Minnesota Twins: 5 Potential Replacement Options for Eddie Rosario

The Minnesota Twins are headed into 2021 without Eddie Rosario for the first season in a while. We look at five potential replacements.

The 2020-21 offseason is moving quickly, and one of the biggest moves for the Minnesota Twins was the non-tender of Eddie Rosario. Rosario, the Twins 4th Round pick in 2010, had been one of the longest tenured players in the organization, making his debut for the team five years later.

After leading the league in triples his rookie year and finishing sixth in Rookie of the Year voting, Eddie’s play afterwards was extremely offense-heavy, hitting .277 with 119 homers and 388 RBI, serving as a key piece of the Twins teams over the last five years.

Despite that production, Rosario was somehow both a fan-favorite and a public enemy with noted base-running and defensive gaffes, and this all led to the Twins parting ways with the outfielder.

Eddie Rosario was a fun, but flawed, player for the Twins who filled the spot in front of the bleacher seats at Target Field for the last six seasons. This raises the question: Who will be the one that fills his spot in the lineup on Opening Day 2021?

We go into several answers to that question, whether it’s a top prospect or a big time free agent, here are some options that the front office, led by Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, might have in mind to replace Eddie Rosario.

Minnesota Twins Eddie Rosario Replacement No. 1: Alex Kirilloff

One of the top two prospects in the Twins organization along with Royce Lewis, the former 2016 first round pick made his big league debut in the Wild Card Series last season. He only played one game, but looked confident at the plate, even racking his (unofficial) first hit at the major league level.

Alex Kirilloff has shown he can hit for both power and contact, along with providing the Twins more balance hitting, as he hits from the left side. Through action in A and AA ball, he used his beautiful swing to slash an impressive .317/.365/.498.

While he might not have the cannon arm that Rosario has, Kirilloff can hold his own out in left field. It’s clear the Twins think he can play right now and take this lineup to another level, something they proved by calling him up for the playoff roster and starting him despite no big league experience .

If I were to put money on it, the 23-year-old Kirilloff is the the left fielder of the future for Minnesota. The only way Kirilloff isn’t the guy is if Twins could decide to play the service time game. keep him in St. Paul for the first handful of games, and gain another year of team control with him down the road.

Minnesota Twins Eddie Rosario Replacement No. 2: Kyle Schwarber

This one is fun for me to think about. It was reported earlier in the offseason that the Twins have reached out to Schwarber’s camp. While that doesn’t mean a deal is close, it does mean the Twins aren’t afraid to get a big name for the position.

Kyle Schwarber is the definition of a “boom or bust” hitter. In 6 seasons with the Cubs, the former top prospect hit 121 home runs while averaging close to one strikeout per game. He’s only a career .230 hitter, but he came off the best season of his career in 2019.

Schwarber’s claim to fame is his role in the World Series with the Cubs a few years back. He was arguably one of the best prospects in the loaded Cubs farm system that came up right before the 2016 playoffs. Schwarber especially was key, hitting .412 in the World Series win, helping bring a championship back to Wrigley Field for the first time in over a century.

This would be a HUGE addition to a Minnesota Twins team who hasn’t won a playoff game in their last 18 games and hasn’t won a playoff series in 16 years. He does have his issues, as he’s truly terrible against lefties and his defense is questionable at best.

With all that in mind, Schwarber doesn’t sound like a full time left fielder, but more of a guy who could play left-field part-time and fill a designated hitter role, especially if the team doesn’t re-sign slugger Nelson Cruz.

Minnesota Twins Eddie Rosario Replacement No. 3: Trevor Larnach

Another option from down on the farm, Trevor Larnach was the Twins first round draft choice in 2018 and is the third Top 100 player behind Kirilloff and Lewis in the Twins farm system rankings. To put it simply, he can hit.

In just under 170 games in the minors, he slashed .307/.385/.468. That’s really good, and the fact that he’s got a little bit of power potential makes his bat a must watch. The Twins could use a hitter that could do both.

With that in mind, Larnach isn’t perfect. He’s still a prospect for a reason, and similar to Schwarber, strikeouts are high for the 23 year old. He is also limited as a fielder, but that bat may be too good to keep down.

Larnach’s other advantage is his playoff experience. The Oregon State product left Corvallis with a College World Series ring in hand thanks in large part to his clutch hitting, something the Twins could use come playoff time in November. Noticing a pattern here?

It would be a bit of a gamble for the Twins to bring up Larnach over Kirilloff, who’s already made a big league debut of sorts, but with the ways he’s been in control at the plate, it’s hard to see him sitting in the minor leagues for much longer.

Minnesota Twins Eddie Rosario Replacement No. 5: Enrique Hernández

Wouldn’t an Enrique Hernánedez move be fun? This is another “home run” type of option, similar to Kyle Schwarber, but the Twins have actually checked in on the 29 year old, making it seem a possibility.

Hernández is only available as he is just finishing up a six season stay with the Dodgers as a super-utility player. Kiké was used as a Swiss army knife in Los Angeles, playing just about every position, including left field, but he also can hit the baseball.

Hernández isn’t great against righties, but is was terrific against lefties, helping the Twins fill a gap in their lineup, providing the team with another left handed bat to balance their righty-heavy group.

To continue the pattern, Hernández has LOADS of playoff experience as well. Over six years and 58 games, he’s racked up lots of clutch hits and even helped bring a World Series back to Chavez Ravine. That’s the key for the Minnesota Twins.

Similar to Schwarber, a Hernández signing feels more like an option to split time in left rather than a full time spot. Regardless, it could give the Minnesota Twins more balance on offense and a strong veteran presence in the outfield to help bring along some of the young guys as they develop.

All of these guys would be great additions (or internal promotions) to a team looking to end it’s playoff drought. Hopefully one of these guys can be the one to turn the tide and bring a title back to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.