Jose Miranda steps in well at third for Twins
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Lorenzo Delgado, Contributor
- June 4, 2024
HOUSTON- Twins third baseman Jose Miranda Jr. grew up in a family that idolized baseball on the island of Puerto Rico. Jose Miranda Sr. started tossing his son a baseball in the backyard early.
Sooner than later, Jose Miranda was grabbing a bat and smoking the ball to the fence. He quickly fell in love with the game. Rebecca Palacios and Jose Miranda Sr. spent countless hours taking the younger Jose to the ballpark.
“A bunch of sacrifices and a lot of hours on the field,” Jose Miranda Jr. said of his parents’ support. “My dad and my mom took me to the field everyday. A lot of practices and flights to play in the states.”
Rebecca Palacios and Jose Miranda Sr. had to buy the essential equipment of what a baseball player needs. A glove, a bat, batting gloves, and baseball cleats to start his journey.
Extra shifts paid off for Miranda family
Rebecca Palacios would pick up extra shifts and work extra hours as a flight attendant for American Eagle (part of the American Airlines family). Jose Miranda Sr. owned vending machines. He would place different kinds of snacks for people to buy to make extra income.
“They had to work a lot to pay for those flights and get me here,” Jose Miranda said. “A bunch of other stuff. Obviously way more things that I’m so proud of. That’s why I’m so grateful and so proud that they’re my parents. They help me get to where I’m at right now.”
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Jose Miranda had an impressive start to his career. In his rookie campaign in 2022, Miranda batted .268 with 25 doubles, 15 home runs, 66 RBIs, and finished with a 114 OPS+.
Heading into the 2023 season, Miranda battled through a shoulder injury. The 25-year-old Boricua attempted to play the season with the Twins and Triple-A St. Paul. However, the impingement in his right shoulder would be too much. Miranda had right shoulder surgery to close a frustrating chapter in 2023.
The Twins won the American League Central Division and made the postseason. They snapped the franchise’s 18-game postseason losing streak by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card.
Jose Miranda rebounds from injury
Miranda was devastated he couldn’t contribute to the Twins’ postseason run, but he washed it away. During the offseason, Miranda progressed through different rehab exercises and training to strengthen his shoulder to come back ready to go for spring training.
“I had to put in a lot of work in the offseason, especially rehabbing in Fort Myers,” he said. “Working on my shoulder and my body. Trying to improve, trying to get stronger with my shoulder and my body. I worked on my mechanics too.
“Trying to improve in the game because that’s what you want to do. You wanna be good on both sides of the ball. And I always want to work in the offseason.”
Miranda has started at third base while former 2017 first rounder Royce Lewis has been on the injured list.
The Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, native is hitting .280 with nine doubles, six home runs, 20 RBIs, 19 runs in 44 games. Moreover, he carries a .311 on-base percentage and a .780 OPS.
Hot corner
Miranda has already played a career-high in the hot corner. In 2022, he played 34 games at third base, 38 games in 2023, and has now surpassed with 39 games this season.
The third-year infielder was drafted as a shortstop, but his baseball IQ has made him a vital part of the infield.
“The biggest thing was the fact that he came in healthy,” Twins assistant bench coach and infield coach Tony Diaz said of Miranda. “You know he had that procedure done in the offseason and he’s now thinking about whether or not let me use this arm slot so my arm doesn’t hurt. It’s really hard to play the game like that.
“He’s put in a ton of work. He’s always had that work ethic. I’m not surprised by the fact that he’s done a nice job on both ends defensively and offensively.”
Lorenzo Delgado
Contributor
Lorenzo Delgado graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and is currently attending the University of Houston to earn his master’s degree. Lorenzo was formerly a contributing baseball writer for Call to the Pen on the Fansided Network. He is the host of an Astros baseball podcast called Full Seam Ahead, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and wherever podcasts are found.
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