Miranda's goal: Play 162 -- wherever Twins want him

FORT MYERS, Fla. ¨C The biggest question regarding Jose Miranda is what position he will play in 2025. As of this week, Twins manager Rocco Badelli hasn't decided.

Minnesota has seen Miranda play the infield corner spots, but third base belongs to Royce Lewis, and Ty France appears to be the front-runner to be the Opening Day first baseman. Miranda could be the designated hitter. When things are going well at the plate, Miranda can drive in runs.

¡°[Miranda] is a guy that we need to come up big for us at different points of the year,¡± Baldelli said. ¡°He is in the category of a handful of guys that we have. You can¡¯t sit here and put your thumb on exactly what he will be asked to do, so he is going to have to be prepared. That preparation is skill-wise, but it is a mental challenge more than anything else.¡±

Miranda doesn¡¯t care where he plays. He simply wants to play in 162 games.

¡°They have been telling me some first, some third, obviously,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I just want to be in the lineup every day. I know I¡¯m a guy that can play every day. I know the type of hitter I can be. [The Twins] are the ones that make the lineup. I told them I¡¯m ready to play wherever. My goal is to play 162. That¡¯s my mindset.¡±

Miranda ¨C who played 121 games in 2024 ¨C started last season with Triple-A St. Paul, but after returning to the Major Leagues on April 7, he played like an All-Star. When the first half ended, Miranda had an impressive slash line of .325/.366/.522 with 43 RBIs.

The highlight of Miranda¡¯s first half came in early July. From his eighth-inning single on July 3 against the Tigers to his fourth-inning single on July 6 against the Astros, Miranda hit safely in 12 straight at-bats, tying the Major League record shared by Johnny Kling (1902), Pinky Higgins (1938) and Walt Dropo (1952).

¡°I was super prepared for the season, and I was doing damage at the plate,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I was focusing on what pitches to hit. It was about me having my timing, my rhythm. I was trying to not get out of my zone. It was a really good first half.¡±

But Miranda¡¯s good fortune came to a halt when he suffered a lower back strain three days before the All-Star break. He went on the injured list for almost two weeks starting on July 14, and his consistency at the plate disappeared after he returned to action.

After the break, Miranda had a slash line of .212/.242/.301 with six RBIs. The back issues played a role in Miranda¡¯s slump, and his mechanics in the batter¡¯s box were out of sync once he returned to The Show.

¡°During the second half, my moves [in the batter¡¯s box] didn¡¯t feel the same because of the back. I knew it,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t feeling any pain, but my [mechanics] at the plate didn¡¯t feel the same as the first half. So when you are not feeling the same, things change, obviously. Before games, I noticed that it didn¡¯t feel right. You have to keep trusting yourself, playing hard and trying to help the team win.¡±

Miranda spent this past offseason trying to recreate that magic swing that made him the Twins¡¯ first-half MVP. He believes he has found that. So far this spring, Miranda is 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.

¡°At the end of the day, I have put up numbers to play every day,¡± Miranda said. ¡°That¡¯s the main thing.¡±