Miranda 'chilling' after Triple-A assignment

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- After Jose Miranda was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, he took to Twitter and simply posted one character: the "rolling on the floor laughing" emoji.

The organization's breakout star of 2021, Miranda was on the 40-man roster for the first time this spring. He was determined to make the big league squad after he demolished the high Minors to the tune of a .344/.401/.572 line with 30 homers and 32 doubles across Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul and was named the Twins' Minor League Player of the Year.

But after falling short of his first Opening Day roster, Miranda's tone was decidedly more accepting as he prepared for a game on the back fields of the Twins' complex on Saturday.

"It's part of it," Miranda said. "It's part of the work I do. I'm just going to keep playing, playing hard, doing my thing down in Triple-A. Whenever they need me, if they want to call me up, I'll do my thing."

Now ranked the No. 3 prospect in the Twins' organization by MLB Pipeline, Miranda acknowledges that it was tough at times to tune out the noise of fans overwhelmingly calling for his promotion last summer, as the months rolled on and Miranda just kept hitting and hitting.

Following the cancelation of the 2020 Minor League season, Miranda began his '21 campaign with Wichita and only made it into 47 games before his performance -- .345/.408/.588 -- forced the Twins to promote him. He posted a nearly identical .343/.397/.563 line across his final 80 games in St. Paul.

All the while, Miranda kept waiting for the call -- but it never came.

"There was a point where I was like, 'Man, I wish they'd call me up,'" Miranda said. "At the same time, I was just trying to stay relaxed, keep calm and just keep playing the game. If you think about it a lot, you let that get in your mindset, and it's tough."

Before his rise, Miranda had put forth OPS marks of .671 and .736 in his previous two full seasons. The key to unlocking his potential wasn't anything too fancy; it all came down to discipline. Considering his strong bat-to-ball ability, he just had to make sure to hit pitches he could really damage instead of making weak contact with bad pitches.

Miranda used front toss and tee drills to lock in on what he was looking for. Two or three weeks following his adjustment, he knew he was onto something. His confidence grew. At no point did he think he'd come down to earth. He always had power in his skill set -- and now, he could get to it more consistently.

"It's super satisfying, especially at the end of the year," Miranda said. "It was just, like, 'Wow. I did it.' That gives me confidence, because now I know I can do that and I can do more."

Blocked at third base by Josh Donaldson last season, Miranda had no clear path to the roster, especially when Donaldson stayed healthy in the second half. Even when the Twins traded Donaldson, they brought back Gio Urshela to man the hot corner alongside Luis Arraez, once again filling Miranda's natural position.

Depth is everything for a team hoping to contend, and it's tough to argue with the inclusion of an experienced playoff bat with a solid glove.

Still, it undoubtedly made Miranda's path to the Opening Day roster more difficult, since there's no question that both Urshela and Arraez are making this team.

"[Miranda and Trevor Larnach] were both competing here for jobs on this Major League team," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone had a straightforward path to making the club based on who else is already on the club."

These factors might just be out of Miranda's hands altogether, though roster crunches often sort themselves out within a matter of weeks due to injuries.

Farm director Alex Hassan said the Twins will continue pushing Miranda's versatility, with additional looks at first base (in addition to his existing skill set at third and second), to put himself in the best position possible to take advantage of any such opportunity.

The Twins don't want Miranda to be a part-time bench player; they want him to be playing every day, ready to seize a starting opportunity. It's tough for now, but Miranda insists he understands the big picture.

"Yeah, of course," Miranda said. "I do understand it. I'm chilling. I'm chilling. I'm calm. I'll keep working here."