The Time for Alex Kirilloff is Now, or It’s Never
Injuries made it a long road to the show for Kirilloff, but he debuted in the playoff series against the Astros in 2020. He then played 59 games as a rookie in 2021, before shutting it down with a wrist injury.
Now, with multiple surgeries behind him, Kirilloff comes into the 2024 campaign with a clean bill of health. Last year, he had a procedure to drastically address the wrist issue, breaking and shaving down the bone to alleviate discomfort. He posted a .793 OPS in a career-high 88 games. With the wrist issue behind him, it was a shoulder injury that hampered him down the stretch, and it may have been the cause for a Sonny Gray-crushing error in the postseason.
The critical error allowed Yordan Álvarez to reach, and the Houston Astros opened up the floodgates against Minnesota. After the Twins stole a game at Minute Maid Park on the road, the entire momentum of the series seemed to shift on that play. After the Twins signed an alternative to him over the winter, Kirilloff now has to prove himself anew both with wood and with leather.
Kirilloff is no longer a youngster. He will play 2024 at 26 years old, and while Carlos Santana isn’t a threat to his long-term viability at first base, the veteran is a significant defensive upgrade at the position. It will be on Kirilloff to learn from Santana and incorporate a similar level of defense at the position. Rocco Baldelli probably doesn’t want to be forced into rigid use of Kirilloff as an everyday DH, and he’s not much of an outfielder, either.
While Kirilloff did post a 117 OPS+ last season, it again came in fewer than 100 games. Being healthy is the focal point for Minnesota’s first baseman, but they need production both on defense and at the dish. There is a possibility that Edouard Julien will need to move to first base at some point, and Brooks Lee finding a place to play shuffles the infield as well. Kirilloff’s hitting could provide insurance for Matt Wallner in left field, but all of the movement is contingent upon the lefty being healthy and productive.
Baldelli has placed Kirilloff in a platoon situation early in his career. Through 192 total games, Kirilloff has slashed just .202/.287/.343 in 157 plate appearances against southpaws. That won’t get the job done, and the .769 OPS against righties isn’t high enough to consider him dangerous on the positive side of a platoon, either. To justify his place as a DH or a limited defender at the game’s easiest defensive position, Kirilloff has to be better in both splits.
Kirilloff was arbitration-eligible this season for the first time in his career, as a Super Two player. He is under team control through 2027, but to what extent Minnesota can count on him as part of the future could be determined mainly by his production in the season ahead. If the injuries are behind him and he can remain healthy, that would solve half of the problem. From there, Kirilloff showing improvement in the field and consistency at the plate is the other part needing to click.
There’s no denying the talent here, and Kirilloff’s swing is among the best things going when it’s right. If a player ever needed a breakout season in the biggest way, it’s this player, and his taking center stage could go a long way to push Minnesota toward their postseason goals in the season ahead.
