This might sound counterintuitive for one of the least demanding defensive positions with an abundance of capable players, but great right fielders are hard to find. The low bar for fielding equates to a high bar for hitting. To wit: FanGraphs has only nine right fielders projected to be worth 2.0 WAR or more this season. Matt Wallner is one of them. 

His rampant swing-and-miss tendencies lead to a bad rap with many fans, but Wallner is one of Minnesota’s most reliably productive players, still boasting untapped upside, and that’s why right field ranks as one of the team’s sneaky strengths. 

TWINS RIGHT FIELDERS AT A GLANCE

Starter: Matt Wallner
Backup: Josh Outman
Depth: Trevor Larnach, Alan Roden, Kody Clemens
Prospects: Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez

Twins fWAR Ranking Last Year: 18th out of 30
Twins fWAR Projection This Year: 9th out of 30

THE GOOD
Huge power, huge arm: Wallner is the classic imagining of a right field specimen. He’s not only been one of the Twins’ best hitters since reaching the majors, but one of the better hitters in baseball — among 299 players with 800+ PA since 2023, Wallner ranks 20th in wOBA, nestled between Rafael Devers and Christian Yelich.

If we narrow that list down to primarily right fielders, Wallner is sixth, trailing only a quintet of superstars: Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts. Wallner’s 49 home runs and 129 OPS+ over the past three seasons should not be discounted, regardless of the strikeouts and a relative down year in 2025.

His overall numbers were dampened by a poor finish, and at no point was he really mashing the way he did in 2023-24. It was also noticeable that most of his damage came with bases empty. Despite those factors, he was a solidly above average hitter (110 OPS+) and one of the team’s most valuable players. I truly believe we saw Wallner at his worst. Time to see him at his best?

He’s entering his age-28 season with nearly 1,000 MLB plate appearances under his belt. Wallner had a winter to ruminate on the adjustments opposing pitchers made against him, and now has a clear path to everyday playing time in right. While I suspect left field will be more of a revolving door, this position belongs to Wallner — especially because he held his own against left-handed pitching last year (.790 OPS in 97 PA) and the Twins won’t have the luxury of platooning both outfield corners. 

He’s going to be treated like a core lineup fixture, and he should be. I do think there is a point where you start thinking about future succession plans in right if certain negative trends from last year persist (see below), but we’re not close to it.

THE BAD
Wallner undeniably took a big step backward in 2025. When dissecting his play, there are a few glaring issues that stick out. One is that he was simply terrible in the clutch. I’m inclined to dismiss this as statistical noise, given the sample size and how successful he was with RISP in 2023-24. Another is the defensive regression and missed plays. He’s not a great fielder, but good enough to live with, if he’s hitting.

Therein lies the real catch. Wallner was more of a solid hitter than standout last year, and at that rate he’s a pretty mediocre player. What really plagued him in 2025 was that opposing pitchers seemed to have him figured out. It doesn’t take a seasoned MLB scout to see that Wallner was getting attacked up in the zone with velocity and struggling to adapt or answer.

Again: he still hit 22 home runs and posted an above-average OPS, because the plan’s not foolproof and he’s capable of punishing any slight lapse in execution. But to cement his place in right field, Wallner needs to get back to being more than a mistake hunter. And he needs to show he can stay healthy after uncharacteristically going down with a couple of soft-tissue injuries last year.

If he does get hurt, I presume Trevor Larnach would shift to right, clearing up the left field logjam at least for some time. In terms of prospect pipeline, Gabriel Gonzalez is the name to watch here. Coming off a breakthrough season in the minors and freshly added to the 40-man roster, Gonzalez seems destined for right field (if not DH) due to his lack of speed and range. 

Should Gonzalez pick up where he left off last year, when he batted .329 across three levels and finished in Triple-A, he could start putting applying pressure quickly if Wallner’s issues aren’t resolved. But he too will face a high bar for offensive production in the majors, because he’s likely to be an even worse fielder.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Right field projects as one of the team’s biggest strengths, and one of the few positions where Minnesota is forecast to be a top-10 MLB team. A return to previous form for Wallner combined with good health could lift them into the top five at the position, while solidifying his entrenchment in right. (Or lifting his trade value as the Twins look to make room for rising prospects.)

Either way, right field looks to be in good hands. 

Catch up on the rest of our roster preview series: