Slimmer Miranda gets kudos from Correa: ‘Looks sexy’
MINNEAPOLIS — Carlos Correa was purported to play an energetic function in serving to Jose Miranda get in peak bodily situation earlier than the youthful Puerto Rican reported to Spring Training in February. But they couldn’t meet up at Correa’s home in Houston as deliberate as a result of, properly, Correa had quite a bit occurring this offseason.
So Miranda needed to get in higher form by himself. How did he do, Carlos?
“He looks sexy,” Correa stated. “You see that body?”
The reply to that query on Saturday at TwinsFest was “no,” as a result of Miranda wore a dishevelled jersey that draped loosely over his slimmer body. His new physique is the results of extra impactful exercises and a more healthy eating regimen at the side of a nutritionist, Miranda stated, with extra hen and greens in smaller parts — and reducing out the chocolate.
The aim there may be twofold.
First, Miranda hopes so as to add lateral agility to his defensive recreation as he strikes again throughout the diamond to his pure place at third base after making the vast majority of his begins at first base as a rookie in 2022. Defense was a problem for the bat-first Miranda, who, in his age-24 season, ranked within the Majors’ sixteenth percentile in outs above common, per Statcast.
Second, Miranda’s offensive manufacturing noticeably dipped down the stretch, together with his .856 OPS in June and 1.008 mark in July dropping to a .705 OPS in August and a .715 OPS in September. He attributes a part of that to his bodily health — and vowed to enhance.
“I think definitely, in September I kind of started feeling my body a little bit more — my arms, swinging-wise,” Miranda stated. “I knew that in the offseason, I had to work with that to get better so this year I don’t feel the same. So I kind of felt a little bad at the end, and I noticed part of it.”
Correa and the Twins will get to see the fruits of that labor at Spring Training.
Maeda says arm at 100%
The Twins have constructed extra beginning pitching depth than at any level of their latest historical past, however a lot of that depth will likely be reliant on improved well being from Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle, who have been non-factors within the rotation final season on account of accidents.
Maeda, who underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in September 2021, might have pushed to return in a bullpen function on the finish of final season, however he selected not to take action in an effort to concentrate on returning to the rotation at full power in ’23. Indeed, Maeda stated on Saturday at TwinsFest that his arm feels “100% ready” for Spring Training.
Maeda stated he has thrown extra usually than he would in a traditional offseason and expects “no restrictions” throughout Spring Training. He ramped as much as stay batting follow by the top of final season, he stated, however didn’t really feel like his velocity and his in-season form have been absolutely there. But now, he feels able to go.
“It certainly doesn’t feel like 19 months [away],” Maeda stated. “If anything, the time flew by relatively quickly. But you never know. The first pitch that I throw on the big league mound, I might get so nervous I might drill someone. So watch out.”
Kirilloff optimistic about wrist
Following the Twins’ commerce of Luis Arraez to the Marlins, their roster alignment doubtless will contain a heavier reliance on Alex Kirilloff at first base. But that may require the 25-year-old to place his power proper wrist points to relaxation.
Kirilloff is cautiously hopeful that his most up-to-date surgical procedure — a season-ending process that eliminated a piece of bone in his wrist to create house — might have carried out the trick. He began swinging in early January, he stated, and has ramped as much as 50-60 swings per day, with the hope that he’ll have the ability to report wholesome to Spring Training and able to head a first-base rotation that would contain Joey Gallo and Miranda.
“I hope to have mostly a normal [spring],” Kirilloff stated. “We don’t want to rush into anything. We want to make sure everything’s the way it should be going into the season and to play as many healthy games in a season as possible. So if you have to sacrifice a little bit of Spring Training to do that, I think it’s well worth it.”
