Farmer making the most of playing time with Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- When the Twins traded for Kyle Farmer this offseason, they knew that he would bolster their depth and versatility -- and mash left-handed pitching.

So far, he’s crushing right-handed pitching, too -- and he’s used that to make a big first impression on his new home fans.

A day after knocking a walk-off single to cap a 10th-inning comeback in the Twins’ home opener, Farmer knocked the first Twins homer of the season at Target Field on Saturday. His 3-for-4 performance proved critical to every scoring rally that Minnesota put together in a 9-6, series-clinching victory over the Astros that also featured Byron Buxton's first homer of the season.

“Kyle Farmer has given us a lot of everything,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I could say a little bit of everything, but it’s not even a little bit of everything -- he’s been incredible in the field, he’s had great at-bats. And then he comes out today and just really leads the way.”

That’s the difference in the Twins’ depth this season: In their ideal world, Farmer probably wouldn’t even have been starting on Saturday against right-handed starter Luis Garcia. But pushed into action, he crushed a three-run blast off Garcia in the second inning to open the scoring, and later added a sixth-inning double and an eighth-inning single, scoring the go-ahead and insurance runs, respectively, as the Twins pulled away.

Though Farmer was the Reds’ starting shortstop for much of last season, he has typically been on the Twins’ bench against right-handed starters as part of a platoon with Nick Gordon at second base in the absence of Jorge Polanco, who began the season on the injured list.

It makes sense when considering Farmer’s platoon splits: He’s a .286 lifetime hitter with a .831 OPS against left-handed pitching, as compared to a .242 average and .650 OPS against righties. His .948 OPS against lefties last season seemingly made him a prime candidate to serve as a solid hitter in a platoon and as a pinch-hitter late in games against lefty relievers. That’s how the Twins used him in their season-opening road trip through Kansas City and Miami.

But with Max Kepler and Joey Gallo banged up, Gordon has had to play the outfield -- which has created playing time against righties for Farmer. And that’s where he’s hoping to take big strides this season.

The 32-year-old said that his focus with Twins hitting coach David Popkins since Spring Training has been on closing that gap against righties, and though Farmer wouldn’t go into specifics, he said they found a clear mechanical adjustment that they’ve made an area of focus, with the tweak already feeling “really good” early in the regular season.

“They watched every time I got a hit, and whenever I got out, I was doing something differently when I got out, more so than when I got a hit,” Farmer said. “I was doing something mechanically different when I got a hit. So that's what we've been working on.”

Farmer is also aware that he has been better against fastballs than breaking balls -- especially sliders and cutters, which move away from him. He said they’ve been working more specifically on better seeing where those pitches start, to identify which he should try and attack.

Lo and behold: The homer off Garcia came against a cutter, and the eighth-inning single off reliever Ronel Blanco was off the slider.

Three batters later, Farmer was at second base when he watched Buxton launch a baseball to the second deck in left field.

“He's a special player,” Farmer said. “He's a lot of fun to watch. Never seen someone like him play the game of baseball. I'm just glad I'm on this team to learn.”

Whenever Polanco completes his rehab assignment, the opportunities at second will dwindle, but Farmer can also play shortstop, third base, first base and even some corner outfield if that’s where the Twins need him on any given day – and considering the rigors of any baseball season, they’ll likely need him a good amount.

And with performances like those on Friday and Saturday, Farmer has been showing exactly why the Twins traded for him last offseason.

“We like to throw the label of ‘baseball player’ on certain guys because of the big things they do and the little things they do,” Baldelli said. “I think you could say Kyle Farmer does everything, and he does it all the way you hope a guy would do it.”