Alex Kirilloff hits in the day. He hits at night. He hits on the road. He hits at home. He hits against right-handed pitchers. He hits against lefties.

The outfield prospect for the Minnesota Twins hits about as often as Dr. Seuss wrote short, declarative sentences in his children’s books. Rarely does the Fort Myers Miracle’s leading producer of hits, doubles and batting average not hit.

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The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Kirilloff, 20, attributed much of his success to his father, a hitting coach, and the Twins coaches who have nurtured him. The Twins selected him No. 15 overall in the 2016 draft out of Plum High School in a suburb of Pittsburgh.

At 7 p.m. Friday, the Miracle will play host to the Daytona Tortugas at Hammond Stadium in Game 1 of the best-of-five Florida State League championship series. Game 2 is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday at Hammond, after which the series will move to Clearwater.

The Miracle hope to win the third FSL league title in Fort Myers history and the second title since 2014. The Fort Myers Royals won the league in 1985.

“I love the team,” Kirilloff said. “It’s a great group of guys. We have a great chemistry going now. The team is hungry for the playoffs and a championship. Hopefully we come together and can win a few more games.”

Kirilloff has had just one, three-game streak of games without a hit this season. It happened June 24-26, an 0-for-12 “slump.” He went 21-for-48 in the 10 games prior and 10-for-23 in the six games after, meaning he went 31-for-83 during that stretch, a .373 batting average. Not bad for a slump.

“No, I honestly couldn’t tell you when exactly that was,” Kirilloff said of his 0-for-12 slide. “I think I’ve matured this year. My hitting coaches have helped me all throughout the year. I’m just thankful for that and thankful for them. Hopefully we can keep getting it done.”

Tim O’Neill, one of about 10 Twins scouts who evaluated Kirilloff in high school, noted his father’s different approach to hitting. That made the son stand out as a prospect.

“I think the interesting thing about Alex, the situation was unique,” O’Neill said. “He had an impressive summer prior to his draft year. When you start looking at it, he was a home-schooled kid with a self-proclaimed, hitting guru dad. If you Google Dave Kirilloff, you’ll see.”

Googling “Dave Kirilloff baseball” leads to languageofbaseball.com, which is filled with hitting advice and how to hire Dave Kirilloff, who travels across the country, coaching amateur hitters. He aspires to coach in the big leagues and said he has interviewed with the Twins, Red Sox, Pirates, Orioles and Rockies to no avail.

“I’ve come to learn, the real KNACK behind hitting … is … ‘Timed Spatial Awareness,’” Dave Kirilloff wrote on his website. He stands by that philosophy, which he instilled in his son.

“Dave’s philosophy is quite unique,” O’Neill said. “It focuses on vision and timing. Not necessarily swing mechanics and bio-mechanics, which is what 99 percent of the other kids are driven by. This guy’s approach was really unique. I thought his stuff was pretty good. It was apparent watching the kid work out. He was kind of a major league-looking hitter. You always want to be careful as a scout comparing players to other players. But this guy looked like Todd Helton.

That was the comp we were working off of. We saw a lot of similar things.”

Helton, a five-time major league All-Star, led the National League with a .372 batting average in 2000 with the Colorado Rockies.

Alex Kirilloff said his father’s coaching overwhelmed him at times but always drove him to improve.

“The biggest challenge, growing up with him, was just talking baseball all the time,” he said. “At dinner. At night. All day long. It gets a little monotonous over time. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

“He’s always taught me the variables and the nuances of timing. I’m big on that.”

Dave Kirilloff said when players come off the disabled list or from long layoffs, their biggest challenge is regaining their timing. Alex Kirilloff should know. He entered this season having not played in 19 months after rehabilitating from Tommy John surgery in 2016.

“Timed spatial awareness,” Dave Kirilloff said. “Timed perception. That’s what Alex grew up on. He grew up on a system of timing. At what moment does he stop watching the pitcher and start looking for the ball? From a non-baseball perspective, the ball is coming from one area and going to another area. You weed out the swing mechanics.

"I do think the swing mechanics are important. And Alex incorporates that. But with any mechanical flaw with how you swing, you can be outside of that. He doesn’t even think about that. All he thinks about is where the ball is and where it’s coming from.

“I tell the hitter, you are constantly thinking about the ball, while you watch the pitcher. Your mind never leaves where the ball is, where the ball is coming from and where the ball is going.”

Alex Kirilloff has put the philosophy to good use.

The Miracle made the playoffs in large part because of Kirilloff, who went 5-for-5 on Wednesday night in the decisive Game 2 of the FSL South Division Series.

Analyzing Kirilloff’s hitting statistics showed he has hit in near, season-long bursts. He has had four double-digit hitting streaks during the regular season of 14, 10, 13 and 13 games. Combining those streaks, he hit .434 (93-for-214) with nine homers and 47 RBI. For the season, he’s hitting .348 (178-for-512) with 20 homers, 101 RBI and 44 doubles.

Toby Gardenhire, who managed Kirilloff earlier this season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, used short, declarative sentences to describe his former pupil.

“He’s a really good hitter,” Gardenhire said. “He’s got good hands. He has great plate discipline. He knows what he’s doing.

“It’s not a typical thing, what he’s doing. He’s swinging the bat about as good as anybody in minor league baseball.”

Connect with this reporter: David Dorsey (Facebook), @DavidADorsey (Twitter).

Alex Kirilloff by the numbers

Batting average

Vs. LHP: .356

Vs. RHP: .364

Day: .379

Night: .359

Home: .385

Away: .341

Hitting streaks

14-games (April 29-May 15): 22-for-56 (.392) with three homers, 12 RBI

10 games (June 10-June 23): 21-for-48 (.437) with three homers, 12 RBI

13 games (July 13-July 20): 28-for-52 (.538) with two homers, 15 RBI

14 games (Aug. 1-Aug. 16): 22-for-58 (.379) with one homer, eight RBI

If you go

What: Fort Myers Miracle vs. Daytona Tortugas

When: 7 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Hammond Stadium

At stake: Games 1 and 2 of the Florida State League championship series, best of five. Games 3-5 (if necessary) will be in Clearwater

Tickets: $7.50 and $9.50 in advance or $9 and $11 game day.

Promotions: $2 domestic draft beer Friday; Bark at the park (bring your dog) Saturday

Parking: $5