Twins' Edouard Julien: Works to improve against lefties
Julien worked in the offseason to limit his front shoulder from flying open during swings against lefties, the Bobby Nightingale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I changed a couple of things in my swing to adjust to the slider and be able to hit the fastball against lefties," he said earlier this week. He's 6-for-10 with a walk in four games this spring and 2-for-5 against left-handed pitching. He went 2-for-3 with a home run in Friday's Grapefruit League win over Boston.
Julien had an outstanding rookie season with a .381 OBP and drew walks at a near league-leading 15.7 percent clip. However, he hit just .195 with a .447 OPS against left-handed pitching. Julien will become the primary starter at second base after the trade of Jorge Polanco but will likely be platooned with Kyle Farmer. If Julien can show improvement against left-handed pitching, he could take over everyday duties.
