When you look at the names on the depth chart listed below, one thing sticks out: none of the players who are expected to get significant playing time at first base are internally developed. And that’s nothing new. Last year, Minnesota’s primary first baseman was free agent acquisition Ty France. In 2024, it was free agent acquisition Carlos Santana. In 2023, it was free agent acquisition Donovan Solano.

This year, top free agent acquisitions Josh Bell and Victor Caratini figure to mix in with Kody Clemens and Eric Wagaman, who were more or less waiver wire pickups. I suppose this reflects an organizational philosophy that first base is a position easily supplemented by low-cost external plugs — thus development efforts and resources should be focused elsewhere.

There’s a validity to this mindset, but it hasn’t always paid dividends for Minnesota in the past — e.g. last year, when the Twins ranked 22nd in fWAR at first base despite having a Gold Glover on hand for the first four months. How will this year’s patchwork solutions work out?

TWINS FIRST BASEMEN AT A GLANCE

Starter: Kody Clemens
Backup: Josh Bell
Depth: Victor Caratini, Eric Wagaman, Aaron Sabato
Prospects: Hendry Mendez, Billy Amick

Twins fWAR Ranking Last Year: 22nd out of 30
Twins fWAR Projection This Year: 24th out of 30

THE GOOD
In a lineup that is loaded with question marks, the Twins needed to add a dependable bat this offseason, and they got just that in Bell. He has posted an above-average OPS in every season, sans the abbreviated 2020 campaign, and has a career 114 OPS+ over a decade in the big leagues. He’s a switch-hitter who takes quality at-bats, puts the ball in play and reliably delivers good-not-great power production. A fine fit at first base.

Except, it’s not clear Bell will play first base all that often, nor that he should. With the Twins placing an emphasis on improved defense, they’d be doing themselves no favors by using Bell in the field regularly. His defensive shortcomings have persistently dragged down his overall value, and in 2025 with Washington he saw far more time at designated hitter (98 starts) than first base (33 starts). I’m not sure the split will be quite so extreme with Minnesota, but I’d bet they’re planning — or at least hoping — to use Bell more at DH than first.

That would leave a sizable share of playing time for Clemens and Caratini, as well as Wagaman if he’s on the roster. It’s a group that provides some matchup functionality and a few intriguing skillsets, albeit not a ton of upside. 

Clemens seemed to be in line for the starting first base job at the start of the offseason. That was based on remarks from Derek Falvey — “We want to give Kody a lot of runway there,” he said at the GM Meetings — and before the Twins signed Bell and Caratini. Part of me is kind of curious to see Clemens get that runway to show what he can do, because he flashed real power last year and he does offer relatively good speed and defense at first base on a team that needs all it can get of both.

 

I’ve still got him penciled in atop the depth chart but the position is very fluid and, as things stand, I would expect a somewhat even distribution of starts. Bell and Caratini are going to play a lot, and there will only be so many ABs available for them at DH. Collectively, these three along with Wagaman as a RH platoon option give the Twins a decent amount of depth at first, even if it’s not the highest-quality depth.

THE BAD
If the Twins could combine Bell, Caratini and Clemens into one player, it’d be the full package at first base: experience, proven production, solid athleticism and defense. Unfortunately, they can only use one of them at a time, and on their own, each of these players brings major limitations when they’re manning the position. 

Bell is the best hitter of the bunch, but a major defensive liability. Caratini hits well for a catcher, enabling him to command $14 million in free agency, but his average-ish offense is much less impactful at first. Clemens runs and fields better than those two, but he’s got a career OPS+ of 81 and finished at 94 in last year’s “breakout.” 

These factors dampen the upside offered by each when at first base, and unfortunately, I’m not sure how much upside there is to detract from. Clemens and Caratini are both substantially below-average hitters in their careers, and Bell hasn’t been a great hitter since 2022. Wagaman played the most first base of the bunch last year, in Miami, but was one of the worst regulars in all of baseball. 

It feels like the best you’re hoping for at first base is competent offense and non-disastrous defense. Which is more or less the same blueprint as last year when the Twins went with Ty France. It wasn’t good enough then, and if the 24th-out-of-30 projection from FanGraphs is at all accurate, it won’t be good enough now. 

The lack of short-term vision would be more palatable if there were a promising pipeline in place on the other side, but right now it’s anyone’s guess who might step in at first base down the line. The Twins have talked about working in outfield prospect Hendry Mendez, acquired in the Harrison Bader trade last year, but that experiment is only beginning. No other prospects in the system’s upper tier currently play first base primarily. 

Which can change, of course — the nature of a position near the bottom of the defensive spectrum — but as we’ve seen, the Twins have not shown much ability to develop impact big-leaguers at the position. The Billy Beane-esque “anyone can play first base” mentality has not proven out practically for Minnesota, at least not since the days of Luis Arraez and Miguel Sanó.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Maybe the worst and most rudderless position on the roster as we size up the Twins in their current state. I do see things to like about each of the main candidates for playing time, but first base doesn’t bring out the best in any of them. Bell is best suited for DH, Caratini for catcher, Clemens and Wagaman for roving platoon bench roles. There’s no great first baseman on this team or readily available in the minors.

I’m interested to see how the usage patterns take shape under Derek Shelton, but not terribly optimistic about the sum result. 

Catch up on the rest of our roster preview series: