Minnesota Twins player with most to prove in 2025 isn't who you think it is

Eddy Julien's regression from 2023 to 2024 can be pinpointed to his struggles when he wasn't ahead in the count.

Sep 5, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Edouard Julien (47) celebrates with catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) after hitting a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Which player on the Minnesota Twins has the most to prove in 2025?

While one might expect the easy answer to be Royce Lewis after his 2024 season burst into flames almost immediately after he claimed "I don't do that slump thing," it's a fellow infielder whose regression was baffling last season.

Eddy Julien, therefore, has the most to prove, according to Matthew Leach, the newest Twins beat writer for MLB.com.

"Quite a few infielders could fit the bill," Leach admitted. "Ty France needs to show he can still produce. Brooks Lee needs to show he's ready to hit at the big league level. Royce Lewis needs to show he's the guy from 2023 and early '24. But the call is Julien, who could be anything from the primary second baseman to back in Triple-A based on whether he can regain his form from 2023."

Julien fell off the face of the Earth in 2024, which was odd considering he burst onto the scene in 2023 with the Twins after starring for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

Julien played in 109 games for the Twins as a rookie in 2023 and hit .263 with an impressive .839 OPS. He slugged 16 homers and ripped 16 doubles while driving in 37 runs and crossing home plate 60 times.

He followed up in 2024 with a .199 batting average and a .616 OPS. What happened?

You needn't look further than his splits when ahead, behind or even in the count.

Julien was behind in the count in 85 plate appearance last season and he struck out 49 times. When the count was 2-2, he struck out 32 times in 43 plate appearances. We can go deeper into his regression.

With two strikes, Julien had 176 plate appearances and struck out 102 times while slashing .105/.227/171. He slashed .264/.460/.462 (.921 OPS) in 124 plate appearances when he was ahead in the count. When the count was even, Julien batted .165 with a .416 OPS in 92 plate appearances.

Let's put those 2023 and 2024 splits side by side for a better visual of what happened.

Year	Ahead	Behind	Even
2023	.248/.529/.459	.216/.212/.333	.315/.318/.559
2024	.264/.460/.462	.167/.177/.262	.165/.174/.242

At this point, it might be too late for Julien to carve out an every day role in the lineup. His only chance appears to be winning the starting second baseman job over Brooks Lee or Royce Lewis (whoever isn't playing third base). Ty France seems like a lock to start most days at first base, which means Julien might be stuck in a bench role or playing at Triple-A St. Paul.