After being named the Twins 2021 Minor League Player of the Year, hopes were high from Twins fans for a utility 3rd Baseman with a lot of power. In AAA/AA in 2021, Miranda hit an elite .344/.401/.572 in 127 games. He hit an amazing 30 HR with 94 RBIs. Miranda was considered a dark horse to make the 26-man roster before spring training last year.
Miranda fell short of the final 26-man roster, being sent down to AAA after spring training. But expectations were for Miranda to make an appearance and spend majority of the 2022 season with the Major league club. He played 21 games in AAA before earning the call up to the show. However, his start in the MLB was a massive letdown. Miranda hit an extremely low .134 without a homerun before being sent back down to AAA. However, an injury to Royce Lewis resulted in Miranda being called back up just 1 day later after being sent down. And he took advantage of the second change
After Miranda was called up for the second time, he immediately became one of the stars of the team. Then when July came around, he was one of the best players in baseball. On July 2nd, Miranda entered the game as a pinch hitter, and the score was 3-3 in the bottom of the 9th. Orioles had All-Star close Jorge Lopez on the mound. Miranda hit a walk off RBI, his first career walk-off. Then, on July 13, with the game tied 1-1, the Brewers had All-Pro and Multiple time All-Star closer Josh Hader on the mound. Miranda hit a 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th to walk-off Milwaukie. Those 2 games were when Twins fans realized we had something special in Jose Miranda. In July, Miranda hit .353 with 5 HR and 19 RBIs, the best month of his young career so far.
Miranda finished the 2022 campaign with a .268 average, with 15 HR and a team leading 66 RBIs. Miranda finished with a 1.0 WAR, and he was also a great defensive piece for Minnesota. Miranda played 3B, 1B, and 2B during his first year, and in the minors spent a few games at SS and in Left Field. But was his first season a sign of things to come, and can he improve on it? Here’s why he 100% can and will.
Miranda has the skill set to be a top player on the team and in the MLB, but he has a long way to go. This year was a great start, but I would like to see a less-streaky and more consistent player. He had some hitless streaks, but he had some god-tier months like July, where he was a top 10 player in baseball. I would like to see a little more consistency from the slugger. I would also like to see him draw more walks. He didn’t have a necessarily high strikeout rate, but he had an average to below average walk rate. He got aggressive when he was down 0-2 and 1-2, and I would like to see him work on his patience, and see him work counts when he is down 2 strikes.
Overall, Jose Miranda had an elite rookie season with a push for AL Rookie of the Year. I cannot wait to see how Jose builds of this year and see him become an elite Twins utility piece. The future if bringt for Miranda, and i’m all here for it.
Responses
Nice post
thanks