A report from Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune indicates the Minnesota Twins will sign veteran Ty France to a one-year deal. France, 30, was an All-Star with the Seattle Mariners in 2022 but since seen his production fall rapidly. The move addresses one of Minnesota’s glaring holes, which was a player like France who can play at first base. France will likely compete with incumbent options Jose Mirana and Edouard Julien.
Twins Sign Ty France
France was once an important member of an uprising Mariners club. In his two full seasons with the Mariners (2021-2022), France hit .283/.353/.440 (127 OPS+) with 38 homers and 59 doubles.
An All-Star in 2022, France excelled at not striking out and at making contact. He also benefited from getting hit by a lot of pitches, including a league-leading 27 in 2021 and 34 in 2023. Despite his success, poor underlying metrics projected an inevitable decline.
“It’s painful, but I don’t walk that much, so it helps in that category.”
HBP leader Ty France says it’s been a regular thing for him since college
https://t.co/e6LF4x3Qiq pic.twitter.com/oOERYR2J9h
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 21, 2023
Throughout his career, France displayed poor quality of contact and low walk rates. He didn’t hit the ball hard or control the strike zone, thus making his success tough to sustain. Sure enough, his production dropped off in 2023.
Though his overall production was roughly league-average .250/.337/.366 (101 OPS+), it marked a big difference from what he previously produced. Plus, it only looked worse when considering his underlying metrics continued to be poor.
Seattle kept him around for 2024, but designated him for assignment after his struggles worsened. In 340 plate appearances with the Mariners last year, France hit .223/.312/.350 (97 OPS+) with a non-typical 24.4 percent strikeout rate.
His strikeout rate returned to normal (for him) after the Cincinnati Reds acquired him. However, his overall production declined even further. In 53 games, he hit .251/.292/.391 (85 OPS+) with five homers and ten doubles in a hitter-friendly home ballpark.
On top of the poor offense, France does not grade out well defensively. Over the past two seasons, he has accumulated -14 Defensive Runs Saved and -13 Outs Above Average.
Thus, France entered the free agent market hoping to offer value through potential defensive versatility with a chance to rebound offensively. It looks like Twins will sign France and provide him with that opportunity.
Main Photo: © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
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