Julien, from Quebec City, was recalled from the St. Paul Saints, the Twins’ AAA farm club, to make up for the loss of Joey Gallo. The Twins confirmed at the start of the day that Julien would start the game at second base and strike eighth in the offensive role.
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In his first appearance against starter Lucas Giolito, at the end of the third inning, Julien was grounded out to first base.
An inning later, he came up to bat with runners at first and third base, after Giolito hit Twins shortstop Kyle Farmer with a fast 92 mph right in the face. Farmer was able to leave the encounter on his own. The Twins said Farmer suffered a jaw injury, without giving further details.
Still shaken, Giolito fell 3-0 behind Julien, who got the go-ahead to go on the fourth pitch, unsuccessfully. He then drew a base on walks to fill the bases. The Twins took the opportunity to take a 1-0 lead.
Julien returned to bat in the bottom of the sixth with two outs and a batter at first. The Quebecer, however, committed himself in an optional shortstop.
The win went to Sonny Gray (2-0), while Giolito (0-1) scored the loss. Jhoan Duran collected his third save of the season. Taylor finished the game with two RBIs.
Leading Hope
One of the Twins’ hottest prospects, and 96th prospect in all of major league baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, Julien was off to an excellent start to the season at the AAA level, as evidenced by his offensive averages of .290/.421/.548 . The one who participated in the World Baseball Classic for Canada hit two homers and drove in four runs in addition to scoring nine in as many games.
Julien had a great season at the AA level in 2022 with Wichita, with offensive averages of .300/.441/.490, 17 home runs, 67 RBI and 77 runs scored. He led the Texas League in attendance average (.441) and walks (98), in addition to finishing third in attendance/power average (.931).
The Twins then promoted him to the Arizona Fall League (AFL), where only the best prospects in the Majors play. He did not disappoint them.
The Quebecer maintained a batting average of .400 in addition to leading the league for the average presence / power, at 1.249. His .563 attendance average was the third highest in AFL history and he finished second in the Fall Tour MVP ballot.
“He was not only good, he dominated the best prospects in the industry,” said former Major League pitcher Éric Gagné in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“You don’t see a lot of hitters like him. At each level, he quickly adapted to become one of the best hitters, added the one who now acts as a personal trainer at his home in Arizona. I have every confidence that he can also do it in the MLB.
The second baseman, who turns 24 on April 30, was drafted in the 18th round, 539th overall, by the Twins in 2019. MLB.com and Baseball America rank him the Twins’ fourth-best prospect. Baseball America calls him the club’s best prospect when it comes to batting discipline and his management of the strike zone.
