The Twins have a real roster choice to make after Kody Clemens turned in the best season of his career in 2026.
Clemens, who debuted in the majors at age 26 with the Detroit Tigers in 2022, put together a major leap with Minnesota. He posted career highs in bWAR at 2.7 and fWAR at 2.5, while also setting personal bests in games played (145), plate appearances (583), hits (127), doubles (22), triples (7), home runs (27), RBI (81), stolen bases (10), walks (39), batting average (.239), on-base percentage (.298), slugging (.460) and OPS (.758). His seven triples led the league.
The power surge was the biggest driver behind the breakout, but it wasn’t just a matter of swinging harder and hoping for the best. Clemens became more aggressive at the plate, leaned into his bat speed and chased more extra-base damage, even if that meant giving up some swing comfort.
The result was a lower strikeout rate, down from 24.5 K% in 2025 to 21.8% in 2026. His fWAR also climbed by 1.0, from 1.5 to 2.5.
On top of that, he improved as a baserunner, moving from the 76th percentile to the 84th, while also landing in the 89th percentile in Average Exit Velocity and the 81st in xSLG.
What makes Clemens so valuable, though, is that the bat is only part of the story. He gave the Twins real defensive flexibility by playing five different positions. Even with his defensive percentile dropping to the 31st after sitting at the 76th percentile in 2025, he still produced positive Run Value at four spots: +2 in right field, +1 at first base, +1 in center field and +0 in left field.
The trouble came at second base, where his overall defensive total dipped. That was the position he handled most often, with 576 innings there - 47.5% of his 1,212 innings on the year. He also logged 366 innings at first base, then filled in the rest across right field (132 innings), left field (88) and center field (49).
That leaves Minnesota with a pretty clear debate. One path would be to trust Royce Lewis again at first base after a disappointing offensive season and keep Clemens at second, where he may be the best option. Another would be to make room for more of the team’s young talent, including outfielders Alan Roden (0.3 fWAR), Emmanuel Rodriguez (0.2) and Walker Jenkins (0.1), who combined for a positive 0.6 fWAR in 235 plate appearances in the second half.
That kind of shuffle could also open the door for the Twins to chase outside offense in free agency, especially with owner Tom Pohlad promising to increase payroll and spend more going into 2027.
Clemens should be the full-time owner of second base, but there’s another route worth considering: moving on from designated hitter Josh Bell and using a free agent at first base. There’s also the possibility that Minnesota finds a second baseman and shifts Clemens to first. However it plays out, Clemens’ value gives the Twins options because of what he did at the plate and the versatility he brought to the roster.
In Other News...
Ryan Jeffers Just Put A Real Twins Offseason Decision In Play
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The Yankees are one club worth watching because they went through the deadline without adding a catcher and are leaning on a platoon of Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez. Their system does not appear to have much help coming quickly, with Omar Alfonzo not projected to reach the majors until 2028, but Joel Reuter expects Jeffers to stay put rather than testing the market with another team. [Read more 🡒]
Derek Falvey Just Sparked A Debate Twins Fans Wont Ignore
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Falvey ultimately passed on the interview and instead joined the Mets as a senior advisor to baseball operations, which gives Twins fans one more reason to think about what his next move says about his career path. For Minnesota, it is another familiar front-office thread tied to a figure who helped shape the organization, while Oakland keeps searching for leadership after a 64-98 season and a winter defined by limited flexibility and pitching concerns. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Adams Just Made The Twins Bullpen Battle A Lot Tougher
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Adams did not come out of the gate cleanly in 2026, but he settled in as the year wore on and was notably better in September. His overall line still shows some unevenness, including a 4.58 ERA, yet the underlying usage and effectiveness numbers help explain why he remains a real candidate rather than a long shot. The challenge now is simple enough to describe and hard to win: turn that late-season progress into a convincing case before the Twins make their final bullpen calls. [Read more 🡒]