Ervin Santana ready for first Opening Day assignment

During the final week of spring training, Ervin Santana was sitting in his SUV in the parking lot of a restaurant not far from Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla., talking with fans through Periscope, a popular video-streaming app.

He answered questions about his favorite stadiums and whether he's going to have a big year. Some fans just want a shout-out.

"They want to know and they ask questions," said Santana, an active social media member whose Twitter account has more than 150,000 followers, before the team left its spring camp.

On this day, there were no probing questions, particularly none about his performance-enhancing-drug-related suspension last year that delayed his Twins debut by 80 games and stunned the team just before the start of the regular season.

Once his season started on July 5, Santana became an indispensable part of the Twins rotation. He enters this season as their Opening Day starter — his first as a major leaguer — and de facto staff ace. It's the full season both the Twins and Santana envisioned when they signed a four-year, $55 million deal — the richest contract the team has bestowed upon a free-agent pitcher.

Six months of Santana, the Twins hope, makes them more of a playoff threat. He'll be facing the Baltimore Orioles on Monday in his Opening Day assignment.

"We brought him in two winters ago with the idea of him being a reliable guy who can give you innings and repeat almost every start," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It is good to know we have him from Day 1."

"About a year ago today," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan noted. "It was awkward."

Teammates were floored by the news. Some thought it had a hand in their 1-6 start to the season. Others, mostly the position players, pointed to one run being scored in the series against the Tigers for the slump.

Santana spent his suspension with his family. His activity on Twitter focused on retweeting other posts more than tweeting ones of his own. The suspension cost him about $6.6 million of salary.

"Bad times," he said. "But God only knows why things happen. I think it was another experience, and I try to have fun no matter what. Try to smile no matter what."

Ervin Santana's career statistics

"When he came back [last year] he said [to his teammates] we had acquired a top starter," third baseman Trevor Plouffe said. "Same thing this year."

In 17 starts after the end of his suspension, Santana was 7-5 with a 4.00 ERA. With the Twins in the hunt for a playoff spot, Santana went 5-1 with a 1.62 ERA over his final seven starts.

Add Santana to the rest of the Twins rotation, and it looks as if the team has a more competitive unit than in previous seasons.

Righthanders Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson, lefthander Tommy Milone and righthander Ricky Nolasco fill out the rotation, in order of appearance. It's a rotation that will have to succeed through savvy more than missing bats — the Twins ranked 26th in the majors in strikeouts by starters last season — but the potential is there to have a few starters pitch close to 200 innings this season if they remain healthy.

"It's been said that we don't have that true No. 1 guy, but it is going to take contributions from up and down our rotation to do what we want to do," Hughes said. "Having me healthy, having Gibby take that next step, Tommy has been great this spring, Ricky has been throwing good this spring. If we can have all of our guys just healthy and giving us a chance to win, that is going to be key for us.

Santana, 33, is the Twins' most accomplished starter, with a career record of 125-105 over 11 seasons. That includes six seasons of at least 196 innings, one All-Star Game appearance and one no-hitter. The Twins' hope is that Santana, Hughes and Gibson could win 40 to 45 games among them. The last time the Twins had three starters each with double-digit wins in a season was 2010, the last time they reached the postseason. It will be up to Milone and Nolasco to stabilize the back end of the rotation. If not, rookies Tyler Duffey and Jose Berrios will get their chances.

The rotation will need a good defense behind it, but Santana's presence from the start offers more hope.

"We got him last year to get us over the hump," closer Glen Perkins said. "And we were able to stay in [the playoff race], and when he got here he helped big time. Down the stretch he was really good.

"We need him just like everyone else. He is one of those guys at the top of the food chain, as in how he does is how we do."

Santana has been durable and reliable. He can finesse his way through a lineup or reach back and hit 97 miles per hour on the radar gun — as he did during spring training. He fields well, holds runners on base and eats up innings.

And, this time, he can do it for an entire season.

"It means a lot," Santana said being available at the start of the season. "I'm just going to do my job, and I'm very happy to be with the team for the whole season. It's good for me and good for the team.''