Kirilloff 'up for the challenge' of splitting time at first with Santana

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- When the Twins first signed Carlos Santana in free agency this past offseason, there was some notion that the switch-hitting veteran could be part of a first-base platoon with incumbent Alex Kirilloff, who played the strong side of such a platoon last season.

But considering Santana can also hit left-handed, could his role at first base be more than that? Twins manager Rocco Baldelli wouldn’t say it outright, but it seems like that could be the case.

“Setting health aside for a minute, whoever's the better defensive first baseman is going to play more at first base,” Baldelli said. “I don't know any other way to put that.”

Consider with that statement that Kirilloff -- while battling through shoulder issues -- ranked in the 5th percentile in range with minus-8 Outs Above Average last season, while Santana ranked in the 77th percentile with a plus-2 OAA mark. Consider also that Baldelli said Kirilloff could start getting more outfield reps after having said throughout the offseason that the Twins considered him a first baseman.

That paints the picture of more of a substantive role for Santana at first base than it perhaps initially appeared, with at-bats for Kirilloff potentially more skewed toward designated hitter or outfield in the Twins’ current roster alignment.

There’s almost certainly only room for one of them in the lineup against a left-handed pitcher -- and that’s sure to be Santana, who has hit southpaws more effectively for an .819 OPS throughout his career. Against righties, it looks like there will be many scenarios in which one of them will start at first base and the other will be the designated hitter.

“There will be a determination when the time comes and we'll put our lineups together,” Baldelli said. “Both are going to end up playing a good amount of first base, but the guy that is going to do the best job for us on that side of the ball is the one that's going to play more.”

And even though Santana will soon turn 38, he’s still got more than enough ability at first base, to the point where he was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award last season.

First base was once his adopted position, considering he came up as a catcher through the Dodgers and Cleveland organizations, and Santana credits Cleveland teammate Mike Napoli -- also a converted former catcher -- for helping him lock in new skills and instincts, particularly with ground balls to his right side, turning double plays and how to scoop balls at first.

Even at Santana’s age, he’s been among the most durable players in the league -- and he takes particular pride in his ability to get to the baseballs around him, which pairs with his instincts to power his defensive success.

“Agility,” Santana said. “My legs are strong. I try to keep my legs strong. … My routine in the offseason is to work on my legs and try to be strong and be in position.”

“He has the work ethic and he enjoys putting in the repetitive work that it takes to be a good defender,” Baldelli said. “But he also has the body that bounces back, that allows him to do it. He’s almost 40 years old, and he can put on the reps that allow him to stay sharp.”

But chances are good that the Twins will still give plenty of first-base time to Kirilloff, whose bat has shown flashes of his considerable potential despite health limitations holding him back over the last several seasons.

With that in mind, the 26 year old said he has spent time working with Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer this spring to improve his technical work at the position. Kirilloff transitioned to first at the tail end of his Minor League career after having spent the majority of his defensive time in the outfield earlier in his development.

“Just going through different positioning scenarios, flips, double plays, just kind of building from the ground up,” Kirilloff said. “It's been going really well so far.”

Kirilloff said the Twins haven’t yet talked to him about how Santana’s fit could affect positional opportunities, but he’s ready to be flexible ahead of an important season to prove his health and performance.

“Not directly,” Kirilloff said. “Obviously, [it’s] one of those things where I'm just going to do whatever I can to give it my all every day. However they see me fitting in and whatever they need, I'm up for the challenge.”