When the Minnesota Twins demoted Alex Kirilloff, he looked nothing like the prospect that had dominated his way to the majors. After hitting just 5-for-29 (.172 average) with 12 strikeouts in his first 10 games, the Twins sent Kirilloff to St. Paul with the goal of getting his confidence back.
If his recent performance is any indication, he’s definitely found it.
In 26 games since his demotion on May 15, Kirilloff is hitting .398 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. His rampage continued against the Columbus Clippers on Tuesday night, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam and finishing a triple short of the cycle.
Kirilloff’s performance is even crazier when narrowed down to the past two weeks, when he’s hit .416 with nine home runs over in 15 games while posting a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Twins fans shouldn’t be shocked by this resurgence. Kirilloff has been ranked as one of Minnesota’s top prospects since being selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2016 MLB Entry Draft and ranked as high as ninth (pre-2018) on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospect list.
Kirilloff’s 2018 season was the big reason for his ascent, as he hit .348 with 20 homers, 101 RBI and a .578 slugging percentage in 130 games between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers.
Injuries have stunted his growth over the past couple of years, but at age 24, there’s still plenty of time for him to turn into a cornerstone in the Twins lineup. The only question now is where does he fit?
Trevor Larnach has enjoyed a breakout season, entering Tuesday’s game with Seattle tied for third on the team with 1.7 wins above replacement. Luis Arraez is leading the majors with a .354 average and has established himself at first base, while Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco aren’t getting taken out of the lineup anytime soon.
Even Jose Miranda is hitting .351 with a .614 slugging percentage over his past 17 games (entering Tuesday), making the possibility of a rotation at designated hitter more of a pipe dream.
With Miguel Sano and Kyle Garlick currently on the injured list, the Twins could have an embarrassment of riches and someone will have to be the odd man out.
Kirilloff could be that player, but his recent numbers are too good to ignore. Eventually, the Twins will have to make a decision and it could mean that Kirilloff will be making his way back to the majors soon.
