Player of the gameConnor PrielippMIN6.0ip 6h 2er 10k
When the Twins hired Keith Beauregard as their hitting coach this winter, Ryan Kreidler was excited to work with a coach he knew well. But he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. Kreidler had already changed teams twice in the previous three months, so he wasn’t sure he’d get the chance to work with Beauregard or anyone on the Minnesota staff. He needn’t have worried. Kreidler continued his breakout season with a tiebreaking two-out solo homer in the seventh inning as the Twins held off the Rockies, 3-2, at Target Field on Sunday afternoon. The win gave Minnesota its fourth series victory in five tries. It was the fifth homer in 93 at-bats for the versatile veteran, who’s long been known for his glove but never been able to put up offensive numbers in the Major Leagues. Kreidler entered the year with two homers in more than 200 plate appearances over four seasons. Now he’s playing regularly, holding down shortstop defensively *and* producing at the plate. And it’s all adding up to more opportunity. “I’m just excited,” Kreidler said. “Super pumped. I don’t have very many big league homers still, so every one feels like a big deal. especially one that put us ahead. So, just excited.” Kreidler didn’t break camp with the Twins this spring, losing out to Tristan Gray for the final roster spot coming out of Fort Myers, Fla. But he produced at Triple-A St. Paul and has shown himself to be valuable with an ability to play both shortstop and center field. And now he’s hitting as well. After Royce Lewis was optioned to St. Paul in May, the Twins moved Brooks Lee from shortstop to third base, clearing the way for Kreidler and Gray to play short. Kreidler in particular has seized that chance, posting a .326/.392/.565 line in June. He sports career bests in strikeout rate, hard-hit rate and barrel rate, indicating that this isn’t just a fluke. Kreidler may not hit like this all year, but there’s something different about him. Performance wise, it starts with significantly improved average bat speed -- from 68.5 miles per hour in 2024 to 71 mph last year to 74.6 mph in 2026, above the Major League average of 72.1.
