Has moving to the leadoff spot ended Carlos Correa's slump?
When Rocco Baldelli had his outburst in Atlanta, it seemed like there were changes coming for the Minnesota Twins. But two weeks later, the Twins haven't made many changes that have helped one of the worst lineups in baseball – except for moving Carlos Correa into the leadoff spot.
With Correa mired in the worst season of his career, the Twins were hoping that more opportunities at the plate would help him regain his All-Star form. Twelve games into the experiment, it appears that's exactly what he needed to turn his year around and it could spark Minnesota's offense in the second half of the season.
The Twins have had plenty of problems, like ranking 21st in runs per game, but they also have had issues in the leadoff spot.
After trading Luis Arráez last winter, Twins leadoff hitters rank 16th in OPS (.728), 18th in on-base percentage (.321) and slugging percentage (.407) and 24th in batting average (.234) this season.
Edouard Julien leads the team with 67 leadoff at-bats, but Max Kepler, Byron Buxton and even Joey Gallo are among the players who have led off for the Twins this season and each has had varying levels of success.
With Julien's time in the lineup possibly limited with Jorge Polanco's looming return from a hamstring injury and Gallo's public displeasure with leading off, the Twins haven't had many options, which led to trying Correa in the leadoff spot.
After returning to the Twins on a six-year deal, Correa is posting career lows in batting average (.232), on-base percentage (.307) and OPS (.715) while posting his lowest slugging percentage (.408) since 2018 (.405). While most of the Twins have struggled this season, Correa has been under a microscope after a wild free agency last winter and because of his $33.3 million salary.
Correa's struggles were a mystery and the Twins may have thought giving him more at-bats at the top of the lineup could help him get on track. Correa had just one game of experience in the leadoff spot prior to this season but in the 12 games since being placed at the top of the order, Correa is hitting .348/.423/.435 with an .857 OPS.
By comparison, Arráez hit .299/.349/.404 (.754 OPS) in 381 leadoff at-bats for the Twins last season and Correa's current numbers are on par with the .291/.366/.467 (.834 OPS) line he put up last season. Most importantly, the Twins have put up a 8-4 record during this stretch.
Most of the Twins' problem hasn't been getting runners on base, but rather getting them to score. Buxton, Kepler and Gallo have all struggled to produce and with Royce Lewis currently nursing an oblique injury, the Twins could use a big bat in the middle of the lineup.
Maybe it's Alex Kirilloff, who homered and drove in four runs Sunday in Oakland. Matt Wallner, whom was called up from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday only to ride the pine both Saturday and Sunday, is another logical option, but the Twins seem hell-bent on keeping Kepler and Gallo in the lineup.
Correa is one player that can fill this role, as he's thrived with an .854 OPS while hitting fifth in the lineup. With an .845 OPS hitting fourth, Correa's bat may be best served in the middle of the lineup long-term, creating a game of "Whack-A-Mole" for Rocco Baldelli.
But whether it's a temporary boost or a long-term solution, the Twins have to find a way to keep Correa going if they want to be taken seriously in the American League.
