braves)pic.twitter.com/4KlBN0d51R

— SI MLB (@si_mlb) October 1, 2020

Kike Hernandez

Need a player to fill the utility role of the departed Marwin Gonzalez? No one’s more perfect for that gig than Hernandez, who was a fan favorite while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2015-20. Hernandez has played every position in the big leagues besides catcher (he even pitched 1/3 of an inning in 2018!) and has 34 career starts in left field. He won’t be the full-time answer in left for the Twins, but Baldelli likely would love to trot him out at seven different positions in 2021.

Marcell Ozuna

Whoa, big name alert! Ozuna is one of the biggest bats remaining on the free-agent market. He led the National League with 18 homers, 56 RBI and 145 total bases last season and took home his second career Silver Slugger award. Ozuna started 39 games at DH for the Braves and 19 in left field. If the Twins don’t re-sign Cruz, they could make a splash with Ozuna, who is more than a decade younger at 30 years old. Ozuna could split time in left with one of the Twins’ youngsters and hang in the lineup at DH.

NON-ROSTER/MINOR-LEAGUERS

Trevor Larnach

A first-round pick by Minnesota in 2018, Larnach owns a career slash line of .307/.385/.468. In 43 games at Double-A Pensacola in 2019, Larnach smacked seven homers and registered a .387 on-base percentage. Although Larnach comes with plenty of promise, there are many Twins prospects ahead of him on the pecking order (see above), and he would likely benefit from another year in the minors.