Quebecer Édouard Julien seems ready to play the 2024 major baseball season after completing an excellent preparatory camp with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
The second baseman added a hit to his exhibition game tally in a 9-6 victory over the Atlanta Braves to conclude the preseason schedule. Occupying the top of his team’s offensive role, he hit a single during his initial presence and crossed the plate shortly after.
Thus, Julien sent a powerful message to manager Rocco Baldelli, whose team will begin the campaign by visiting the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The athlete, who will celebrate his 25th birthday next month, maintained a .342 batting average in camp thanks to 13 hits, totaling two home runs and seven RBIs.
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Consequently, he seems in good spirits before starting hostilities in earnest. On Thursday, he could go up against Cole Ragans, a left-handed gunner, but the infielder said he’s made some adjustments recently and that should come in handy soon.
“During the preseason phase, I worked a lot to be able to hit against lefties,” he recently told MLB.com. That was the main objective and I did a lot to achieve that. I faced several lefties and I was trying to expose myself from that angle. However, generally speaking, I will not change my approach.
Defense is also important
In 2023, Julien posted a .263 average in Minnesota, hitting 16 long balls and scoring 37 points. He obviously hopes to improve his statistics, without neglecting his defensive game.
“I don’t want to be an average player. I want to be the best in my position and I put a lot of effort into that every day. The goal is to win a Golden Glove and I’m taking small steps every day,” he said.
“Initially, he was not an exceptional second cushion player,” Baldelli said. However, he has worked significantly to be able to play at this location in the big leagues. He has made a lot of effort and he continues on this path. He did an incredible job getting to the major level and he did it quickly.”
2024-03-26 22:49:42
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