DUNEDIN, Fla. -- With an extra opportunity to impress his future Major League manager and teammates, Alex Kirilloff took full advantage of his at-bats Sunday in a 9-8 loss to the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla.

Kirilloff, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Twins' system according to MLB Pipeline, went 3-for-4 with an RBI and raised his Grapefruit League average to .364.

Before the game, manager Rocco Baldelli said he was excited for the 21-year-old and eager to get him several innings in another Major League spring game.

“Anytime we can get our good young players over and let them play … because at this point in the spring it’s a situation where you wouldn’t want to bring guys over if they’re not going to really get in there for much more than an inning or two or one at-bat or something like that,” Baldelli said. “When you get guys to come over and actually play it’s a bit more meaningful and helpful for everyone. When we can do it, we’re going to do it.”

Kirilloff got his RBI off Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez in the second inning with a single that scored Ehire Adrianza. He also singled in the sixth and seventh inning.

“He can do some things with the bat that you don’t see very often, and you usually don’t see it from a young hitter like that,” Baldelli said. “He stays through the ball very well, uses the whole field very well and puts competitive swings on pitches that are often difficult pitches to even put in play and be able to do really positive things with those pitches.”

Kirilloff will go back down to Minor League camp and is expected to start the season with Double-A Pensacola. Last year, Kirilloff had a .348/.392/.578 slash line with 20 home runs and 101 RBIs in 130 games split between Class A Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers.

Baldelli sees a bright future and someone that will be a major contributor for the Twins in the coming years.

“He’s an impressive young man and he wants to be a good player,” Baldelli said. “I believe he’s going to be a good player.”

Austin goes yard

Tyler Austin had his struggles from the clean-up position Sunday with three strikeouts, but he hit a mammoth home run to left field off Ryan Tepera in the seventh inning.

It was Austin’s third home run of the year and brought his Grapefruit League average to .390.

Baldelli said Austin has the type of power that belongs in a Major League lineup.

“He has that power and every time he steps to the plate he has a chance to change the game,” Baldelli said. “Guys that are strong like that, that have that ability … you know … in a situation when a pitcher makes a mistake and you’re ready to swing the bat … they can change the game.”